Points of Information

Today's tip is short and to the point...

Many of you are struggling with the proper way to address questions from your opponents. You frequently let the question become a distraction, sometimes find yourself grappling to remember which team is which and what terms to use. This then leads to responses like, "I won't take your question," or "Sit down," or, "I'll take the Prime Minister's question (when it's really the Member of Opposition- so now the whole audience is giggling)." UGH! How frustrating! And what's worse.... judges are noticing and remarking about this on ballots, only adding to your own frustration.

So, what is the solution? In solving this problem, remember that you want your response to be: 1) POLITE, 2) ACCURATE, 3) IMMEDIATE.

The best way to do this is to develop a HABIT. I believe the more formal the response, the better. Parli should be polite, formal, and professional. Handling one's self with professionalism and decorum is a must. When I debated, I was not interested in allowing questions to through me for a loop, nor did I want to stop and think about who I was talking to and what was going on as this would interrupt my entire speech. But, I also wanted to be polite to everyone in the room and it is rude to leave someone standing unaddressed. The solution? I formed a HABIT! By habitually responding the same way every time, I could guarantee a polite, accurate and immediate response.

The standard phrases I used were:

To take a question, "Yes, I will be happy to address the gentleman's (or lady's) question."

To refuse a question, "I'm terribly sorry but I do not have time to address the gentleman's (or lady's) question at this moment."

To post-pone a question, "I'm sorry, I'd like to finish this point, then I will gladly address the gentleman's (or lady's) question."

After post-poning, "Now, I'll gladly address the gentleman's (or lady's) question."

Sometimes, when taking a question, if I knew I had a lot to say or had inquiring opponents who would flood me with questions throughout the speech, I would say, "I will happily take the first of three questions from the gentleman (or lady)."

To state you won't take any more questions, "I'm terribly sorry but I will be unable to take any more questions."

By forming habitual responses, I didn't have to worry about forgetting, saying the wrong thing, or being offensive. Polite phrases, ready for use, will help keep things professional and courteous.

When you don't know the correct thing to say or do, remember you can never be TOO polite!!!! I hope this helps!
-Kristina