Basic Debating Skills a

BasicDebatingSkillsWhatisadebate?Adebateisbasicallyanargument.Thatisnotanundisciplinedshoutingmatchbetweenpartiesthatpassionatelybelieveinaparticularpointofview.Infacttheoppositeistrue.Debatinghasstrictrulesofconductandquitesophisticatedarguingtechniquesandyouwilloftenbeinapositionwhereyouwillhavetoarguetheoppositeofwhatyoubelievein.Whatisatopic?TheTOPICissomethingtoargueabout.Theyareoftenaboutcurrentissuesofpublicimportance(ThatshouldwomendriveinKSA)oraboutgeneralphilosophiesorideas(Thatbeautyisbetterthanbrains).AlltopicsbeginwiththewordThat.Asinotherargumentstherearetwosidestoanytopic.TheteamthatagreeswiththetopiciscalledtheAFFIRMATIVEandtheteamthatdisagreeswiththetopiciscalledtheNEGATIVE.TheDefinitionIfadebateisgoingtotakeplacethenitmustbeagreedinadvancewhatthedebateisgoingtobeabout.Decidingandexplainingwhatatopicmeansiscalled‘definingthetopic’.ThejobofdefiningbeginswiththeAFFIRMATIVE.Thefirstspeakeroftheaffirmativemustexplainincleartermswhattheybelievethetopicmeans.Indecidingthistheaffirmativeteamshouldalwaystrytousethepersononthestreettest.Thenegativeteammayagreewithorchoosetochallengethedefinitionpresented.Thenegativeteamshouldbeverycarefulaboutchallengingasitisdifficulttocontinuethedebatewithtwodefinition.TheTeamLineBecausedebatingisateameventitisimportantthatthethreespeakersworktogetherasateam.TheTEAMLINEisthebasicstatementofwhythetopicistrue(fortheaffirmative)andwhythetopicisfalse(forthenegative).Itshouldbeashortsentence,presentedbythefirstspeakerofeachteamandusedbytheothertwospeakerstoenforcetheideaofteamwork.TheRolesofTheSpeakersInadebatingteameachspeakerhasspecifiedrolesthattheymustfulfilltoplaytheirpartintheteam.TheRolesofTheSpeakers1stAffirmativemust:Definethetopic.Presenttheaffirmative'steamline.Outlinebrieflywhateachspeakerintheirteamwilltalkabout.Presentthefirsthalfoftheaffirmativecase.TheRolesofTheSpeakers1stnegativemust:Acceptorrejectthedefinition.Ifyoudon'tdothisitisassumedthatyouacceptthedefinition.Presentthenegativeteamline.Outlinebrieflywhateachofthenegativespeakerswillsay.Rebutafewofthemainpointsofthefirstaffirmativespeaker.The1stnegativeshouldspendaboutonequarteroftheirtimerebutting.Presentthefirsthalfofthenegativeteam'scase.TheRolesofTheSpeakers2ndaffirmativemust:Reaffirmtheaffirmative'steamline.Rebutthemainpointspresentedbythe1stnegative.The2ndaffirmativeshouldspendaboutonethirdoftheirtimerebutting.Presentthesecondhalfoftheaffirmative'scase.TheRolesofTheSpeakers2ndnegativemust:Reaffirmthenegative'steamline.Rebutsomeofthemainpointsoftheaffirmative'scase.The2ndnegativeshouldspendaboutonethirdoftheirtimerebutting.Presentthesecondhalfofthenegative'scase.TheRolesofTheSpeakers3rdaffirmativemust:Reaffirmtheaffirmative'steamline.Rebutalltheremainingpointsofthenegative'scase.The3rdaffirmativeshouldspendabouttwothirdstothreequartersoftheirtimerebutting.Presentasummaryoftheaffirmative'scase.Roundoffthedebatefortheaffirmative.TheRolesofTheSpeakers3rdnegativemust:Reaffirmthenegative'steamline.Rebutalltheremainingpointsoftheaffirmative'scase.The3rdnegativeshouldspendabouttwothirdstothreequartersoftheirtimerebutting.Presentasummaryofthenegative'scase.Roundoffthedebateforthenegative.RebuttalIndebatingeachteamwillpresentpointsinfavoroftheircase.Theywillalsospendsometimecriticizingtheargumentspresentedbytheotherteam.Thisiscalledrebuttal.Thereareafewthingstorememberaboutrebuttal:1.Logic-tosaythattheothersideiswrongisnotenough.2.Picktheimportantpoints-trytorebutthemostimportantpointsoftheotherside'scase.3.`Playtheball'-donotcriticizestheindividualspeakers,criticizewhattheysay.TheIndividualSpeakerTherearemanytechniquesthateachspeakercanuseintheirspeechbuttherearethreemainareasthatyouwillbemarkedonandtheyarematter,methodandmanner.MatterMatteriswhatyousay,itisthesubstanceofyourspeech.Youshoulddivideyourmatterintoargumentsandexamples.AnargumentisastatementThetopicistrue(orfalsedependingonwhichsideyouareon)becauseofx,wheretheargumentfillsinforthex.Mattercannotbejustalonglistofexamples.Youdonotwinadebatebycreatingthebiggestpileoffacts.Factsarelikebricksinawall,ifyoudon'tusethem,cementthemtogetherproperlythentheyareuseless.Manydebatesareoncurrentlyimportantissuessoitisgoodforanydebatertokeepthemselvesinformedofwhatishappeningintheworldaroundthemandwhataretheissuesinvolved.MethodWherematteriswhatyousaymethodishowyouorganizewhatyousay.Therearemanypiecesofthemethod.....1.TEAM.Goodteammethodinvolvesunityandlogic.Unityiscreatedbyallmembersbeingawareofthedefinition,whattheotherspeakershavesaidandwhattheteamlineis.2.INDIVIDUAL.Youmuststructureyourownspeechwell.Thefirststepistohaveaclearideaofyourownargumentsandwhichexamplesyouwillbeusingtosupportthosearguments.Whenyouarepresentingoneparticularargumentmakesurethattheargumentislogicalandthatyoumakeclearlinksbetweenyourteamlineandtheargument.Rebuttalshouldbeorganizedthesameway.Attackeachargumentthattheoppositionpresentsinturn.Spendalittlewhileoneachandthenmoveontothenext.Alsoorganizeyourspeechwellintermsoftime.Adjudicatorscanpickupwhenyouarewafflingjusttofillintime..