In this session, you are going to learn how you can write anchoring scripts for any debate competition. I will try to adopt a simplistic approach throughout this lesson for a better understanding of all kinds of students.
How to start the program?
The anchor should start the program by saying something that is able to capture the attention of the audience. For instance, an interesting quote, a famous paragraph or even a small poem on the topic of the debate can be a good start.
“In all debates, let the truth be thy aim, not victory, or an unjust interest.” – William Penn
After that, it is important to welcome the audience. A welcome speech can be something like this:
“Hello and good morning/ afternoon/ evening everyone! I am [your name], your host for today’s/ tonight’s debate competition. I warmly welcome you all to the event. We are really honoured to have our respected principal, Mr/Ms [name], chief guests, Mr/Ms [names], revered teachers, respected parents and of course, all the participants and dear students among us. I am very glad to have you all with us today/ tonight and I welcome you all to witness and enjoy the event.
Today/ tonight, we have with us [number of students; eg: twelve] brilliant students who will take part in the debate competition and share their views on the given topic – [topic]. It is going to be exciting to see what points they are going to put forth in favour of and against the topic.”
Introducing the Judges
Before calling the participants on the stage, it is important for an anchor to respectfully introduce the judges.
“Before calling the participants on the stage, I would like to first introduce the panel of judges for today’s/ tonight’s competition. We have with us honourable Mr/ Ms [name] and Mr/ Ms [name] who will judge the participants today on the basis of their arguments and their way of delivering those arguments. Let us have a big round of applause for our judges. Thank you!”
Stating the Rules of the Competition
Every debate competition is going to have some rules and regulations. These rules may be different for different competitions. An anchor should state these rules before the competition commences.
“Also, before we start, let me read out the rules of the competition.
- Speeches should not be under four minutes or over six minutes. One point will be deducted for every fifteen seconds over or under the time limit.
- Statements that might be interpreted as slanderous, insulting or propagating gender, cultural, religious or racial stereotypes should not be used in this competition.
- No new constructive arguments are allowed to be introduced during the rebuttal period.
- The decision of the judges will be final and must be respected.
I hope all the participants will abide by the rules.”
Introducing the Participants
“Now, l think we are all ready for the beginning of this competition. So, let me call on stage our first speaker for the day/ night, from [class number], Mr/ Ms [name]. Please put your hands together and give him/ her a huge round of applause.”
After a participant finishes their part, the anchor needs to call the next participant on the stage.
“Thank you, Mr/ Ms [name]. That was wonderful. You performed really well. Please take your seat. Now, I would like to call the next speaker, Mr/ Ms [name], on the stage. Please give him/ her a huge round of applause.”
Calling the Principal on the Stage
After all the participants have performed and gone back to their seats, the anchor may call the principal on the stage to say a few words.
“That was a wonderful debate. Everyone did so well. I am indeed very happy that I was able to witness such a great event. I would like to sincerely thank our Principal, Mr/ Ms [name] for encouraging us and giving us permission to organise this competition. I would be really grateful if our honourable Principal Sir/ Ma’am can come on the stage and say a few words. Thank you.”
After the Principal finishes the speech, the anchor should thank them and let them go back to their seat.
“Thanks a lot for your kind words, Sir/ Ma’am. [To the audience] Please give him/ her a huge round of applause. Thank you, Sir/ Ma’am.”
Announcing the Results
The anchor may call the judges on the stage to announce the list of winners.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the competition today/ tonight. All the participants were so nicely prepared and presented their arguments well. But even though everyone did great, we still need to know who was the best according to our judges. Who won the competition? I would now like to call on stage our honourable judges Mr/ Ms [name] and Mr/ Ms [name] to announce the winners of today’s debate competition. Please welcome the judges with a round of applause.”
After the judges have announced the winners:
“Thank you, judges. Everyone, let us give the winners a huge round of applause!”
Prize Distribution
“Now, I would like to welcome our honourable chief guest, Mr/ Ms [name], on the stage to give the award to the winners of today’s/ tonight’s debate competition. I would also like to call the winners, Mr/ Ms [names] from [class number], on the stage to receive their awards. Please these achievers with a huge round of applause. Huge congratulations to them and their families. They did so great today/ tonight.”
End of the Event
Once the prizes have been distributed, it is time to thank everyone and end the program.
“A huge thank you to our chief guest, Mr/ Ms [name] for distributing the prizes. Thank you, Sir/ Ma’am. I would also like to tell the participants that all of you did amazing and all of you are winners in your own right, irrespective of whether you won a prize or not. Thank you for your amazing performance. Can we have a round of applause for all the participants? Yes.”
“And with that, it is now time to say goodbye to you all. Thank you for attending this event and making it successful. Thank you for your time, encouragement and support. I would like to especially thank our Principal and our chief guests for taking time out for this event from their busy schedules. Thank you so much. Also, all the staff members who helped us organise everything and make this event possible – Thank you!
Thank you, everyone! Have a good night.”
Note: This script is meant to provide you with a basic idea of how to write an anchoring script for a debate competition. Feel free to this script and edit it as per your needs.