
posted 12th September 2024

'Congratulations! You are an iron man!'
This is what you will hear as you cross the finishing line of what is regarded one of the most demanding of fitness challenges: the iron man triathlon. It requires you to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and then complete a marathon, all on the same day. Unfortunately, you will still hear this even if you are, in fact, a woman - another example of lingering linguistic sexism, along with the female heads of several Oxbridge colleges still being known as the 'Master'.
You can also be an iron man - or rather an iron person, as debating is more up to date than athletics and Oxbridge colleges - in debating. It isn't quite as demanding as the legendary triathlon, but it is still pretty demanding. So here is some advice on how to be an iron person.
What is an iron person?
An iron person is a debater who takes on more than one role in a debate either because there are not enough people to make up the team, or because the usual debater is ill or can't join the team for another reason. You will only do this within a team. So you might be both first and second speaker for the proposition or opposition in Mace, or you might be one of the first two speakers and also summary speaker in Extended Mace, or you might be Government or Opposition Member and Whip in British Parliamentary. But you will never be asked to speak on both proposition and opposition.
'Iron person' can also be a (rather clumsy) verb: 'Would you mind iron personing?'
How can you make a success of being an iron person?
1. Prepare differently
Obviously, you will have to prepare two speeches instead of one. This sounds like twice the work in the same time (especially if you are doing short prep with limited preparation time) but actually it needn't be. If you and your partner are an effective team, you won't be working as two separate units in prep time, but will be generating ideas together, bouncing arguments back and forth, supporting each other, building on each other's suggestions. A team where one person writes down three ideas and the other writes down another three ideas (quite possibly some or all of them the same) without talking to each other will not be an effective team. What is different when you are preparing by yourself is that you have to go through this process in your head, and alone. You will lose out on being able to refine and improve your ideas against someone else, and, if you have a regular teammate with whom you have a good relationship, you will undoubtedly miss their input. But you may be able to get more done by not having to negotiate. As the proverb says: 'If you want to travel far, travel with someone. If you want to travel fast, travel alone.'
2. Be two different people
A hugely important part of debating is performing in role. When you are taking on two different roles, be sure to make clear the difference between them. So, for example, in BP you will be introducing new ideas in the form of an extension when you are Government Member, but must make sure to introduce no new ideas as Whip. Create two different personas for yourself; think of it as being like one of those films where the same actor takes two different parts.
3. Refer to yourself
Normally referring to yourself in the third person is a sign of pomposity at best and delusion at worst. However, in debating it's allowed. Although there is only one of you, you still need to show that the two speakers (who are both you) are working as a team. So make sure to say things like 'In her speech, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition will be arguing ...' or 'To build further on the excellent point made by the Opening Proposition, I would like to argue that ...' even though you're talking about yourself.
Being an iron person is, if not quite as exhausting as its athletic equivalent, hard work. Judges will not (should not) make any allowances for the absence of a partner, and will be assessing you on exactly the same basis as a normal team. But that makes it all the more satisfying when you bag first place all by yourself.