Debate in the Neighbourhood:
The Skills Guide
An introduction to key debating skills for youth clubs and
informal education programmes
Alexander Cavell
Portions based on
Be Logical!
By Doutsen Langhout
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Notes for teachers and youth workers
How to use the Skills Guide
The Debate in the Neighbourhood Skills Guide has been designed to help teachers, youth workers or young
people in leadership roles add debating activities to informal education programs that they are involved in
delivering or supporting.
To make sure that the Skills Guide is easy to read, explore and understand, it has been broken up
into different sections - chapters, learning objectives, training notes, activities and resources.
Getting started
The contents of this guide can be used to create debate training sessions suitable for groups of young
people attending community centres, clubs, colleges or alternative provision centres attached to schools.
Educators or youth workers who are interested in setting up a debate club in their school or youth
group should try to contact their local IDEA office before attempting to run debate activities with young
people. Visit http://idebate.org/contact for more information. IDEA recommends that, at a minimum,
youth workers and educators preparing to run one this guide’s activities conduct a small-scale rehearsal
with a group of colleagues or friends before introducing the activity to a group of young people.
IDEA runs regular training-of-trainers events for individuals and organisations interested in getting
involved with Debate in the Neighbourhood (DiN); email Alexander Cavell, IDEA UK’s programmes
coordinator, via acavell@idebate.org.uk for more information about training-of-trainers sessions.
Preparing a DiN training session
A typical DiN session will take between 45 minutes and 90 minutes to plan and prepare. From this point on,
individuals responsible for planning and supervising DiN trainings will be referred to as “trainers”.
Each section of this guide contains training notes that explain key debating skills in clear and simple
language, and activities that allow young people taking part in a training session to practise applying these
skills through games, group discussions and simple debates. By reviewing training notes, trainers can
familiarise themselves with the skills that are transferred and developed in each section.
Delivering a DiN training session
During sessions, trainers should alternate concise descriptions of the key skills that are the focus of that
session with activities that test their training group’s comprehension and application of these skills.
The second-person pronoun is used throughout the rest of this guide. This is deliberate, and is
intended to encourage trainers to use friendly, plain language when explaining different aspects of
debating to their training groups. The unusual tone of this guide serves another purpose. Where
appropriate, trainers are encouraged to convert the guide’s contents into reference sheets and checklists
that the young people they are working with can use when preparing for practice debates.
Fun, clarity and accessibility should be prioritised wherever this guide’s contents are used. A DiN
trainer’s primary goal should be helping young people to see the structured, articulate use of language as
entertaining and empowering.
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Contents
Notes for teachers and youth workers .................................................................................. 2
How to use the Skills Guide .................................................................................................................. 2
Getting started ........................................................................................................................ 2
Preparing a DiN training session ............................................................................................. 2
Delivering a DiN training session ............................................................................................. 2
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 1: What is debating? ................................................................................................ 7
Objective 1: Understand what debating is ........................................................................................... 8
Training notes ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Objective 2: Naming and describing the basic ingredients of a debate.................................................. 9
Training notes ....................................................................................................................................... 9
The ingredients of a debate .................................................................................................... 9
1. A motion .............................................................................................................................. 9
2. Disagreement ...................................................................................................................... 9
3. Rules .................................................................................................................................. 10
4. An audience ....................................................................................................................... 10
5. Arguments ......................................................................................................................... 10
Objective 3: explain why each basic ingredient of a debate is important ............................................ 11
Activity 1: The ingredients of a debate .............................................................................................. 11
Activity 2: Your first Town Hall debate .............................................................................................. 13
Activity 3: Mapping a debate ............................................................................................................ 15
Objective 4: Know what you want to debate about and make a motion ............................................. 17
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 17
What is a motion? ................................................................................................................. 17
What is a case? ...................................................................................................................... 17
Make a motion ...................................................................................................................... 17
Check that a motion is sensible, relevant and debatable ..................................................... 18
1. Checking that your motion is sensible ................................................................. 18
2. Checking that your motion is relevant ................................................................. 18
3. Checking that your motion is debatable .............................................................. 19
Activity 4: Do it differently ................................................................................................................ 21
Objective 5: Give reasons for agreeing with a debate motion ............................................................ 22
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 22
1. What do you want to change? .......................................................................................... 22
Examples: What ........................................................................................................ 22
2. Why do we need to change something? ........................................................................... 23
Examples: Why ......................................................................................................... 23
3. Where will the change happen?........................................................................................ 24
Examples: Where...................................................................................................... 24
4. How will your change happen? ......................................................................................... 24
Examples: How ......................................................................................................... 25
5. Who will be affected by the change? ................................................................................ 25
Examples: Who ......................................................................................................... 25
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Activity 5: A balloon debate .............................................................................................................. 27
Activity 6: Case building practice ....................................................................................................... 28
Objective 6: suggest reasons for disagreeing with a debate motion ................................................... 29
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 29
1. What do the affirmative team want to change? ............................................................... 29
2. Why do the affirmative team want to change something about the world? ................... 29
3. Where does the affirmative team want their change to happen? ................................... 29
4. How will the affirmative team change the world? ............................................................ 30
5. Who will be affected by the change? ................................................................................ 30
Activity 7: Your second Town Hall debate.......................................................................................... 31
Activity 8: Different points of view .................................................................................................... 32
Chapter 2: Speaking ............................................................................................................ 34
Objective 7: Create an argument to explain part of a case ................................................................. 35
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 35
1. Claim .................................................................................................................................. 35
Examples: Claims ...................................................................................................... 35
2. Reasoning .......................................................................................................................... 36
Examples: Reasoning ................................................................................................ 36
3. Evidence ............................................................................................................................ 37
Examples: Evidence .................................................................................................. 38
4. Link .................................................................................................................................... 39
Examples: Links......................................................................................................... 39
Activity 9: Argument jigsaws ............................................................................................................. 40
Activity 10: Giving reasons ................................................................................................................ 41
Activity 11: Finding claims ................................................................................................................ 42
Activity 12: Rehearsing arguments .................................................................................................... 43
Training resources ............................................................................................................................ 45
Resources: Activity 9, Argument Jigsaws ........................................................................................... 45
Resources: Activity 10, Giving reasons ............................................................................................... 48
Resources: Activity 11, Finding claims ................................................................................................ 50
Objective 8: Replying to other debaters’ ideas and arguments using rebuttal..................................... 53
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 53
Four step rebuttal.................................................................................................................. 53
1. “They say…” ....................................................................................................................... 54
2. “We say…” ......................................................................................................................... 54
3. “Why we are right…” ......................................................................................................... 54
Examples: spotting bad claims ................................................................................. 55
Examples: spotting bad reasoning ........................................................................... 55
Examples: spotting bad evidence ............................................................................. 56
4. “This rebuttal matters because…”..................................................................................... 57
Examples: explaining why a rebuttal argument matters ......................................... 57
Rebuttal arguments can be rebutted .................................................................................... 59
Activity 13: Finding flaws .................................................................................................................. 60
Activity 14: Rebuttal tennis ............................................................................................................... 62
Activity 15: Your first Toulmin debate ............................................................................................... 63
Objective 9: Understand how to debate in a calm, polite and respectful way. .................................... 65
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 65
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1. Prepare .............................................................................................................................. 65
2. Practice .............................................................................................................................. 65
3. Breathe .............................................................................................................................. 65
4. Accept that you will make mistakes .................................................................................. 66
Ethical debating ..................................................................................................................... 66
1. Prepare properly................................................................................................................ 66
Plan and rehearse before a debate .......................................................................... 66
Speak in a way your audience can understand ........................................................ 66
Explanations matter more than competition ........................................................... 67
2. Argue responsibly .............................................................................................................. 67
Don’t manipulate your audience.............................................................................. 67
Don’t appeal to your audience’s prejudices............................................................. 67
3. Attack arguments, not people ........................................................................................... 67
Don’t use name calling, personal insults or threats when you debate .................... 67
Don’t ignore your opponents or your audience ....................................................... 67
Don’t exclude people from the debate .................................................................... 67
Activity 16: How would you react? .................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 3: Listening ............................................................................................................ 71
Objective 10: Helping members of an audience pay attention to and remember your speeches. ........ 73
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 73
Headlining:............................................................................................................................. 73
Repetition: ............................................................................................................................. 74
Description: ........................................................................................................................... 74
Highlighting: .......................................................................................................................... 74
Activity 17: Comprehension .............................................................................................................. 76
Activity 18: Pass a message ............................................................................................................... 79
Activity 19: Only words ..................................................................................................................... 81
Objective 11: Practice making quick, clear notes before and during debates ...................................... 83
Training notes ..................................................................................................................................... 83
Making notes about your case .............................................................................................. 84
Making notes about other debaters’ cases ........................................................................... 84
Making notes about your arguments .................................................................................... 84
1. Making notes about your claim ............................................................................ 84
2. Making notes about your reasoning statement ................................................... 84
3. Making notes about your evidence ...................................................................... 85
Making notes about other debaters’ arguments .................................................................. 85
1. Making notes about another debater’s claim ...................................................... 86
2. Making notes about another debater’s reasoning statements ........................... 86
3. Making notes about another debater’s evidence statements ............................. 86
Activity 20: Speedy speech writing .................................................................................................... 87
Activity 21: Hunt the argument, summarise the argument ................................................................. 88
Training Resources ........................................................................................................................... 91
1. Sample Case Sheet.......................................................................................................................... 91
2. Sample Argument Sheet ................................................................................................................. 92
3. Sample Rebuttal Sheet ................................................................................................................... 93
Objective 12: Practice using your speaking skills and listening skills together in a full-length debate ... 94
Activity 22: A short 3v3 debate ......................................................................................................... 94
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Introduction
Do you have an opinion? Is there something about the world you want to change? Have you ever wanted to
make the world a fairer place? Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to figure out what people are
thinking and why they behave in a certain way? Have you ever wanted to know what brings people
together or what makes them fight each other? Have you ever listened to a politician and felt confused or
angry about the things that there were saying? Do you want to change something about the community
you live in, but don’t know who to ask for help?
Opinions are meant to be shared. By communicating your opinions to enough people, you can find
out if they are right or wrong, and how they need to be changed to become more persuasive. And the best
way to strengthen your own ideas is to listen to other people’s opinions and learn from them. The changes
that people make to the world, big or small, all start with speaking and listening.
Debating is one of the tools that people who have opinions use to communicate their ideas to
others. Opinionated people and people who want to try and change something about the world around
them (that’s you) also use debate like athletes use gym equipment and coaches: opinionated people
debate to make their own ideas stronger, to get rid of bad ideas, and to learn how to become more
persuasive speakers.
This guide will show you how to debate and how to get the most out of debates. The information in
this guide will help you to become a confident public speaker. It will help you to think carefully about your
ideas, and understand how ideas, plans and dreams become real changes.
Debating is a lot of fun. Depending on the rules and topics you decide to discuss, debating can be
funny, rude and rowdy or it can be an intense, fast-moving team game. The best way to get good at
debating is to practice is regularly. You will be able to learn and master all of the speaking and listening
skills explained in this guide by trying out the group activities and exercises that we’ve included in each
section. You can put all of these activities together to run full practice debates.
Welcome to debating. Welcome to Debate in the Neighbourhood.
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Chapter 1: What is debating?
If you’ve read the introduction you’ll know that debating is a way of bringing people together to discuss
ideas, opinions and observations. These discussions are used to build support for plans and designs aimed
at changing the way that groups of people interact. We debate so that members of a community can
cooperate to put those plans and designs into practice.
Debating is also used as a sort of training tool by people who like to make plans and express their
opinions. The more someone debates, the better they get at expressing themselves and the stronger their
ideas become. Your mind is a muscle and debate is a way for you to exercise it.
Before we can start exploring debating, you’ll need more information about what debating is and
how it’s used. We know that it’s a way of using discussion to make decisions, but what do debaters discuss
and what sort of decisions do they make?
Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you will…
1. Understand what debating is;
2. Be able to name and describe the basic ingredients of a debate;
3. Be able to explain why each basic ingredient of a debate is important;
4. Know what you want to debate about and make a motion;
5. Be able to give reasons for agreeing with a debate motion;
6. Be able to give reasons for disagreeing with a debate motion.
Activities
Trainers will introduce and explain each learning objective using a group discussion. Trainers will also use
some or all of the activities listed here to help you practice the skills you’ll learn in this chapter
 Media activity: The ingredients of a debate
 Debate activity: Town Hall debates
 Debate activity: Mapping a debate
 Debate activity: Balloon debates
 Brainstorm activity: Do it differently
 Brainstorm activity: Motion building practice
 Debate activity: Role play debates
Important information
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
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Time to complete: up to 5 hours
Number of activities in this chapter: 7
Materials needed: A whiteboard or flipchart; marker pens; note paper and pens (enough for all
members of training group); a computer with an internet connection (for activity 1); a short stick and a
ball of string (for activities 2, 3 and 4)
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Objective 1: Understand what debating is
You can complete objective 1 by
 reading through the definition of debate that you will find below;
 contributing to a group discussion, where you will be invited to explain why you think each part of the
definition of debate that we have provided is important.
Debating is not an aggressive or confrontational activity. Debating is not about forcing other people to
accept your beliefs or proving that another debater’s ideas are completely wrong. So what is debating?
Training notes
Let’s start with objective 1. What is debating? What is a debate? Here are five sentences that describe
debating. Read them through and try to remember them.
1. A debate is a discussion between two or more people, which is controlled by rules.
2. A debate takes place in front of an audience.
3. Each person speaking in a debate is called a “debater”. Debaters take turns to explain opinions, facts,
beliefs and ideas to the audience using arguments.
4. At least one debater in a debate must disagree with some or all of the opinions and ideas of another
debater.
5. Debaters use arguments to persuade the audience to agree or disagree with a clear and simple
statement that suggests changing something about the world around us – this statement is called a
“motion”.
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Objective 2: Naming and describing the basic ingredients of a debate
Your trainer will run five very short group discussions on the definition of each of the five basic ingredients
of a debate. Take part in these discussions to complete objective 2. These discussions are a chance for you
to ask questions about the ingredients of a debate. You may be given notes on this objective to read
through before the discussions start.
To debate well you need to know how debating works and why debates go wrong. Learning about the basic
ingredients that make a debate a debate (and not a conversation, a quarrel or a lecture) will help you make
better speeches, and will help you give constructive feedback to other debaters.
Training notes
Let’s move on to objective 2. Debates can take place in front of lots of different audiences using lots of
different rules. The motions discussed during a debate can be as serious as declaring war on another
country or as casual as deciding that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.
There are lots of different ways to debate, but all types of debating have five features in common.
They were all mentioned in the definition of debate we gave you a little further up the page. These are 1) a
motion; 2) disagreement; 3) rules; 4) an audience and 5) arguments.
The ingredients of a debate
1. A motion
A motion is a clearly worded statement that suggests making some sort of change to the world around us.
This change may be big or small. Examples of motions include,





“School uniform should be abolished”;
“Schools should not set homework for their students”;
“University should be free to attend”;
“Watching pornography should be illegal”;
“Using recreational drugs should be legal”.
2. Disagreement
Debates use disagreement to make sure that the ideas debaters discuss grow and develop. For this reason
the debaters taking part in a debate are split into two sides.



Debaters on one side must convince the audience that they should make the changed described in the
motion. This side is called the “affirmative” side.
Debaters on the other side of the debate must convince the audience that they should not make the
change described in the motion. This is the “negative” side.
When a debate finishes, its audience is asked to show whether they agree or disagree with the motion.
They may do this by voting, making short speeches of their own or pointing out ideas or facts that the
debaters did not mention in their own speeches.
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3. Rules
Rules are used to make sure that debaters treat other debaters and their ideas with respect.



The beliefs that you express in a debate may be an important part of your identity. A debater who
thinks that another debater is insulting his views, rather than helping him to improve them, may not be
willing to keep practicing debating.
Rules are often enforced by a neutral, respected person. This person may be called a “moderator” or a
“chairperson”.
Rules are also used to stop debaters going off-topic and discussing ideas that aren’t connected to the
motion. This is easy to do accidentally and can confuse and annoy audiences.
4. An audience
Debates are about sharing new information with new people, so all debates include some sort of an
audience. Different types of debates use different audiences.



If you are taking part in a public debate about an important local issue, the debate’s audience may be
made up of your neighbours or friends. The audience indicate that they have been convinced to
support the affirmative or negative side of the motion by voting.
If you are being trained to debate by IDEA, your “audience” will often be an IDEA debate trainer. Your
trainer may not tell you if he believes the affirmative or negative side of the debate. His job is to give
you feedback on how well you spoke during a debate.
If you are debating competitively, for fun, or to develop your skills, the debate’s audience will be a
panel of judges. Each judge will be an experienced debater or trainer.
5. Arguments
Arguments are sentences arranged in a way that make them easy for an audience to remember and easy
for other debaters to review and discuss. Debaters have to spend some of their speaking time discussing
statements made by other debaters as well as describing their own ideas.




