How to Debate

  What is debating

  A debate is a structured argument.  The two parties speak in turn and against a particular dispute based specifically on an occasional issue.  However, unlike the arguments you have with your family or friends, each person is allocated a time, for which they are allowed to speak and any intervention is carefully controlled.  Disputes are often resolved, so that you can support yourself with opinions you do not generally agree with.  You also have to argue as part of a team, being careful not to be contrary to what other people have said in your favor

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  Why desmok

  It is an excellent way to improve speaking skills and is particularly helpful in providing experience in developing a solid argument.  Those of you forced to argue against your naturalistic view feel that arguments, such as coins, always have at least two sides

  Basic argumentation skills

  Style

  Style is the way in which you communicate your arguments.  This is the most basic part of arguing with the master.  Unless you deliver your content in a reliable and persuasive manner, the content and strategy is very low

  Speed

  This is important for talking at a speed that is fast enough for intelligent sound and gives you time to say what you want, but slow enough to be easily understood

  Tone

  Different vowels that make you sound interesting.  It is boring to hear a tone for the entire presentation

  Volume

  Speaking too loudly is sometimes a necessity, but it is not necessary to shout through every debate regardless of context.  Everyone in the room can hear you comfortably, there is no need to speak louder than that volume.  Shouting does not win the debate.  Speaking very quietly is clearly destructive because no one will be able to hear you

  Clarity

  The ability to articulate complex issues clearly and clearly is what the debate is all about.  The main reason people start feeling vague is usually because they lose the "stream of thought" that is sustaining them.  It is also important to keep it simple.  While long words can make you sound clever, they can also make you incomprehensible.

  Use of notes and eye contact

  Notes are necessary, but they must be concise and well organized to be effective.  There is no point in trying to speak without notes.  Of course, notes should never be obnoxious and harm your contact with the audience, nor should they be read verbatim.  Most people abbreviate the main headings of their speech, with brief notes below each

  When writing notes for rebuttal during a debate, it is usually better to use a separate sheet of paper so that you can take down the details of what the other speakers said and then move the rough outline to the notes that  You are actually using

  Eye contact with the audience is very important, but keep removing your gaze.  Nobody likes to stare

  material

  The content is what you actually say in the debate.  The arguments used to develop the case for your side and refute the opposite side.  The content below is a general overview of what to expect when you argue.  The final logistic how long you will argue, how many people will be in your group, and how this debate will unfold (ie: which team speaks first, etc.) will all be decided by your tutorial leader

  Case - Reasoning

  Introduction - The case your group is making should be outlined in the introduction.  It involves stating your main arguments and making a general explanation of your case.  This should be done briefly because the most important thing is to actually achieve it.  It is also a good idea to indicate aspects of the topic to be discussed by each of the team members

  Conclusion - Finally, once everyone has spoken, it is useful to summarize what your group has said and why

  Case (Argument) - Parts

  After outlining your entire argument, you should start building a case (parts).  The best way to do this is to divide your case between two and four arguments (or divide your case based on the number of people in your group).  You have to justify your arguments with the original examples, worked examples, figures and quotes.  The debate is about the strategy of "proof".  The evidence, or evidence, supports your claim which makes it an argument.  There are many ways to divide cases according to groups of arguments (eg political / economic / social or moral / practical or international / regional etc.) or only according to individual arguments if you cannot group together.  Under each of these basic headings you should clarify the logic behind the argument and justify it using the methods outlined above.  It is usually best to put the most important argument first.  Here is an example of a case outline

  He said, 'Media has more influence on what people think than government.  This is true for three reasons.  First, most people base their votes on what they see and hear in the media.  Second, the media can determine the political agenda between elections, whether to report issues and in how much detail.  Third, the media has successfully demolished politicians over the last ten years so that people are now more likely to believe journalists than politicians

  All of the arguments profiling the case are debatable (almost immediately you can see the counter-argument), but they give the case a wide range of issues that cover all kinds of issues.  The trick is not to come up with an undisputed case, but a well argued one.  Think: "Can I make this argument?"

  Rebootal - parts

  Arguments can be factual, ethical or logically flawed.  They may be misinterpreted or may be insignificant or irrelevant.  A team may also contradict each other or fail to complete the tasks they themselves determine.  These are the basics of refutation and almost every argument can be found to be desirable in at least one of these cases.  Here are a few examples:

  9. "Compulsory euthanasia at the age of 70 will save the country's money in pension and healthcare."  This is true, but morally flawed.

  2. "Banning cigarette products in movies will make more young people smoke because it will make smoking more mysterious and taboo."  This is logically flawed, the ban would be more likely to prevent a steady stream of images that make smoking seem attractive and glamorous and actually reduce the number of youth who smoke

  3. "My partner will then look at the economic issues ..." "Blah..blah..blaw ... (5 minutes later and still no mention of economic issues)" This is a clear explanation to a major  Failure is part of the case and should be taken care of.  Even better is when a speaker starts with, "There are three things I must do to win this debate ...".  If the speaker fails to do any of those things, you can hang him by repeating his or her exact words - by his own admission or he cannot win the debate

  Rebootal - Overall

  It is important to have a good perspective of the debate and to know what the major arguments are.  It is not enough to refute some random arguments here and there.  Of course the above techniques are invaluable, but they should be used appropriately.  There are several things you must do to break the team's case organically

  1. Ask yourself how the other party approached the case.  Is their functioning flawed

  2. Consider what tasks (if any) the other party has set themselves and whether they actually address them

  3. Consider what is the general emphasis of the case and what assumptions it makes.  Try to deny them

  4. Take the main argument and do the same thing.  It is not worth repeating a point of rebuttal that someone else has already used, but you can refer to it to show that the argument did not stand.  It is not necessary to correct every instance used.  You have no time and your objective is to make the other party's case appear flawed in key areas