How to debate

By Ms. Moreno

What is debating?

A debate is a structured argument.

Two sides speak for and against a particular topic issue.

Each person has 2-3 minutes to speak about their position.

You need supported opinions and evidence to convince someone to agree with you.

Why debate?

It’s a great way to improve your speaking skills and it provides you with experience to develop a convincing argument.

Arguments like “coins” always have two sides.

Debating skills

Style - the manner in which you communicate your arguments.

Content and strategy are worth nothing unless you deliver your material in a confident and persuasive way.

Speed – Speak at a fast pace to sound smart, but slow enough to understand.

Debating skills

Tone – Vary your tone of voice to make it sound more “interesting.” Listening to one tone of voice for the entire presentation is boring!!

Volume- Speaking loudly, but NOT SHOUTING. Shouting does not win debates. And don’t speak too quite either, no one will hear you.

Clarity – Clearly express your position. Keep it simple, don’t use long words that don’t make sense.

Debating skills

Make eye contact – Notes are important, but they must be short and well organized to be effective.

Content

Content is what you actually say in the debate.

The final logistics of how long you will be debating, how many people will be in your group, and how the debate will unfold (who will speak first, second, etc.)

Case (Argument)

Introduction – The case your group is making. Stating your main argument and explaining why you agree or disagree with your position.

Meat of the debate (parts) – Here you will have an outline. You will justify your arguments based on logic, examples, statistics, quotes, proof or evidence.

Conclusion: At the end, once everyone has spoken, briefly summarize what your group has said and why.