Format

This is the format of the NK Eloquentia! A format with even more interaction and even more space to profile yourself. Moreover, there is a whole new jury guide, so you can better see what we are looking at! If you have questions about the format, send an email to eloquentia@asdvbonaparte.nl

At the NK eloquentia, everyone participates as individuals, and participants compete to become the most convincing speaker in the Netherlands. Ten minutes before the start of the debate, they are given a motion on a current topic and a position in the debate. During these ten minutes they have time to think of arguments and write a speech, without help from the Internet or other people.

After the ten minutes, the debate begins, which includes four individual speakers. There are two proponents and two opponents, but they are not on the same team! Each speaker has a three-minute speech in the debate, and there is also a free round where there is room for discussion. Each debate ends with a 15-second sound-bite for each person. The beautiful colorful picture above shows schematically how the debate works. 

During the speeches speakers are given the space to explain their own points. Rebuttals are allowed, but we especially want to know the central reason why that speaker is for/against the statement. Speakers may not interrupt each other during speeches.

In the open phase, the only rule is that there are no rules. People may interrupt each other, shout through each other or do a dance. Whether it earns you many points is another matter! Ideally, this is the time to refute and sharply question the other debaters. Be clear and formulate concisely! The judges do not intervene during the open phase unless physical force is used.

After the open phase, there is a short break so that the speakers can prepare for their soundbites. 

During the soundbites all speakers have 15 seconds to place themselves in the spotlight one more time. They can show one more time what they have brought! Speakers are abruptly cut off after these 15 seconds, so they are not allowed to finish their sentence. 

Judging

The NK Eloquentia is all about convincing the jury. The jury pretends to be an average newspaper reader in the Netherlands. They know who Rob Jetten is, are aware of the shortages in ICT, Healthcare and Education and know that young people voted against brexit. They are not familiar with the ECB's interest rate policy, the political tensions in Libya or the birth lottery. But... You can explain it to them, of course! You may only give whole points. At the end of the debate add up the points on all categories of a speaker, this is the final score!

The judges will judge you on 5 points:
Argumentation: Is the debater able to substantiate his main arguments?
Presentation: Is the speaker able to speak entertainingly?
Speech writing: Is the speaker clear and fresh in his articulations?
Reactions: Does the speaker respond to the opponents' arguments and attacks?
Holism: Does the speaker add value to the debate? Is the speaker sympathetic?

These 5 points add up to a score between 0 and 50. Check out the rubric below to see exactly how you will be graded.

	0-2 (speaker who still needs to practice)	3-4 (speaker who can still improve)	5-6 (average speaker)	7-8 (good speaker)	9-10 (very good speaker)
Argumentation Relevance Analysis Examples Weighing	The speaker does not give arguments, only statements. These are hardly explained and are irrelevant.	The speaker gives few arguments, mostly statements. The explanations are not necessarily bad, but fall short.	The speaker gives relevant arguments and also explains them. The analysis is not always correct and the arguments are sometimes supported with examples.	The arguments are relevant, clearly explained with examples and the analysis is correct.The arguments are clearly weighed in the debate.	The arguments are relevant, perfectly explained with realistic and appropriate examples, and weighed crystal clear in the debate.
Presentation Voice Posture Hands Eyecontact Emotion/humour Variation	The speaker is not attractive to listen to. There is poor use of voice and nonverbal communication making it distracting.	The speaker uses the voice and nonverbal communication, but does not yet do so properly. (For example, talking too fast). The presentation sometimes distracts from the story.	The speaker is easy to follow and communicates in a clear manner his presentation does not distract from the story, nor does it enhance it.	The speaker makes good use of voice and nonverbal communication. It is attractive to listen to the speaker because the speaker incorporates emotion or humor into the speech.	The speaker has an outstanding presentation. Presentation not only fits well with the speech, but also enhances it. E.g. by changing the presentation to the topic through the speech.
Speech writing Structure Style figures Opening Closing Key message	The speech is not easy to follow. The speaker jumps from heel to heel without offering structure. There is no opening or closing.	The speech contains some structure, but is still difficult to follow. The opening and closing are relatively unclear or do not add value.	The structure of the speech is clear and the speech is easy to follow. An opening and closing are used, but they do not add value.	The speech is clear to follow and well constructed. The core message comes across clearly. An appealing opening, closing and possibly Style figures are used.	The speech is a round whole in which all the elements are not only enjoyable individually but also support a common goal. Here, the different parts of the speech are connected.
Reactions Rebuttal Positioning	Speaker does not respond to opponents or to opponents' rebuttals, but only repeats own arguments. Was very dominant or absent during the reaction phase.	The speaker sometimes responds to opponents' arguments/rebuttals and mainly repeats own arguments. The speaker was too often dominant or absent during the reaction phase.	The speaker responded appropriately to the opponent's arguments and composed himself well during the reaction phase.	The speaker responds appropriately to the opponent's arguments. Refutations focus on the opponent's best argument and are timely. Sharp questions are asked or answered. The speaker posed well during the response phase.	The speaker responds wonderfully to the opponent. In the rebuttal, the speaker shows that he/she can attack on different parts of an argument. E.g. assumptions, implementation or effects. Everything from the 7-8 group should also apply.
Holism Anything not in the above categories!	The speaker was unsympathetic, pulled down the debate and it is not nice to listen to this speaker.	The speaker did not add value to the debate, but did not bring it down either.	The speaker is nice to listen to and had a good contribution to the debate.	The speaker has “it.” You enjoy listening to this speaker. This speaker's contribution lifted the debate.	The speaker is not only pleasant to listen to, but also comes across as very sympathetic. The speaker seems to carry the debate.