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# What is a debate? What is a debate?
A debate is a structured argument in
which two opposing teams make
speeches to support their own
arguments and refute the opposing
team s argument .What is a debate?
Motions are statements not
questions and there is proposition
vs . opposition on a topic, with two
groups alternating the floor and
invited to comment I now call on X
group to oppose the motion . A
group member would summarize
all points raised by the group, then
a vote is held . It is an excellent way of improving speaking skills and
is helpful in providing experience in developing a
convincing argument.
If you are forced to argue against your natural
viewpoint, you realize that arguments, like coins,
always have at least two sides.
Debating has strict rules of conduct and quite
sophisticated arguing techniques, used in Presidential
elections, university elections, academic contests, etc.
# Why debate? What Type of Topics is
# Chosen for a Debate?
e.g. That dieting is better for health than sports. The Debate Structure
Students are Divided into Two Teams:
1. Affirmative ( Pro ): with the topic/ resolution
2. and Negative ( Con ): against the topic/resolution
And there is the Judge of course! Basic Debating Skills
Content: What you actually say (arguments). Start
with a definition of the topic as if explaining it to a
person in the street !
Style: Deliver your content in a confident and
persuasive way/manner. Avoid informal speech.
Respect is important; no making fun of each other is
acceptable and there should be turn taking.
Clarity: Express your ideas concisely but clearly. Volume: No shouting; it doesn t win debates.
Speaking too quietly is as disastrous. Use voice for
emphasis!
Speed: Fast enough to sound intelligent, slow enough
to be easily understood. Vary your speed.
Tone: Vary your tone to sound interesting.
Signposting is very important to create structure and
direct the attention of your audience (e.g. three
reasons, firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc.)
# Basic Debating Skills ( continued) Eye contact: Shift your gaze between audience.
Body: Make gestures deliberately and with confidence.
Use of notes: Notes/cue cards are essential but to be
effective, they have to be:
Brief: only headings with brief notes under each.
Well organized
Not to be read so you don t lose eye contact with your
audience.
Use another sheet to take notes of the other team s main
points, then transfer them as rebuttal outline on your
notes.
Notes Samples follow in the next slide:
# Basic Debating Skills ( continued) Sample 1:
Affirmative
Sample 2:
Negative Sample 3:
Affirmative Sample 4:
Refutation Notes Sample 5: Supp 0rt
arguments Sample 6: Refutation cards Case (argument):
Introduction (Definition of the topic, the general
TEAM LINE + a brief outline of main arguments
and who ll give them).
Body: Argument ( 1), argument ( 2), argument ( 3),
etc. Each argument must be justified and supported
with basic logic, relevant facts, examples, statistics,
etc. You can group arguments in a number of ways
(e.g. political/economic/social, or moral/practical,
or international/regional, etc.)
Conclusion (a brief summary of the main
arguments and a closing line)
# Basic Debating Skills ( continued) What is the Team Line?
It is the basic statement of why the topic is true (for
the affirmative team, and why the topic is false (for
the negative team).
To create unity, the team line should be a short
sentence, presented by the first speaker of each team
and repeated/affirmed by the other speakers in that
team when their turn comes. What is Rebuttal/ refutation?
Team members need to spend some time criticizing
the arguments presented by the other team.
Arguments can be factually, morally, or logically
flawed.
There could also be misinterpretation, contradiction,
unsupported, or irrelevant information from the either
team that can be held against that team.
Pick on each other s main points and use logic. Apply
the reasonability test .
Do not criticize individual speakers, criticize what they
say. Refutation/ rebuttal
follows this pattern:
Signpost
Rephrase
Negate
Rationalise
## Each team member
## follows this pattern:
(Definition)
Team line
Outline
[Rebut/refute]
Case/argument
Summary
(Round off)
Intro.
Conc.
