Debate: Basics & Formats

What is DEBATE?

Debate is the process of inquiry and advocacy, a way of arriving at a reasoned judgment on a
proposition.

Individuals may use debate to reach a decision in their own minds.

Individuals or groups may use it to bring others around to their way of thinking.

What Is Debate?

A debate means

a regulated discussion of a proposition by two matched sides, providing reasoned arguments for and
against a proposition.

(Goodnight 149)

Rules of the Game

regulated: agreed-upon rules

Format,

Speaker responsibilities (judges, affirmative, negative teams, timer)

Proofs, Logical reasoning, cross-examination

Rules of time, expected performances by both teams.

proposition 1:

A proposition is a statement that is open to interpretation

It shall be

controversial,

significant,

debatable,

durable, and most importantly,

with a single idea

Proposition 2: Examples

In a debate, the affirmative proposes to change the status quo with a carefully argued resolution with
justification, plan, and advantages.

RESOLVED: That six years of English in high school is adequate for a basic education.

RESOLVED: That modern art lacks artistic skill and creativity

RESOLVED: That AIDS education shall be introduced at elementary school level.

What Can Debating Do for You?

It

cultivates your leadership skills

Consolidates your investigation & analysis skills

Trains your critical listening/thinking skills

Enriches your open-mindedness

Equips you with better organization & speaking skills

Builds your self-confidence

Boosts your teamwork & cooperation ability

Provides you the fun when wits match with competition

PERSUASION

Purposeful persuasion is a communication intended to influence the acts, beliefs, attitudes, and
values of others.

Debate is one method of persuasion

Modes of Persuasion

ETHOS

an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of

the persuader

It is the judgment that the audience makes of the speaker

Ethos: 3 Characteristics in judging the speaker

(1) CHARACTER

-the audience measures the character of the speaker based on their perception of her
ethical behavior

(2) SAGACITY

Includes consideration of the speakers expertise and competence specific to the

material of the argument

(3) GOODWILL

trustworthiness and dynamism of the speaker

PATHOS

an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an

emotional response

This is the audiences judgment of the personal impact of an argument on them as listeners

LOGOS

Logical proof

an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason

It is the judgment the audience makes of the argument itself, but it is not a measure of certainty
or falsity of an argument, but rather of relative strength or weakness of the persuasion.

FOUNDATIONS OF DEBATE

2 BROAD CATEGORIES OF DEBATE

APPLIED DEBATE

presented before a judge or audience with the power to render a binding decision on
the proposition or to respond to the question or topic in a real way.

ACADEMIC DEBATE

Debate conducted under the direction of an educational institution for the purpose of
providing educational opportunities for its students

APPLIED DEBATE

(1) SPECIAL DEBATE

Conducted under special rules drafted for a specific occasion. i.e. political debates

Examples: Presidential Debate

Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858

Kennedy Nixon debates of 1960

McCain Obama in 2008

These were formal debates, yet they were neither judicial nor parliamentary

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Usually held at academic conferences, college campuses, government hearings

about social issues of public concern.

They are marked by a set of rules and format uniquely designed for a particular
debate

(2) JUDICIAL DEBATE

Conducted in the courts or before quasi-judicial bodies

Governed by the rules of a court of law, its purpose is the prosecution or defense of
individuals charged with violation of the law or determination of issues of law alleged to
be applicable to specific cases before the court

(3) APPLIED PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE

Refers to the use of parliamentary procedure as a set of guiding principles and rules for
debate within organized bodies for the purpose of decision making

Its purpose is the passage, amendment, or defeat of motions and resolutions that come
before a parliamentary assembly

- Derives its name from the parliament of Britain

(4) NONFORMAL DEBATE

- Conducted without the formal rules found in special, judicial, parliamentary and
academic debate

- Examples of nonformal debate can be found in national political campaign, in community hearings or
town hall meetings
ACADEMIC DEBATE

Debate conducted under the direction of an educational institution for the purpose of providing
educational opportunities for its students.

MOOT COURT DEBATE

an academic form of judicial debate used by law schools to prepare students for
courtroom debate

MOCK TRIAL DEBATE

A form of academic debate that emulates trial court debating

VALUES OF ACADEMIC DEBATE

1. Debate provides preparation for effective participation in a democratic society.

- debate is an inherent condition of a democratic society

- citizens educated in debate can hope to be empowered to participate in the shaping of the
world.

2. Debate offers preparation for leadership.

- an indispensable requirement of leadership is that the leader explains why the direction
proposed is right.

3. Debate offers training in argumentation.

- debate offers an ideal opportunity for students to apply the theories of argumentation under
conditions designed to increase their knowledge and understanding of these theories and their
proficiency in their use.

- as an educational method debate provides excellent motivation for learning, because students
have both the short-term goal of winning a decision, and the long-term goal of increasing their
knowledge.

4. Debate provides for investigation and intensive analysis of significant contemporary problems.

- in the course of debating, students will acquire a better-than-average knowledge of a current

problems, as well as skill in applying methods that will enable them to critically analyse the problems.

- through debate, student learns how to acquire knowledge and how to energize that
knowledge
5. Debate develops proficiency in critical thinking

- through study of argumentation and practice in debate, students participate in an educational

process, specifically designed to develop their proficiency in critical thinking.

- debaters learn to apply the principles of critical thinking not only to problems that emerge in
the relative comfort of research or a briefing session but also to problems that arise in the heat of
debate.

6. Debate is an integrator of knowledge

- debate offers a uniquely dynamic and energized environment within which students can learn.

7. Debate develops proficiency in purposeful inquiry.

- debaters must be well informed about all the relevant aspects of the issue to be debated.

8. Debate emphasizes quality instructions.

- debate is based on a close-tutorial relationship between faculty and students as well as

experiential learning.

9. Debate develops the ability to make prompt, analytical responses.

10. Debate develops critical listening.

- debaters quickly learn to listen to their opponents with sharply focused critical attention,
recording their argument precisely so that their own responses are to the point.