An Introduction to Debating

1. SPEAKER ROLES

Debating is a team sport. You must work together when preparing your case and during the debate, yet each speaker has certain roles to fill. These roles might sound restrictive, but they help the debate run smoothly and so ensure that each team is doing the best possible job of trying to persuade the average reasonable person. First Affirmative The first task of the first speaker is to set out the affirmatives understanding of the topic. The definition should treat the topic as a phrase, rather than just a collection of individual words. While you may need to define some words separately, what youre trying to do is show us what the important issues in the debate will be. You then need to tell us where you stand on those issues the team line is a brief statement that summari!es the main arguments of your team. "t may be closely related to your team split, which is simply the division of arguments between the first and second speakers. You need to let the audience know early on e#actly how youre approaching the debate. $fter youve done that, you need to make the arguments youve said youll make. First Negative %ne of your most important tasks is to tell us whats wrong with the affirmatives arguments. Thats called rebuttal. "f you really disagree with the way the affirmative has defined the topic, you can tell us why theyre wrong and why your understanding is superior, but its much better to just get down to proving that their arguments are not good. &ike the first affirmative, you should then outline your case and the arguments that your two first speakers will raise ' and make the arguments allocated to you. Second Affirmative and Second Negative (oth speakers should attack the main arguments of their opponents. The second affirmative should clearly identify the major areas of disagreement, and attack the specific arguments of the first negative. The second negative needs to attack the main arguments of the affirmative, focusing on the specific arguments raised by the second affirmative. You should spend about a third of your speech on rebuttal. $fter showing us why we shouldnt believe the other team, you should make your arguments. Third Affirmative & Negative (oth speakers should analyse the main themes of the debate. You should identify the big issues on which the teams have disagreed, rebut the important arguments of the opposing team, and defend your case against significant attacks. (oth speakers should conclude their speech with a brief summary )about one to two minutes* of their teams case

2.

DEFINITIONS

You may think it obvious what the topic is about, but even the most straightforward topic needs a definition so that everyone knows e#actly what youre arguing about.

The definition should not be taken out of the dictionary. You should think about the definition by asking the +uestion ,What is the debate about- &ook at the key words in the topic and ask yourself what they mean. .or e#ample, you might have a topic like ,that smoking in public places should be banned. What is a public place- What does ,should be banned mean- What does ,smoking mean- /opefully this will not be a debate about smoking bacon0 $ll youre trying to do is set the limits of the debate by giving a reasonable definition of the issues.

3.

TEAM LINE

SPLIT

1ach team, in every debate, must have a team line and split. They give both you and the audience structure and make the debate much easier to follow. The team line ensures that you have a strong, consistent case. 2imply, a team line is a general statement of what your team is arguing in the debate. %ften, it is as simple as saying ,Tonight, the affirmative team believes that 3 or ,the negative team will prove to you tonight that 3. The arguments that you make should be consistent with the team line. 2ome debaters think that a team line is a clever little one4liner that each speaker gives during their speech, using e#actly the same words every time. This is not what a team line is meant to be0 The different speakers may phrase the team line differently 5 that makes it less repetitive )and less annoying for your adjudicator*. The first two speakers from each team need to present arguments for their own side. 2o that the speakers dont end up saying the same things, you should divide up your material between the speakers. When this is done in a thematic way, you have a team split. )You should not allocate the third speaker positive material in the split. "f youre leaving good arguments that late on the debate, its hard for the other side to respond to them, and thats unfair. $s a third speaker, you should focus on rebuttal and summary.* 2ome e#amples of thematic splits are effects on society vs effects on individuals6 $ustralia vs the rest of the world6 short4term vs long4term6 moral vs practical, and so on. 7otice that each speaker has an overriding theme rather than a random set of arguments. The easiest way to find a split like these is to write down all of the arguments and then try to group them. The first speaker from each team should give the split at the start of their speech, usually after they have given the team line and definition. The second speaker should also re4outline the split at the beginning of their material as this helps the audience remember what has already been said and helps to clarify how theyre approaching the issues.

4.

REBUTTAL

$ debate has a formal structure of three speakers, an adjudicator, etc, but in the end, it is all about argument. 8eople argue about issues because there are two or more views about them. "f you want to convince people, you need to prove to them that your approach is better than the others. Thats true of any dispute you wont convince your parents of anything by ignoring their arguments and just making your own. "n a debate, the basic idea is to start your speech by telling us what the important arguments of the other side are, and why we shouldnt believe them, before you make your own case. "n practice, thats +uite easy. The trick is to sit on your hands when you listen to the other side. Dont try to write down everything just wait until you understand a big argument, then write it down on a card. 9nderneath that, write down whats wrong with it maybe

its illogical, maybe the facts are wrong, maybe its not important 3 You need to say e#actly why it shouldnt persuade us. $fter youve done that for the two or three big arguments the speaker makes, youre ready to rebut the themes, the big arguments of the other case. Thats know as thematic rebuttal. %f course, its very impressive when you then get up and say ,the other team has given us three major arguments : 3, ; 3, and < ... "m going to deal with each in turn and show you why they really arent as persuasive as they appear to be.

