Talk of Titans: An Online Debate Competition

“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” - Socrates

PICT CSI Student Branch(PCSB), the student chapter of Computer Society of India in Pune Institute of Computer Technology is ecstatic to announce the war of words, the event which raises the temperature of any annual event. An event which has excitement, rivalry, camaraderie, individualism, voice of the show and many such waves of emotions raising the heartbeats of everyone. One of the grandest events of the year  “Talk of Titans”, PCSB’s debate event under its annual technical fiesta "XENIAVERSE”.

We are aiming to find true talent amongst the clash of word battle, the master of rhetorical skills, leaving their footprints for others to follow.

We at PCSB welcome and urge everyone to wake the orator in them. “Talk of Titans” aims to hone the public speaking skills of the students and teaches them to be articulate while expressing their thoughts and opinions.

With a great team and a highly-skilled panel of judges, “Talk of Titans” is the flawless platform to put their oratory skills to use and win exciting prizes!

Eligibility criteria: Any undergraduate college student.

Round 1: Extempore:

Extempore is the first round of “Talk of Titans”. Designed to test the participants ability to think on their feet and express their opinions articulately with a negligible amount of preparation time, the Extempore round poses certain challenges that make it the perfect to test the mettle and oratory abilities of  the contestants. The participants need to have the ability to think instantaneously, analyze the topic clearly, identify the issues that need to be addressed, prioritize the sequence of the points, connect to the audience and show off their polished communication skills, all in the matter of a few minutes. 

Extempore Rules:

1. Each participant will be given a maximum of 2 minutes to speak on their given topic. 
2. Each participant will be shown their topic 2 minutes prior to their turn and will have 2 minutes to prepare for the same. 
3. The participants will be judged on the basis of the following criteria:
• Following the time constraint
• Quality of the content: content should be clear, concise and precise and pertaining to the topic
• Manner of speech: confidence and articulation

Round 2: Group Discussion:

Group Discussion is the second round of “Talk of Titans”. Only the contestants that excel in the extempore round will proceed to this round. A group discussion sets the stage for the contestants to express their views on any topic, listen to the views of others and come to a conclusion. The aim of a group discussion is to look at the topic from all perspectives and have honest, non judgemental conversations about it. Therefore, a good group discussion has equal parts talking and listening.

Group Discussion Rules:

1. A topic will be declared when the meeting starts and a preparation time of 10 mins will be given to the participants.
2. Once the platform is open for discussion, the participants will raise their hands on Teams to get their chance.
3. Each participant will get approximately 2 mins to speak/contribute to the topic in one turn.
4. Exceeding the time constraint will result in significant reduction in marks.
5. No cross talk allowed. Please respect other participants' opinions.
6. After most of the participants finish giving their views on the topic, the previous participants can again put forth their views by raising their hands again.
7. The total discussion time will be 50 mins.
8. The participants will be judged on the clarity of the ideas and views they contribute to the discussion, their oratory skills, their ability to listen to and respect the opinions of their fellow contestants and the conclusion they reach at the end of the discussion.

Round 3: The Ultimate Debate:

The Ultimate Debate is the third or the final round of “Talk of Titans”.The participants who qualify the 1st and 2nd round will make it to the finals “The Ultimate Debate”.

The Ultimate Debate is a phenomenal round where your escalating expectations would come true. 

The 3rd round will consist of a debate of Asian Parliament Debate format or the APD format. The finalists will be divided into teams of 3 and would be expected to go head-to-head. The motion for the debate will be declared 20 minutes prior and you’d be portraying a specific role. A comprehensive explanation of the APD format will be offered prior to the event to all the finalists.

It’ll be a battle of words where your concise unerring knowledge and consciousness would give you an edge over others! Rational and alluring arguments will help you win laurels in the debate. An opportunity to rebut the rivalry team and manifest your argument. Just a step from vision to reality to refine your oratory skills.