Arguments are made up of a “claim” that a debater wants his audience to agree with.
Debaters explain their claim by using “reasoning”. Reasoning describes they ways in which a claim will
help an audience agree or disagree with a motion. An argument’s reasoning is a little like a story or a
newspaper article that explains why a claim is true.
Claims and reasoning are supported by “evidence”, facts about the world and about the claim that the
audience is likely to know. Evidence uses real world examples to convince an audience that a claim is
true.
Although the word “argument” is often used to refer to a conflict, a quarrel, a disagreement or a
shouting match, the arguments that are used in debates are simply short, simple, informative
descriptions of debaters’ ideas.
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Objective 3: explain why each basic ingredient of a debate is important
To complete learning objective 3, you must work through activity 1, activity 2 and activity 3.
 Once you have finished activity 1 you will be able to explain to someone who does not know anything
about debating what the five ingredients of a debate are and why they are important.
 Once you have finished activity 2, you will have taken part in your very first debate. You will have seen
first-hand how the ingredients of a debate affect a group discussion.
Learning about the mistakes that other people have made during past debates will help you to avoid
making them yourself. The activities in this section will show you examples of poor debating, and then give
you the chance to take part in some simple debates with the other members of your group.
Activity 1: The ingredients of a debate
Time to complete: 20 to 30 minutes
Step 1. In this activity you will discuss what might happen to a debate when the ingredients explained in
the last chapter are removed.
Step 2. Your trainer will put everyone taking part in the debate training session into small groups.
Step 3. You will be given between 5 and 10 minutes to think about what a debate might sound like if it was
missing one of the five ingredients (the trainer will tell your group which ingredient is missing from
the debate).
Step 4. Your group must then explain the results of your discussion to the other groups. To get you started
your trainer might provide you with an outline of what might happen to a debate if a particular
ingredient was left out. You can find all of these listed below.
Step 5. Before or after the activity, you may be able to watch videos that show a debate with a particular
missing ingredient. If you are reading the online version of this guide, you should be able to view
these videos using YouTube.
Without a motion:
A debate without a motion will be frustrating to take part in and to listen to. Everyone involved in the
debate will have different ideas about what subject they should be discussing and what changes they want
to make to the world. There will be too much information in the debate for it to be useful.
Debating without a motion is a little like trying to find the address of a particular restaurant by
typing the word “food” into Google. You will see millions of pieces of information, but without using
clearer, more specific language, it will be hard to find the information you are most interested in.
Without disagreement:
A debate without disagreement isn’t a debate, it’s a conversation. If you spend long enough talking to
someone who agrees with your views, you may find that there are some topics you disagree on, but it can
be extremely boring to watch two people search for something to debate about.
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A debate without disagreement will not be representative, either. There may be plenty of people
who do not support a motion. They may not be taking part in the debate, but by asking a debater to
disagree with the motion, we can start to try and understand their opinions.
Without rules:
Without rules debaters a debate’s audience may stop paying attention to the ideas, evidence and
arguments that are being used in a debate. Instead, debaters may try to win the debate by bullying or
insulting their opponents, making the debate so upsetting or humiliating that other debaters stop arguing.
This often happens when a debater is losing an argument or is unwilling to change their mind about their
beliefs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fadIvRtayts
This video shows a group of Ukrainian politicians getting into a fight when debating which language
their country’s laws should be written in. The person in charge of keeping the politicians under
control and making sure that they followed the rules of the Ukrainian parliament decided to hide
behind some security guards when the fight broke out.
Without an audience:
Without an audience debaters may forget that their arguments need to make sense to big groups of people
with different interests and opinions of their own. Without the help of trainers or judges debaters will not
be able to improve their speeches or learn new ways to communicate and improve their ideas. Debaters
who only debate in front of other debaters can start to speak in a very strange way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQOAJEBLMi4
This video shows a student who takes part in a type of debating called policy debate. Only
university and high school students who have had years of training take part in policy debates.
Think about how fast the student in video is speaking. Would someone from your neighbourhood
understand her? How would you react to the speech she makes in the video?
Without proper arguments:
Arguments help people to understand the most important parts of your opinions and the most important
details of the changes that you want to make to the world around you. If a debate speech does not include
clearly structured arguments people may misunderstand your ideas. You may misunderstand useful ideas
contributed by other debaters. Debaters often forget to structure what they are saying if they are tense,
upset, frustrated or do not fully understand the information they are trying to discuss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhbRcDZiJJc
This video shows an American politician who seems to be very upset about something. You may
find it hard to figure out what the politician is upset about because he never stops to clearly explain
the problem that he has discovered and why the problem is harmful to the interests of the people
he represents.
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Activity 2: Your first Town Hall debate
You’ve had a chance to learn what debate is about and to learn from mistakes that other people have made
in debates. Now it’s your turn to try debating for yourself. You’re going to take part in a Town Hall Debate.
A chairperson is used during Town Hall debates to make sure that everyone taking part respects
the debate’s rules. The chairperson is responsible for reminding speakers of the debates, and for making
sure that everyone in the debate gets a chance to make a speech. Anyone who disrupts the debate could
be asked to leave. To make sure that the debate is fair, the chairperson is not allowed to make arguments
herself.
Time to complete: 25 minutes with a small group, 40 minutes with a large group
Step 1. Before the debate starts the chairperson will announce the motion that you the rest of your group
will be debating. Some of these topics are listed further down the page.
Step 2. Before the debate starts, you will spend 10 minutes thinking about arguments that you might want
to use during the debate. You are free to work alone, in pairs or in groups. You should try to think
of reasons to agree with the motion and reasons to disagree with the motion.
Step 3. After 10 minutes of preparation, everyone in your group must sit in a circle. If you want to make an
argument you must raise your hand.
Step 4. You may not speak until the chairperson tells you that you can. When the chairperson selects a new
speaker, she will pass that person a stick or another object that will indicate that they have the
right to make a speech.
Step 5. You can raise your hand any number of times during a debate. Unless the chairperson gives you the
stick, you must be completely silent – no matter what any of the other debaters say.
Step 6. When you are selected to speak by the chairperson, you must say clearly whether your argument
agrees or disagrees with the topic the chairperson announced. When you have done this, you may
make one of three types of speech. Be sure to tell the group what type of speech you will be
making.

Argue: Make a new argument.
To do this, give a reason why someone should agree or disagree with the topic.

Rebut: Try to show that another debater’s argument is wrong.
If another debater makes an argument that you disagree with, you can make a speech to
explain why. To do this, identify the person whose argument you want to respond to, quickly
summarise that argument, and then clearly explain why you think they people should not
believe that argument.

Extend: Try to extend an argument you think is right.
If you hear an argument that you agree with and that you want to add to or improve, you can
make an extension speech. To do this, identify the person whose argument you want to extent,
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summarise that argument, and then try to improve it. You could add more detail to the
argument, or you could explain it in a simpler way.
Motions
 UK tabloid newspapers should not publish images of naked women.
 Violent video-games should be banned.
 Music that features sexist or violent lyrics should be banned.
 Convicted criminals who have been released from prison should be forced to wear a tracking tag for the
rest of their lives.
 Alcohol should be banned.
 School holidays should be abolished.
 Schools should give young people cash rewards if they receive good exam grades.
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Activity 3: Mapping a debate
This debate will use the same rules as the Town Hall debate, explained in activity 2, but with a few
important differences.
This activity will show you why rules and disagreement are important in debating. Part 1 of this activity is a
town hall debate. When you have finished part 1 of the activity you will be able to clearly see who has been
most involved in a debate, whose ideas were discussed most, and who has not contributed.
Your trainer or the debate’s chair will remind you of the rules of a Town Hall debate before the
activity begins.
Time to complete: 35 minutes with a small group, 50 minutes with a large group
Part 1
Step 1. Before the debate starts the chairperson will announce the motion that you the rest of your group
will be debating. See page 16 for a selection of topics.
Step 2. Before the debate starts, you will spend 10 minutes thinking about arguments that you might want
to use during the debate. You are free to work alone, in pairs or in groups. You should try to think
of reasons to agree with the motion and reasons to disagree with the motion.
Step 3. After 10 minutes, everyone in your group must sit in a circle. If you want to make an argument you
must raise your hand.
Step 4. The chairperson will select someone to speak first in the debate. Instead of a stick or other object,
she will give that person a ball of string. The speaker should tie one end of the ball of string around
their finger.
Step 5. When the chair selects another person to debate, the ball of string should be passed to them. This
speaker should also wrap the string around their finger.
Step 6. Each speaker who contributes to the debate will be passed the ball of string. After they finish
making their point, each speaker should wrap the string around their finger and get ready to pass
the ball on to the next person selected to speak.
Step 7. If someone in the group speaks more than once, they should tie another loop around another of
their fingers. e.g. someone who speaks three times would tie three loops around three of their
fingers
Step 8. All of the other rules used in activity 2 should be followed during this debate. See page 13 for more
information about Town Hall debates.
Part 2
Step 9. The trainer will chose one or two assistant from the group. The assistants will spend a few minutes
working with the trainer to 1) count who has the most loops of string around their fingers 2) count
15
members of the group who have no loops 3) make a note of any interesting patterns in the lines of
string running between members of the group.
Step 10. The trainer will then lead a group discussion on the following topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Why were some speakers able to get lots of loops of string?
Were there any speakers who lots of the other members of the group responded to?
Which types of argument did speakers use the most?
Why were some speakers left out of the debate?
Why did some speakers choose not to contribute?
How would speakers who chose not to contribute to the debate change the debate’s rules?
How should the rules of the debate be changed so that more people get a chance to speak?
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Objective 4: Know what you want to debate about and make a motion
To complete learning objective 4 (“Know what you want to debate about, make a motion and suggest
reasons for agreeing with that motion”), you must work through activity 4.
It’s time for you to decide what you want to debate about. You may already have thought about subjects
that you want to debate. There may be a problem affecting your community or the wider world that you’re
desperate to try and solve.
By completing this chapter’s learning objective and activities, you will learn how to take an issue
that you are interested in discussing and turn it into a motion and a series of simple arguments that you
can use to get a debate started. These simple arguments are called as case.
Training notes
The idea that you or other members of your neighbourhood debate group want to discuss may be very
exciting or controversial, but it is only the starting point for your debate. Once you have an idea for
changing your community, city or the world in some way, it has to be turned into



A debate motion
A case for the affirmative team
A case for the negative team
What is a motion?
We already defined a debate motion in the training notes for objective 2. A debate motion is “a clearly
worded statement that suggests making some sort of change to the world around us. This change may be
big or small”.
A debate motion should be a simple sentence that tells people what you want to change about the world.
Don’t add any extra details, don’t make the sentence too long or detailed – just write down what you
want to change or discuss what you want to change with a trainer and ask them to help you write out a
motion.
What is a case?
Once you have come up with a debate motion, you will need to start thinking about ways to persuade
people that it’s a good idea, and ways to persuade people that a motion is a bad idea. In other words, you
will need to start thinking of affirmative and negative arguments about that motion (check page 9 for more
about affirmative and negative arguments). Together, these arguments are called a case. A case explains
why an audience should agree or disagree with the change suggested by the motion. Debaters speaking on
the affirmative and the negative side of a debate must have a case.
Make a motion
If you already have some idea of what you want to discuss changing in a debate, get a pen and some note
paper and…
Use simple language to describe a change that you want to make to the world.
While you are trying to find a way to write out your idea, keep two points in mind:
17
1. Keep it simple
A motion needs to be very simple because it acts as a foundation for other arguments. A motion should not
try to do debaters’ jobs for them. It shouldn’t tell debaters or the audience everything about how that
change will happen. You may have lots of ideas about the tools you could use to make a change take place,
but they belong in debate speeches not a motion.
2. Re-write it
Don’t make do with your first attempt at writing out a motion. There is always some way to make a motion
simpler and clearer. Try showing your motion to friends or to an IDEA trainer, and asking them for
suggestions on making it easier to read and more informative.
Check that a motion is sensible, relevant and debatable
Once you are happy with the way your motion is worded, you need to check that it is suitable to use in DiN
training sessions and during public events. By following the instructions below, you can make sure that you
motion is sensible and that its subject can be understood by other people, and other debaters who want to
discuss it. The instructions will also help you to check that your motion is relevant – that it is a topic that
people will care about. Finally, the instructions will help you check whether your motion debatable –
whether it is fair and fun to discuss.
1. Checking that your motion is sensible
This is a simple way of checking that your motion can be discussed by other debaters and
understood by people from your community.
To complete this check, ask yourself whether a debater with a little imagination and 30 to
60 minutes of free time would be able to answer the following questions about your motion:
1) What do you want to change? 2) Why do you want to change it? 3) Where do you want your
change to happen? 4) How do you want your change to happen? 5) Who will be affected by the
change?
Rather than carrying out this check yourself, you could ask another debater to look at your
motion, and then answer the questions about the change you want to make to the world.
If you or a friend struggle to think of responses to each of the five important questions,
your motion may not be worded clearly enough. Some of the phrases that you use may be difficult
to understand. Try re-writing your motion a few times.
2. Checking that your motion is relevant
A relevant motion is one that a large group of people will understand and will be interested in
discussing.
Don’t forget that debating is a community activity. A small group of people may be really
interested in discussing the off-side rule, the plot of the next Batman film or mobile phone
features, but these subjects are not likely to be important to everyone living in a community. Not
everyone in a school will be interested in Batman or football, for example – but most people in a
school will have something to say about banning homework.
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When you talk about whether or not a motion is relevant ask yourself:
1. Do you want to discuss this motion/ idea because you do it in your spare time and find it
interesting, or because it could change the way you, your friends and your family live
your lives?
o
It’s a bad idea to debate about something that you do for fun. To be relevant to a large
number of people, the motion you choose to debate should be about something that
affects lots of different parts of someone’s life, not just something they might do for
fun.
2. Would your friends or family find it easy to start thinking up arguments for and against
the motion if you told it to them?
o
A good way to tell whether or not people would be interested in listening to you
debate a motion is to find out whether or not they have thought about subjects
related to that motion already. If people are aware that some sort of change needs to
happen in the world, they may have thought about it already.
3. Have you read or watched discussions about the motion, or discussions that are similar to
the motion, online, in a newspaper or on television?
o
Most of the time, discussion topics that appear in trusted newspapers (not tabloids or
free newspapers) and TV news shows have already attracted the attention of large
numbers of people.
4. Would a random person pulled off the street be able to understand your motion, and tell
you what types of people might be affected by your motion?
o
This is the toughest test that a motion has to pass. You can be sure that a motion is
interesting to a wide range of people if you can find a person at random who can
understand the issues that you want to discuss and your explanations of the problems
you want to solve.
3. Checking that your motion is debatable
All new ideas have down-sides, no matter how good they appear at first. A debate about an old
idea that has already been explored and tested will not be as interesting to watch or take part in as
a debate about a new idea. Similarly a debate about an idea that is obviously very good or
obviously very bad will feel fake and may upset audiences who expect to hear real disagreement
and arguments.
Your motion should not make it impossible for debaters on the affirmative or negative side
to convince an audience to agree or disagree with the change to the world it suggests. Your motion
should not try to make a debate out of a subject we already have lots of factual knowledge of. e.g.
the motions “we should stop trying to build a flying machine”, or “women should not be able to
vote” are not debatable motions.
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When you talk about whether or not a motion is debatable, ask yourself the following
questions:
1. How many affirmative arguments for the motion can you think of and how many
negative arguments against the motion can you think of? Are there more arguments on
one side or another?
o
A good way to test whether or not a motion is debatable is to see how many reasons
for agreeing or disagreeing with the motion you and your friends can think up in a short
period of time (two to five minutes). If there are many more reasons on one side of the
debate than on another, that debate may be unbalanced.
2. Would debaters on the affirmative or negative side of this debate feel as though they had
no choice but to use offensive arguments during their speeches? An offensive argument is
one that might make a debater or a member of an audience feel unsafe or unable to
continue Listening to the debate – an argument that is racist, sexist or insulting to a
religion.
o
It’s always possible to find reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with a good debate
motion that are not racist, sexist or biased in some other way. If the only way to talk
about a motion is to use racist, sexist or other types of prejudiced language, that
motion is not likely to be debatable.
3. Does your motion contain words like “never” or “always”? e.g. “Police officers should
never stop and search people in public areas” or “young people should never have to sit
exams”.
o
If your motion includes words like these, you may make the job of either the
affirmative or the negative side in the debate too hard. There are exceptions to all rules
and ideas. The ideas explained in a debate motion need to be flexible and easy to
change, but if you use words like “never” in your motion, it will be difficult for people
trying to debate it to change or improve their arguments when other debaters or
members of an audience disagree with them.
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Activity 4: Do it differently
This activity will help you to identify topics that can be developed into full debates. It will use your own
experiences, or the experiences of groups that you are working with, to identify debatable ideas.
Time to complete: 20 to 30 minutes
Step 1. Your trainer will split everyone taking part in the session into groups of 4 to 5 people. Each group
will be given two large pieces of paper and a set of markers.
Step 2. During this exercise your group will write out two different lists, one on each piece of paper.
Step 3. On one piece of paper, write out a list of organisations, beliefs, situations and behaviours that you
are satisfied with. The things on this list don’t have to make everyone in your group happy, but they
should be beneficial, useful or harmless enough that your group does not want to change them.
Step 4. On the other piece of paper, write out a list of situations, behaviours, organisations and beliefs that
you want to change. Don’t worry about whether or not the change would be easy. Even if changing
something would be hard to do (for you or anyone else), add that change to the list.
Step 5. When both your lists are complete, your group will be asked to compare them with the other
groups taking part in the activity.
Step 6. The whole training group must check the lists that have been made. Call out if you think you have
spotted an item that appears on both lists. (If the group finds any matches like this, your trainer will
lead a short discussion about the reasons that led some groups to say they were satisfied with
something the other groups wanted to change.)
Step 7. Together, the whole training group will pick one change to discuss further.
Step 8. The group will then split into the smaller groups they were put into at the start of the activity.
Step 9. Each group must come up with a list of actions that could be taken to make the change actually
happen.
Step 10. Each group must then present their list of actions to the rest of the training group.
21
Objective 5: Give reasons for agreeing with a debate motion
To complete learning objective 5, you must work through activity 5 and activity 6. Activity 5 will help you
to practice looking at debates from the point of view of different groups of people. You can use activity 5 to
help you prepare full debate speeches. Activity 6 will give you the chance to practice building cases for the
affirmative side of a debate.
We mentioned the five important questions briefly in the last section. By answering the five important
questions, you can turn a motion into a case for the affirmative or the negative team in a debate.
Training notes
If you are speaking on the affirmative side of the debate, the best way to start generating ideas for a
debate speech is to work through the five questions listed below.







Answer each of the questions in detail;
Write your answers down;
Discuss your answers with different people – in most debate activities you will be working in a group;
Try to only use short sentences, keywords and bullet points when you write out your answers;
After you have written out an answer to a question, practice making a very short speech about it –
speak for no longer than 30 to 60 seconds;
After you have written out the answer to all of the questions, practice explaining them to an audience
as a single, short speech;
Keep practicing answering each of the questions in turn, making sure to tell the people listening to your
when you are moving on to a new question.
1. What do you want to change?

Describe the change that you want to make to the world using simple language. At this stage, you do
not say how or why you want to make this change, just what the change would be.
This is the part of your idea that you have probably already come up with. This is the part of your idea that
will become a motion. Debate motions only tell us about a change that someone wants to make to the
world. The change could be very big- such as demolishing a building- or very small- such as deciding that a
particular type of attitude or belief may cause someone to behave in a dangerous way.
Examples: What
Change: “I want to change the amount of money that I’ll have to pay to go to university. It’s too
much for me right now. It’s too much for any eighteen-year-old!”
Motion: “University education should be free.”
Change: “I hate school uniform. It’s too hot, it never fits and it’s scratchy. My mum complains that
it costs too much, but the school only lets us get blazers and ties from one store in town.”
Motion: “Students should be allowed to wear their own clothes in school, not a uniform.”
Change: “I watched a documentary about fast food the other day. It’s so unhealthy, and the things
they put into chicken nuggets are disgusting. We stop kids from drinking alcohol, we can’t we stop
them from eating fast food?”
Motion: “Fast food restaurants should not be allowed to serve teenagers and young children.”
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Change: People are obsessed with looks these days. Everyone wants cosmetic surgery. There’s
something wrong if children and teenagers think that having breast implants is some sort of an
achievement.
Motion: “Cosmetic surgery should be banned.”
Change: Videogames are so violent, and advertising for games always seems to be targeted at
children or teenage boys. Don’t game designers realise that young people are likely to imitate
criminal acts that they are encouraged to act out in videogames?
Motion: “Violent video-games should be banned.”
Change: There have been lots of burglaries in this neighbourhood and young people in the town
are really struggling to find work, but there seem to be plenty of betting shops around. Are they
exploiting the people who use them?
Motion: “Gambling businesses should not open betting shops in low-income and/ or high-crime
areas.”
2. Why do we need to change something?

Describe the problem that the change you want to make will solve. How will your change correct
something that is currently wrong with the world? How will it make people’s lives better?
This part of your idea describes the reason why you want to make a change to the world. For a change to
be worthwhile, and for there to be a chance that other people will agree with it, it has to happen for a good
reason. You should want to solve a problem that currently exists in the world, or you may want to improve
the world in some way.
The “why” part of your idea is like the foundations of a building. It makes sure that the other parts
of your idea can be built on without collapsing. A building’s foundations are always dug before rest of the
building is put into place, so you should always be sure that there is a problem to solve or an improvement
to be made before you start to think about changing the world.
Examples: Why
“Why should university education should be free? Why is it a problem if some people have to pay for
their education?”
 Currently, young people who want to study in universities in the UK must pay their university
fees of up to £9000 per year. Paying this much means that they may struggle to afford rent and
food.
 Many campaigners, politicians and university staff believe that these fees are too high and will
discourage young people whose families face financial difficulty from applying for degree
courses.
 Making university education free would enable more young people who don’t have access to a
lot of money to take part in higher education.
“Why should fast food restaurants not be allowed to serve teenagers and young children?”
 In many of the world’s wealthiest countries, including the UK and the USA, a large number of
young people are becoming dangerously overweight because they eat too much fatty, sugary
fast food. Although fast food is enjoyable in small quantities, children and young people
generally have not learned how to eat these foods responsibly.
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

The problem of unhealthy eating habits among young people can be solved by banning fast
food restaurants from serving young people.
Stores and restaurants are already banned from selling young people other types of unhealthy
foods that adults are free to eat or drink, such as beer, wine and spirits like vodka.
3. Where will the change happen?

