General Understanding of Debating

 Organized public argument on a specific topic. With one side arguing in favor and the other team opposing the issue. Organized = Rules Public = Audience Arguments = well-explained opinions  Debate arguments use reasoning and evidence to support opinion.

 Are not organized  Have no rules  Have no speaking order  Does not have a specific time for speakers  One speaker may try to shout down another  The discussion is for the people involved in the misunderstanding not an audience.  May lead to more than one topic

 It has a narrow topic  Similar to arguments made in a court before a jury  There are two sides called proposition and opposition  Both sides use evidence  There is a judge or jury  One side has the burden of proof

 The proposition team has the same job as the prosecution lawyer. They have the burden of proving their case  They select their best reasons and evidence to present  The team does not have to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt; it just has to show that the case is more likely to be true than false

 The opposition team has the same job as the defense counsel. It must show that the propositions case is wrong.  The opposition tries to find holes in the propositions reasoning and evidence  The opposition team may introduce its own arguments to prove that the proposition case is incorrect

 In a debate a judge functions as a jury.  The judge is the finder of fact. He/she will listen to the arguments and consider the reasoning and evidence from each team.  The judge decides which team has won

 Debate topics are usually announced 2-4 weeks before the debate is held  Topics are selected to provide a range of issues:  Personal  Educational  Social  Political  Economic  Cultural

 There are two different types of topics: extemporaneous topics and impromptu topics  An extemporaneous topic is one that you can prepare for.  Topics are given several weeks in advance  Research the main arguments for and against.  Organize some notes about the arguments  An impromptu topic is one that is not known before the debate is ready to begin.

 2 Teams: Proposition & Opposition  About 3 students on each team.  One student is the 1 st speaker  One is the 2 nd speaker  The 3 rd is the teams rebuttal speaker.

 Speakers make their presentations in the following order:  First Speaker, Proposition Team5min  First Speaker, Opposition Team5min  Second Speaker, Proposition Team5min  Second Speaker, Opposition Team5min  Rebuttal Speaker, Opposition Team3min  Rebuttal Speaker, Proposition Team3min

 The first four speeches (5min speeches) are called constructive speeches. In these speeches each team will construct or build its arguments.  The two final speeches are called rebuttal speeches. In these speeches the debaters make the best case for their side and eliminate the major points of the other team  No new arguments are permitted in the rebuttal speeches!

 Before the debate begins teams are given preparation time to review their notes, speak with their coaches and teammates, and copy materials for use.  Extemporaneous topics = 20min preparation  Impromptu topics = 30min preparation

 Students may review any information that would help them prepare for their debate before a competition or during the preparation period.  Materials include:  Books  Magazine/Newspaper Articles  Websites  Class Notes

 Once the debate begins students MAY NOT REVIEW OR USE any materials that were not prepared during the preparation period.  Students MAY NOT READ PREPARED SPEECHES in a debate.  Using pre-prepared materials is a serious violation of the rules and may mean losing a debate.

 Similar to an introduction to a formal paper.  Introduce yourself/team and the topic you will be debating. Tell what you are going to argue during the debate and tell why your team should win.

 Like the body of a formal paper.  Present the evidence that proves your position is correct. Argument should be factual and persuasive.  Opinions not backed by facts could be used to show the weakness of your case, so be careful!

 Presentment of counter evidence that shows: false, inaccurate, misrepresented, or weak points in the opposition’s argument.

 Like the closing paragraph of a formal paper.  Summarize the key points your team presented.  Conclude with a persuasive argument that will win the debate for you even if you are losing based on facts!