> Blue for all members Teal for members except first
> Green for first user only Red for last user only
# Debate Flow
1st Affirmative Speech:
Introduction, presentation of 1st argument with enough
examples, conclusion
1st Negative Speech:
Introduction, refutation of the 1st Affirmative team s
argument, presentation of 1st argument, conclusion
2nd Affirmative Speech:
Introduction, refutation of the 1st Negative team s argument,
presentation of the 2nd argument, conclusion
2nd Negative speech:
Introduction, refutation of the 2nd Affirmative team s
argument, presentation of 2nd argument, conclusion 3rd Affirmative Speech:
Introduction, refutation of the 2nd Negative team s argument,
presentation of the 3rd argument, summary, round off the debate
3rd Negative speech:
Introduction, refutation of the 3rd Affirmative team s argument,
presentation of 3rd argument, summary, round off the debate
Affirmative summary: why do they think they should win?
Negative speech: Why do they think they should win?
Judge Pronouncement
** Each participant in each team should repeat and reaffirm the TEAM LINE.
The winner is the team that has presented the strongest case with the
most convincing argument.
# Debate Flow (continued) Debate Flow ( Practical)
First Step: Affirmative Speech:
Supporters' introduction
Supporters' arguments with enough explanation, evidences & examples:
Argument # 1
Argument # 2
Argument # 3
Conclusion
Second Step: Negative Speech:
Opponents' introduction
Opponents' arguments with enough explanation, evidences & examples:
Argument # 1
Argument # 2
Argument # 3
Conclusion Continued
Third Step: Affirmative Refutation Speech:
1. Supporters' refutation of the opponents' arguments.
2. Supporters' round -off speech:
Fourth Step: Negative Refutation Speech:
1. Opponents' refutation of the supporters' arguments.
2. Opponents' round -off speech:
Final Step: Summary speech:
Affirmative summary: why do the 'supporters' think they should win?
Negative summary: Why do the 'opponents' think they should win?
Judge Pronouncement
The winner is the team that has presented the strongest case with the
most convincing argument. Example Flow:
Notice the language pattern. The pattern repeats!
The topic/ resolution
"All people should be vegetarian"
An affirmative speech
Introduction :
Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen .
We are debating the resolution/topic:
"All people should be vegetarian"
We, on the affirmative team, strongly support this resolution.
We have 3 reasons: health, animal rights, and the
environment.
Affirmative Speech Body: Case/arguments
Our first point is "health." It is not healthy for people to
eat meat. Meat, especially beef, is very, very high in fat.
Meat is also more difficult to digest than fruits or
vegetables. Vegetables have all the vitamins, minerals
and protein that we need to live. If we eat only fruits and
vegetables, we will be much healthier.
Our second point is "animal rights." Eating meat
violates the rights of animals. It is wrong to kill an
animal or take a baby animal away from its mother. We
should not cause animals to feel pain and suffering. We
should respect all living beings. Affirmative Speech Our third point is "the environment." Raising animals
hurts the environment. We cut down rain forests to
make farms for cows. We also destroy life in the sea,
catching more and more fish. Vegetables need less
space, and grow much more quickly. They do less
damage to the environment. By eating only vegetables,
we help protect our planet.
Conclusion
We have talked about "health," "animal rights," and "the
environment," and have shown that all people should be
vegetarian. We beg to propose.
> Affirmative Speech
A negative speech
Introduction
Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. Today, we are debating the
resolution, "All people should be vegetarian." We, on the negative
team, strongly oppose this resolution. Now, we will refute the
affirmative side.
Body: Case/arguments
Now we will give ours. We have three points: "health," "the
economy," and "taste."
Our first point is "health." We must eat meat and fish in order to
stay healthy. Meat has a lot of protein, and fish has both protein
and iodine. It's difficult to get these nutrients from vegetables.
