Do’s of debate

• Do be convinced about your argument at first. This is especially

applicable in competitions and conferences. Be 'in character’, know why
you are right. However, leading us to the next point…
• Do have a flexible opinion. You do not have to be right all the time. If
the opponent has a valid point, please acknowledge it.
• Do acknowledge your opponent’s point. Recognise that it is your
opinion that someone is at odd ends with, not you yourself as a person.
Many make the mistake of becoming defensive and feel threatened if
their point is being disproved by a logical, factual argument. There is no
shame - absolutely no shame - in admitting the validity of another
opinion over yours. In fact, it is what will help you obtain more depth
as a person.
• Do respect your opponent at all times. Your opponent is not your
enemy. He/she is just someone who happens to think differently on a
given matter.
• Do remain polite, civil and diplomatic at all times during your debate.
• Do have an objective, pragmatic approach towards every single point
raised, be it yours or your opponent’s. You need to be rooted in logic.
Ask the five W’s and one H in all possible circumstances.
• Do be versed with your statistics and facts. They astronomically increase
your chances of being convincing.
• Do use examples often to elucidate your argument.
• Do keep your argument as concise as you can. Brevity is important.
• Do play with ethos, pathos, and logos as necessary to deliver your
point(s) effectively.
• Do keep in mind the following with regard to your point — brevity,
clarity, carrying the essence of your opinion, and factual and logical
correctness.

Don’ts of Debate

• Don’t be rigid in your opinion.

• Don’t make points which are digressive or dilatory in nature. They will
degrade the quality of debate. Many people do this when they see that
their argument is flimsy and is being disproven by their opponent - they
digress and nitpick over irrelevant details and make mountains out of
mole-hills. Avoid this.
• Don’t resort to overly animated expressions to strengthen the delivery
of your point. This involves yelling, speaking in a condescending
manner, or laughing at your opponent’s point. It is your speech that
should make an impact, not your expressions.
• Don’t slight your opponent. Inclusively, never bring up any irrelevant
personal topics into the course of your debate and use them against
 your opponent. That is an extremely unwise thing to do - as stated
before, it is your opinion someone disagrees with, not you yourself.
• Additionally, don’t make your statements sound offensive. This is a
slightly tricky case. For example, if you are debating in favour of the
abolition of the death sentence, the statement - ‘Say you are wrongly
convicted and are executed tomorrow… (etc. etc.)’ is not wrong.
However, it is very upfront - people will not want to think that they are
being executed! Rather, for sentences of such a nature, go for - ‘Say an
innocent man is convicted and executed unjustly… (etc. etc.)’. This
conveys the point more palatably and diplomatically.
• Don’t go for the emotion card very often. The quality of ‘pathos’ -
appealing to the soft side of your opponent to convince them in your
favour - is often not a good resort. It can give strength to your
argument, but it is very easy to demolish a point which relies on the
‘emotion card’. The poetic ‘Imagine a young man, full of dreams for a
bright future, having his life shattered - in fact, taken away - due to a
wrong sentence, that is the tragedy the death sentence inflicts’ is much
weaker compared to - ‘Over 1,500 prisoners had been wrongly
convicted and executed in the United States since 1975’. The previous
statement is better for a campaign, not a debate.
• Don’t use profanity or indecent, unparliamentary language. This is an
absolute rule. It may add a dramatic effect to your point, but it is
unbefitting of the atmosphere of a healthy debate to be tainted with
bad language. It also creates a terrible impression of the person who
uses it.
• Don’t use unverified statistics. Some hawk-eyed people could have facts
off the top of their head and can catch anyone who attempts ‘winging
it’.
• Last but not the least, don’t risk your relationship with your opponent
to stand your ground in a debate, unless it has actually proven that your
opponent is toxic. This applies mostly in informal cases and not in
competitions and such.
Dos of participating in a GD:
o Listen to the subject carefully
o Put down your thoughts on a paper
o Initiate the discussion if you know the subject well
o Listen to others if you don’t know the subject
o Support you point with some facts and figures
o Make short contribution of 25-30 seconds 3-4 times
o Give others a chance to speak
o Speak politely and pleasantly. Respect contribution from other members.
o Disagree politely and agree with what is right.
o Summarize the discussion if the group has not reached a conclusion.

