Debating Tips and Strategies
does not use cards at all, the other is already on
A. Before The Debate
1. Brainstorm together with team members so that
everyone knows about the points and any
rationale. There is no time for private
explanations while you are onstage. One of the
worst things a debater can do is bring in a point
that his teammates have not been told about.
2. Do research. Intensive, extensive and
exhaustive. Know anything and everything about
your topic and anything else that may be related.
When you are informed about your topic, you will
find it very easy to talk around your opponents.
3. Prepare an overview (team strategy & summary
of points) to help you focus during your
quarantine hour. This overview will also help the
team stay on one common track.
4. Ensure that you know the marking scheme.
Make sure that you fulfil your quota for
marks/points.
5. Ensure that you know the rules in place during
the debate. It is a pity to lose because of
disqualification for reasons such as incorrect
clothing or late registration.
6. Learn about logical fallacies for these will help
you analyse opponents’ logical development and
pinpoint mistakes.
7. Prepare palm cards or flip notepads. The
notepads should fit nicely into a debater’s palm.
Palm cards should be numbered to help keep
them in order. Keep them neutral in colour.
8. Keep one point on one card or note page.
9. Ideally, a debater uses cards only as prompting
devices. A good debater never ever resorts to
extemporaneous speech. Should both teams
use cards as a crutch, the winner will be the one
with the better points or delivery. But if one team
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the brink of losing.
10. Prepare blank note paper, palm cards and pens
to bring into the quarantine room.
11. Always assume that your opponents will be as
prepared and as articulate as you.
Preparation of Presentation
12. A good basic structure for the points of your
speech would be : Point A : Topic Sentence +
Explanation + Example
13. Pick and choose the words that are going to
come out of your mouth. If Lady Margaret
Thatcher can spend days over her choice of
words in a ten-minute speech, so can you.
14. Use Plain English. In a booklet written for the
then Victorian Premier Sir Rupert Hamer, Plain
English was described as
“the use of the right words, in the right way,
to convey our meaning in the clearest,
simplest, shortest and most courteous way
that is possible. It is the job of Plain English
to tell the other person
naturally & unaffectedly,
pleasantly & persuasively,
what we want him to know.”
15. Ensure that you have no problems with the
pronunciation of words. If you have a problem
with a particular word during practice, you are
bound to mispronounce it during the debate.
16. Make it clear that the intention of any
presentation is to persuade and not to inform.
Use persuasive phrases and tones.
17. Keep points clear and simple. If you cannot
make your point within the first two sentences,
you will ‘lose’ the judges and your audience.
Elaboration can be done AFTER you have made
your point.
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Debating Tips and Strategies
18. Try to end by restating your team’s stand so as to
leave the audience/judges clear where your
stand is concerned.
19. Use clear verbal markers in your speech. Such
as ‘My first point.’ Or ‘Number one.’ This is to
ensure that the judge knows where you are in
your speech.
20. Understand and believe your points before any
attempt to memorise your speech. If you don’t
believe your points, it will show during the
debate. Although parliamentary style debate
implies that there should be no memorising, it
can help for you to work out the logical sequence
of your persuasion.
21. Try your best to think of at least 20 rebuttal points
for each stand. You won’t have time to think of
them during your debate. Write each rebuttal
point on a piece of heavy card for easy
distribution during the debate. A piece of paper
tends to fly away, which may amuse the
audience but to your detriment.
22. Prepare a rebuttal for every point.
23. Prepare a rebuttal for EVERY rebuttal.
PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE….!
B. During The Debate
1. Always bear in mind that while onstage, you are
being judged. Even while you are seated.
2. Show team solidarity through your dressing and
your actions. For example, the team members
may dress in similar blazers and sober colours.
The other team members may stand as their
compatriot goes to the microphone.
3. If possible, test the mike before the debate. Pay
attention to any echo or sound feedback. If there
is an echo, speak slowly so that you do not ‘fight’
with your own echo.
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4. Do not fiddle with the mike. If there is
interference, do not apologise for it. Let your first
words be ringing words of persuasion.
5. Stand squarely on your feet. Do not shuffle and
move around. This makes you look anxious.
6. When seated, try not to slump or hang over your
compatriots. If you need to talk, just lean slightly
to your side and whisper the minimum of words.
Keep your face turned towards the judges, the
speaker or whoever is speaking at the moment.
7. When speaking & using cards or loose paper, do
not place unwanted pieces on the table. Move it
to the back of your handful of cards/paper.
8. Clothing. Men should be in long sleeves and
pants. Women should pay attention to necklines
and hem lengths. When onstage, hemlines look
at least two inches shorter than they actually are.
Remember, judges will be seated with a bird’s
eye view of the stage.
9. Listen attentively to debaters. Judges get a
negative impression when they notice that those
seated are too busy talking or writing to listen.
Remember that a debate is about responding to
other people’s points and not the delivery of
prepared points.
10. ‘Bite down’ on your words and choose which
words to emphasise. If you emphasise
everything, then there will be no ‘punch’ in your
presentation.