Our second point is "the economy." Millions of men and women
work in agriculture, fishing, and the food industry. If we stop
eating meat, they will lose their jobs. This will cause much
hardship. Negative Speech Our third point is "taste." Meat tastes good, and many
countries use meat in their national dishes. Can you
imagine Thai food without shrimp, Japanese food
without sushi, American food without hamburgers or
German food without Wiener schnitzel? Eating meat is
enjoyable, and an important part of our culture.
Conclusion
We have talked about "health," "the economy," and
"taste,' and have shown that we should not all be
vegetarian. For these reasons, we beg to oppose.
> Negative Speech Third Step: Affirmative Refutation Speech:
> Now, we will refute the opponents' side.
Their first reason was " health. "They said that eating meat and
fish keeps people healthy. For that we have two responses. First,
it is true that meat provides us with protein to keep us healthy;
however, most heart attacks happen due to high blood
cholesterol caused by eating meat and dairy products. Also, dairy
products reduce bone density by leeching calcium to balance the
acidity caused by the milk . Second, it is not true that the
nutrients found in meat and fish can not be found in vegetables.
For example, Legumes and beans are a great source of protein.
Their second reason was " economy ." They said that by being
vegetarians, many people who work in any field related to animal
food will lose their jobs. For this we have two responses. First, it
is not true that millions of people will be out of work if most
people become vegetarians.
> Affirmative Speech
There are many different fields of work that people can still work
in as working in factories and companies. Second, the economy
of low class families is affected by the high cost of buying meat.
It is more expensive to buy meat than vegetables.
Their third reason was " taste ." They said that the taste of meat is
good and it is considered a main dish in different countries. For
this we have one response. It is not true that meat tastes good
because the meat itself tastes bad. It is due to meat seasoning
and flavoring with different spices form plants and vegetables
that the taste of it becomes good.
We have refuted the opponents' three arguments on "health,"
"the economy," and "taste,' and have shown that we should all be
vegetarian. We beg to propose.
> Affirmative Speech
Fourth Step: Negative Refutation speech
Now, we will refute the affirmative side.
Their first reason was "health." They said that it is not
healthy to eat meat, since it is high in fat and difficult to
digest. We have three responses. First, it is not true that
meat is difficult to digest. Our bodies are made to digest
both meat and vegetables. Second, it is not always true
that meat is higher in fat than vegetables. Some fruits
and vegetables, such as bananas and avocados have a lot
of fat. On the other hand, some kinds of meat, such as
turkey, have very little fat.
> Negative Speech
Their second reason was "animal rights." They said that animals
have a right not to suffer. We have two responses. First, it is not
true that animals have rights. Rights come from our country's
constitution, and our constitution says nothing about animals.
Second, animal rights are not as important as human rights, and if
we stop fishing or raising animals, millions of people in the food
industry will lose their jobs.
Their third reason was "the environment." They said that fishing
and raising animals harm nature. We have two responses. First,
this is not necessarily true. It is possible to raise animals and catch
fish without harming the environment. Second, it is not true that
animal farming hurts the environment, since animals produce the
carbon dioxide that plants require. We must keep the balance of
nature.
We have refuted the affirmative side s three arguments on health ,
animal rights , and environment , and have shown that we should
not be vegetarian. We beg to oppose.
> Negative Speech
Final Step
Round off Speech:
The affirmative/negative team s points are all not true,
not important, and not relevant, but our points are all
strong, true, and relevant.
Overall, we win our key points, we have refuted the
affirmative/negative team. Therefore, we win this
debate and ask you to not be vegetarian .Debate Practice
That nuclear weapons should be abolished.
That people should be allowed to have guns.
That beauty is better than brains.
That capital punishment should be stopped.
Country life is better than city life.
Shopping from home is better than going to the malls.
That smoking should be banned.
That it is better to be married than single.
That chocolate are better gifts to hospitalized people
than flowers. Debate Practice
That the world should be left to police itself.
That the pen is mightier than the sword.
That the right to die is a personal choice not the courts .
Homework should be abolished. THANK YOU!
# Let s Rehearse; let s practice!