Tips for Debaters

1

• Tips for Debaters
• James Brimble
• David Pritchard
• Cardiff University 18th September 2002

2

• Convincing
• Likeable
• Engaging
• Authoritative
• Relevant

3

• Style
• Make eye contact with your audience
• Do not read directly from a pre-prepared speech
• Vary your speaking tone
• Do not speak too quickly or too slowly
• Speak clearly so that you can be heard by all
• Use humour

4

• Content
• Provide a clear analysis of the motion
• Use relevant arguments, logically explained
• Employ good examples to back up the arguments
• Work as a team with your partner
• Provide arguments and evidence to show how the
  other side is wrong
• Use Points of Information effectively

5

• Strategy
• Use a clear structure for your speech
• Use all of your time, do not stop too soon or go
  on too long
• Identify the key issues in the debate
• Allocate the most time to the most important
  issues in the debate
• Do not contradict your partner

6

• Rebuttal
• Relevance to the motion
• Inaccurate or deficient facts or statistics
• Generalisations
• Inconsistency between your opponents arguments

7

• Points of Information
• Points of information are not mini-speeches
• Each team member should aim to give at least two
  points of information during each opposition
  speech
• A speaker is advised not to accept so many points
  or to reply to them at such length that a line of
  argument is lost (accepting 2 to 3 points is
  normal).
• If a point is accepted, then a reply is essential
  either immediately or later in the speech

8

• Definition
• The Opening speaker is required to define the
  motion so that it -
• is reasonably close to the plain meaning of the
  topic
• allows the opposition speaker team reasonable
  room to debate
• is not tautological or truistic
• is otherwise a reasonable definition.

9

• Structure
• You should not have more than three or four
  different arguments
• Only look at two or three examples to support
  each argument
• Divide your speech into sections and signpost
  each section
• Summarise all your arguments at the end of your
  speech
• Timing is very important, give appropriate time
  to arguments
• Debaters should show they understand what the
  focus of the debate is

10

• Any Questions?