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MATTER" MET#OD AND MANNER

$djudicators asses your speech and the team as a whole under three criteria matter, method and manner. MATTER 2imply, matter refers to your arguments ' the evidence you base your case on. =atter includes the +uotes, statistics, facts and the arguments they support, and also covers your rebuttal. The two cornerstones of matter are logic and relevance. "f an argument is going to persuade someone, it has to be logical6 it has to make sense, and must be consistent. "t also has to be relevant, or you just wont be proving your side of the case. Top Five Matter Hints :. >elevance0 =ake sure that you link each argument to the topic6 ;. ?heck the resource guide on the D$@ website for hints and links to useful websites6 <. 8ut yourself in the shoes of your opponents and try to think about what arguments they will make. /ow will you respond to their main arguments-6 A. $sk your teachers, parents and friends for ideas if you get stuck6 and B. =ake sure each point is backed up by a good e#amples. METH ! =ethod concerns structure and responsiveness. $ good speech reflects the structure of debates6 its consistent with that teams other speeches, and it properly fills the role discussed above. "f youve understood section :, youll have no problems with this. $ good speech is also well structured internally. "t should be easy to follow a few distinct arguments rather than lots of confusing rambling. %ne way to ensure this is to ask yourself what youre trying to argue. "f you start to say ,its kind of about, then your case is not clear enough. "deally, you should be able to respond ,my most important arguments are 3 %ne you have that structure, let us know ,"m going to make three arguments 3 $s you progress, e#plain how each argument fits in with your case and how it proves your side of the case. The other half of method is responsiveness you have to stay awake during the debate, and you have to think, because a canned speech will never be persuasive. The easiest solution is to listen very carefully to the other side, make careful notes about their major arguments, and then rebut them systematically. Top Five Method Hints :. %utline to the audience what your main points will be6 ;. 2ummarise at the end of your speech what your arguments were6

<. =ake sure you give the team split and stick to it6 A. =ake sure everyone in the team understands your definition, and is prepared to defend it if necessary, and be careful not to contradict the previous speaker )or speakers* from your team6 and B. 9nless youre the first affirmative, make sure you rebut thematically and for long enough.

MANNER =anner is about the you deliver your speech how you use your voice and your body language to persuade people. There are no rules about manner, because every speaker has a different way of appealing to the audience. The important thing is to remember that, above all else, you are trying to make people believe you. "f youre going to persuade them, you need to focus your attention on them. 2o, think about how +uickly youre moving through your speech. "f youd never heard it before, could you keep up- "ts always good to pause before you make a new argument so that everyone can catch their breath. $fter all, you want to make it easy for them to follow you, so speak clearly and loud enough, but make it interesting0 @ary the pace and tone of your voice so that were not listening to a robot. =ore important, remember that youre 7%T reading a speech. Youre involved in a debate, and you need to respond to the other team and the audience. You cant do that if youre reading from scrolls of paper. "ts much better to write reminders on some cards or sheets of paper, because, after all, you know the arguments you want to make ' but youre bright enough to be able to put them in words when youre standing up. "f you hold your notes in one hand and look at them only when you need a reminder, youll spend most of your time looking at the audience. 8eople will smile at you, youll see that theyre interested, and youll feel much more comfortable. What you want to do is to take control of the room. Cesture if it feels natural, look at people and hold their ga!e for a second, smile keep us involved, and youll be doing a great job of persuading us. Top Five Manner Hints :. 2mile at the audience6 ;. 2low Down. =ost speakers go too fast6 <. 8ause between ideas to let them sink into the audience6 A. @ary your voice when you start a new point6 and B. 9se body language and gestures to liven up your speech.

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%NDERSTANDIN& 'O%R S(ORES#EET

The scoring system used by D$@ adjudicators is designed to help you understand the adjudication and the reasons for the decision. "t should show you where your strengths and weaknesses are as a team and as individual speakers. Debaters are marked by the average or e#pected standard for their grade. %bviously, we would e#pect a higher standard of matter, method and manner from an e#perienced university debater than from a Year D. The scoring system is =atter $verage Total marks <E AE =ethod :B ;E =anner <E AE Total DB :EE

When you get your score sheet )see later for a blank one*, look at the areas in which you did well, as well as at those in which you did less well. $sk your adjudicator how you could improve in your weaker areas. The marks are awarded in a very narrow range6 =atter and =anner scores can only be between ;D and <<, and =ethod

scores between :< and :D. Feep this in mind when you are reading your score sheet. "f you score below average, try not to take it to heart see it as clear feedback and a chance to improve your speaking.