Describe where you want your change to happen. Is the change you want to make something that
everyone, everywhere in the world should try to bring about? Is the change only relevant to people
living in your town or your neighbourhood?
This part of the activity will help you to decide what types of examples you should discuss in a debate, and
where to start researching your debate. If you realise that your motion will apply to large towns in the UK,
you may decide to start researching stories about those towns in UK newspapers. If you realise that your
motion would only apply to a few neighbourhoods in London, you may want to try and get in touch with
councillors, teachers and community associations in those neighbourhoods.
Examples: Where
“Betting businesses should not open betting shops in high-poverty areas.”
This change will only be relevant to the UK. Why?
 The UK allows gambling firms to open shops full of fruit machines and sports betting computers
in shopping areas.
 In the UK a large number of betting shops are often found in deprived neighbourhoods.
 This change is relevant to people living in deprived areas, because it is easy to become addicted
to gambling, and an addiction to gambling can trap people in poverty and can harm the
livelihoods of a gambling addict’s family as well as the addict themselves.
“Violent video-games should be banned.”
This change is relevant in all areas of the world where young people can easily access televisions
and video-games. Why?
 Video games are sold globally. Young people can easily download video games through internet
enabled computers or mobile phones.
 Young people everywhere in the world face very similar challenges as they grow up. Most
young people are more impressionable than adults. If they are exposed to powerful messages
about violence, crime and war through video-games, their behaviour in the real world may
change dramatically.
 Violence among young people is a significant social issue in many areas of the world.
4. How will your change happen?

Briefly described how the change you want to make to the world will actually happen. Describe the
practical things that you would do to make your change happen, if you had the money and power to
do them.
This part of an idea should be used to describe how you will make sure that a change will actually happen in
the world. If your idea involves building something or setting up an organisation, say so to your audience. If
your idea involves changing someone’s behaviour, you should think about how you will get lots of different
people to change their habits and beliefs. You may suggest that people who do not change the way they act
24
should be punished. You may suggest that people who change the way they act should be rewarded
instead.
Examples: How
“Cosmetic surgery should be banned.”
What if surgeons are still tempted to offer people cosmetic surgery after it has been banned?
Cosmetic surgeons make a lot of money, and this could tempt some doctors to continue
performing face lifts and other procedures.
 Surgeons who carry out cosmetic surgery will be charged with a crime and sent to jail if they
are found guilty.
 Surgeons who carry out cosmetic surgery will lose their licence to practice medicine, ending
their careers
 Surgery cannot be performed without support staff like nurses and anaesthetists. These
individuals will be offered rewards for informing the authorities about illegal cosmetic surgeries
carried out by doctors.
5. Who will be affected by the change?

Identify the groups of people that will be affected by your motion: People whose lives and future
plans may be improved or harmed by the changes that your motion will make to the world around
them. Then explain which groups of people will gain the most from your motion any why helping them
is important.
When you begin to plan out the best way to explain your debate motion, you will need to think about the
people whose lives will be changed by your idea. If too few people will benefit from your idea (or if your
idea is only good for you), a public audience is not likely to support it. If you can show a public audience
that they will gain something from your idea by supporting it they are more likely to listen to your speech.
To start discussing who will be affected by your motion, try
1. Making a list of every group of people that might be connected to your motion. Everyone from small
groups like families to large organisations like the police or big businesses.
2. Next, discuss what resources, support from other people and types of behaviour would make those
groups happier and freer to make decisions about their lives.
3. Finally, think about the link between the change you are arguing for and improvements to a group’s
happiness and freedom that you have just discussed. The closer the link between the changes that you
plan to make and important basic freedoms like happiness, the more time you should spend talking
about that group during your debate.
Examples: Who
“Violent video-games should be banned.”
1) Who will be affected by this idea?
“Young people. Young people spend a large amount of time playing video games.”
2) What type of behaviour would make these groups of people happier and freer?
“Because young people are not able to distance themselves from the violence that appears
in video-games in the same way as adults can, playing violent video-games may cause a
young person to become more conflict-prone and more accepting of violence as a solution
to problems. If young people are kept away from violence influences, they are less likely to
25
resort to conflict if they encounter problems later in life, allowing them to live freer happier
lives in the long-term.”
3) How will the motion cause improvements in these groups’ freedom and happiness?
“Young people may have to find something else to do with their free time if violent videogames are banned, but their lives will be better in the long-term if they are kept away from
violent influences. The violent habits of a young adult who has been influenced by videogames are difficult to change, meaning that the benefit to young people from banning
videogames outweighs the minor inconvenience they will experience if their entertainment
options are slightly limited.”
26
Activity 5: A balloon debate
This activity will train you to start thinking about motions from the perspective of the people who will be
affected by the changes supported by a debate’s affirmative team. Balloon debates are also a fun way to
build your confidence if you are new to public speaking, or to practice interacting with an audience if you
are a little more advanced.
Time to complete: 20 to 30 minutes
Step 1. Your trainer will select seven speakers from the participant group. These speakers will be asked to
face the rest of the group, standing in a line.
Step 2. The trainer will explain the balloon debate scenario to the whole participant group.
Step 3. The speakers are riding a hot air balloon across the Pacific ocean. The balloon is short on fuel, and
unless three of the speakers jump (or are thrown) out of the balloon’s gondola, it will sink into the
ocean and everyone on board will be devoured by sharks.
Step 4. Everyone who is selected to speak will have between one and two minutes to explain why they
should be allowed to remain in the balloon. Speakers will be given 5 minutes to prepare their
speeches.
Step 5. Each speaker will be given a character to play during the debate. When they deliver their speeches,
they will have to speak as if they were that character. Speakers must refer to that person’s skills,
personality and interests when they explain why they should be allowed to remain in the balloon.
Step 6. After all the speakers have made a speech, the audience will vote on who should be thrown out of
the balloon. The speaker with the most votes will be thrown out.
Step 7. Audience members can only vote once. After a speaker is thrown out the audience must vote again
until only four speakers are left in the balloon.
Suggested characters
1. A politician
2. A single mother
3. A religious leader
4. A 75 year-old grandmother or grandfather
5. A famous footballer
6. A person who has recently been released from prison
7. A doctor
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
A fine artist
A journalist
A builder
A soldier
A seven-year-old school student
A teacher
A police officer
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Activity 6: Case building practice
In this activity you will use the five questions explained above (what, why, where, how and who) to create
motions that you might want to debate, either in a practice session with your friends or in public with and
audience.
Time to complete: 20 to 25 minutes
Step 1. Your trainer will split everyone taking part into groups of 3 to 5 people.
Step 2. You will be provided with note paper and markers. You should use these to record discussions with
your group.
Step 3. Each member of your group should briefly describe a topic that they are interested in.
Step 4. As a group, quickly decide whether that topic can be transformed into a debate. Debatable topics
will usually be detailed and controversial. “Football” is not a debatable topic, but “paying
footballers less” is. When your group has found a debatable topic, move to step 5.
Step 5. Working as a group, write out the topic as a sentence that suggests changing something about the
world. The topic “paying footballers less”, could be written out as “Premier League footballers’ pay
should not be higher than the average UK salary”.
Step 6. As a group, use the five questions, above, to add detail to the sentence. At the end of this step, your
group should be able to 1) describe something you want to change; 2) explain why you want to
changes it; 3) describe the places where the changes you have explained should happen; 4) detail
how you will make the changes you have explained; 5) describe the some of the people who will be
affected by the change that you are debating.
Step 7. On a fresh piece of paper, write out the debate sentence, and then write out short answers to each
of the five questions.
Step 8. Each group should exchange their debate sentence and answers with the group on its left.
Step 9. Your group should review the debate sentence and answers you have received. Make sure that the
debate sentence makes sense and that each of the five questions have been answered. Mark down
any errors your group spots or improvements that could be made.
Step 10. Each group will deliver a quick presentation on the motion/ sentence and answers that were
passed onto them.
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Objective 6: suggest reasons for disagreeing with a debate motion
To complete learning objective 5, you must work through activity 6, which is a Town Hall debate with a few
special rules, and activities 7 and 8.
Think back to the discussions you have had about learning objective 2. “Disagreement” is one of the five
ingredients of a debate. When you take part in a debate, you may not always be the one making a speech
that persuades people to change the world (the affirmative side). Debaters on the negative side of a debate
must use their speeches to disagree with the debate’s motion and to argue that the world should not be
changed.
Training notes
Speakers who belong to the negative side of a debate must convince the debate’s audience that the
debate’s motion is something that they should not agree with. Negative side speakers must convince an
audience not to take an action or that their beliefs do not need to change.
Negative side speakers build their speeches by showing that the affirmative team have not
provided good answers to the five questions. So when you speak on the negative side of a debate, you
must show an audience that they do not need the change the world or their beliefs in the way the
affirmative side have described.
Debaters speaking on the negative side of a debate can plan their speeches in a very similar way to
speakers on a debate’s affirmative side. They must try to show that the affirmative side’s debaters have
provided poor answers to four of the five question covered by learning objective 4.
1. What do the affirmative team want to change?
Negative side debaters do not need to prove that the affirmative side have misunderstood what they are
debating about. If a debate’s affirmative team don’t understand the motion, then the debate probably
shouldn’t be happening.
2. Why do the affirmative team want to change something about the world?
How the affirmative team will answer:
The affirmative team will identify a problem that they want to solve or an improvement they want to make
to the way that society works.
How the negative team can respond:
 Prove that the problem the affirmative team wants to solve has been exaggerated or does not exist.
 Prove the affirmative side’s way of solving the problem simply will not work.
 Prove the affirmative side’s way of solving the problem will do more harm than good.
 Prove people do not need/ want to have their communities improved in the way the affirmative side
suggests.
3. Where does the affirmative team want their change to happen?
How the affirmative team will answer:
The affirmative team will try to set the debate in a place where the solution to the problem that they have
identified is most likely to be accepted and to work. If the affirmative side’s debate is about a particular
city, neighbourhood or country, then they must set their debate in that place.
29
How the negative team can respond:
 Prove that there are features of the place affirmative side wants to change that will prevent that
change from happening.
 Prove that, even if the motion will benefit the area where it will happen, it will harm groups of people
who occupy other areas.
 Prove that affirmative side’s description of the area they want to change contains mistakes or
exaggerations.
4. How will the affirmative team change the world?
How the affirmative team will answer:
The affirmative team will talk about using rewards or punishments to try and persuade people to make the
changes that they want. They will discuss asking organisations (like governments, charities or businesses)
that have a lot of power, wealth or influence to help make a change.
How the negative team can respond:
 Prove that, even if the affirmative side want to make a beneficial change to the world, the
organisations and people they will use to make this change do not have the resources or knowledge to
do so.
 Prove that people will only alter their behaviour while they keep getting rewards. If the affirmative side
stop giving people rewards, the problem that their case solves will come back.
 Prove that solving the problem in a practical way will take too long.
5. Who will be affected by the change?
How the affirmative team will answer:
The affirmative team will discuss groups of people whose lives will be improved by their plan for change.
The affirmative team may also take a look at groups who will be disadvantaged by their plan, and they will
try to show that these disadvantages are minor.
How the negative team can respond:
 Prove that the group who will gain most from the motion is too small.
 Prove that too many people will lose out when the change happens.
 Prove that the change will cause one group of people to resent another. Show that because of this
resentment, groups will be bought into conflict.
 Show that the affirmative team have not discussed a group who will be affected, in a good or a bad
way, by their plan. Show that this group is more important than the people the affirmative team have
discussed in their speeches.
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Activity 7: Your second Town Hall debate
This debate will use the same rules as the Town Hall debate, explained in activity 2, but with a few
important differences.
You’ve learnt how to turn a topic that you are interested in into a motion for a debate. You’ve also learnt
how to identify reasons to agree or disagree with a motion that you can share with an audience as part of a
debate speech. Now you’ll get a chance to practice those skills in another debate.
Your trainer or the debate’s chair will remind you of the rules of a Town Hall debate before the
activity begins.
Time to complete: 30 minutes with a small group, 45 minutes with a large group
Step 1. Before announcing the motion that your group will be debating, your trainer or chairperson will
split your group into two teams. Each team will contain an equal number of people.
Step 2. One team will be called “team green”, the other team will be called “team red”.
Step 3. During the debate, team green is only allowed to make affirmative arguments. An affirmative
argument should try to convince an audience to agree with the debate’s motion. Team red is only
allowed to make negative arguments. A negative argument should try to convince an audience to
disagree with the debate’s motion.
Step 4. Team green’s speakers can only try to rebut arguments made by team red. Team red’s reds
speakers may only try to rebut arguments made by team green.
Step 5. You should follow all of the other Town Hall debate rules explained in activity 2 (page 13).
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Activity 8: Different points of view
This activity is a little like the balloon debate, but it can be used to help you figure out which individuals and
groups of people are involved with the types of real-world problem that you discussed in activity 3 and
activity 5. You will use this activity to look at the world through the eyes of people who may have a
different opinion about the problem that you want to talk about solving during a debate.
Getting ready for the debate
Step 1. This is a debate activity. During this activity, instead of debating for the affirmative or negative
team, you will play the role of someone who is affected by the debate’s big issues and ideas.
Step 2. Your trainer will announce either a new motion or a motion based on one of the problems that
your group discussed during a previous activity. The motion will be displayed somewhere the entire
group can see it.
Step 3. Your trainer will split your group into smaller groups of 4 to 5 people.
Step 4. As a group, think of the different individuals and groups of people who will be affected by the
change to the world described by the motion. Write the names of these individuals or groups
down on a sheet of paper.
Step 5. When you write the name of a new person or group that might be involved in the motion, you
should also write down a few words about each of the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Would this person agree with or disagree with the motion
How could the motion make this person’s life better?
How could the motion make this person’s life worse?
Could this person do anything to help the motion become a reality?
Could this person do anything to stop the motion from becoming a reality?
Is this person connected to the other people on your sheet in any way? Do they share any sort
of relationship (politicians and voters, bosses and employees)?
7. Is this person able to control other people? Do people listen to him or her? Is she a leader of
her community? Is she wealthy or famous?
Step 6. After a few minutes, your trainer will ask you to share your thought with the rest of the group.
Some of the people that you have identified will be written down on a white board or flip chart.
Step 7. Your trainer will pick one person from each group to play the role of a person affected by the
debate motion. Everyone who is not playing a role will be a member of the debate’s audience.
Speaking in the debate
Step 1. All of the people playing a role should sit in a line facing the other members of the group.
Step 2. Your trainer will act as the chairperson for this debate.
Step 3. Each person who is playing a role will get 90 seconds to make a speech that explains why the rest of
the group should agree or disagree with the motion.
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Step 4. When every person playing a role has had a chance to speak, the audience will be given 10 minutes
to ask them questions or to make short speeches of their own.
Step 5. After the audience has finished asking questions, each role-player will be allowed to ask another
role-player a question.
Step 6. Finally, each person playing a role will be given 90 seconds to make a final speech that summarises
or repeats reasons why the audience should agree or disagree with the motion.
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Chapter 2: Speaking
Chapter 1 explained how to turn an interesting topic or a controversy into a more developed plan of action.
These plans, sometimes called “cases” or “policies”, are the starting point of all debates.
Having a case won’t be enough to convince an audience that your plan for change will solve a
problem or will improve the way that their community works. You’ll have very little time to explain a plan
to an audience during a debate – the rules of debating force debaters to stick to strict time limits when they
are speaking. This means that it is very easy for other debaters to discover reasons to disagree with a plan
for change.
So how can you toughen up a case? The best way to share more information about the pros or cons
of a plan with an audience is by making arguments. “Argument” is not a synonym for quarrelling or
bickering. An argument, according to one dictionary definition, is a “Set of reasons given in support of an
idea or action.” In other words, an argument is a tool that debaters can use to add more detail to the ideas
they will use to persuade an audience to agree or disagree with a plan for creating change.
This chapter of the guide explores how debaters can use different types of argument to influence
an audience. We will also discuss stage fright. When you have completed this chapter, you will be ready to
get on stage and take part in a public debate.
Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you will…
7. Know how to create and argument to explain part of a case;
8. Know how to reply to other debaters’ ideas and arguments using rebuttal;
9. Understand how to debate in a calm, polite and respectful way.
Activities
Trainers will use the activities listed here to help you practice the skills you’ll learn in this chapter
 Problem solving activity: Argument jigsaws
 Problem solving activity: Finding claims
 Brainstorm activity: Giving reasons
 Debate activity: Rehearsing arguments
 Debate activity: Rebuttal tennis
 Brainstorm activity: Finding flaws
 Debate activity: Toulmin debates
 Brainstorm activity: How would you react?
Important information



