Debating

Do’s
Don’ts
Tips
Debate topics
 Do’s
 Begin by stating a thesis. This is just a brief statement of your position and
your reasons for holding that position.

 Use facts as evidence for your position. Facts are hard to refute, so gather
some pertinent data like surveys, statistics, quotes from relevant people and
results as useful arguments to deploy in support of your case.

 Research your arguments if you have time to do so. You may use
Debatepedia and get informed about the most common pros and cons positions
in most common debate topics.

 Ask questions. If you can ask the right questions you can stay in control of the
discussion and make your opponent scramble for answers.
 Do’s
 Use logic. Show how one idea follows another.

 Build on your opponent's objections. If possible, don't stop at refuting them -

turn them around and use them against your opponent's position.

 Remain calm, rational, and reasonable at all times. You may feel that your
opponent is totally failing to understand your position, but if you become too
agitated, you opponent will take this as a sign of weakness and conclude that
he has you on the ropes.

 Appeal to higher values. As well as logic you can use a little emotion by
appealing to worthy motives that are hard to disagree with,
 Do’s
 Listen carefully. Many people are so focused on what
they are going to say that they ignore their opponent and
assume their arguments.

 Be prepared to concede a good point. Don’t argue

every point for the sake of it. If your adversary makes a
valid point then agree but outweigh it with a different
argument.

 Have patience. As long as both you and your opponent

are debating in a reasonable manner, be willing to spend
some time explaining your position and your premises.
 Do’s
 Use effective speech and grammar. You don't need to
pretend you are a university professor, but if you want to be
effective and convincing, you should use decent English.

 Be willing to lose. A skilled debater understands that

sometimes, the other person's arguments will simply be
stronger than one's own.

 Don'ttake too much pride in being right (or winning the

debate). It makes it harder for your adversary to admit to
being wrong which, in an informal clash of opinions, should
be your primary goal.
 Don’ts
 Get personal. Direct attacks on
your opponent’s lifestyle,
integrity or honesty should be
avoided.
 Get distracted. Your opponent
may try to give false and
confusing information by
introducing new and extraneous
themes. You must be firm.
 Water down your strong
arguments with weak ones. If
you have three strong points and
two weaker ones then it is
probably best to just focus on
the strong.
 Tips
 An argument and a debate are not the same thing. An argument is
when you are demand that your opponent changes his opinion,
while a debate is a responsible exchange of ideas.
 The rule of thumb to remember is that your own desire to believe
something or your own opinion about how great the belief is will
not convince anyone else. To do that, you need logic and evidence.
 Become familiar with how logic works. Being able to argue
logically will make you very effective at pointing out the flaws
and contradictions in your opponent's objections.
 Be a gracious loser.
 Increase your vocabulary to include great transition words and
debate jargon to use in your argument, such as "moreover",
"inasmuch", "per se" (by, of, for, or in itself) and "vis-a-vis" (face
to face with).
 Instructions
Instructions
 Two students are placed face to face. They are instructed to have pen
and paper ready to be used. The are assigned one of the topics which
the teacher will disclose the day of the test. Then, the teacher assigns
their position: agree or disagree. They are instructed to prepare a 90-
second presentation in 2 minutes. Finally, a coin is tossed to decide
who begins. This is the order to be followed:
Student A presents in 90 seconds. Student B takes notes.
Student B must ask a question (question the opponent’s arguments).
Student A answers the question.
Student B presents in 90 seconds. Student A takes notes.
Student A must ask a question (question the opponent’s arguments).
Student B answers the question.
 Debate Topics
Paparazzi livelihood v/s privacy of celebrities: what is
important?
Is the law easier on celebrities?
Global warming is a figment of our imagination.
Bottled water: more harmful than good.
Do video games really cause bad behavior in children?
Is the American dream overrated?
Are security cameras an invasion of privacy?
Money motivates people more than any other factor at the
workplace.
 Debate Topics (continued)
Quarter life crisis is the new midlife crisis
The world going to end in 2012.
Co-habitation is the replacement for marriage
Human cloning should be allowed.
Newborn babies remember their past life.
We are overworking ourselves.
The American dream is overrated
Parents should encourage the belief that kids have in
Santa Claus.
 Debate Topics (continued)
http://academicwriting.wikidot.com/for-and
-against-essays