11. Make sure that you keep your rising tones to a
minimum. A rising tone, especially at the end of
a sentence, implies that you are not sure.
12. Keep in mind that you are trying to persuade your
audience. So try to sound warmly persuasive
and keep the artfully chosen hostility to a
minimum.
13. Work out the timing of your points delivery and
always give yourself an extra two minutes for the
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Debating Tips and Strategies
opposition to ‘waste’ on POI. As long as you
have delivered your points, it doesn’t matter if
you sit down ahead of time. Take your time; it
belongs to you. However, bear in mind that
judges may penalise you for not making full use
of your time.
14. Black Out Moments. Never say ‘ah.. ah…’.
Say ‘Ladies and gentlemen’ and give everyone
offstage a good stare (as if you’re driving a point
home) or just keep quiet.
15. POI :
 Take your maximum and do not accept extras.
 When you give the opposition a chance to open
their mouth, you give them the chance to impress
the judges. Remember they are sitting safely at
the side and you are in the middle.
 Keep a list of phrases or sentences for the
purpose of rejecting or cutting them short.
 A good strategy would be to take the first two
POIs for these would come early in your
presentation and the opposition would not have
heard much of your points yet. (Less of your own
words for them to ‘play’ with).
 Be careful of sounding as if you are merely
evading the question.
 Keep rejections to words of a single syllable.
 Keep poetry for the literature class.
 Learn to cut people short in a polite and decisive
manner.
 Judges are keeping their eye out for how quick
teams are at responding to any of the opposing
teams’ rebuttals for this would mean that they
can think fast on their feet (a requirement of any
excellent debate team)
16. Don’t ever bring a sheet of paper out to the front
with you. It flaps noisily, reflects light and
distracts people. If you need to have your
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speech written down, do it on palm cards or flip
notepads.
17. Always always look confident and sure even if
you don’t know what you’re talking about.
18. Don’t ever use yourself as a model or example
for you are NOT infallible or perfect. You should
use generally accepted examples such as our
Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, Tunku Abdul
Rahman etc.
19. Never apologise or admit that the opposing team
is correct.
20. Try not to say anything about the other team
wasting your time. Unless this is cleverly said, it
merely makes you sound as if you have nothing
better to say.
21. Leave the stage in a manner that does not invite
negative criticism and be polite at all times.
C. After The Debate
1. Keep notes and scripts in a clearly labelled file.
These should go into your debate archive which
should be under the care of a particular teacher
or student. The archive should have a secure
and permanent place in the school resource
centre. Regard the loss of such invaluable and
irreplaceable material as a tragedy.
2. Have a post mortem and view the videotape of
the debate. If possible, convert the tape into a
VCD so that it can be stored longer without fear
of deterioration.
3. Compile a list of strengths and weaknesses as
well as strategies for improvement. Make a plan
for improvement. For example :
 Begin exposing students to the debating culture
by opening a Gavel Club (Toastmasters’
programme)
 Organise debating sessions at school
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Debating Tips and Strategies
 Be more aware of teaching students to be  Avoids over-dramatisation and shouting for
sensitive to the logical development of an emphasis
argument. Even if this means that they will be  Avoids distracting mannerisms
practising on you (re : Love is a Fallacy, by Max  Uses pace, pause and projection to good effect
Shulman)  Employs the effective use of gesture, posture and
 Start cultivating a pool of debaters, rather than eye contact
leaving it to chance. A good speaker is trained,  Is done with impeccable timing
not born.
4. Record the conclusions of the post mortem for Online Resources
future reference.  A book ‘Influencing Through Argument’ by Robert
Huber http://debate.uvm.edu/huber/huber00.html
Good Rebuttals All Around  Tips on Learning How To Debate; policy debating
The opposing speaker was giving an analogy, and parliamentary debating
comparing students with chickens. http://debate.uvm.edu/learndebate.html
POI
 Tips on Learning How To Coach a Debate Team
False Analogy! A chicken is not a student. You
http://debate.uvm.edu/learncoach.html
cannot compare a student to a chicken.
 An Article About Parliamentary Debating
Response
http://debate.uvm.edu/meanyparli.html
I am aware that a chicken is not a student. But I am
 Logical Fallacies : The Fallacy Files
focusing on the underlying message.
http://gncurtis.home.texas.net/
 Fallacies http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
Possible rebuttal to that ?
 Stephen’s Guide to the Logical Fallacies
You cannot draw a supportable conclusion from
http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/
premises that are not true.
 Max Shulman’s Love Is A Fallacy
http://www.dissension.com/logic/loveisafallacy.ht
An effective presentation
ml
 Has decisive openings and conclusions
 Exhibits a logical development of theme
It’s a good idea to read Max Shulman’s short story so
 Is original
that you will have an idea how knowledge of logical
 Avoids cliches, buzz words and colloquial
fallacies can be used to defeat an opponent in an
expressions
argument. That is, IF the opponent opens himself to
 Uses words which are carefully chosen such a defeat.
 Uses accepted pronunciation (Oxford or
Macquarie dictionary)
 Pays attention to the use of correct grammar
 Contains a careful and limited use of quotations

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