Introduction To

Debate and
Building an
Effective
Argument

Argument (argumentation)
To take a side from a proposition-give the
audience FACTS.
Intends to provide insight offers a verifiable
perspective for the audience
Supports reasoning with valid evidence.
Considers opposing viewpoints.
Provides rationale to clarify/explain
relevance and validity of evidence.

Persuade:
To try to convince someone-try to change
their OPINION.
Based on the writers opinion
Attempts to influence the perspective of the
audience by appealing to their emotions,
sense of right and wrong or to sense of
identity.
Selects facts and emotion to support opinion.

Are we persuading?
WE ARE NOT WRITING TO
PERSUADE!!!
We will be speaking and riting to build
effective arguments.

What Is Debate?
- Debate is a formal academic
competition in which students
argue both sides of a given topic.
- The foundation of debate is
speaking. Students deliver
speeches based on logic and
research, attempting to persuade a
judge to endorse their argument.

Terminology for Debate and

Argumentative Writing
Write these down on your hand-out.

Debate:
To argue both sides of a topic

Fact:
Something proven to be true.

Opinion:
A feeling or belief.

Quote:
To write exactly what someone said or
wrote.

Resolve:
Make a firm decision to do something.

Proposition:
A subject to be debated.

Evidence:
Facts and examples to prove
something.
For on demand writing, quotes from the
passage/article.
Give credit to author when youre
writing with direct quotes OR
paraphrasing.

Claim/Contention/Thesis:
Claim: One side of an argument derived
from a proposition.
Contention: A strong statement to
support one side of an argument.

Affirmative side:
Side that supports the proposition

Negative side:
Side that opposes the proposition.

Affirmative vs. Negative

- The job of the Affirmative (Aff) is to prove that the
topic (resolution) is a good idea.
- The job of the Negative (Neg) is to prove that the topic
(resolution) is a bad idea.
- A judge will evaluate the debate and vote for whichever
team does a better job proving their point.
- Being an eloquent speaker helps, but debate has much
more to do with winning substantive arguments than with
oratory.
- Debaters use a combination of research, logic, and
strategy in order to persuade judges that they have won.

Affirmative vs. Negative

- The core of debate is refutation. Debaters
both make their own arguments and are
respsonsible for responding to arguments
made by the other team. That is what
distinguishes debate from other speaking
contests.
- In order to adequately respond to the
arguments made by the opposing team,
debaters need to prove that their own
arguments are better reasoned, better
evidenced, have historical or empirical
support, or have greater significance.

Oppose:
To be against something.

Counterclaim /
Counterargument
An opposing argument or response to
your claim/argument of the proposition.

Rebuttal:
A response to a counterargument or
counterclaim

Concede:
To surrender or admit that someone
else is right or correct in their argument.