Life Skills Debating

Debate or conversation? Know the structure

In pairs, discuss the questions.

The four steps below are scrambled; the correct order is in the check at the end.

• How is a debate different from a conversation?
• Put the points of a debate structure in the correct order.
• The debate is summed up and winner announced.
• The speakers for the proposition and opposition present the main arguments.
• Teams hear the statement for the debate and in their groups come up with arguments.
• Speakers from both teams present their rebuttals.

Four steps, one correct order: can you place them before you check?

Put the points of a debate structure in the correct order.

Advice from three debate champions

The six tips: who said which?

Study the Life Skills box and match tips 1–6 with texts A–C.

• Think of lots of possible arguments to support your statement.
• Analyse the arguments to see how strong they are, and adapt them as needed.
• Back up your arguments with good reasons and examples or research.
• Make your arguments persuasive, but avoid being overly emotional.
• Keep your points relevant.
• Don’t exaggerate or make wild claims.

Think of lots of possible arguments to support your statement.

Analyse the arguments to see how strong they are, and adapt them as needed.

Back up your arguments with good reasons and examples or research.

Make your arguments persuasive, but avoid being overly emotional.

Keep your points relevant.

Don’t exaggerate or make wild claims.

Statement and counterargument: which side are you on?

Read the statement below and the counterargument to it. Which do you agree with most? Say why.

Listening: who makes which argument?

Listen to two students starting to debate on the topic from Exercise 4.

• Watching violence on TV creates more violence.
• There is little research evidence to back up: watching violence makes you aggressive.
• Watching war, crime and violence on TV news has a negative impact on our emotions.
• People have always been interested in violence, e.g. Shakespeare’s plays.
• The speaker doesn’t enjoy watching violence.
• Watching upsetting news items can make people care more, not less.

Watching violence on TV creates more violence.

There is little research evidence to back up: watching violence makes you aggressive.

Watching war, crime and violence on TV news has a negative impact on our emotions.

People have always been interested in violence, e.g. Shakespeare’s plays.

The speaker doesn’t enjoy watching violence.

Watching upsetting news items can make people care more, not less.

Explaining why your argument is valid

Study the Speaking box. Listen again and complete the phrases.

• It is 1 ____ to realise that ...
• The crucial 2 ____ is that ...
• It is clearly the 3 ____ that ...
• I would argue that ...

It is 1 ____ to realise that ...

The crucial 2 ____ is that ...

It is clearly the 3 ____ that ...

In 4 ____ of this, I could point to …

There is some 5 ____ that ...

There have been 6 ____ cases where this has happened …

So, as we have seen … therefore we must 7 ____ that ...

This clearly 8 ____ everything I have said up until this point.

Referring to research or statistics

• In 4 ____ of this, I could point to …
• There is some 5 ____ that ...
• According to ...

Giving examples to back up your argument

• It is easy to think of many instances of this in daily life.
• For instance, …
• There have been 6 ____ cases where this has happened …

Summarising and linking to what was said

• So, as we have seen … therefore we must 7 ____ that ...
• This clearly 8 ____ everything I have said up until this point.

Your turn: build and present arguments