Time to complete: up to 5 hours
Number of activities in this chapter: 8
Materials needed: A whiteboard or flipchart; marker pens; note paper and pens (enough for all
members of training group); argument jigsaws pieces (you can find these in the resources section at
page 45); a large bouncy ball.
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Objective 7: Create an argument to explain part of a case
To complete learning objective 1, you must work through activity 9 and activity 10.
There are two extra activities, activity 11 and activity 12, linked to this learning objective.
Depending on how long your training sessions last and how confident your group feels, your trainer may
ask you to complete either or both of these activities.
Arguments are the most important part of a debate speech, but luckily, they’re also very easy to
understand and use. You only need to remember four simple steps in order to turn a case (basic reasons
why an audience should agree or disagree with a motion) into interesting arguments.
It is very, very important for young people, youth leaders and even teachers to understand how to
make arguments well. The more you practice making arguments, the more persuasive your ideas will sound
to other people. Arranging your thoughts into an argument will also help you to think more clearly about
problems and the answers to questions you might be asked in school or college, in exams or during job
interviews.
Training notes
All arguments, whether they are being used by a debate’s affirmative or negative team, can be broken
down into four separate pieces. Each of these pieces contains information about an argument that a
speaker wants her audience to agree with. The components of an argument are
1) A claim. A claim explains, in one sentence, the point that a debater wants her audience to believe.
2) A reason/ a reasoning statement. A reasoning statement explains why an audience should believe a
claim. It gives reasons why that audience should think that the claim is true.
3) Evidence. In an argument, evidence is a real-world example of a claim that can help an audience to
understand the argument’s reasoning.
4) A link. A “link” clearly explains why an arguments claim, reasoning and evidence should convince an
audience to agree or disagree with a motion. A link summarises an argument.
1. Claim
A claim is the most basic part of an argument. It acts like a newspaper headline or a movie trailer. A claim
tells your audience what they are about to hear. A claim tells your audience what you want them to
believe. A claim must be short and to-the-point. A claim should not be longer than a single sentence.
If you are planning a debate by working through the five preparation questions found in chapter 1,
the answers that you and other members of your team give to those questions will all be claims. If your
audience believes your answers to the five preparation questions, they are more likely to support your side
of the debate.
Examples: Claims
Motion: “Students should be allowed to wear their own clothes in school, not a uniform.”
Affirmative claims:
 If students are allowed to wear more comfortable clothes, they will work harder.
 The cost of buying a school uniform can cause families with less money severe financial
problems.
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
Students will be better behaved if they are allowed to wear their own clothes in school.
Negative claims:
 Allowing students to wear their own clothes to school will mean that more students get bullied.
 Students’ test scores will be worse in schools that do not have uniforms.
Motion: “Violent video-games should be banned.”
Affirmative claims:
 Banning violent video games will reduce violent crime.
 Banning violent video games will reduce poverty in troubled neighbourhoods.
 A ban on violent video games will prevent mass shooting incidents in the United States.
Negative claims:
 Banning violent video games will not prevent mass shooting incidents in the United States.
 Violent video-games are a safe way for people to get rid of violent urges and thoughts.
 Video-games that contain violent images may have an anti-violence message.
2. Reasoning
Once you have made a claim you will need to explain to your audience why they should believe it. An
audience will not automatically trust you and members of the audience will already have their own
opinions about the motion that you are debating.
To convince an audience that your claim is correct, you’ll need to give your audience reasons why
your claim is true. Your audience will be more likely to trust you if explain how your claim will work. You
can do this by adding a reasoning statement to a claim.
An easy way to understand how a reasoning statement works is to 1) think of a claim sentence that
you want to use during a debate speech, 2) add the word “because” to it, and then 3) add words to the
sentence that explain why your claim works.
Examples: Reasoning
1. Original motion: “Violent video-games should be banned.”
Claim sentence: (This is a claim from an affirmative team speech. It is meant to convince an
audience to agree with the motion.) “Banning violent videogames will reduce violent crime…”
Reasoning:
“… because videogames portray violence as a rewarding, fun form of entertainment. This means
that vulnerable young people who are already at risk of getting involved with violence and crime
will find it easier to ignore their consciences and behave in a violent way.”
2. Original motion: “Students should be allowed to wear their own clothes in school, not a uniform.”
Claim sentence: (This is a claim from a negative team speech. It is meant to convince an audience
to disagree with the motion.) “Allowing students to wear their own clothes to school will mean that
more students get bullied…”
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Reasoning:
“... because bullies target people who seem different and vulnerable. If the clothes a child’s family
buys are unusual or don’t conform to the latest fashions, that child will be marked out as different
and may be mocked for what they wear. Children will feel under pressure to wear clothes that help
them fit in with their class-mates.”
3. Original motion: “Violent video-games should be banned.”
Claim sentence: (This is a claim from a negative team speech. It is meant to convince an audience
to disagree with the motion.) “Video-games that contain violent images may have an anti-violence
message…”
Reasoning:
“… because violence can be used to show people how damaging and frightening crime or war can
be. Violent images can be used to help people understand why war and organised crime are
problems that they should stand against. Video-games let people experience violence and fear
more directly than films or news footage.”
3. Evidence
A claim and reasoning aren’t enough to make a full argument. Audience members will want proof that a
claim that you have explained with reasoning is supported by facts. In other words an audience will want
you to demonstrate that there are real world examples of your claim working out in the way you have
described.
The last step in making an argument is to find and explain and example that illustrates why the
reasons you have given for your claim being true are correct. These examples are called evidence.
A piece of evidence must be a fact that your audience already knows or will find easy to believe. In
other words, a piece of evidence must be a statement that your audience already sees as true. Finding
evidence to support a claim might seem to be very challenging, but it’s important to understand that
people are smarter and have better memories than they will usually admit. You can gather evidence to
prove a claim by:
1) Researching the debate topic in popular newspapers and magazines.
The internet has made this much easier.
2) Researching problems that are similar to the debate topic.
Information on some topics can be hard to find. Reports or discussions about a similar topic may be
more common. This topic may differ from the topic you want to discuss in many ways, but some of
its key details may be similar. This can be a useful way to research an unusual claim.
3) Researching the debate topic or the claim that you want to make with members of your community, or
people who are likely to attend a debate you will be speaking in.
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One of the best ways to find out how much people know about the problem or issue that you will
confront in a debate is to talk to them about the topic well ahead of the debate itself.
4) Thinking through what you know about a debate carefully and calmly.
You aren’t that different from the audience you’ll be speaking in front of. You watch the same
television channels, live in the same city, hear the same opinions and may read the same papers.
Calmly talking through what you already know about a topic is a good way gather clues about the
information that other people will be able to remember and will trust.
Examples: Evidence
1. Original motion: “Violent video-games should be banned.”
Claim sentence: (This is a claim from an affirmative team speech. It is meant to convince an
audience to agree with the motion.) “Banning violent videogames will reduce violent crime…”
Reasoning: “… because videogames portray violence as a rewarding, fun form of entertainment.
This means that vulnerable young people who are already at risk of getting involved with violence
and crime will find it easier to ignore their consciences and behave in a violent way.”
Evidence statement:
“Young people who participated in high-school gun attacks in the United States of America were
found to have spent long periods of time playing a number of violent video-games. Some of these
disturbed individuals even ‘practised’ their killings using games, or discussed their plans while
playing online games. The lyrics the appear in songs that glorify gang violence often reference
video-game characters and specific violent games, linking games to real-world gang activities.”
2. Original motion: “Students should be allowed to wear their own clothes in school, not a uniform.”
Claim sentence: (This is a claim from a negative team speech. It is meant to convince an audience
to disagree with the motion.) “Allowing students to wear their own clothes to school will mean that
more students get bullied…”
Reasoning: “... because bullies target people who seem different and vulnerable. If the clothes a
child’s family buys are unusual or don’t conform to the latest fashions that child will be marked out
as different and may be mocked for what they wear. Children will feel under pressure to wear
clothes that help them fit in with their class-mates.”
Evidence statement:
“Children are very sensitive to difference and have to be taught to tolerate people with different
appearances and mannerisms. Bullying and playground often happens when children are allowed
to split into small groups with similar features, such as race or religion. Clothes are often marked
with logos and symbols that indicate success, wealth or desirability. These differences will make it
easier for students to make judgements about who on a playground is from a richer or poorer
family, meaning more children will be isolated from their peers, making them an easy target for
bullies.”
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4. Link
A link is a brief summary of an argument that a speaker has just made. A link statement should briefly
repeat an argument’s claim, reasoning and evidence statements, and then explains why the argument
should influence the audience to agree or disagree with the motion.
Links are used to make sure that audiences remember an argument, and that they understand why
the argument is relevant to the motion.
Examples: Links
1. Original motion: “Students should be allowed to wear their own clothes in school, not a uniform.”
Summary of argument: (This is a claim from a negative team speech. It is meant to convince an
audience to disagree with the motion.)
“More students will get bullied if they are allowed to wear their own clothes to school.
Bullying is easier if children have fewer friendships and connections with their peers.
Designer labels and different clothing styles encourage children to identify only with
children wearing similar clothes. Children who don’t want to wear these symbols, or whose
parents can’t afford to buy them these types of clothes will be marked out as different and
will be more at risk of being bullied…”
Linking sentence:
“… this proves that allowing students to choose the clothes they wear at school will harm
some children by putting them at a greater risk of being bullied. This proves that you
should not support the motion.”
2. Original motion: “Violent video-games should be banned.”
Summary of argument: (This is a claim from an affirmative team speech. It is meant to convince an
audience to agree with the motion.)
“There are many young people who live in deprived circumstances, are victims of violence or
who are disturbed. Because of the violence in their backgrounds, these individuals are
slightly more likely to commit violent crimes themselves. These young people are much,
much more likely to become violent if they are allowed to access games that portray
violence as fun and rewarding.”
Linking sentence:
“… this proves that video-games can cause violent and disturbed thought to become
violent actions, by encouraging young people to fantasise about and practice violence. If
you support a ban on violent video-games, fewer young people will get mixed up in violent
crime.”
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Activity 9: Argument jigsaws
* Training aids for this activity are available on page 45. Read them and print them out before trying to
run this activity with a group of young people.
Being able to tell the difference between an argument’s claim, the evidence that it uses and that
argument’s reasoning statement is the first step to making (and breaking) arguments for yourself.
Completing this activity will help your trainers to assess who in your group understands how arguments
work and what sort of evidence to look for when researching an argument.
This activity will focus on helping you to understand how claims, reasoning and evidence work
together. You won’t need to worry about coming up with linking sentences at this stage.
Time to complete: 30 minutes for small groups, 45 minutes for large groups
Step 1. Your trainer will split your training group into three smaller groups.
Step 2. The trainer will give each group a piece of card. A claim, a reasoning statement or some evidence
will be written on this card. The card won’t tell you what part of an argument (claim, reasoning,
evidence) it represents – you’ll have to work that out for yourself.
Step 3. More pieces of card will be placed in the centre of your training space. The writing on two of these
pieces of card will make up a complete argument if they are joined with the piece you already have.
i.e. if your think that your group was given a claim in step 1, there will be matching reasoning and
evidence statements in the stack of cards in the centre of the room.
Step 4. By communicating with members of your own group and with the other groups, you must sort
through the cards to find the missing pieces of your group’s argument. You will have a limited
amount of time to do this, so work quickly and stay focussed.
Step 5. When you think that you have found the missing pieces of your argument arrange them in order:
claim first, then reasoning, then evidence.
Step 6. Each group will check its work with the help of the trainer and the other groups. Once everyone is
sure that the arguments each group has made are correct, the groups will swap arguments with
each other.
Step 7. Your group should read the argument that it has been given carefully. Once you have made sure
that you understand the argument, try to come up with a new argument that disagrees with its
claim. i.e. if you receive an argument with the claim “pornography should be banned”, try to come
up with an argument that starts with the claim “pornography should not be banned”.
Step 8. Each group will present its new argument to the trainer. After the trainer has given you feedback,
your group will be given a new card, and you will repeat steps 1 to 7 of the activity.
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Activity 10: Giving reasons
* Training aids for this activity are available on page 48. Read them and print them out before trying to
run this activity with a group of young people.
One of the trickiest debating skills to learn also seems to be one of the simplest: reasoning. To explain why
an audience should agree that a claim is true you will need to use vocabulary and knowledge that you
already use every day in a new way. A claim may seem very obvious to you, and this means that you will
overlook important parts of that claim’s explanation if you share it with an audience.
This activity will help you practice creating reasoning statements that are clear and easy to
understand, but also detailed.
When you work in groups to prepare your reasoning, you must remember that you are preparing to
debate in public, for people who may not have the same interest in a motion as you do. When your trainer
gives you help and feedback during this exercise, they will act as if they were a member of the public, with
no specialist knowledge of debating or the topics you will be discussing.
Time to complete: 20 to 30 minutes for small groups, 30 to 45 minutes for larger groups.
Step 1. Your trainer will split your training group in to six smaller groups.
Step 2. Each group will receive a work sheet. A claim and an evidence statement will be printed on the
worksheet. The worksheets will also have a space that you can use to make notes.
Step 3. Read the claim and the evidence statement carefully. Working with the other members of your
group, try to explain why the facts that appear in your worksheet’s evidence statement will make it
easier for someone to believe that the claim on the sheet is true.
Step 4. Once you have found some connections between the worksheet’s claim and evidence statement,
write it out in a short and clear sentence. Make a list of these sentences.
Step 5. After 15 to 20 minutes, your trainer will ask you to present your list of reasons to the rest of the
group as a full argument. Your group must read out the claim and evidence that you have been
given, along with your explanations for the connection between the sheet’s claim and its evidence.
Step 6. Your trainer will give you feedback as if they were an ordinary person who has just stepped in off
the street. Your trainer will not refer to any of her experience as a debater or a debate trainer.
Step 7. In your groups, try to think of a motion sentence that the argument you have just completed could
be linked to. Remember that a motion sentence must be a simple statement that describes
changing the world or changing people’s attitudes in some way.
Step 8. Your group will be given a new worksheet with new claim and evidence statements. Repeat steps 1
to 5.
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Activity 11: Finding claims
* Training aids for this activity are available on page 50. Read them and print them out before trying to
run this activity with a group of young people.
Being able to think of reasoning to support an argument is only a small part of debating. You’re going to be
spending a lot of time listening to other debater’s arguments too. This activity will give you a chance to
practice skills that will help you to understand and remember the cases and ideas that other debaters
communicate.
Time to complete: 20 to 30 minutes
Step 1. Your trainer will split your group in to several smaller groups
Step 2. You will be given a sheet of paper that has reasoning and evidence statements printed on it.
Step 3. Read the reasoning and the evidence statement through carefully.
Step 4. Using a piece of note paper, each member of your group should write down a claim that could be
linked with the evidence and reasoning statements you have been given. In other words, you need
to work out what you are meant to believe after reading the reasoning and evidence on your sheet.
Example
You are given a sheet with the evidence statement, “There is smoke in the room and it is
very hot”, and the reasoning statement, “There is no smoke without fire. Fires produce heat
and quickly make closed spaces very warm”.
What would someone who uses both of those sentences in a conversation being trying to
tell you? This is the claim that completes the argument:
 “There is no smoke without fire, and fires make indoor spaces warm”
[REASONING].
 “There is smoke in this room” [EVIDENCE].
 “Because there is smoke in the room, there is probably a fire somewhere, so we
should leave the building quickly” [LINK].
Which must mean whoever is making this argument wants me to believe that…

“The building is on fire” [CLAIM].
Step 5. When everyone in your group has had some time to think, compare the claims that you have come
up with. Check whether your groups’ claims are proved by the reasoning and evidence on your
sheets.
Step 6. Your trainer will ask your group to read out a few of its claims, and will give you feedback on your
work.
Step 7. Your trainers will ask you to repeat steps 2 to 6. You will be given a new reasoning statement and
some new evidence.
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Activity 12: Rehearsing arguments
The best way to get better at making arguments and understanding other debaters’ arguments is to make
the same argument to a number of different people, to watch how they respond to it and to try making
that argument again.
Have you ever been part of a conversation with a large group of people in a laid back setting, like a
party or a family meal? If so, you’ll probably have noticed that it’s easier to think of jokes, come-back and
compliments after the conversation has finished. This is because you will have had time to think about your
reply and to use your smarts and your memory to find a good response.
Time to complete: 25 minutes
Step 1. Your group will be split into two equally sized groups – group 1 and group 2
Step 2. Your trainer will announce once of the motions printed underneath these instructions.
Step 3. If you are part of group 1, you should think of an argument that agrees with the motion. If you are
part of group 2, you should think of an argument that disagrees with the motion.
Step 4. You will be given ten minutes to prepare your argument, either working on your own or in a group.
Step 5. When preparation time has finished, Group 1 should stand in a circle, with each person in the circle
facing out.
Step 6. Group 2 should stand in a circle surrounding group 1. Each person in the circle should face inwards,
so that each person in group 2 is facing a member of group 1.
Step 7. When your trainer announces that the exercise has started, each person in group 1 will have up to 2
minutes to explain their arguments in support of the motion to the person from group 2 who is
facing them.
Step 8. When every person in group 1 has finished making their argument, group 2 will have up to 2
minutes to explain their arguments against the motion to the person from group 1 who is facing
them.
Step 9. When every person in group 2 has finished making their argument, they should move two people to
their left.
Step 10. Each person in group 1 should repeat their argument. If you are in group 1 you should try to
improve your argument’s claim, reasoning and evidence, so that it will be more persuasive than the
argument that your new partner from group 2 will use.
Step 11. After group 1 have made their arguments again, each person in group 2 will get 2 minutes to make
their arguments. If you are in group 2, you should try to change and improve your argument, so
that you can reply more convincingly to your new partner from group 1.
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Step 12. Group 2 will keep moving two people to the left until everyone has repeated their argument four
times.
Step 13. Your trainer will run a group discussion. During the discussion, try to think of answers to the
following questions:


