Debate Terminology

Affirmative   1. The team advancing or in favor of the Resolution;  2. The Case (and sometimes Plan) made by the Affirmative team. (The resolution is the question or issue being “debated”

Affirmative Constructive   1. The Case made by the Affirmative team, specific to the 1AC;  2. The pair of fiveor six minute speeches made by the Affirmative team, where new arguments may be formulated.

Affirmative Rebuttal The pair of three to four minute speeches given by the Affirmative team near the end of the debate where no new arguments may be forwarded.

Answer: 1. An argument;  2. Response to an argument.

Claim without a warrant: A claim with neither Evidence nor analysis to support it.

Counter intuitive An argument or position that cuts against long held and deeply rooted sentiments.  For example, to argue that nuclear war is a good thing because it eradicates the human scourge, is counter-intuitive.

Evidence Remarks published in a magazine, newspaper, book, catalog, transcript, government documents, electronic medium, or any other publicly available media.  Tag lines and source citations accompany all Evidence.

Judge The person who determines wins and losses and awards speaker points.

Justification Reason or foundation for believing so.  2.  A Procedural modeled after Robert Bork’s constitutional analysis, that seeks to require the Affirmative to justify their Case by proving that it is within the boundaries of the framer’s intent.

Negative The side that negates or prevents the advancement of the Resolution.

Negative Constructive The pair of five or six minute speeches made by the Negative team, where new arguments may be formulated.

Negative Rebuttal The pair of three to four minute speeches given by the Negative team at the end of the debate, where no new arguments may be forwarded.

New argument An argument made in Rebuttals that was not already heard, in some form, in Constructives.  New arguments are not allowed in Rebuttals, though a certain amount of fudging is common.

Speaker Points Points awarded to speakers on a scale from 0-30 (a de facto scale of 20 to 30) based on the subjective qualities of persuasion and charisma.  The points are irrelevant to actual winning or losing.  The side with higher speaker points may still lose the round.  Awards are given based on the point system, with the high and low usually being tossed out.

Turn Like stealing your opposition’s sword and using it against them.  A responsive argument that shows that for any claim, just the opposite, in fact, is true.

Pre-Debate Activities There are two different types of debate: Formal:The traditional form of debate practiced by academic debate teams. In an online environment, formal debate can take place by dividing the class into teams and assigning each team a specific argument. Informal: Exploratory :A heightened form of discussion where students discover and investigate concepts and conflicts within a topic or issue. Devil’s Advocate:A discussion in which one or more students are assigned the task of respectfully disagreeing with others’ stated points of view.

Pre Debate Activities Assign relevant readings: i.e. books, articles, websites or other texts. Identify additional resources and encourage students to submit resources. Develop and provide guidelines for debate topics. Select debate format.

Debate Facilitation Assign relevant readings: i.e. books, articles, websites or other texts. Identify additional resources and encourage students to submit resources. Develop and provide guidelines for debate topics. Select debate format.

9 Priniciples of Good Debating Questions or challenges should be professional. Insulting, condescending, or comments involving personal language or attacks are unacceptable.   Critical analysis, synthesis, rhetorical skill, and wit are keys to debate success. Focus on the opposing side’s position or argument. Knowing the “other side” is critical for preparing strategies to refute your opponent’s arguments. Limit your arguments to three or less.


9 Priniciples of Good Debating   Use logic to make your arguments. Present these arguments clearly and concisely. Know the common errors in thinking like logical fallacies and use them effectively in your refutation. Present the content accurately. Only use content that is pertinent to your point of view and draw on support from authoritative sources. Be certain of the validity of all external evidence presented for your arguments. Also, challenges to the validity of evidence should be made only on substantive grounds. Your rebuttal (or conclusion) in a debate is your final summary position. Use it as an opportunity to highlight important issues that indicate proof of your points or refute your opponent’s argument.

Post Debate Synthesis Write a “self-improvement” list for future debates. Synthesize the opposing views into “debate meeting notes”