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EnglishSkillsOnline is an interactive resource for students and teachers of the English language. The site covers the language part of the secondary school English curriculum and is also useful for primary school age students. EnglishSkillsOnline includes many interactive activities to enable students to learn more about the English language and to practise their skills.
The basics of debating
A debate is a formal competition between two teams, usually with three members
each, arguing a discussion statement known as "the
moot".
The moot is worded as an affirmative statement, beginning with the word "That".
It is chosen because it can be argued from two points of view, the
Affirmative and the Negative.
Examples of moots are:
That the car is a curse.
That bicycles should be registered and their riders licensed.
That the five-day school week is too long.
That keeping pets in private homes should be made illegal.
For the first of these examples:
The Affirmative team would argue "That the car is a curse."
The Negative team would argue "That the car is --not a curse."
To make debating interesting for both the debaters and the audience, moots
are usually chosen for their light-hearted tone and humorous possibilities.
There are certain rules for the role of each speaker and each team (Affirmative
and Negative) tries to convince the audience that their line of argument is
the most persuasive. The Adjudicator (the
judge) is the person who decides which team wins the debate.
Winning the debate is decided on the basis of technical rules (to do with both
argument and presentation), which must be followed by the debaters to give them
the edge over their opponents. The Adjudicator judges the debate on both the
soundness of the team's argument and on the way the members of the team have
worked together to present their case.
Debating is therefore not just having an argument. It involves research, preparation,
teamwork, speaking skills, and the ability to persuade.
The usual practice in debating is for the teams to be given the topic and told
whether they are Affirmative or Negative (depending on the toss of a coin).
They then go away and prepare their speeches ready for presentation.
Debating is a fun activity, providing practice in both public speaking and
in presenting a sound argument. You may have to debate an idea (the moot) that
you do not agree with at all. This is what debating is all about.
People involved in a debate
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Affirmative Team: This team of speakers supports the moot - they present
a team case in favour of it. |
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Negative Team: This team of speakers oppose the moot - they present
a team case against it. |
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Chair/Chairperson: This person welcomes the audience, announces the
moot, introduces the teams, both Affirmative and Negative, welcomes the Adjudicator,
outlines the basic rules for the debate (e.g. times for speaking and the expectations
of audience behaviour - no interjections or heckling during the debate, listening
politely to the arguments). The Chair calls on each speaker in turn to address
the audience, rules on any points of order raised and, at the end of the debate,
calls upon the Adjudicator to announce the result. After the announcement, the
Chair thanks the Adjudicator, the debaters, and the audience, then closes the
debate. |
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Timekeeper: This person keeps the speaking times of the debaters and
announces them, at the conclusion of each speech, for the Adjudicator to record
on the marking sheet. The timekeeper signals when the speaker has 30 seconds
remaining to speak (usually with a single bell-ring, or by tapping out an agreed
signal), and then signals again when the speaking time is up. If necessary,
an additional signal will be given to stop an over-length speech. |
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Adjudicator: Usually one person, but sometimes two. The Adjudicator's
job is to judge the debate, and to decide which team has presented the more
successful argument on the moot. It is usual for the Adjudicator to make a short
speech summing up admirable or problematic aspects of the debate, before announcing
the winning team (and their winning points), as well as declaring the Best Speaker
of the debate. |
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Audience: The Audience is also essential to a debate. The speakers present
their arguments to convince the audience, who should listen politely and may
respond with laughter and applause when points are made. It is not usual in
school debates to allow interjections or heckling from the audience during the
debate. |
Room layout for a debate
The debating teams sit behind tables facing the audience.
- First Speaker sits nearest the Chair, then Second, then Third.
- The Chair sits behind a table facing the audience.
- The Adjudicator sits at a table at the back of the audience.
- The Timekeeper usually sits in the front row of the audience.
Each speaker, when called, moves forward to the centre of
the room.
The speaker stands in front of the Chairperson to address the audience.
Key debating terms
To define the moot: To say what the team line is on the moot. This is
the task of the First Speaker of the Affirmative Team, and it involves identifying
the dictionary definition of the key terms, or clarifying the common-sense meaning
of the keywords as they will be used in the team's case.
Argument: An idea, based on fact or opinion, which is used by debating
speakers to support, attack, or defend the team's point of view on the moot.
Arguments are most effective, of course, if they are backed up with some evidence.
Rebuttal: The technical term "rebuttal" is used to describe the rejection
of what has been said by the previous speaker. This forms an important part
of the team's case in arguing against their opponents. All speakers, except
the First Affirmative Speaker (who defines the moot), begin their speeches by
seeking to rebut points made by the speaker before them.
Leader's Reply: When all three speakers have presented their arguments
on the moot, the Team Leader on each side is given the right to make a final
submission. It is the last chance to summarise the team's line of argument on
the moot, and to make any final rebuttal of the opposing team's arguments. The
Negative Leader replies first, the Affirmative Leader concludes the debate.