Did the different people that you were partnered with use different arguments?
Did you try to change your arguments during the activity? If you did decide to change your
arguments, did the claims, reasoning and evidence used by your partners affect the things you
chose to say?
Motions
 Private schools should be abolished.
 Neighbourhoods that contain large numbers of people from one racial, ethnic or religious group should
only be patrolled by police officers who are also members of those groups.
 Parents should be punished for crimes committed by their children
 Modern rap and pop songs should be taught in school English classes, instead of poetry.
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Training resources
Resources: Activity 9, Argument Jigsaws
Instructions
Print the arguments below using stiff, thick paper, then cut out each argument’s claim sentence, reasoning
sentence and evidence sentence and jumble them up. Keep a copy of this sheet to refer to when you run
the session.
Argument 1
Claim: The building is on fire.
Reasoning: There is no smoke without fire.
Evidence: There is smoke in the room.
Argument 2
Claim: A tiger has bitten my leg off.
Reasoning: My right leg is missing, there is blood all over the room and I was attacked a few
moments ago by an orange and black stripped animal with large teeth and whiskers.
Evidence: Tigers have orange and black stripes. Everyone knows they eat meat. You cannot
deny that my leg is missing, so the orange and black stripped animal that attacked me was
probably responsible for taking my leg.
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Argument 3
Claim: Alexander is an Englishman.
Reasoning: English people like tea; it is their favourite drink. Someone who has an English
accent may have been taught to speak English by an English person, but they are more likely
to be from England themselves if they have an English accent and drink lots of tea.
Evidence: Alexander has an English accent and drinks tea constantly.
Argument 4
Claim: Smoking should be banned in public places.
Reasoning: Even though a lot of people find it enjoyable, smoking causes a large number of
health problems. Anyone who inhales cigarette smoke can fall victim to these health
problems. The harms of smoking are not limited to smokers, but can also affect those who live
and work with them. Smokers are entitled to take risks with their own health, but not the
health of others.
Evidence: Cigarette smoke can be inhaled by a large number of people, not just the person
smoking the cigarette. Smoke is smoke – it is impossible to control where it goes or who
breathes it in.
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Argument 5
Claim: Pornography should be banned.
Reasoning: Women are more likely to be abused by men if men are given the impression by
pornographic films and images that women enjoy being treated as sexual objects, or that it is
acceptable to ignore a woman’s opinions and desires.
Evidence: Pornography objectifies women, and shows them being dominated and mistreated
by men.
Argument 6
Claim: Pornography should be banned.
Reasoning: The films we watch and the magazines that we read affect our behaviour and our
understanding of right and wrong. If we watch a film that portrays violent or criminal acts as
enjoyable or morally acceptable, we are more likely to commit violence in real life.
Pornography should be banned because men who watch it are likely to copy its degrading
attitude to women.
Evidence: Our behaviour is influenced by the movies that we watch and the other types of
media that they consume. Children copy the behaviour of television characters, and adults
may do the same. This is why television advertisements are used to promote particular types
of product.
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Resources: Activity 10, Giving reasons
Instructions
Print and then cut out each of the work sheets below. There are a total of four worksheets, but you do not
have to use them all – you may only want to repeat steps 1 to 5 of the activity two or three times.
Giving reasons – worksheet 1
Claim: “Driving after drinking alcohol should be treated as a crime.”
Evidence: “Consuming alcohol causes people to become disoriented, physically uncoordinated
and more reckless.”
Write out your reasoning:
Giving reasons – worksheet 2
Claim: We can stop children from taking part in violent or criminal behaviour by banning
violent movies.
Evidence: People try to emulate the behaviour of characters in movies, especially if those
characters are portrayed as being heroic, self-confident or romantically interesting. Children
are more likely than adults to try and copy the behaviour of fictional characters.
Write out your reasoning:
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Giving reasons – worksheet 3
Claim: Religious organisations should be allowed to create schools and welfare programs that
are not under the control of the state.
Evidence: Religious organisations are often larger, older and more experienced than many
developing states. Religious organisations can use funds gathered from many different sources
around the world. A state can only tax the people within its own borders.
Write out your reasoning:
Giving reasons – worksheet 4
Claim: Anyone who wants to run for election to the parliament/ representative assembly or
the government of a democratic country should be required to have served in the military.
Evidence: Politicians are supposed to understand the needs of ordinary citizens and the
challenges they face in day-to-day life, too many politicians come for a class of wealthy
businessmen, lawyers and professional political operators who do not understand how people
without money or degrees from prestigious universities live. Politicians also decide when to
use a state’s military. They may rashly decide to get involved in conflicts overseas, without
properly weighing up the risks and benefits of a military action.
Write out your reasoning:
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Resources: Activity 11, Finding claims
Instructions
Print and then cut out each of the slips of paper on this sheet. Debaters taking part in activity 10 should
write out claims matching the reasoning and evidence statements on the front of the slips on the back of
each slip.
Example claims are printed below each slip. You should use these claims to check the work of the
debaters you are training. Do not show the examples to your training group.
Argument 1
Reasoning: When it rains, soil and earth get wet and mix into mud. People get wet and might
catch colds or other illnesses. It will be less fun to play football at the park and we may also get
sick if we visit it during a rainstorm.
Evidence: It is raining here. It is probably raining near the park too.
Example claims: [We should not go to the park today/ “We should not play football in the
park”/ “We should not meet in the park”/ “We should not go to the park today because it is
raining”.]
Argument 2
Reasoning: If someone keeps both a dog and a cat in their home, the animals will fight, hurting
each other and destroying their owners’ property.
Evidence: You often hear the sounds of dogs and cats fighting late at night. The internet is also
full of videos of dogs and cats fighting each other.
Example claims: [Dogs and cats should not be kept in the same house/ “Dogs and cats do not
make good pets”.]
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Argument 3
Reasoning: The death penalty is the most severe type of punishment that a state can apply to
a crime. Everyone is afraid of dying. The death penalty is therefore the best way to discourage
people from committing murder.
Evidence: Threatening people with punishment is a useful way to shape their behaviour.
Children learn how to behave because their parents punish them when they cause trouble.
Seeing one person punished can make other people afraid of receiving the same punishment.
Judges often hand out harsh punishments to set an “example”. No matter how cruel or
desperate a criminal is, everyone is afraid of death, and a Fear of being punished prevents
people from committing illegal or immoral acts.
Example claims: [Introducing a death penalty will lead to a drop in the number of murders
that the police record/ “We should re-introduce the death penalty”/ “We should not abolish
the death penalty”.]
Argument 4
Reasoning: Some families cannot afford to give their children three meals a day. A child that
has not been fed properly will not learn properly. A school that offers its pupils free meals will
enable those pupils to achieve higher grades. If a pupil gets better grades, they are more likely
to stay in education, get a good job and be able to live a comfortable life.
Evidence: Everyone has felt grumpy and tired after skipping a meal. Lots of schools in the UK
and Europe already run free school dinner schemes. There is less child poverty in the UK and
Europe than many other states in the world. Developing states like India also use free school
meal schemes to help students from poor communities do better at school.
Example claims: [“Free school meals can be used to fight poverty”/ “Free school meals enable
poor students to achieve higher grades”.]
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Argument 5
Reasoning: Governments claim that they take tax from some of their citizens in order to help
citizens who have no money of their own. Governments claim that by taxing their citizens they
can raise people out of poverty and improve the quality of their lives. However, people already
give to charities which have an identical mission. Importantly, these charities use the money
that they are given for no other purpose than alleviating poverty. A state might uses taxes
taken from its citizens to wage wars.
Evidence: People voluntarily give large amounts of money to charities – charities which will
only spend that money in order to help people. Charities have no other objective but helping
people, and can even be shut down if they fail to help enough people.
People do everything they can to avoid paying tax; we only pay tax because we are
threatened with bankruptcy or jail if we don’t pay. Between 2000 and 2008 the American
government used tax payers money to start the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and it failed to help
people affected by the flood of New Orleans. People who wanted to stop this government
mis-spending their taxes had to wait until the 2008 election to get rid of them.
Example claims: [People should refuse to pay their taxes/ “People should pay less tax”/ “The
government demands too much tax from its citizens”.]
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Objective 8: Replying to other debaters’ ideas and arguments using rebuttal
To complete this learning objective, you must work through activity 13, activity 14 and activity 15. Activity
15 is a new type of debate- a Toulmin debate- similar to the Town Hall debates that you may already have
completed. You may want to read through the rules for Toulmin debates in advance.
Almost there. After you complete this chapter of the guide, you will have all of the basic tools that you
need to put together a debate speech and to start sharing your ideas with an audience. You’ve learnt how
to generate the basic ideas that your debate will be based on. You’ve learnt how to turn those ideas into
complete arguments. Complete this learning objective to learn how to reply to others’ arguments.
Training notes
Two types of argument are used in debate speeches. We explained the first type of argument when we
covered learning objective 1: these arguments are sometimes called “substantive” arguments. They are
used to try and persuade an audience to agree or disagree with a motion. A substantive argument is made
up of a claim, a reasoning statement and some evidence, and they work by using facts that your audience
already trusts to explain new information that they do not trust.
The second type of argument that appears in a debate speech is called a rebuttal argument. A
rebuttal argument is used to persuade an audience that another debater’s arguments are untrue, unclear
or based on bad research. If you can show an audience that another debater’s arguments are low quality or
are based on lies, they will be less likely to believe those arguments.
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Substantive arguments are used to convince an audience to support your side of the debate (either the
affirmative or negative side).
Substantive arguments explain new ideas or build on ideas already discussed.
Rebuttal arguments are used to persuade and audience that your opponents’ ideas are not sound and
that their arguments are poorly made.
Rebuttal arguments explain why other debaters’ ideas are bad or will not work.
A good debate speech must mix substantive and rebuttal arguments.
Four step rebuttal
All rebuttals, whichever side of a debate is using them, can be broken down into four separate pieces,
similar to a substantive argument. Each of these pieces contains information about the substantive
argument that a speaker wants to attack and about the reasons as to why that argument is weak and
unpersuasive. Follow these four steps to rebut another debater’s argument:
1. “They say…” Summarise your opponent’s argument. Without going into too much detail, repeat the
argument’s claim, reasoning and evidence.
2. “We say…” Briefly explain what is wrong with the other debater’s argument. Tell your audience which
part of the argument cannot be trusted – its claim, its reasoning or its evidence.
3. “We are right because…” Explain the problem with argument’s claim, reasoning or evidence in more
detail. Use this step to prove to your audience that there really is a problem with your opponent’s
argument.
4. “This rebuttal matters because…” If you have properly rebutted an argument, the audience should not
believe that that argument is true. Explain to the audience why it will be harder for them to agree with
your opponent’s case if they believe that the rebutted argument is not true.
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How do the separate parts of a rebuttal argument help you to highlight weaknesses in your opponents’
cases? Read through the explanation of how a rebuttal argument works below
1. “They say…”
Summarise your opponent’s argument.
You must start your rebuttal argument by summarising the substantive argument that you are going to try
and disprove. If you forget to identify and summarise the substantive argument you are targeting, your
audience will struggle to understand whose speech you are discussing and which part of that speech you
are trying to attack.
2. “We say…”
Contradict your opponent’s argument.
After summarising an argument, point out which part of an argument makes it weak and unpersuasive.
Speakers can make mistakes when they plan and explain an argument’s claim, reasoning and evidence, so
there are three different ways in which an argument can be flawed. Sometimes, only one part of an
argument may be damaged, sometimes all of an argument’s components may contain mistakes.
3. “Why we are right…”
Explain why your opponent’s argument is not true or is unpersuasive.
This is your chance to explain why the argument that you have contradicted is not persuasive. Think back to
the training notes for objective 1. Every argument is made up of three parts – a claim, some reasoning and
some evidence. An argument will be unpersuasive if one, two or all of these parts are badly explained by a
speaker.
How to spot a bad claim
A claim can be contradicted if it is irrelevant. An irrelevant claim may have some sort of connection
to a debate’s motion, but this connection will not help an audience understand whether or not they
should agree with the affirmative team’s plan for solving the problem the motion hints at. Even if
an irrelevant claim turns out to be true, it will not be useful.
How to spot bad reasoning
A reasoning statement explains why an audience should agree with an argument’s claim. Reasoning
statements are like an instruction manual or a TV documentary that uses simple facts to tell an
audience why the subject of a claim shows that a debate’s motion will solve a problem or improve
someone’s life, or that it will not solve a problem or will make people’s lives worse.
The explanations that make up a reasoning statement have to be very simple and easy for
an audience to understand. If a debater’s explanation of why a claim is true makes too many
assumptions about what their audience knows, or uses explanations that are not clear, that
reasoning statement will be less persuasive.
How to spot bad evidence
An argument’s evidence should make that argument’s reasoning more believable for an audience.
An explanation of a claim may make sense and it may be simple and clear, but audiences are not
likely to believe and explanation unless they are shown how it applies to the real world.
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Evidence can be contradicted if it is clearly a lie. Audiences can usually be trusted to pick up
on obvious lies, but a debater who also points out an obvious lie (“There is no racism in America”,
“An adult would never sell alcohol to a child”, “The sky is green and grass is red”) will be seen as
more credible and trustworthy by audiences.
Evidence can also be contradicted if it is too complicated. Most evidence statements are
just claims that people already think are true. A good evidence statement can easily be connected
to a claim, but should also be something that audience members have already learned. If an
evidence statement is too complicated, or if too few people are likely to believe that it is true, a
debate can contradict it by pointing out that it is simply another argument, not proof for an
argument.
Examples: spotting bad claims
Motion: “School students should receive cash rewards in return for getting good grades.”
Side: Affirmative
Example of a bad claim: “Some students who get cash rewards for good grades will chose to spend
their money on fast food and violent video games, therefore an audience should not support this
motion.”
Why is this claim bad?
This claim is not relevant to the debate’s motion. Violent video games and fast food may be bad for
children, but this debate is about whether or not prizes and rewards will make school students
work harder.
Example of a good claim: “Students who have trouble thinking about the distant future and how
education is connected to their interests will be motivated to work harder if they are offered a
reward that they can understand.”
Examples: spotting bad reasoning
Motion: “Music that features sexist or violent lyrics should be banned.”
Side: Affirmative
Claim: “Rappers who use violent lyrics often refer to specific urban areas or neighbourhoods in their
songs. People may start to believe that everyone living in these areas is violent, criminal or poor.”
Example of bad reasoning: “I’m sure that you all know about social development theory. This is a
clear case of a discourse of authenticity being used to reinforce latent racist tendencies in an
increasingly adaptable social structure.”
Why is this reasoning statement bad?
This reasoning statement uses several complicated phrases and doesn’t try to explain what any of
them mean. No matter how much you know or how clever you are, you shouldn’t assume that your
audience knows everything you know. Most audiences won’t understand what a “discourse of
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authenticity” or an “increasingly adaptable social structure” is, so they won’t understand the
reasoning that the debater in this example is trying to use.
Example of good reasoning: “Rappers often claim that their lyrics are “authentic”. This means that
rappers and their record companies try to convince people their lyrics are true reports of their
experiences, rather than exaggerations or fictional stories set in real places. Because rap music is
very popular and because many people are exposed to rap, it is possible that large numbers of
people may decide that rap lyrics are proof that neighbourhoods like Compton or Brixton are violent
places.”
Examples: spotting bad evidence
Claim: “Young people’s bodies are still developing, and foods are chemicals that have no harmful
effects on adults may not be safe for children to consume.”
Reasoning: “Children need different foods as their bodies develop and grow. Because children’s
bodies aren’t as strong or as an adult’s, chemicals like alcohol or caffeine can have a dramatic effect
on their behaviour and health. Because children’s bodies are growing, chemicals may also affect
how they develop – children are what they eat. If a child consumes a lot of sugar and caffeine, their
brains and bodies may not develop in the same way as a child on a healthy diet.”
Example of bad evidence: “Caffeine binds better to adenosine receptors in the brain than adenosine
itself. This triggers the release of large quantities of epinephrine. In the short term this causes
increased alertness, but in the long term it can have an impact on impulse control by suppressing
serotonin production. The simulated stress response produced by consuming caffeine can also
contribute to insulin resistance.”
Why is this evidence statement bad?
This example of bad evidence is similar to example of bad reasoning above. It contains words and
phrases that most people will be unable to understand – unless they are chemists or doctors. A
debater that uses evidence of this type may be repeating information that he has found in texts
books or online while researching his argument.
Example of good evidence: “The chemicals that make up caffeine work by tricking your brain into
thinking that you are in danger. This causes you to feel more alert and to think and react faster. This
can make young people stressed and upset. A young person who feels stressed is more likely to
behave badly. If young people drink enough caffeine their bodies may find it difficult to break down
sugar, which can have other negative health effects.
As young people go through adolescence their bodies and brains experience lots of very
complicated chemical changes. If young people are allowed to consume a chemical that interferes
with these changes, they may experience health problems later in life.”
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4. “This rebuttal matters because…”
Explain why your rebuttal argument makes your opponent’s case less believable.
The last part of a rebuttal argument should focus your audience’s attention on the problems with your
opponent’s case that you explain in step 3.
Remember, a rebuttal argument is used to point out mistakes in a substantive argument, and a
substantive argument is used to make a case more believable. Steps 1 to 3 of a rebuttal argument will help
you to explain why a substantive argument is poor. Finish your rebuttal by clearly explaining to your
audience why that mistake will make is harder for them to agree or disagree with the motion.
Step 4 of a rebuttal argument is a little like the “link” at the end of a substantive argument. It
makes the big, bold ideas in another debater’s case tougher for an audience to believe in.
Examples: explaining why a rebuttal argument matters
Example 1
Motion: High caffeine energy drinks like Red Bull or Monster should not be sold to anyone under
the age of eighteen.
Affirmative side substantive argument:
Claim:
“Young people’s bodies are still developing. Foods and chemicals that have no harmful effects on
adults may not be safe for children to consume.”
Reasoning:
“Children need different foods as their bodies develop and grow. Because children’s bodies are
growing, chemicals may have a dramatic effect how they develop – children are what they eat. If a
child consumes a lot of sugar and caffeine, their brains and bodies may not develop in the same way
as a child on a healthy diet. As responsible adults, we have a duty to make sure that all children
start their adult lives with healthy bodies and minds that won’t put them at a disadvantage to other
adults.”
Evidence:
“Caffeine binds better to adenosine receptors in the brain than adenosine itself. This triggers the
release of large quantities of epinephrine. In the short term this causes increased alertness, but in
the long term it can have an impact on impulse control by suppressing serotonin production. The
simulated stress response produced by consuming caffeine can also contribute to insulin
resistance.”
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Negative side rebuttal argument:
Step 1 – “They say…”:
They say young people’s bodies are still developing, so foods suitable for full-grown adults to
consume may harm a young person. Our opponents say that energy drinks may cause long-term
damage to a young person’s brain and body, and that this damage will cause them problems in
their adult lives. Our opponent’s don’t do a very good job of explaining why energy drinks will cause
young people to become sick adults.
Step 2 – “We say…”:
We say that our opponents needed to explain how an energy drink could have a long term impact
on a child’s health. They have simply told you that it will. Because they haven’t given you any
detailed evidence, you should not believe them.
Step 3 – “Why we are right…”:
Why are we right? Instead of clearly describing how the contents of an energy drink like Red Bull of
Monster could hurt a child, or turn a health child into a sick adult, our opponents have used lots of
complicated technical phrases like “adenosine receptor”, “epinephrine” and “insulin resistance”.
We aren’t chemists or doctors, so we have no way of knowing what these words mean, and no way
of knowing if they connected to our opponents’ argument or just a clever-sounding collection of
letters.
Step 4 – “This rebuttal matters because…”:
This rebuttal matters because most people care a great deal about protecting children from harm.
Our opponents want to prove that allowing children to drink Red Bull will harm them in the longterm. However, our opponents have not explained how energy drinks are harmful to children.
They’ve used technical terms instead of clearly explaining the risks of energy drinks.
Example 2:
Motion: Cosmetic surgery should be banned
Negative side substantive argument
Claim:
“Banning cosmetic surgery would cause surgeons, their nurses and their secretaries to lose their
jobs.”
Reasoning:
“Cosmetic surgery is very difficult to carry out. Surgeons train for years to learn how to adjust
patients’ features without scarring them or causing long-term health problems. This means that
cosmetic surgeons have little knowledge of how to practice other forms of medicine. If cosmetic
surgery were to be banned, cosmetic surgeons would lose their jobs, and so would the nurses and
secretaries who support them.”
Evidence:
“A lot of people in industrial areas in the north of the UK lost their jobs when factories, car plants
and ship yards were closed in the eighties and nineties. These people have had trouble finding work
since that time, because, although they were very skilled at work involving cars and ships, there was
not demand for those skills. Cosmetic surgeons will find themselves in the same situation.”
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Affirmative side rebuttal argument:
Step 1 – “They say…”:
Banning cosmetic surgery will remove demand for cosmetic surgeons’ skills, which will cause them
to experience long-term unemployment, just like workers from the north of England.
Step 2 – “We say…”:
Cosmetic surgeons can easily find other medical work, and so can their secretaries and nurses.
Step 3 – “Why we are right…”:
This argument is poorly reasoned and its claim is irrelevant. In almost every rich country in the
world, cosmetic surgery is a luxury service that people pay large amounts of money for. As a result,
most cosmetic surgeons are extremely wealthy. If a cosmetic surgeon loses his or her job, they are
likely to have enough money saved to retrain to work in another area of medicine. If they don’t
want to retrain, experienced cosmetic surgeons will still be able to find work in hospitals repairing
disfigurements caused by injuries and illnesses.
Step 4 – “This rebuttal matters because…”:
The negative team are trying to encourage you to disagree with the motion by arguing that it will
harm cosmetic surgeons and they people that they employ. We have shown you that cosmetic
surgeons will not be harmed. They will be able to move to other jobs, and there will still be a
demand for their skills.
Rebuttal arguments can be rebutted
Rebuttal arguments can also be used to make other rebuttal arguments less believable. This can be a useful
way to defend an argument made by someone on your own team during a debate, which has been
rebutted by one of your opponents.
You can rebut a rebuttal argument by using step 2 (“We say”) and step 3 (“Why we are right”) to try
and fix the problem with your side’s original argument that your opponent’s rebuttal highlighted.
If one of your opponents uses a rebuttal argument to criticise the reasoning used in one of your
team’s substantive arguments, you can use step 3 in a rebuttal argument of your own to go back over the
reasoning in your original argument. This will give you another chance to try and explain your reasoning
clearly and simply.
If one of your opponents uses a rebuttal argument to criticise evidence used in one of your
substantive arguments, you can use step 3 in a rebuttal argument of your own to add a new example to
your argument, or to explain an old example using simpler language.
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Activity 13: Finding flaws
* Training aids for this activity are available on page 93. Read them and print them out before trying to
run this activity with a group of young people.
This activity will give you a chance to practice using four-step rebuttal arguments against different types of
substantive argument. Some of these arguments will feature irrelevant claims, or will be missing reasoning
or missing evidence. Some of these arguments will include a claim, evidence and reasoning, but one or all
of these ingredients contain mistakes.
Time to complete: 15 to 20 minutes
Step 1. Your trainer will split your group into smaller groups of 4 to 5 people.
Step 2. Your group will be provided with a worksheet that shows all of the arguments printed below.
Step 3. With your group, read through each of the arguments on the sheet.
Step 4. With your group, discuss whether the arguments are incomplete or contain mistakes.
Step 5. Check that the argument features a claim, reasoning and some evidence.
Step 6. If an argument does include a claim, reasoning and evidence, check that the claim is relevant to the
argument; that the reasoning is simple, clear and explains the claim in detail; and that the evidence
is something that a member of an audience will understand and believe.
Step 7. Working as a group, write out a rebuttal argument for each argument on the sheet that you have
identified as incomplete or badly put together.
Step 8. Your trainer will ask each group to read out one or two of the rebuttal arguments that they have
written.
Step 9. Your trainer will give your group feedback on the quality of its rebuttal arguments.
Arguments
 “Having sex before marriage should be a crime. This is because, according to lots of different holy
books, including the bible, having sex before marriage is a terrible sin. A lot of our other laws are based
on things that are forbidden by holy books, like theft and murder. Sex outside marriage should be no
different.”
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“Women were meant to stay at home and look after children. Only women can have children, so this
proves that child care is all that they are good for.”
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“Where there is smoke there is fire. This room is full of smoke, so there must be a fire somewhere in
this building.”
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“That boy must be a criminal because his father and his brother have both been in trouble with the
police before. Crime runs in families and the police never arrest the wrong person.”
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“You are from Germany. All people from Germany wear clothes and you are wearing clothes, so you
must be German. Angela Merkle, the leader of Germany, is often on television. When she appears on
TV she is always wearing clothes. This means all people who wear clothes must be German.”
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“Simon is healthy because he does not look sick. Healthy people do not look sick.”