Don’ts of participating in a Group Discussion

o Initiate the discussion if you do not have sufficient knowledge about the given
topic.
o Over speak, intervene and snatch other’s chance to speak.
o Argue and shout during the GD
o Look at the evaluators or a particular group member
o Talk irrelevant things and distract the discussion
o Pose negative body gestures like touching the nose, leaning back on the
chair, knocking the table with a pen etc.
o Mention erratic statistics.
o Display low self-confidence with shaky voice and trembling hands.
o Try to dominate the discussion
o Put others in an embarrassing situation by asking them to speak if they don’t
want.
Qualities of a Good Debate
Difference between GD and Debate

2. What are Dipthongs ?

3. What are the differences between vowel and consonants?

A vowel is a speech sound made with your mouth fairly open.

A consonant is a sound made with your mouth fairly closed.

When we talk, consonants break up the stream of vowels (functioning as syllable onsets and
codas), so that we don’t sound like we’ve just been to the dentist for four fillings and the
anaesthetic hasn’t worn off yet.

Consonants require more precise articulation than vowels, which is why children find them
harder to learn, and often end up in speech therapy after having become so cross at not
being understood that they’ve started hitting people.

Vowel sounds are usually split into two main categories based on sound quality:

• ‘Short’ vowel sounds, due to the short duration of the sound being made. The
sound cannot be held onto without becoming distorted
• ‘Long’ vowel sounds, due to the length of their pronunciation. These can
often be held without distorting their sound.
The short vowels can be represented by a curved symbol above the vowel: ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ, ŭ. The long
vowels can be represented by a horizontal line above the vowel: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. Here are some
examples of short vowel words: at, egg, it, ox, up. Here are some examples of long vowel
words: ate, each, ice, oak, use.

4. What is Phoneme?

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that distinguishes one word from another
word in a language. For instance, the /s/ in ‘soar’ distinguishes it from /r/ in
‘roar’, as it becomes different from ‘soar’ in pronunciation as well as
meaning.

There are a total of 44 phonemes in the English language, which include

consonants, short vowels, long vowels, diphthongs, and triphthongs.
5. What is phonology?

6. What is Gliding?
Gliding refers to the process of transitioning from one vowel sound to another,
which is why diphthongs are sometimes called gliding vowels, as well as
complex vowels, compound vowels, and moving vowels.

7. How do you write the body of presentation?

The body is the part of the presentation between your introduction and your
conclusion. It’s the longest part of the presentation, and its purpose is to get your key
points across. When you’re preparing the body of your presentation, you have two
main tasks: First you determine the key points you want to make, and then you
organize the sequence of these points. Here are some effective ways to determine
the order or sequence of your body:
8. What is Phonetics?
"Phonetics is the study of speech. Traditionally, phoneticians have relied on
their ears and eyes, and their awareness of their own vocal organs, to study
pronunciation.

9. Skills for extempore.

• Content knowledge : Know what you are talking about and whom you are
talking to. Before you speak about something, you should make sure to know
that something. Your facts and figures have to be apt and appropriate. Factual
accuracy and sequential order must be kept in mind as well.
• Body language : Body language portrays the level of confidence in you. Have
your head raised and make sure to keep your mic at a constant position. Look
into your audiences' eyes to connect with them and to drive the message
home. Expressions matter. Give your all to express your understanding about
the topic, as you speak. As this activity is stage-oriented, remember to render
best impression on your audience.
• Voice modulation : Voice can depict a person's character, mood, feelings,
emotions and tone. Change of voice may vary depending on what you are
saying. You cannot stay at a high-pitched voice all throughout your speech.
Likewise, you can't stay at a lower-pitched voice either. There must be a mix
of vocal ranges to balance the intonation and the content you express.
• Confidence matters : Extempore performances are carried out without any
prior preparation. So, your level of confidence directly depends on the level of
knowledge you have on the subject. Be it an abstract topic or a very well-
known topic, you will be primarily tested on your presence of mind,
 consistency and reasoning skills on the topic. Just stay confident in what you
speak and deliver your speech without fear.
Through extempore they usually test your presence of mind, flow of thought,
speaking skills, and way of presenting your ideas in a scenario with limited
time and under pressure.

10. Role of introduction

The introduction is the best opportunity to convince your audience that you have something
worthwhile to say. An introduction includes seeking audience’s attention, introducing the
topic, explaining its relevance to the audience, stating a thesis or purpose, and outlining the
main points. By the end of the introduction, the audience should know where you’re headed
and what your speech will cover.
If you are giving a persuasive speech, state your thesis in the introduction. If you are giving
an informative speech, explain what you will be teaching the audience.