Speaking Time: Speaking times are decided before the debate. The times
set for each speaker are usually between 4 and 10 minutes, depending on the
level of the debating competition. Times for School and impromptu debates may
be set between 3 and 5 minutes per speaker. It is usual for the Leader's Reply
speech (Affirmative and Negative) to be set at half the ordinary Speaking Time.
Point of Order: A Point of Order is the name given to an interruption
by a team member to point out that the opposing team has broken the "rules of
debate". The Chair must then decide to uphold
or reject the Point of Order. Making decisions
like this is difficult for the Chair and many school debates do not therefore
allow Points of Order. They tend to slow down and fragment the debate for the
audience.
Peroration: This is the technical word for the summing up of a speaker's arguments
in a debate. It should be a brief and clear restatement of the points made in
the body of the speech.
Preparing a debate
If you are asked to participate in a debate, there are a number of steps you
can take to ensure your team presents a sound case.
1. At your first team meeting:
- Check that you know exactly what the moot is and what case you will be
presenting
- Brainstorm and pool your ideas on the moot
- Think about both positive and negative arguments as they will help you make
your own case and prepare you to counter your opponents' case
- Look up dictionary definitions of the words of the moot
- Do some research to help provide background material for your case
2. At the next team meeting:
- Divide your initial ideas up into two groups - those for your case, and
those against your case (you will then be ready to argue and to rebut)
- Divide your whole case up into three parts and decide who will be your First,
Second and Third speakers
- Discuss the arguments you can make to present a strong unified case i.e.
help each other with ideas
3. Go away and prepare your individual debating speeches:
- Keep in mind which speaker you are, and prepare your material accordingly
- Format your speech with an introduction, body of points and a conclusion
- Remember that (unless you are First Affirmative Speaker) you need to leave
room for rebuttal
- Write your speech out in full if you need to, then prepare cue cards for
use in the debate.
- Make a brief summary, for the others, of the points in your speech, so that
they will know what you intend to say
- Practise your speech under timed conditions, remembering that you are likely
to speed up your delivery in front of an audience
4. Meet with your team members to discuss progress:
- Check you are all keeping the same line of argument
- Look at the summary of each other's speeches so you do not duplicate material
- Be prepared to share ideas to improve your team's case
- Look for the links in your arguments so that each speaker can build on the
previous speaker's arguments
5. Meet again to run through your speeches:
- Check that you are all ready for the debate
- Discuss the possible arguments against your case, so that you will be ready
for them in the debate
- Prepare some rebuttal arguments so that you can incorporate them into your
speech during the debate
- Check that you have reduced your speech notes to the main ideas for your
cue cards
- Practise your speech. Find a good strong opening statement, and prepare
a convincing concluding statement
6. On debating day:
- Get there early
- Support your fellow team members
- Use your speaking skills to advantage
- Enjoy the debate!
The roles of the speakers
Listed in the order of speeches:
Affirmative Team Leader
- Introduces and defines the meaning of the moot
- Outlines the team's case and indicates the aspects of the topic to be dealt
with by each member of the Affirmative
- Presents the first part of the team's case
- Concludes with a summary of main points - the peroration
Negative Team Leader
- Gives the Negative team's definition of the moot. Accepts, rejects or
modifies the definition given by the First Affirmative speaker
- Rebuts any major points of the Affirmative case
- Outlines the Negative case, and indicates the parts of the topic each
member of the Negative team will deal with
- Presents the first part of the Negative case
- Concludes with a summary of main points - the peroration
Second Affirmative Speaker
- Rebuts points made by the First Negative speaker
- Presents the major part of the Affirmative team's argument
- Concludes with a summary of main points - the peroration
Second Negative Speaker
- Rebuts points made by the Second Affirmative speaker
- Presents the major part of the Negative team's argument
- Concludes with a summary of main points - the peroration
Third Affirmative Speaker
Affirmative Team Leader - Reply
- Rebuts any majors points of the Negative Team Leader's reply
- Summarises the Affirmative team's case. No new material can be introduced
in the Reply
- Identifies the Affirmative team's objections to the Negative team's case
- Makes a forceful concluding peroration which ends with a strong statement
of support for the moot
Now it is all over to the Adjudicator to choose the
winning team!
Judging a debate
Adjudication of serious, formal debating is very complex. The method of judging
depends on the type of debating competition involved. However, a common method
for judging school debates is as follows:
Each speaker is given marks in three different categories, to give a total
out of 100 marks;
- Matter (40 marks) - this is "what is said". It is the content material
presented by the speaker, and the adjudicator assesses its credibility and
relevance to the moot.
- Manner (40 marks) - this is "how it is said", how the speaker presented
the material. The adjudicator assesses aspects such as: stance, voice, audibility,
eye contact, use of notes, use of humour, persuasiveness.
- Method (20 marks) - this is an assessment of how the speaker has
used the techniques of debating. The adjudicator will consider such things
as how the speech related to the team case, how the speech was structured,
whether the speaker used peroration, whether the speaker kept to time.
Added to the team total out of 300 will be:
- a mark out of 50 for the Leader's Reply, and
- a mark out of 50 for overall Teamwork.
The final mark for each team will therefore be out of 400.
An example of a marksheet
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