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Are You Convinced Yet!. A guide to creating your debate By P. Evans. What is Debate?. Debate is a game in which two opposing teams make arguments in support of their views and disagree with the views of the other team.
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Are You Convinced Yet! A guide to creating your debate By P. Evans
What is Debate? • Debate is a game in which two opposing teams make arguments in support of their views and disagree with the views of the other team. • Debate is a great tool for learning analytical thinking skills and for forcing self conscious reflection on the validity of one’s ideas (Nisbett, 2003).
Debating Terms • Resolution: the opinion about which two team argues. • Affirmative Team: The team that agrees with the resolution. • Negative Team: The team that disagrees with the resolution. • Rebuttal: This explains why one team disagrees with the other. • Judges: They decide the winner.
Reasons for Opinion • The resolution is an opinion for which there can be valid disagreement. One agrees or disagree with the resolution regardless of personal beliefs. The resolution is usually introduced by an opinion indicator such as ‘I think/ I believe that’. • In order for your arguments to be convincing, the reasons for your resolution must be strong. • The reason gives an explanation of why that belief is held. It is usually introduced by a reason indicator such as’ because / since’. • A strong reason is logical, specific and convincing.
Supporting your Opinion • Your support must consist of evidence. • An evidence can be an example drawn from personal experience. • It can be common sense – things that you think everybody should know. • Expert opinion is another evidence. This is what the experts believe and is drawn from research. • Evidence could also be statistics and comes from research.
Predicting and Refuting The Opponents Argument. • Refuting your opponent’s argument is an important part of a debate. • Brainstorming for strong arguments your opponents may use will help you prepare a good rebuttal. • Taking notes during your opponent’s arguments helps you to be clear about what they are arguing. • Take the three strongest arguments from your opponent’s speeches and compose your rebuttal.
Pros and Cons • The goal of an argument is to win acceptance of your ideas. • To help you to win the argument, you must anticipate any opposition your opponent might raise and develop a defense against their arguments. • Creating a ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ chart is a strategy to use when preparing your argument. It provides a balance view of the issues.
Debating Format • First speaker from affirmative team introduce the topic and state the first argument. • The first speaker from the negative team state the first argument. • The second speaker from the affirmative team state the second argument. • The second speaker from the negative team state their second argument. • Provide time for each team to prepare their rebuttal. • The negative team gives two rebuttals for the affirmative team two arguments and then summarizes their own two reasons. • The affirmative team gives two arguments for the negative team two arguments, then summarizes their own two reasons. • The judges determine the winner based on the team that produced the strongest and clearest arguments/ reasons, support and rebuttals.
