How to debate effectively

​​In a nutshell

A debate is a formal discussion exploring the arguments of two opposing sides of a statement. To debate correctly, speakers should try to win over as many audience members as they can with a logically-constructed argument. In this summary, you will learn some tips on how to debate effectively

What is a debate?

A debate is a formal discussion where each participant aims to defeat their opposition's argument.

Before you start

In a debate, you must be calm and collected. You are trying to convince as many people as possible of your side of the argument, and you won't get there by raising your voice and speaking out of emotion. Here are some tips to promote a healthy and convincing debate:

Stick to the facts

Feel free to use rhetoric to help persuade the audience of your view, but your points should be primarily based on fact. Try to win the debate with superior logic – not the loudest voice!

Listen to the other side

The other side may have valid and undeniable points to make. Your debate becomes weaker if you ignore these points and let them stand unchallenged. Listen respectfully and try to come up with counterarguments. 

Try to have broad appeal

You don't want to risk alienating yourself or others by arguing from a niche standpoint – make sure your points appeal to the greatest number of audience members. The more support you have, the more likely you are to win the debate!

Planning your response

Debates are a form of spoken language, therefore there is always some amount of unpredictability. This, however, does not mean there is nothing you can do to prepare.

Know the motion

The motion of the debate is the formal statement that sets up the debate. It is usually in the form of "This house believes...", followed by a statement.

Example

This house believes school uniforms should be abolished.​

Choose your side

If you agree with the statement, you are part of the proposition. If you are against it, you are part of the opposition. Sometimes, you may have to debate on the side you disagree with. This is good practice since you are not judged on how strongly you believe in the statement, but on how well you can use your debating ability to argue for/against it.

Think about both sides

Counterintuitively, it may strengthen your argument to write out points for both sides of the debate. This helps you to come up with counterarguments, also called rebuttals, once the opposing side has made their points. The best way of drafting up both sides is to list bullet points in a table:

Example

Debate format

A debate is a formal way of speaking – quite literally – and so, it takes a specific form. The exact debate format employed might be different across venues, and each side may have more than one speaker, but it generally works like this: