Debate Exercises
You will be asked to debate some of the "hot
topics" in the field. You may be asked to debate an issue
that you do not fully agree on. This is an excellent way to develop
oral communication skills and sensitivity to the views of others. Debating
helps sharpen students' research skills, and with practice, it can improve
critical thinking ability.
For This Assignment:
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Remember that your job is to persuade.
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Come loaded with documentable facts. Charts, graphs,
and other visual aids will help you make your point.
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Use your expert power to help persuade.
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Look, dress, and act like an expert.
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Anticipate your opponent's arguments, and be prepared
with counterarguments.
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Speak slowly.
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Make frequent eye contact with your audience.
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Use gestures to emphasize important points.
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Vary your voice tone and volume to emphasize important
points.
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Don't take it personally.
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Practice or you might look and feel foolish.
Debate Format
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Group #1 speaks for NO MORE than five minutes.
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Group #2 speaks for NO MORE than five minutes.
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Group #1 rebuts for NO MORE than three minutes.
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Group #2 rebuts for NO MORE than three minutes.
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Group #1 gives closing arguments of NO MORE than two
minutes.
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Group #2 gives closing arguments of NO MORE than two
minutes.
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Questions from the audience. (Members of the audience
are required to prepare three questions each prior to debate time. They
may ask other questions, however, based on the information provided by
the speakers during the debate.)
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Each member of the audience will complete the assessment
instrument by providing both a numerical rating and a written commentary
on each of the four assessment criteria. The audience's scores will be
averaged. This number will be averaged with the instructor's rating and
will serve as the final score for the debate. If the instructor feels
that the student's rating are innapropriate, they will be thrown out and
only the instructor's ratings will be used for grading purposes.
Click below to access the debates: