This Blog has now moved to idebate.org/worlddebating - all future posts will be made there!

13 December 2005

Preparing for Worlds 6: Arguments

Preparing for Worlds Post 6: Arguments
This comes from the same handout I took the "debating on first principles" post from. I used it for a quick prep with some worlds teams a couple of years ago but now I am not sure where I pulled all the info from. I'm sure I didn't write most of it but I don't know where it came from. Probably a mailing list somewhere. Apologies to the person who did write it for not crediting them. UPDATE: After some comments and e-mails I think the bulk of this came from Dan Neidle's guide from the British Debate mailing list. Dan was a Worlds finalist so he knows what he is talking about.

- Must be logical
- Must be relevant
- First, identify what you have to prove under the topic.
- Then, identify what helps you to prove it. Put them in the format of an argument or a set of arguments.
- Not everything that you know on the subject is relevant.
- Anticipate the questions that may be raised against your arguments and see if you have good answers to them.
- Block the opportunity for those questions to be raised by addressing them briefly as you explain the argument.
- Present the arguments in order of their strength.
- Avoid empty rhetoric and emotionalism - be rational
.

See also the Presentations in the first Preparing for Worlds post on Worlds Style

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.