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Debating Skills #1
The Structure of a Debate
Part 1: Basics and Structure
A debate is a formal and structured argument, where two or more sides argue about a topic statement (also called the “motion”). The key difference between a debate and a typical argument is that a debate is about learning and exploring ideas, whereas an argument is about winning and proving a point.
Another important distinction in debate is that a debater does not necessarily believe the points they are making. In fact, in debate competitions, competitors are assigned their positions based on a coin toss!
Part 2: How to form an argument
Video 1: A common pattern used to form arguments, both verbal and written, is the CER model, Claim-Evidence-Reasoning. These are best used for opening statements, said at the start of the debate before questioning.
Video 2: Let’s look at an example of this model in action. For this section, let’s use the video of a debate from Oxford University. The motion is: “Social media corrupts human interactions”. Debaters can form their arguments in many ways. They might start with background information, an anecdote, restating the motion, or even agreeing to some parts of the other side’s position. Jack Symonds represents the “proposition”, so agreeing with the motion. Listen to his opening statement.
Part 3: Exercise
Your teacher will give you a motion. Think of a simple opening statement for it, following the CER structure. You can choose to be for/the proposition, or against/the opposition, and you can make up evidence (for the sake of practice).