11. Tips for introducing yourself professionally

12. Self introduction

What your self-introduction for interview should

cover
Let us break this section into the following parts:

Your details

Introduce yourself with your full name as it appears on your certificates. You can
share some background information about where you were born and raised.
For instance, you can say, “I am Himadhar Mahajan, and I come from Mumbai. I was
born in Bangalore but went to schools across the country as my dad is in the army.
That is also the reason why I am fluent in four languages. I have recently moved to
Pune for a 3-month internship and fell in love with the city.”

What to remember? Keep this section no more than three or four sentences because
you will have to answer in-depth going further in the interview.

Qualifications

Although your academic details will appear on the resume, interviewers may like you
to walk them through it. So, without stretching it out much, mention the main aspects,
such as where you went to college and your final results. Besides, if there is
something impressive, like a 98% percentile in Mathematics, make sure to bring it to
their notice.

What to remember? If your job duties align with your post-degree certifications but
are different from your major, you may have to explain. Expect a question framed
“why should we hire you?” or “why do you think you are the right choice for the job?”

Work experience

Perhaps you have already listed every job you ever had on your resume. Instead of
sharing the same things verbally, be succinct when you talk about your career graph.
Your self-introduction for interview should include significant positions you held for a
long time.

Give a few instances of how you handled challenging situations or dealt with tight
deadlines. This is also a good opportunity to give relevant information about your
future job responsibilities. For example, you can cite how your weather backup plan
came in handy when you were an assistant event planner.

What to remember? Appear confident and let the interviewer know that you
understand the job role inside out. Prepare the answers for top interview questions
so that you can be ready for what they may ask next.

Outside interests

The whole purpose of a job interview is to assess whether you are suitable for the
role. However, the person posing the questions doesn't always stick to technical
aspects. They may want to know how you spend your time when not working.
Sometimes, work can be quite tough, and it is good to have healthy outlets that can
remove your stress.

For instance, taking up gardening, cooking or other hobbies shows that you have
patience. If you are into sports practice or list adventurous activities like surfing as
your interests, it indicates competitive spirit and risk-taking nature.

What to remember? While you can name any hobby or interest, it is better to avoid
complicated issues, such as political or religious affiliations.
Your values

You can talk about your parents, siblings and how they helped you be the person
you are today. One reason to do this is to give a glimpse of your well-rounded life
and that you value your personal as well as professional life.

Say, you visit your grandparents often or volunteer at the local animal rescue shelter.
It shows that you are compassionate.

What to remember? Keep it simple and be genuine. The key is to maintain eye
contact all through your statements.

Future plans

If you are just beginning your career or have years of experience, it is important to
reassure the recruiter that you are looking at the long-term. Talk about your career
ambitions and the goals you wish to achieve in the next five years. Here, you can
talk about what drives you and from where you get the needed motivation.

What to remember? Frame the sentences so that the interviewer can put together
how your plans can help you in this particular role.

13. What is Nonverbal Communication

Non-verbal communication occurs without using any oral or written word.

Instead of written or oral words, it relies on various non-verbal cues like

physical movements, tasks, colors, signs, symbols, signals charts, etc. to
express feelings, attitudes or information.

Although no word is used in non-verbal communication, it can effectively

communicate many human feelings more accurately than verbal methods
of communication.

Common types of nonverbal communication are; eye contact, facial

expressions, gestures, posture and body orientation, body language, touch,
para-linguistic, silence.

Types of Nonverbal Communication

• Eye contact,
• Facial expressions,
• Gestures,
• Posture and body orientation,
 • Body Language,
• Space and Distance,
• Proximity,
• Para-linguistic,
• Humor,
• Touch,
• Silence,
• Personal Appearance,
• Symbol,
• Visual Communication.