“School uniform helps young people to see past their differences. Without school uniform, young
people would judge each other according to the brand and style of their clothes. With school uniform,
young people are more likely to communicate with each other, and judge each other by their interests
and beliefs, rather than appearance.”
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Activity 14: Rebuttal tennis
This activity will help you to practice replying to substantive arguments using rebuttal arguments. It will
also help you to start using rebuttal arguments to respond to other rebuttal arguments.
You will need to use a basketball, a football or a volleyball during this activity. If you cannot find a
light, textured ball, try rolling up a sheet of flipchart paper.
Time to complete: 30 with a small group, 40 minutes with a large group
Step 1. Your trainer will divided your group into two equally sized teams – team 1 and team 2.
Step 2. Teams 1 and 2 must stand in two lines, facing each other.
Step 3. Your trainer will announce a motion from the list below. Team 1 will be given a rubber basketball or
volleyball. Team 1 will have 3 minutes to prepare an argument that an affirmative team debating
the motion might use.
Step 4. After 3 minutes, whoever is standing at the end of team 1’s line closest to the trainer must explain
the team’s argument using clear, simple language, Team 2 will be given 3 minutes to think of a
rebuttal to team 1’s argument.
Step 5. The member of team 2 who was passed the ball from team 1 must clearly explain team 2’s rebuttal,
and toss the ball the next person in team 1’s line.
Step 6. The next person in team 1’s line must rebut team 2’s rebuttal argument and then toss the ball to
the member of team 2 standing opposite them. They may spend a minute talking to the other
members of team 1 before they explain their rebuttal.
Step 7. The next person in team 2’s line must then try to rebut team 1’s rebuttal, and toss the ball the next
person in team 1’s line. They will have a minute to speak to other members of their team before
they explain their rebuttal.
Step 8. Each debater in the line must try to rebut the previous speaker’s argument and then toss the ball to
the next person in the opposite team’s line, until one or other of the teams runs out of things to
say. Each debater in the line has one minute to discuss their rebuttal with other members of their
team.
Step 9. When a member of a team runs out of ideas, your trainer will pick a new motion and restart the
activity from step 1.
Motions
 Gambling should be illegal.
 Parents should not smack their children or use physical force to punish them for misbehaving.
 People who are convicted of very serious crimes should be executed.
 People who do not vote in national or local elections should be fined.
 Football teams whose fans use racist or homophobic language should be banned from taking part in
international leagues like the UEFA Champions League or the Europa League.
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Activity 15: Your first Toulmin debate
This activity will introduce you to a new style of debate, called a “Toulmin debate”. During Toulmin
debates, your group will be split into affirmative and negative teams. As we explained in Chapter 1, the
affirmative team’s job is to persuade an audience to agree with the debate’s motion. The job of the
negative team is to persuade an audience to disagree with the motion.
Before a Toulmin debate starts, debaters are put into either the affirmative or negative team at
random. You will not be allowed to choose which team you join. You must do everything you can to
convince an audience to support your side of the debate, even if you have to argue against a motion that
you would normally agree with.
Getting ready for the debate
Step 1. Your group will be split into two teams. Each team must contain the same number of people.
Step 2. Your trainer will toss a coin to decide which team will be speak for the affirmative side of the
debate and which team will speak for the negative side.
Step 3. Your trainer will announce the debate’s motion.
Step 4. Your team will be given 30 minutes to prepare its case and its arguments.
Step 5. Before the debate starts, your team should decide- together- who will speak first, second, third and
so on.
Step 6. Before the debate starts, the members of your team must stand in a line, in the order that they will
be speaking in. The other team will stand in a line facing your team.
Speaking in the debate
Step 7. The first speaker on the affirmative team always gives the first speech in the debate.
Step 8. The first speaker from the negative team speaks after the first speaker from the affirmative team.
Step 9. The second speaker from the affirmative team speaks after the first speaker from the negative
team.
Step 10. Speeches zigzag back and forth between the affirmative and negative teams until everyone on
both teams has made a speech. Someone from the negative team should always speak after
someone from the affirmative team, and vice versa.
Step 11. When someone makes a speech, they must stand at the front of both lines.
Step 12. Everyone who makes a speech is allowed to speak for a maximum of 90 seconds.
Step 13. Before a member of either team speaks, they must choose what type of speech they are going to
make from the list below. They must clearly announce the type of speech that they will make to
the rest of the group.
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Step 14. When it is someone’s turn to speak, they are not allowed to use more than one type of speech.
For example, someone who tries to make a new argument and a rebuttal argument during their
speech would be breaking the debate’s rules.
Step 15. If you have already made a speech or if you are waiting to make a speech, you may pass notes or
whisper to other members of your team. If you do so, you should do your best not to interrupt or
distract the person who is currently making a speech.
Step 16. You may not interrupt anyone who is making a speech.
Step 17. Your trainer will ask anyone who speaks for longer than 90 seconds to stop speaking. If someone
refuses to respect this rule, or any of the other rules of the debate, they may be asked to leave the
room.
Types of speech
1. A new argument
If you choose to make a new argument, then you give reasons why someone should agree
with the motion (if you are on the affirmative side) or disagree with the motion (if you are
on the negative side). This argument should include a claim, some reasoning and some
evidence.
2. A rebuttal argument
If you choose this type of speech, you should try to rebut and argument made by the team
opposite you. Remember to complete all four steps of a rebuttal argument – 1, “They say”
(summarise the argument you are rebutting); 2, “We say” (contradict the argument you are
rebutting); 3, “Why we are right” (explain, in detail, what was wrong with the argument
you want to rebut); 4, “Why this rebuttal matters” (explain why your rebuttal makes the
other team’s case harder to believe).
3. Defend a previous argument made by someone on your side of the debate
If an argument made by someone else on your team has been rebutted, you can try to
make it more believable by defending it. To defend an argument, start by repeating the
argument’s claim. Then add new reasoning or new evidence. If an argument was rebutted
because of its reasoning, try explaining its reasoning in a different way, in order to make it
clearer. If an argument was rebutted because its evidence wasn’t up to scratch, try to find a
new example that you can use to make the argument more believable.
4. Extend a previous argument made by someone on your side of the debate
Even if an argument hasn’t been rebutted, it can still be improved on. If you want to add to
an argument or fix mistakes someone else on your side has made, you can extend. To
extend an argument start by repeating the argument’s claim. Next, explain more about the
argument’s reasoning and/ or its evidence. You may want to explain the argument’s
reasoning in more detail.
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Objective 9: Understand how to debate in a calm, polite and respectful way.
Work through activity 16 to complete this learning objective.
During activity 16 your group will work with your trainer to design a pledge that your group will
follow when it practices debating and takes part in public debates. Before you move onto the next chapter,
make sure that you have printed copies of the pledge that you and your group can refer back to.
It’s very, very easy to get so caught up in a debate- especially one that is about your interests or the area
you live in- that you forget to rebut other debaters’ ideas, forget to make new arguments, or forget
important details of your team’s case.
It’s easy to get so upset or angry about the arguments other debaters (or members of an audience)
are using that you lose confidence, or shout, or swear, or insult other debaters instead of discussing their
arguments.
It’s natural to feel anger, frustration or other strong emotional reactions when you are taking part
in a debate. You will even feel these emotions as you get ready for a debate. The stronger you feel about
the debate’s motion, the stronger these feelings will be. Sudden emotional reactions are not persuasive
and will not help you to convince an audience to agree with your team’s case. This objective’s training
notes and activity will show you why and how to stay in control during a debate.
Training notes
Loss of confidence, confusion and anger are all signs that speaking in front of an audience (even if that
audience is just your trainer) is making you nervous. This isn’t unusual. One of the most commons phobias
(a source of severe fear and anxiety) is glossophobia – a fear of speaking in public. Below this paragraph,
you’ll find a few strategies that may help you control your nerves
1. Prepare
This is the best way to reduce the stress and nervousness you will experience during a debate. If you
prepare your arguments thoroughly and rehearse the debate with your team-mates, your speech and the
debate’s key ideas will seem more familiar. You should also make sure that any notes you want to use
during a debate are clear, and printed or written in large, easy-to-read letters.
2. Practice
Practice really does make perfect. Become familiar with something is one of the best ways to stop being
afraid of it. If part of a speech seems hard or difficult to understand, take every opportunity you have to
practice speaking or to find out more about that idea. Rehearsing speeches with your training group or
other members of your debate team is a good way to get familiar with the arguments they contain ahead
of a proper debate.
3. Breathe
When you are nervous, you will take short, shallow breathes. The air you breathe in will not reach the
bottom of your lungs, and you may start breathing faster. Breathing this way can give you a “hurried”,
panicky feeling. If you breathe deliberately deeply and slowly, more air will reach your lungs, which will
stop your brain from sending instructions to your muscles to make you breathe faster.
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Try putting your hands against your ribs while breathing slowly in and out. As you take in a breath,
your side should go out slightly, while your tummy moves in. Concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply
for a minute or two before you debate or take part in a debate activity. You will feel calmer.
4. Accept that you will make mistakes
When you don’t have much experience in public speaking you might find that you forget how to react when
something goes wrong during a debate. You may not be able to think of a response to one of your
opponent’s arguments. Questions by an audience member might alarm you. You may run out of time while
making a speech. In a TV program you could cut these mistakes out. In a film you could record a scene
again. In a debate this is not possible, but it is unlikely you will make the same mistake twice.
It is quite normal to make mistakes especially when you are just starting to debate. So, it’s ok if you
make mistakes; don’t be hard on yourself. Accept that it will happen. Most of the mistake you make will be
during DiN session in front of your trainer and your friends.
Ethical debating
Another explanation for disruptive behaviour during a debate is unethical speaking and arguing. What does
this mean?
All of the information on debating that you will find in this guide is based on reasoned argument.
Reasoned argument focusses on persuading people to believe in ideas or plans by giving them honest
information about their advantages and disadvantages and the people who they will harm and benefit.
Reasoned argument gives people the tools and evidence to make a good decision and trusts them to make
that decision themselves. “Unethical” arguments try to persuade people to believe an idea or support a
change to the world by scaring them, appealing to their prejudices, promising them unrealistic rewards, or
by trying to distract them or give them false information.
Reasoned arguments are hard to think up and hard to use in debates – that’s why we’ve written a
guide about them. Unethical arguments are easy to use and may even convince some members of your
audience that you are right. But if you use an unethical argument you will frustrate the other people who
are debating with you and may insult your audience.
1. Prepare properly
Plan and rehearse before a debate
You will annoy your audience and confuse the debaters who are speaking alongside you if you
don’t make any effort to prepare your arguments before you speak in a debate. Depending on how
much preparation time you have been given, you should try to rehearse and repeat your arguments
with the other debaters on your team.
Speak in a way your audience can understand
It may be tempting to try and sound clever by using technical terms that you have found while
researching a debate, but specialist words and phrases will only confuse your opponents and your
audience. Scientific and technical language is used by people who spend a lot of time dealing with
those subjects as a way to quickly express complicated ideas. You must understand that
complicated ideas are the exactly what your audience and your opponents need you to use your
skills to explain.
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Explanations matter more than competition
You may want to win a debate very badly, but you should never let this get in the way of sharing
new ideas and new information with your audience. If you have a choice between misrepresenting
an argument that is correct save for a very minor mistake, correct that mistake rather than
rebutting the argument. Always give other debaters the benefit of the doubt.
2. Argue responsibly
Don’t manipulate your audience
Everyone, but especially adults, carries a lot of anxieties and concerns around with them. Most of
these are linked to areas of life that those people are uncertain about. You should avoid the
temptation to try and get your audience to agree with you by exaggerating the damages and
dangers that your opponents’ ideas could cause. You will probably have more knowledge about the
subject of a debate than your audience, so don’t abuse your power by telling convincing lies.
Don’t appeal to your audience’s prejudices
Just because an idea is popular does not mean that it can’t be harmful. One of the most common
uses for debating is to find out whether popular assumptions and common knowledge are
accurate. People can get very upset when ideas that they thought were certain and accurate turn
out to be false, but if you have an option between making a true argument and making an
argument based on a popular mistake, make the true argument.
3. Attack arguments, not people
Don’t use name calling, personal insults or threats when you debate
Being rude to someone is not the same thing as making an argument. There’s no excuse for being
the first debater in a room to start name calling. On the same subject, two wrongs don’t make a
right. If another debater is rude to you, you may not respond to them in a similar way.
Don’t ignore your opponents or your audience
Frustrating as it may seem, the rule mentioned above also means that you can’t simply ignore the
arguments shared by your opponents or the views shared by an audience – no matter how strange
they seem or how angry they make you.
If you find yourself facing arguments that make you angry or that are hard to understand,
you have a duty to try you hardest to explain why the arguments upset you or why they confuse
you.
You also have a duty to respond to audience members’ questions or comments with the
same thoughtfulness and respect you would use for another debater, even if they are unclear,
poorly thought out or represent views that you personally disagree with.
Don’t exclude people from the debate
An “exclusionary” comment or argument is one that causes someone to feel threatened, belittled,
inferior or unwelcome in the debate. An exclusionary argument doesn’t have to demand that a
person or group of people be cut out of a debate for it to have that effect.
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Most exclusionary arguments are attacks on important parts of someone’s identity.
Exclusionary arguments may try to claim that someone is inferior or does not deserve equal
treatment because of personal characteristics that they cannot change or do not want to change.
Insults aimed at a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, religion, physical abilities or mental abilities are
all exclusionary.
Debate is inclusive and open to all. Debaters miss out on important ideas and perspectives
if they drive away individuals and groups of people by making careless exclusionary remarks.
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Activity 16: How would you react?
During this activity your trainer and the members of your group will work out strategies that will let you
cope with different types of unethical or challenging argument. You will also design a pledge that your
group can use to express its commitment to ethical debating.
Time to complete: 30 to 40 minutes
Part 1
Step 1. Your trainer will ask your group to sit in a circle.
Step 2. Your trainer will read out one of the statements printed at the end of this instruction sheet. Each of
these statements is an example of unethical debating.
Step 3. Make notes about the statement if you need to. Your trainer will give your group 2 minutes to think
of ways that debaters or audience members may react to the statement.
Step 4. Your trainer will ask members of your group to explain how others would react to the statement.
These explanations can be read out or acted out.
Step 5. Your trainer will give you 2 minutes of preparation time to think of ways in which debaters could
respond to the statement.
Step 6. When thinking up a response, try to use the speaking techniques discussed elsewhere in this
chapter.
Step 7. Your trainer will ask members of your group to explain how they would respond to the statement in
a debate speech.
Step 8. With your group, discuss the best approach to dealing with each statement. If responses suggested
by your group don’t measure up, try to improve them.
Step 9. Your trainer will repeat steps 1 to 5 until she has read through every statement.
Part 2
Working with your trainer, your group must write a pledge that anyone taking part in debate activities can
read to learn about the standards of behaviour and ethical conduct you think debaters should try to
achieve.




The pledge must be no more than one page long.
The pledge should be written in simple language.
The pledge can include the principles of ethical debating discussed above.
Research into acceptable conduct in a debate by other members of your group can also be
included.
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Activity 16 unethical debating examples
Example 1
“Ladies and gentlemen, we don’t really need to listen to any of the arguments that our opponents have
used. Why? Because none of them go to church. They follow a completely different religion, so there’s no
way we can trust them. If they can get something as simple and obvious as their faith wrong, why should
we believe that they can make complicated arguments?”
Example 2
“Our opponents say that banning alcohol would stop underage drinking and would also cut down on street
crime. We say that our opponents are wrong – banning alcohol would mean that the government could
eventually take away anything that you enjoy. Why are we right? Because the government was recently
caught spying on emails sent by millions of its own people. You should be afraid of the government –
they’re planning something.”
Example 3
“Before I start my speech, I want to congratulate the last speaker. Debating’s a very tough thing to do and,
for a girl, she’s done really well. A guy would have made better arguments, but let’s forget about that for
the moment.”
Example 4
“Ladies and gentlemen, everything that you’ve heard on the news and from politicians about immigration is
true. There are too many people trying to get into this country. We can’t see why our opponents need to
keep trying to argue this debate when plenty of newspapers and bloggers are already telling us the truth.”
Example 5
“Well, here we all are. I’m the first speaker for the affirmative team. I’m meant to set this debate up, but
I’ve really got no idea what I’m talking about. Guess I should just tell a few jokes and then let the other guys
get to it.”
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Chapter 3: Listening
This chapter is about the different ways in which debaters and debates’ audiences hear, understand and
remember cases, arguments and rebuttal. This chapter’s activities will train you to help a debate’s audience
remember and understand your speeches. You will also learn how to spot the mistakes that appear in other
debaters’ speeches – including irrelevant claims, bad reasoning and lies.
In chapter 1 you and the other members of your youth group were trained to take interesting and
controversial topics and turn them into motions and cases for debates. Remember –


A motion is a simple sentence that suggests changing something about the world or changing our
attitudes and beliefs.
A case is the outline of the different arguments that a debater plans to use to persuade members of
the public to agree or to disagree with a motion.
In chapter 2, you were trained to add detail to a case to make it more persuasive and believable.
You saw how substantive arguments can be used to explain a case. You were also trained to point out
mistakes and lies in other debater’s cases using rebuttal arguments. Remember –


A substantive argument is used to show an audience why they should agree or disagree with a
motion.
A rebuttal argument is used to point out problems with another debater’s arguments, and to convince
an audience that those arguments are not believable.
Your audience will only be able to understand how an argument explains a case if they can easily
remember the case and the argument you have linked it to. You will only be able to rebut other debater’s
arguments if you listen to those arguments carefully and then record them clearly.
Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you will…
10. Know how to help members of an audience pay attention to and remember your speeches;
11. Be able practice making quick, clear notes before and during debates;
12. Be able to use your speaking skills and listening skills together in a full-length debate.
Activities
Trainers will use the activities listed here to help you practice the skills you’ll learn in this chapter
 Problem solving activity: Comprehension
 Brainstorm activity: Passing a message
 Problem solving activity: Only words
 Debating activity: Speedy speech writing
 Media activity: Hunt the argument, summarise the argument
 Debating activity: A short 3v3 debate
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Important information



Time to complete: up to 6 hours
Number of activities in this chapter: 6
Materials needed: A whiteboard or flipchart; marker pens; note paper and pens (enough for all
members of training group); argument note sheets (you can find these in the resources chapter at page
92); rebuttal note sheets (you can find these in the resources chapter at page 93); a computer with an
internet connection.
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Objective 10: Helping members of an audience pay attention to and remember
your speeches.
To complete this objective, you must work through activity 17, activity 18 and activity 19.
All of this objective’s activities use worksheets and reading materials that can be found in the
resources section. If you are taking part in a DiN training programme (e.g. an IDEA training-of-trainers
session), rather than training young people yourself, you should not read the resources section before you
start this chapter’s activities.
When you take part in DiN training activities, your trainer will take notes on the speeches members of your
group make and the questions you ask. When you take part in a public debate, your audience will not be
making notes on your arguments. Note taking is hard work; the members of your audience will not have
the energy or dedication to write down all of the arguments made during a debate. This means that your
audience will not be able to accurately remember all of the arguments that your team make during a
debate.
A debate’s audience will only be able to recall a few of the arguments that you use, and they may
not remember an argument’s reasoning or evidence accurately.
Training notes
Stylish, funny and charismatic speakers will find it very easy to make their ideas stick in an audience’s head.
Unfortunately not everyone is naturally funny or charismatic. Humour and charm can’t be taught to
someone in the same way as argumentation or rebuttal, and there’s nothing annoying than watching
someone trying to be funny. But there are other ways to get an audience to pay attention to important
parts of your debate speeches.
By using repetition, description, headlining and highlighting you can make sure that audiences 1)
remember your arguments, 2) pay attention to your arguments when it counts, and 3) understand how
your arguments link to your case.
Headlining:
Newspapers and magazines use headlines, subheadings and bullet points to make the information they
container clearer and easier for an audience to read.
By spacing out written information and clearly explaining the subjects of articles, paragraphs and
lists to readers using simple words and phrases, newspapers gain reader’s interest and make their content
more memorable. You can do the same thing in a debate speech.



