How to Host a Political Debate
You do not have to be a professional politician or political operative to host your own political debate. There are different kinds of debates, however, including issue forums and student debates. Hosting a debate involves a step-by-step process, but there is no one way to go about it. You will want to tailor the process to your needs when the time comes.
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Things You'll Need
- Volunteers
- Church hall or school auditorium
- Audience members
- Debate participants
Instructions
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Plan ahead. Before you can organize and host a political debate, do a cost analysis. The many things involved in a debate -- for example, the debate hall, advertisements, production and security -- will incur a cost. Ask family, friends and local businesspeople to be debate sponsors, thus helping you with the cost of the event. Keep in mind that larger debate events will cost more than smaller, more low-key events.
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After evaluating the cost of the event, find a location to hold the debate in. There may some places within your community that allow you to use their facilities for no charge or a small fee. These include school auditoriums, church halls and civic centers. The size of your venue should be based on what you estimate the attendance will be. If the debate will be broadcast on the radio and/or television, another option would be the use of a production studio. If that is the case, it will limit the amount of attendees you have in-house. It is also important to make the location of the event as politically neutral as possible.
When discussing the furnishings, be sure to think about how many chairs you'll need for the attendees, a raised platform and desks/tables for the moderator and debaters as well as possible carpeting to allow for better acoustics. Having a properly furnished/organized event can make for not only a much greater turnout, but it could also make the debate go all the more successful. Be sure to take care of the citizens that will attend the debate, as well as the people asking and answering the difficult questions. The appropriate care will have a positive impact on the entire event.
Every debate needs proper lighting and sound. Be sure to provide the proper lighting, but be sure to prevent the roasting of your speakers. Also, you will need to gather microphones, extra power sources and any other equipment you may need. If it is your interest to have the event broadcasted on the radio and/or television, you will then need to provide the additional resources to make that happen. If a radio or news station will be attending, determine with then what they will already have on hand, and then decide if you'll need to provide any additional equipment to better suite them.
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Will you need supplies, such as buttons, banners or advertisements? It is advisable to obtain some of these in order to advertise the event and increase people's enthusiasm. Will audience members need tickets? If so, they will need to be printed at additional expense. Decide whether media credentials will be required for admittance. Audience tickets can serve as souvenirs, and proper credentials could help in keeping the event safe. Promotional items help give credit to the people and/or organizations that made your event possible.
You will also need to decide whether or not you will need outside help in setting up the debate location. This can be done with hired help or volunteers. Just to let you know, volunteers can assist in many areas with no cost, so take that into consideration when seeking help. Professional help may be required for the construction of electrical and broadcasting systems, but there may be volunteers that are knowledgeable in those areas, thus saving you a bit more money. It will also be wise to have enough people on hand to not only help with the setting up, but also during and after the debate. Students studying political science or media communication may also be of some help, so be sure to include them in on the fun, if available. Another idea is to recruit volunteers through online advertising on you website, or by printing our flyers and having them placed in your local newspaper.
Security may be a needed accessory if the event will be held after the renter's normal business hours, or if the event was highly advertised. It is also important to make sure all equipment is properly stored and locked in a safe place to prevent any theft and/or damage. Protect your investments, especially if they were rented or borrowed. The main concern should be keeping the attendees and all other people safe, it is wise to prevent any harm from being inflicted -- debates can become controversial.
If possible, try to figure out the cost that will be incurred if videotapes, cassettes or printed transcripts of the event will be made available to anyone who's interested. You may also decide to charge a fee for the items purchased by the public, thus assisting you with any charges pending with having the materials published. You will also need to make the materials made available soon after the debate, if not right after, for it to have a positive effect. Posting a transcript and/or a video on your website can also prove to be beneficial for those who didn't attend.
As it has been for recent elections, the use of the internet may be of great importance. If you chose to create a website; you can keep track of all ticket requests, acknowledge sponsors, promote and provide the time and place of the debate as well as any other information that would be useful to the public. You can also use the internet to possibly hold an online debate, thus using a new wave of technology to attract a younger audience.
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If you're going to host a televised or radio debate, you may want to hold the event in a production studio. Broadcasting the event has potential of igniting a much greater audience. If this proves to be difficult, you might seek advice and assistance from a freelance producer, or contact your local radio and television stations.
Your audience is a very important asset to your event, so if space is limited, you need to decide who you would like to attend. Space must also be provided for the broadcasting equipment, a stage for the candidates and for journalists. Make the venue comfortable for all who attend, and this can be done by finding the perfect-sized area beforehand
If your debate is on the larger-end, you may want to consider having an area reserved for a Media Center. This area would be the place where journalists can mingle and prepare before and after the debate. At the closing of the debate, this area can serve as the place for post-debate interviews and commentary. If this debate was highly advertised, you may expect to have a handful or more members of the press attend, thus making the need of a media center beneficial.
Another important issue, and probably one of the most important, is to make sure you hold the debate somewhere that isn't only Conservative or Liberal. Holding the debate in a partisan area may bring about conflicts and unnecessary bias, so neutrality is crucial. Search for a place that is as neutral as possible. Be sure to also make the place easily accessible to the attending candidates, citizens and journalists.
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It is customary that debate sponsors and candidates agree on how the event will be carried out. You will need to be able to contact the candidates' representatives regarding how they'd like the debate facilitated. These people need to be available throughout the planning process. Involving them will make the debate more successful and interesting to the candidates and audience alike.
Different formats have been used in debates throughout the years. The more popular styles include a town-hall-style meeting (when the audience asks the candidates the questions); a panel approach (when the participants answer questions asked by a few people); and the single-moderator-style debate (when one individual, the moderator, asks the questions). A single-moderator-style debate is meant to focus the audience's attention on the candidates rather than the panel participants.
The moderator(s) should be familiar with current political issues, as well as with the candidates. Choose a moderator(s) that you and the debate candidates deem fair, trustworthy and, ideally, neutral. If you decide to hold a town hall-style debate, select an unbiased audience. You can also hire an independent polling/research group to identify neutral individuals to serve as members of the audience.
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The important parts of a debate are the topics that are discussed. These can cover a wide range of issues, or a selected few that pertain to the candidates. If your debate will focus on a certain issue, you can decide to discuss only topics relevant to the issue.
Presidential debates usually last about 90 minutes, but your debate can be different. Factors to consider when deciding on the length of the debate include whether the event will be broadcast, the number of participants and how many debates there will be. If your debate is focusing on a broad range of issues, it could last as long as 90 minutes. If you chose to discuss a certain topic only, it could be much shorter. You and your fellow organizers will set the time frame.
A successful debate should also allow the participants to give both opening and closing statements. Make sure the remarks are allotted a certain amount of time, for example, two to three minutes should be sufficient. These statements should not take too much time away from the actual debate. Also, give each participant a set time in which to answer the questions. Most debates allow 20 to 30 seconds. Choose an appropriate person to keep the time, and be sure it is allotted fairly.
Decide which of the participants will speak first -- the easiest and fairest way to do this is with a coin toss. If your debate involves more than two people, you can have them draw straws.
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When the debate is over, the press will want to speak to the participants. This is where a media center will come in handy. Questioning could continue for a while after the debate has been completed. So, place the media center in an area that won't affect any clean-up that will take place after the event.
It is then your responsibility to clean the area you used, dismantle any equipment and return it to the proper owners. You may want to ask audience members for feedback about the pros and cons of the debate. Most important, you should thank and extend appreciation to the participants, the audience members and the people that helped make the event happen.
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Tips & Warnings
When planning a debate, always obtain written permission to use any sites and equipment before the event. Always be prepared for changes in your plans.
