ORAL COMMUNICATION: DEBATING

In debating, two opposing teams compete with one another.

They aim to convince the adjudicator and the audience that their views on a given topic are more reasonable and justifiable than that of the opposing team.

1. The teams

There is a chairperson and two opposing teams - an affirmative team and a negative team.

There are three speakers on each team.
It is the task of each team to prove its own argument and disprove that of the opposing team.
Thus conflict and rebuttal are essential elements of the debate.

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The affirmative team proposes the motion and supports the topic by citing facts and examples.
The negative team opposes the motion and tries to disprove the argument of the affirmative team by presenting valid evidence.

2. Preparation for the Debate

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Teamwork is essential to ensure forceful and effective debating. This involves:

brainstorming of the topic by individual members
pooling of ideas and analysis of the topic to form the foundation of the argument
defining the topic and deciding on the team's approach
determining points and specific examples to be incorporated
allocating various aspects of the argument to individual speakers to ensure a structured, logical approach

3. The Adjudicator's Criteria

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Knowledge of the adjudicator's criteria will help you to plan and structure your argument. the ajudicator bases his/her decision on;

matter/content

definition of the topic
the correctness and strength of the arguments
use a suitable material to support the evidence
method of rebuttal to refute the case of the opposing team

manner

the way in which the speakers present their speeches
the power and impact of the presentation

method

the logical structure of the presentation
whether the arguments are rounded off or left 'hanging' by the individual speakers or by the team as a whole

What is debating?

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Competitive debating is a fun activity akin to a game in which we examine ideas and policies with the aim of persuading people within an organised structure. It allows us to consider the world around us by thinking about different arguments, engaging with opposing views and speaking strategically.

How do we debate?
In every debate, there is a motion: a statement, idea or policy that is disputed and framed within the prefix 'This House'. Usually, the motion is either a policy which changes the status quo (e.g. This House Would Provide All Police Officers With Firearms) or a statement, the truth or falsehood of which is examined in the debate (e.g. This House Regrets the Decline of Marxism in Western Liberal Democracies). There are two sides to the debate: the government and the opposition. The government, also known as the proposition, supports the motion whilst the opposition opposes it. After the debate, the judges will decide which debaters were most persuasive.

What makes a good debater?
Typically, judges decide how persuasive debaters have been through three key criteria:
Content: What we say and the arguments and examples we use.
Style: How we say it and the language and voice we use.
Strategy: How well we engage with the topic, respond to other people's arguments and structure what we say.

How is the debate structured?
There are many different formats of debate, each with their own rules. The format we use in competitive debating is called British Parliamentary, as it resembles a debate in the British Parliament. This is not the format used for Thursday night Union debates but is the international standard for university-level competitive debating. That said, it is but one of many different debating formats and, like football, learning the rules doesn't teach you how to play it well. Once you have learned to debate in one format, it is very easy to convert to another

https://cus.org/members/debating/what-debating