Try to turn your team’s case into a single, memorable sentence. Use this at the start of your speech to
remind your audience of the more detailed explanation of your team’s case. Your side will still need to
explain its case in detail at least once, but when you link arguments back to the case, you can use the
summary sentence in place of re-explaining the whole case.
Each of the substantive arguments that you will use in a debate speech starts with a claim. At the start
of your speech, tell your audience that your arguments will convince them to support your team, then
give a preview of each of your arguments by announcing its claim.
When you make an argument that you’ve previewed, repeat its claim and then explain the rest of the
argument.
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
Try giving your arguments catchy or unusual nicknames.
Repetition:
One of the best ways to make sure that your audience remembers your speech accurately is to repeat its
most important points. 1) Tell your audience what you are going to say, 2) say it, 3) repeat it, then 4) tell
your audience what you have said.
1. Tell your audience what you are going to say:
At the start of your speech, briefly introduce the case and arguments that you will be using.
2. Say it:
When you work through the claim, reasoning and evidence that make up your arguments, repeat
complicated reasoning or detailed evidence after you announce them.
3. Repeat it:
If you repeat an argument's reasoning or evidence, try to use shorter and simpler language with
each repetition.
4. Tell your audience what you have said:
Summarise your case and arguments in the last 30 to 60 seconds of your speech.
Description:
The more detailed you make an argument's evidence statement, the more believable it will be. Well
described arguments are also more memorable.
Evidence statements are a little like jogging someone’s memory. The evidence you use to make an
argument more believable should be something that most members of your audience already know about,
but might not be thinking of during your speech. However, your audience may need your help to pull this
evidence out of their memories.


Use metaphors, analogies and comparisons to highlight connections between your evidence and
similar knowledge and experiences that your audience may find it easier to remember.
Use two, three or four different evidence statements. There’s no limit to the amount of evidence that
you can use to support an argument’s reasoning. If you use lots of different real-world examples to
back up your claim, you are more likely to find an example that your audience will understand.
Highlighting:
Debating is unpredictable. Depending on the arguments your opponents use, different parts of your case
will be more or less important to the debate as a whole. You can’t guess what your opponents might say
during a debate, so an argument that you thought was unimportant may turn out to be the key to
disproving another debater’s case.
Because audiences won’t share the attitude and focus of a debate’s speakers and judges, they may
not understand which parts of a speech are most important. The best way to get audience member’s to pay
more attention to crucial rebuttal and substantive arguments is to point out how valuable they are.
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


If you are about to make an argument that is important to your case, say so. Don’t be afraid to tell your
audience, “This is a very important argument”, or “This argument will answer a lot of your questions –
so pay attention”.
When you link an argument’s claim back to your case (Remember – claim, reasoning, evidence, link),
tell your audience why that argument is important to your case.
You can highlight rebuttal arguments too. If you think that an argument you are trying to rebuttal is
especially inaccurate or misleading, tell your audience “This argument is not true, and we are going to
show you why”, or, “You’ll be making a big mistake if you believe this argument.
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Activity 17: Comprehension
When you have completed this activity, you will have a better understanding of how members of a
debate’s audience will listen to and remember your speeches. You will also understand the importance of
making notes before and during a debate.
Underneath this activity’s instructions you will find a news report about a man who tried to rob a
betting shop. The report is fictional, but is based on a real incident that was reported by a press agency. If
you are trying to run this activity with a group of young people, you will need to print it and read it; if you
are about to participate in this activity yourself, do not read it.
Time to complete: 15 minutes to listen to report and fill in question sheet, 20 minutes to complete group
discussions.
Step 1. Your trainer will ask your group to sit in a semi-circle.
Step 2. Your trainer will read out a brief news report about a man who tried to rob a betting shop. You
should listen to the report carefully. You must not take notes or talk to other members of the
group while the report is being read out.
Step 3. Listen carefully to the news report and make a note of any details mentioned in the report that you
think might be important.
You can find a copy of the report in the underneath these instructions. You can use it run
this activity with another group of people. If you haven’t taken part in this activity yourself,
please do not read it or bring it to DiN training sessions.
Step 4. Your trainer will give each member of your group a worksheet. The worksheet will contain 10
questions about the news report that you have just heard.
The worksheet’s questions are taken from a list that you can find underneath these
instructions. If you haven’t yet taken part in this activity, please do not read the list of
questions or bring it to DiN training sessions.
Step 5. You will be given 5 minutes to answer on the sheet. You may not talk to other members of the
group while you are filling in the sheet.
Step 6. When 5 minutes is up, write your name on your answer sheet and pass it to the person sitting to
your left. Your trainer will read out the answers to the questions. Mark the correct answers on the
sheet that you have been given with a tick.
Step 7. Your trainer will ask your group to raise their hands to indicate how many questions on their sheet
were answered correctly.
Step 8. Your trainer will lead a group discussion on the questions listed below –
1. Why do people find it difficult to remember information if they aren’t able to make notes and
reminders?
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2. What type of information would someone remember, even if they didn’t have a way to make
notes?
3. What could cause someone to remember an important fact in the wrong way?
4. What problems could be caused if someone’s memory of an important fact was not accurate?
Step 9. When this group discussion is finished, your trainer will lead a second group discussion on the best
way to make sure that debaters and non-debaters hear and remember the most important parts of
a speech. Your trainer might discuss the following topics –





Speaking in a clear, structured way
Headlining or announcing key arguments
Asking an audience to remember key arguments
Explaining to an audience why key arguments are important
Summarising key arguments before a speech ends
Activity 17 worksheet
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What type of business was held up?
What city did the robbery take place in?
What was the name of the shop the robber entered?
What type of toy animal did the robber use in the attack
When did the robbery happen?
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What town is the robber from?
What was the name of the stuffed toy the robber used?
Who handed over the money to him?
How much did he rob?
What is the name of the witness that followed the robber?
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
What was the color of the coat the robber tried to sell?
How many other items did the robber try to sell?
What was the name of the lawyer representing the defendant?
What was the name of the judge who tried the case?
What objects had the robber used when he carried out robberies previously?
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
How many different professions was the robber qualified to carry out?
Name the professions that the robber was qualified to carry out.
Was the robber employed at the time of the attack?
How much was the brave witness awarded?
What was the witness planning to spend his reward money on?
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Activity 17 mock news report
Robber jailed for 'armed' raid carried out with stuffed toy
(Based on Press Association wire report taken from The Guardian, Monday August 20, 2007)
A robber who held up a betting shop with a stuffed Giraffe toy that belonged to his girlfriend was jailed
today.
James Felini concealed the soft toy in a carrier bag and pretended it was a gun during the raid on the
Brokelads bookmakers in Leicester high street on December 27 last year 2006.
A member of staff at the branch handed over more than £800 in cash when he pointed the bag at her,
Leicester crown court was told.
Felini, 29, of Braunstone, pleaded guilty to the robbery, which was captured on a CCTV camera inside the
shop. Sentencing him to five years behind bars, the judge, Philip Thanatos, said: "It is right to record that
you did not have a firearm but you pretended you had. You intended to intimidate those you confronted,
and it must have been truly terrifying for them at the time."
The shop’s surveillance camera recorded Felini striding into the shop brandishing the "firearm" minutes
before staff were due to close for the day.
Jim Palmer, the prosecuting barrister, told the court: "The defendant pointed the item in the carrier bag at
the cashier. She immediately assumed it to be a firearm. In fact, what was contained within the carrier bag
was ‘Mister Snuffles’ a soft toy in the shape of a Giraffe, which belonged to the defendant’s girlfriend."
The cashier retreated behind the counter and he turned the imitation weapon on the shop manager,
demanding cash. She handed over £614 in till contents and other money, the court was told.
As Felini made his escape, the shop's only remaining customer, Wayne Smith, followed him outside.
"The defendant pointed the stuffed Giraffe in the bag at Mr Smith and warned him to not to stick his neck
out," said Mr Palmer. "Mr Smith then kept a discreet distance but kept an eye on the defendant and
watched where he went."
Felini visited a local pub "obviously flush with money", according to witnesses, and bought several of his
friends a round of drinks. Thanks to Mr Smith, the defendant's hat, worn in the robbery and containing his
DNA, was discovered nearby.
Felini also tried in vain to sell the stuffed Giraffe, the distinctive camel-coloured coat he had been wearing
during the raid, and almost every other item of clothing that he had with him at the time.
When he was arrested he denied any involvement in the robbery, but he later owned up.
The court was told that Felini, a drug addict, had a string of previous convictions dating back to February
2002, including shoplifting, failing to surrender to police officers and possession of heroin. He had
previously tried to carry out armed robberies using a teddy bear called ‘Cabbage’, an umbrella, a pair of
tap-dancing shoes and a potted plant.
In mitigation, Phil Newton, defending, said that Felini, a qualified chef, tree surgeon and engineer, had
fought a battle against drug addiction and had a "fragile" state of mind.
The judge awarded £500 to Mr Smith for his "very considerable courage". The giraffe was eventually
reunited with Mr Felini’s girlfriend, who has since left him. Mr Smith plans to use his reward to go on safari.
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Activity 18: Pass a message
This activity will help you to understand how structuring the information that you share in a debate speech
can help an audience to remember and reflect on the ideas that you want them to agree with. It will also
give you a chance to practice note taking.
Time to complete: 20 to 25 minutes to complete part 1, 15 to 20 minutes to complete part 2.
Step 1. Your trainer will split your group into four smaller groups. These groups will be known as group 1,
group 2, group 3 and group 4.
Step 2. Groups 2, 3 and 4 will be sent out of the room.
Step 3. The trainer will read a short news report about a traffic accident to group 1.
A copy of the news story used in this activity can be found underneath these instructions. If
you are due to participate in this activity, please do not read the story until the activity is
complete.
Step 4. Group 1 must listen carefully to the story. Group 1 are not allowed to make notes.
Step 5. When the trainer has finished reading the news story, group 1 will spend 2 minutes discussing the
story’s details. A member of group 1 should be chosen to repeat the story.
Step 6. When 2 minutes have passed, group 2 will be invited into the room. Someone from group 1 should
repeat the story to group 2. Group 2 are not allowed to make notes.
Step 7. Group 1 should now sit off to one side of the training space. Their role in the activity is over for the
moment. Group 1 are not allowed to talk or to interfere with the other groups.
Step 8. Group 2 will spend 2 minutes discussing the story’s details. A member of group 2 should be chosen
to repeat the story.
Step 9. When 2 minutes have passed, group 3 will be invited into the room. Someone from group 2 should
repeat the story to group 3. Group 3 are not allowed to make notes.
Step 10. Group 2 should now sit off to one side of the training space with group 1. Groups 1 and 2 should
remain silent.
Step 11. Group 3 will spend 2 minutes discussing the story’s details. A member of group 3 should be chosen
to repeat the story.
Step 12. When 2 minutes have passed, group 4 will be invited into the room. Someone from group 3 should
repeat the story to group 4. Group 4 are not allowed to make notes.
Step 13. Someone from group 4 should then be chosen to repeat the story to the trainer. The trainer will
take notes while she listens to the story.
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Step 14. Group 3 should now sit off to one side of the training space with groups 1 and 2. Groups 1, 2 and 3
should remain silent.
Step 15. When group 4 has finished re-telling the story, the trainer will read the original story one more
time. She will mark differences between group 4’s version of the story and the original story on a
whiteboard or flip chart.
Step 16. The trainer will run a group discussion that will cover the differences between the original story
and the story re-told by group 4. During the discussion, group 1, 2, 3 and 4 should work together to
try and answer the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Which parts of the story were changed or lost each time it was re-told?
Was any new information added to the story?
Which parts of group 4’s version of the story matched the original story?
Have any members of the training group experienced similar difficulties when communicating
information at work, at school or in other settings?
Activity 18 mock news report
Car crash on Epping High Street
A young man was driving a green Toyota along the Epping High Street in the direction of Loughton. As he
was circling a small roundabout opposite the fish and chip shop, another car, blue Ford Fiesta was
approaching the roundabout from a nearby junction, travelling very quickly.
The man in the green Toyota attempted to avoid the colliding with the blue Ford and swerved to
the right, driving onto the wrong side of the road.
The blue Ford clipped a Land Rover carrying a mother, father, four young children and a
grandfather. Despite the manoeuvre, the Ford Fiesta also managed to hit the Toyota by skidding to the
right side of the road after hitting the Land Rover.
All three cars involved in the collision were dented but luckily nobody, including a 5 month old baby
who was travelling in the Land Rover, was hurt. After taking everybody’s insurance details, everyone was
able to continue their journey.
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Activity 19: Only words
This activity will help you to practice summarising complicated arguments. You can also use it to practice
adding detail to your own arguments.
As you research and rehearse a debate you will become more familiar with the arguments and
ideas that are used in that debate. Often, you find yourself using short phrases or single words to refer to
complicated ideas. For instance, you may mention an organisation or a business during your speech, but
forget to explain what that organisation does or how it could affect your argument.
The more time you spend adding descriptions to those basic words and phrases, the more likely it is
that you will remember to use descriptions in a debate speech, and the more likely it is that those
descriptions will be short and to the point.
Time to complete: 15 minutes
Step 1. Your trainer will split your group into pairs. One of your pair will be called person 1 and the other
person 2.
Step 2. Person 1 and 2 should take two chairs and arrange them back to back. person 1 and person 2
should sit in a chair.
Step 3. The trainer will hand out sheets containing ten words. person 1 and person 2 will each receive a
different sheet.
Step 4. person 1 will go first. She must try to define each word on her sheet without using that word and
without using a synonym for that word. person 2 must try to guess the word that is being defined.
e.g. If you are person 1 and the first word on your sheet is “forest”, you should try to describe a
forest to your partner. You may not use words that have the same or a similar meaning as the
word “forest”, such as “woods” or “woodland”.
Step 5. When person 2 guesses a word correctly, person 1 should try to define the next word on her sheet.
Step 6. Person 1 will have 5 minutes to try and define as many words as possible for person 2. When 5
minutes have passed, person 2 must try to define the words on his sheet, and 1 must try to guess
the word that is being defined.
Step 7. Person 2 will have 5 minutes to try and define as many words as possible for person 1. When
person 2 has run out of time, person 1 and person 2 should compare the number of words they
were able to guess correctly.
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Sample word list 1
1) Book;
2) Pizza;
3) Child;
4) Apple;
5) Window cleaner
6) Flowers;
8) Sunrise;
9) Happiness;
10) Science
Sample word list 2
1) Curry;
2) Cheese;
3) Hospital;
4) Fish and chips;
6) Computer;
8) Skiing;
9) Comedy;
7) London;
7) England;
5) Rocket
10) Religion
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Objective 11: Practice making quick, clear notes before and during debates
To complete this learning objective you must work through activities 20 and 21.
You should try to practice activities 20 and 21 as often as you can. Most of the activities in this
guide are designed to be repeated during DiN training sessions, but to get the most out of note making
exercises you must revisit them regularly.
You’ll get lots of opportunities to make notes during debates, but debates aren’t the only activity
that makes use of structured arguments. You can practice note taking by reading papers and magazines or
by watching the news.
There's no way to avoid taking notes before or during a debate. Activities 16, 17 and 18 have shown you
memory is not a useful tool for recording complicated information and ideas. Even though debaters will be
more focussed than members of an audience on the speeches that are made and responded to during a
debate, they will still find it difficult to remember details of those speeches.

If you write down important parts of other debater's speeches, you won't forget to discuss them
during your own speech.
Debating is a very stressful activity, and good ideas and bad arguments can easily slip your mind.

If you take notes as other debaters speak, you can also be sure that that information is accurate.
If you rely on your memory without making notes, then even if you can remember chunks of
another debater's speech, you will forget important details, like names, places and numbers.

Taking notes will also help you feel more confident and secure when it’s your turn to make a speech.
If you get distracted or your confidence slips a little, all you need to do to get back on track is
pause, then look down at the notes you've made before and during the debate.
Making notes might seem fussy or annoying at first, but the more you practice the skill, the easier it
will become.
Training notes
Taking notes on one, two or three speeches can seem daunting. The good news is that you’ve already been
practicing planning and arranging your notes. In fact, if the other people taking part in your debate have
been paying attention during training sessions, they’ll organise your notes for you.
You've been trained to think of your speech as a case that is explained by one or more arguments.
If you think back to chapter 1, you'll remember that a case is made up of five important questions. As you
prepare for a debate, you'll try to answer each of these questions, and then explain your answers using
substantive arguments.
Arguments can be broken into claims, reasoning statements and evidence statements. Weaknesses
or mistakes in substantive arguments should be explained using rebuttal arguments.
Cases, substantive arguments and rebuttal arguments all have a structure, and this means that the
notes you take before and during a debate can easily fit into that structure. If you use the following tactics
and tips during activities and debates, you’ll be able to record the most important parts
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Making notes about your case
When your team prepares its case before a debate, work from a sheet of paper that already has the five
important questions written on it (1. What do you want to change? 2. Why do you want to change it? 3.
Where do you want your change to happen? 4. How do you want your change to happen? 5. Who will be
affected by the change?)