14. Main differences between gesture and posture

1. Posture is the way someone is sitting or standing. Oppositely, a gesture

is the body movement of a person.
2. Posture involves the illustration of attitudes like confidence or
submissiveness. On the contrary, a gesture includes the depiction of
specific meanings like goodbye and hello.
3. A posture is mostly unintentional. It might be intentional but, in a rare
case. On the other hand, a gesture is usually intentional.
4. A posture is a gauge in respect of the body’s center. On the other hand,
a gesture is a gauge regarding limbs and, more specifically, hands,
head, face, or arms.
5. Posture generally focuses on the fact that how the torso of a person is
in grip or position. While, in the case of gesture, the focus is on the
person’s hand and finger movements.
Gesture: When people talk, they gesture. Gesture is a fundamental
component of language that contributes meaningful and unique
information to a spoken message and reflects the speaker’s
underlying knowledge and experiences.

Examples: giving someone the finger, the "OK" thumb-to-index finger sign,
a wave hello or goodbye, a hand-to-ear "please speak louder", a "come-
here" beckoning hand movement, a hitchhiker’s thumb

15. How voice modulation is effective in communication?

One of the most important tools you need for speaking is voice modulation.

It refers to how you control your voice when speaking. When we speak, we
are able to change the message by varying the : tone, stress on words,
pitch, and changing the rate of speech.
Effective voice modulation can mean the difference between a boring
speech, and an audience captivating speech. However, modulation is not
easy, and needs to be practised.

You can modulate your voice by:

i) Varying the pitch of your voice: Females tend to have a higher pitch of
voice, due to different anatomical structuring. When delivering speeches,
tend to stick to lower pitches. Microphones are deceiving, as you may think
it amplifies your voice. They do amplify voice, as well other articulatory
mistakes, higher pitches and breathing! So next time you have a speech
using a microphone, practice with it first.

ii) Speaking slowly: I cannot emphasise enough, the power of pausing. When
you pause, you are able to catch your breath. Your pauses will also make
your audience lean forwards in their chair, and wait eagerly for your next
message. Pausing is the best way to improve audience involvement and
attention.

iii) Stress on certain words : When you increase emphasis or stress on

certain words, you draw your audience’s attention. Choose powerful words
to stress on, so that your message is captivating and clear.

iv) Speak quietly : Use this effect when you want your audience to calm
down, or to hang to your every word. A certain way to grab the attention of
someone, is through an assertive voice, rather than a loud authoritative
voice.

v)Copy others : Look at videos of powerful orators, politicians, celebrities

etc. Observe the way they modulate their voices. Practice, practice,
practice!

16. Importance of English Lab

Labs foster communication in the classroom

i) Language labs also encourage communication between student-teacher as well as
student-student with activities and exercises essential to oral communication and the
understanding of the language.
ii) Learning occurs in a structured way, in a real context and visually attractive way
that immerses the student in the language learning environment
and promotes language use.

iii) Language labs provide practice in an entertaining and interactive way to acquire
the 4 main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn
more comprehensively through a language lab, using more class time

Here are some of the ways language labs can aid the learning process:

• They give shy and self-conscious students a chance to

practice their English in privacy.

• Students are more likely to pay attention when working with a

program that’s communicating directly to them.

• The learning content can be adjusted to suit each student’s

individual needs.

• Students’ listening and speaking skills can be tested more

efficiently.

17.
18. Tips to improve language lab

i) You had already Used Visuals for Engaging Verb Lessons since you Tested
students’ grammar skills by creating a PowerPoint presentation filled with
various pictures of people performing different actions

ii) Assign Transcription Activities

Assess your students’ listening and writing skills by giving them English
audio clips to transcribe in the lab.
The reason that I suggested to use transcribing activities in the English lab
is because students tend to benefit from using headphones and controlling
the pace of the exercise. Instead of you reading the same sentence over
and over until your class is satisfied, each learner can simply repeat the
audio clip as many times as they need.
You can then highlight any mistakes students made, and you can make
them listen again and it provides an opportunity to self-correct them at your
next language lab lesson.

iii) Provide Content with a Range of Accents

One of the difficulties of teaching English is exposing students to the wide
range of accents that exist in the Anglophone world. However, this is
important to achieve, especially if your students are learning English for
professional purposes where they’ll be encountering lots of different
accents.
Language labs make it possible to quickly and efficiently introduce your
students to American, English, Irish, Australian, Scottish and various other
types of accents they’re likely to encounter out in the world. Try providing
clips from movies, regional news or interviews with celebrities they might
recognize from different English-speaking countries.
It’s also a good idea to try throwing in some accents from people speaking
English as a second language, like native French, Italian or Chinese
speakers talking in English. Again, this is useful for students who’ll be
pursuing work in English, as well as those who intend to use English in an
academic environment.