Write out each part of your case as answers to the five important questions.
Make sure that each answer begins with a clear, single-sentence response.
When you have worked out your single sentence response, add more detail using extra sentences.
Make sure that all members of your team keep checking your case when they write out their own
arguments.
This chapter’s resources section includes case sheets that have the five important questions already
printed on them.
Making notes about other debaters’ cases
When you have used the five important questions to create the case your team wants the audience to
believe, do the same thing for your opponents’ case.
If you are the affirmative team in a debate, you will need to go through the steps explained in
objective 5’s training notes when you think about the cases the negative team might try to use. If you are
on the negative team, think about the debate as if you were the affirmative team: think of the best way to
create the change that the motion wants the affirmative team to bring about.
Making notes about your arguments
When you create the arguments that you will use to explain your case divide a piece of note paper into
four separate sections – one for your claim, one for your reasoning statement, one for your evidence
statement and one section for your link.
1. Making notes about your claim




In the claim section of your notes, write out your claim as a single sentence.
Your claim section should also include a headline for your claim. Think back to objective 10 – a
headline consists of a memorable, unusual title that you can use to preview your claim at the
start of your speech.
Keep your claim short and sweet.
Try writing your claim out using large letters and bright ink – this will help you to spot each of
your argument sheets if you are using a large amount of notes.
2. Making notes about your reasoning statement

Do not write out your reasoning statement using full sentences and paragraphs.
o If you do, your speech will sound artificial and scripted. Audiences will find it less
persuasive.
o If you write out your speech like an essay or a piece of school work, you’ll struggle to
answer questions from other debaters persuasively, because you’ll find it tougher to
change the order of your points to respond to attacks or new information that is added
to the debate.
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
Instead of writing out full sentences…
o Discuss your reasoning statement with the other debaters in your team. Repeat your
reasoning statement until you are sure that you and your teammates understand it.
o Note down keywords from your discussion – important terms that will help you to
remember what each sentence in your statement should explain to your audience.
o Note down phrases that you can use to start the sentences that make up your
reasoning statement. e.g. “This claim is true because people prefer to behave in this
way…” or “We can explain our claim by explaining why police officers discriminate
against young men living in inner city neighbourhoods.”
3. Making notes about your evidence

Do not write out your evidence statement using full sentences and paragraphs.
o If you write out your evidence statement in full, and then read it to your audience, you
will sound as though you are reading from a script, rather than talking directly to your
audience. This will make your speech less persuasive.

You may use newspapers, magazines and online sources to search for examples that you can
use to explain your reasoning. You should only note down the most relevant information in
each article you read or video you watch
o Writers often use the techniques explained on pages 73 to 75 to attract readers’
attention, but you should cut these out of your speech. Focus on the important details
of the examples themselves.
o If you find a statistic or a quote that you want to use in a debate, don’t just write it
down. Numbers and words aren’t persuasive on their own. Always add a few words to
your notes that will help you to explain what statistics and quotes mean and why
they make your speech more persuasive.
o If you write down a statistic or quote that you think might be useful, double check it to
make sure that you wrote it down accurately.
Making notes about other debaters’ arguments
When your opponents speak you should listen carefully for any announcements that they make about the
structure of their speech. These will be short and will appear at the start of their speech. Write them down
– they will help you to understand your opponent’s case, and to spot any arguments they forget to make.
If your opponents don’t explain how their speech will work, don’t panic. You can use the notes
you’ve made about their case to give you an idea of what to expect.
We’ve added some tools to the resource section on pages 91 to 93 that will help you make notes
on other debater’s arguments. These include
 Argument sheets
Each argument sheet is split into two columns and four rows. Make notes about the claim, reasoning and
evidence that other debaters use in their arguments in the left-hand column. Make notes about any
problems you spot in the argument in the right-hand column
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 Rebuttal sheets
Each rebuttal sheet has space for you to write down notes about each part of a four step rebuttal
argument. It also contains reminders of mistakes that often appear in substantive arguments.
1. Making notes about another debater’s claim


Try to write down the debater’s claim as accurately as you can. This is the only place in your
notes where you will need to use full sentences.
Use simple symbols to quickly show whether you think a debater’s claim is relevant to the
debater’s case. You might use crosses and ticks, or “x” and “o”.
2. Making notes about another debater’s reasoning statements



Use key words and partial sentences when you make notes about a reasoning statement.
If you need to write down a long word quickly, try leaving out its vowels. You should still be
able to understand the word when you next check your notes.
Make a note of words or phrases that a debater keeps repeating. The more repetition a
debater uses, the more important the argument he is making is likely to be.
3. Making notes about another debater’s evidence statements




Write quickly, using key words and partial sentences.
Mark your notes if your opponents’ evidence matches or contradicts the results of any research
you have done.
Makes notes about a lack of detail in evidence statements. The less detail your opponents’
include, the less confident they are likely to be that they know and understand the claim they
are trying to support.
Check whether or not an average member of your audience would be able to understand the
evidence statement. If you are struggling to make sense of an example, it may be a sign that
your audience will struggle to understand your opponents’ evidence too. Mark your notes to
make sure that you remember to point this out to your audience.
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Activity 20: Speedy speech writing
In this activity you will practice writing speeches for other debaters to deliver. You won’t have enough time
to write a speech using full sentences and paragraphs, so you will need to focus on communicating using




Key sentences
Short sentences
Keywords
Markings and symbols
The best way to practice writing concise and useful notes is to get feedback on them from other
debaters. If you can write notes that someone else can pick up and quickly turn into an argument, you can
be sure that you’ll be able to put them to good use in a debate yourself.
Don’t forget that during most debates, you’ll also need to pass notes to other debaters on your
team – not all debates allow teams to speak to one another during speeches. These notes need to be
legible, and they need to make sense.
Time to complete: 45 minutes with a small group, 60 minutes with a large group
Step 1. Your trainer will split your group in to smaller groups of 4 or 5 people.
Step 2. Your trainer will give each group a number (i.e. 1, 2, 3 and so on).
Step 3. Before the exercise continues, one person in each group must volunteer to be a “speaker”.
Step 4. Your trainer will give each group a sheet of paper containing a motion. The members of each group
will also be given note paper and writing materials. The groups will have exactly 20 minutes to
write out an affirmative side speech for the motion on their sheet of paper.
Step 5. Groups must not communicate with other groups while they are writing their speeches.
Step 6. Each group must mark its number on the papers they write their speech on.
Step 7. After 20 minutes has passed, each group even numbered group must swap speeches with an odd
numbered group. (i.e. after 30 minutes group 1 might give all of the sheets of paper that contain
their speech to group 4. Group 4 would give all of the sheets containing their speech to group 1).
Step 8. Each group will have 10 minutes to read through the speech they have been given. Groups may not
add new words of notes to their speeches.
Step 9. When 10 minutes has passed, each group’s speaker should stand up and deliver their speech.
Group 1 should go first, followed by group 2, then group 3, etc.
Step 10. Speakers’ speeches must be no more than 5 minutes in length.
Step 11. After all of the speakers have made their speeches, your trainer will lead a 10 to 15 minute
discussion on good and bad note taking strategies used by each group.
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Activity 21: Hunt the argument, summarise the argument
During this activity you will practice you note taking skills by searching for arguments that appear in TV
news programmes and recordings of politicians’ speeches.
You will use argument sheets to record points made by journalists, members of communities and
public officials and then discuss how you could rebut and respond to the points that they are making, and
whether you could improve those points.
Time to complete: 60 minutes with a small group, 75 minutes with a large group
Step 1. Your trainer will give every person in your group several argument sheets and some rebuttal sheets
to go along with them. Do not write on either sheet until you are told to do so.
Step 2. Your trainer will ask your group to sit so that you can all see a projector screen or a TV. Once you all
have a good view, get your argument sheet and your pen ready.
Step 3. Your trainer is about to show you a series of clips from TV news programs and public debates.
Before she plays each clip, your trainer will give you a sheet of paper that explains the background
to the speech or debate you are about to watch. Read this sheet carefully.
Step 4. Background information on all the clips used in this activity can be found on pages 89 to 90 below.
Step 5. As you watch each clip, use your argument sheets to record each claim, reasoning statement,
evidence statement and link that you hear.
Step 6. The speeches you’ll see in some clips contain rebuttal arguments too. Use rebuttal sheets to record
these.
Step 7. When you write out arguments that appear in the videos, don’t try to write full sentences. Use
keywords, bullet points and partial sentences to help you write quickly. Remember: with a little
help, your memory can fill in the blanks.
Step 8. Make a note if you think that an argument you are watching is poorly structured or unclear. The
people speaking in the videos used in this activity will make mistakes. They may forget to use
headlining and highlighting. They may also miss out parts of their arguments – including reasoning,
evidence and links.
After your group has watched each clip, your trainer will run a group discussion on the
following questions –
1. How much information were individual members of the group able to record as they watched
the clip?
2. Were there any key phrases that were repeated frequently during the debate? What did these
key phrases mean?
3. What claims were the people taking part in each debate were trying to get their audience to
believe?
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4. Did the people who appeared in the clip try to structure their speeches/ points? Were they
using any of the points?
5. What claims were made during the clip?
6. How were these claims reasoned out?
7. Did the people who appeared in the clip use evidence to back up their claims?
8. Did the people who appeared in the clip try to rebut arguments made by the other
participants?
Clip 1
CNN interview with youth leader and academic on causes of the 2011 London riots, August 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGEAMZTCyo
This is a clip taken from an interview by the international news broadcaster CNN with a prominent London
Youth leader and a writer who specialises in studying social breakdown. The journalist conducting the
interview has asked his guests to try and explain the cause of the mass rioting that took place in London in
2011.
Clip 2
Interview with comedian Russell Brand, November 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3PalrfEF4g&t=4m49s
This clip shows part of an interview with the well-known comedian Russell Brand. Brand’s outspoken views
on politics and society gained a lot of attention during 2013. The journalist conducting the interview
repeatedly asks Brand to explain his opinions.
Clip 3
Russell Brand appears at the Commons Committee on Drug Addiction, April 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LHuII-jYQ
This is another clip featuring Russell Brand. In this clip, he is invited to explain his opinions on treating drug
addiction and punishing drugs users for their behaviour by a group of politicians who are responsible for
checking up on the government’s attempts to fight drug dealing and drug use.
Clip 4
Mehdi Hasan debates the motion “Islam is a religion of peace” at the Oxford Union, April 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy9tNyp03M0
In this clip the writer Mehdi Hasan gives a speech for the affirmative side in a debate on the motion “Islam
is a religion of peace”. Listen carefully to the rebuttal arguments he uses to respond to the case made by
the negative-side debaters who spoke before him.
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Clip 5
David Silverman debates the motion “Religion harms society” at the Oxford Union, May 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9zds4U3L4s&t=0m49s
In this clip an atheist named David Silverman speaks on the affirmative side of a debate on the motion
“Religion harms society”. He makes some dramatic mistakes during his speech. Listen carefully for a badly
structured rebuttal argument and evidence statements that his audience struggles to accept as true.
Clip 6
Dizzee Rascal’s News Night interview, December 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQvOgwUOuVw&t=2m15s
In this clip, a journalist asks hip hop artists Dizzee Rascal and a member of the UK’s House of Lords a
number of questions about racial diversity in politics. How do Dizzy Rascal’s arguments compare to the
points made by the other guest on the show?
Clip 7
David Cameron’s speech for England’s 2018 FIFA World Cup bid
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9248956.stm
The UK’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, makes a speech to try and convince football’s international
governing body to hold the 2018 World Cup in the UK.
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Training Resources
1. Sample Case Sheet
Motion:
Question 1: What do you want to change?
Hint: Repeat the motion and define any difficult or new words that appear in the motion.
Question 2: Why do you want to change it?
Hint: Explain the problem that the motion is going to solve, or the improvements that the motion will make to the
world.
Question 3: Where do you want the change to happen?
Hint: Which neighbourhoods, towns or countries are home to people who are affected by the motion? Do you want to
start making changes in a small area or do you want to start with a big area first?
Question 4: How do you want your change to happen?
Hint: What rules will you need to change to make the motion happen? Will you need to build something or hire
someone to make the motion happen? Which people will you work with to make the motion happen?
Question 5: Who will be affected by the change?
Hint: Explain who will benefit from the change you want to make to the world. Who will be made happier and freer by
your motion? Explain who will be harmed by your motion too.
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2. Sample Argument Sheet
You can also use this sheet to record arguments made by your opponents, so that your side can respond to
them later in a debate
My Argument
Claim
What do I want the audience to believe?
Reasoning
Here is how I will explain my claim to the audience using clear, simple language:
Evidence
I will use these real-world examples to show my audience that my claim is true:
Link
Here is how I will remind my audience that my argument means they should vote for my side at the end of
the debate:
Useful notes about my argument
Headline
How would summarise my argument in a single sentence:
Rebuttals by the other team
Have my opponent’s in this debate tried to rebut my argument? How can I rebuild my argument?
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3. Sample Rebuttal Sheet
“They Say…”
Summarise the argument that you want to rebut. Don’t go into too much detail.
“We Say…”
Tell your audience which part of your opponent’s argument is weakest: its claim, its reasoning or its
evidence.
“We are right because…”
Explain the problem with the argument’s claim, reasoning or evidence. Remember, there might be
problems with lots of different parts of the argument.
“This rebuttal matters because…”
Explain why the rebuttal argument you have just made should make it harder for the audience to believe
your opponent’s substantive argument and their case.
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Objective 12: Practice using your speaking skills and listening skills together in a
full-length debate
To complete learning objective 12 you must work through activity 21 – a full debate. Unlike the other
debates that you took part in while you were working on chapters 1 and 2, this debate does not limit the
types of argument that you can use when you speak. You should use a mixture of substantive arguments
and rebuttal arguments to convince your audience to agree or disagree with the motion.
You will not get to choose which side of the debate (affirmative or negative) you speak on. Like
activities X and X, the affirmative and negative sides of this debate will be chosen using a coin toss.
Activity 22: A short 3v3 debate
This activity will put all of the skills explained in chapters 1 and 2 to the test. Only six people can take part in
each 3v3 debate, so other members of your group will play the role of audience members; they’ll make
speeches of their own and will help to judge how persuasive your speeches were.
Time to complete: 60 minutes with a small group, 120 minutes with a large group
Getting ready for the debate
Step 1. Your trainer will pick two teams of three people from your group.
Step 2. The teams will toss a coin to decide who will speak on the affirmative side of the debate and who
will speak on the negative side.
Step 3. Your trainer will announce the motion that the teams will be debating. There is another list of
motions at the end of this
Step 4. Your trainer will announce how much preparation time the teams will able to use while they get
their arguments ready. Depending on how much practice the members of your group have had, the
teams will be given more or less preparation time.


Teams should never be given less than 30 minutes of preparation time.
Teams should never be given more than 1 week of preparation time.
Step 5. Depending on the amount of preparation time the teams in the debate have been given, they
should either go somewhere quiet to talk and plan among themselves or plan out how they will
research their side of the debate’s motion.
Step 6. The affirmative and negative teams are not allowed to prepare together.
Step 7. One the day of the debate itself, the trainer will arrange seats and tables in the room where the
debate is taking place so that they match the diagram below.
[DIAGRAM]. [Two rows of three chairs for either team, set up either side of a table or lectern. Rows of
chairs for the audience should be set up facing the team. The chair person should sit either in the front
middle row of the audience or just behind the debaters.]
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Step 8. Before the debate starts the members of both teams should decide the order that they will be
speaking in. i.e. if Dave, Sam and Carl are on the affirmative team, they may decide to let Carl speak
first, followed by Dave with Sam giving their team’s final speech.
Step 9. Before the debate starts, the trainer must choose someone to chair the debate. If this is your very
first short 3v3 debate, the trainer may chair it herself.
On the day of the debate
What does the chairperson do?

All short 3v3 debates have a chairperson. The chairperson is responsible for doing the following
things:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Using a stopwatch to time the debaters’ speeches
Announcing the motion at the start of the debate
Announcing the name and the position (see below) of each debater before they stand
up to speak
Warning debaters if they speak for too long
Warning debaters if they use aggressive or exclusionary language
Using a stopwatch to time audience questions and speeches
Deciding which members of the audience will be allowed to ask the debaters questions
How long will speeches last?

All debaters on both teams may only speak for a total of 4 minutes.

The chairperson will start timing a debater’s speech with stop watch when the debater starts
talking.

The chairperson will clap once when a debater has been speaking for 3 minutes.

The chairperson will clap twice when a debater has been speaking for 4 minutes. When this
happens, the debater should finish their speech.

The chairperson must ask a debater who speaks for longer the 4 minutes and 15 seconds to
finish their speech straight away.

Question time (see below) should not last for more than 15 minutes.

Audience members should not spend more than 1 or 2 minutes asking a question to a debater
or making a short speech of their own.
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What order do the teams speak in?

The first debater on the affirmative team always gives the first speech.

The second speech in the debate is given by the first speaker on the negative team.

The third speech in a debate is given by the second speaker of the affirmative team.

The fourth speech in a debate is given by the second speaker of the negative team.

After the debate’s fourth speech, the chairperson will give the audience the chance to make
short speeches of their own or to ask the debaters questions.

When the audience have finished asking questions, the fifth speech in the debate is given by
the last speaker of the affirmative teams.

The sixth speech in the debate is given by the last speaker of the negative team.
Order of speaking
1st speech
2nd speech
3rd speech
4th speech
5th speech
6th speech
Speaker’s title and team
First speaker, Affirmative team
First speaker, Negative team
Second speaker, Affirmative team
Second speaker, Negative team
Break for audience questions
Third speaker, Affirmative team
Third speaker, Negative team
Time
4 minutes
4 minutes
4 minutes
4 minutes
15 minutes
4 minutes
4 minutes
What do debaters have to speak about?

The debaters who are speaking on the affirmative team must try to convince the members of
the audience to agree with the motion.

The debaters who are speaking on the negative team must try to convince the members of the
audience to disagree with the motion.

Depending on the order that a debater is speaking in, they will have to try and complete a
number of tasks during their speeches. Each of these tasks will help the audience understand
the motion and will help the other debaters taking part understand their opponents’ case and
ideas.
The first speaker on the affirmative team must…
1. Clearly describe the affirmative team’s case by answering all five important questions (1.
What do you want to change? 2. Why do you want to change it? 3. Where do you want
your change to happen? 4. How do you want your change to happen? 5. Who will be
affected by the change?)
2. Explain part of the affirmative team’s case in more detail by using at least one substantive
argument
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The first speaker on the negative team must…
1. Clearly describe the negative team’s case by suggesting reasons why the audience should
disagree with the debate’s motion. These reasons should be based on the five important
questions explained in chapter 1 (see page 17).
2. Use at least one rebuttal argument to explain a mistake or a contradiction in the first
affirmative speaker’s case or substantive arguments.
3. Explain part of the negative team’s case in more detail by using at least one substantive
argument.
The second speaker on the affirmative team must…
1. Quickly recap the affirmative team’s case.
2. Re-explain any parts of the affirmative team’s case that have been rebutted by the first
negative team speaker.
3. Use at least one rebuttal argument to explain a mistake or a contradiction in the first
negative speaker’s case, rebuttal or substantive arguments.
4. Explain part of the affirmative team’s case in more detail by using at least one new
substantive argument.
The second speaker on the negative team must…
1. Quickly recap the negative team’s case.
2. Re-explain any parts of the negative team’s case that have been rebutted by the second
affirmative team speaker.
3. Use at least one rebuttal argument to explain a mistake or a contradiction in the first
negative speaker’s case, rebuttal or substantive arguments.
4. Explain part of the negative team’s case in more detail by using at least one new
substantive argument.
The third speaker on the affirmative team must…
1. Summarise a speech or question by an audience member that supports the affirmative
team, or rebut a speech or question by an audience member that supports the negative
team.
2. Rebut arguments made by the first or second negative team speakers.
3. Summarise the arguments made by the first and second affirmative team speakers.
The third speaker on the negative team must…
1. Summarise a speech or question by an audience member that supports the negative
team, or rebut a speech or question by an audience member that supports the affirmative
team.
2. Rebut arguments made by the first, second or third negative team speakers.
3. Summarise the arguments made by the first and second negative team speakers.
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