The Key elements of a debate Are the proposition (affirmation to be debated), the parts (individuals who support or not the proposition), the speech (message to support or not the proposition, the judge (moderator) and the decision (taken by the judge) Argumentation, central axis of the concept.
He debate Is a process through which opinions are debated, rebutted, supported and defended. Many have defined the debate as the game of argumentation, since it consists in presenting, refuting and debating arguments.
In addition to being the game of argumentation, debate is a model of communication since two or more parties (which act as emitters and receivers) and a message (constituted by the interventions of the parties) are presented.
Essential elements of a debate
1- The proposition
The proposition is the resolution that the parties must support or refute. It usually comes in one of the following formats:
Having accepted that X , so Y Is true / false.
Yes to is B Y B is C , so to is B .
That the X They are Y .
Propositions are always presented in an affirmative format, this does not mean that they must be taken for granted.
One of the most common problems that arise around the proposition is that the parts of the debate use arguments that are not 100% related to the proposition.
2- The parties
The parties are the individuals or groups involved in the debate. Every debate must involve at least two parts: one in favor of one affirmation and one against it. The work of the parties is to convince the judge that their position is the right one.
In addition, the parties should study their opinion in depth. Debating is not about taking a side and then saying that this is better. The debate includes a thorough research process by the participating individuals.
3- The speeches
The debate game revolves around discourses that are presented by each of the parties. In these discourses, the arguments that support or reject the proposition are presented.
Speeches are usually subject to time: in most debates there is a time limit, which regulates the intervention of each of the participants. Usually, these interventions do not exceed ten minutes.
Because the intervention time period is short, the parties must be able to present their arguments correctly, relying on the economy of language and persuasion to achieve the desired effect.
4- The judge
On many occasions, debate participants and viewers consider that it is the duty of the parties to convince the opposing party. This idea is false. There is no debate to convince the opponent, he debates to convince a third party: the judge.
The duty of the parties is to present their arguments in such a way that they are able to convince the judge or the judges.
The judge's duty is to determine which of the parties has presented the arguments in the most efficient manner, which has used 100% arguments related to the proposition. In short, which of the parties has won the debate.
5- The decision
In general, it can be said that the debate is a subjective game. Repeatedly, the loser feels that he presented his arguments better than his opponent.
This is largely because the decision of who wins and who loses depends on the judges, who are human beings with preconceived ideas and opinions.
In any case, the number of judges is usually more than one, so that the decision of the winner is more or less impartial.
You may be interested Who Participates in a Debate?
Central element of the debate: the argument
Having accepted that debate is the play of argument, it can not be denied that argument is the central element of the debate. Without this, the speeches of the parties would not make sense, so the judges could not make a decision.
Every argument must have five aspects: perspective, development, clash of ideas, refutation and defense.
1- Perspective
The perspective is the point of view taken by the parties in the discussion when presenting their arguments. If the party is in favor of the proposition, then his outlook will be positive.
2- Development
This refers to the way in which the ideas that support our point of view are exposed. It is not enough to present the argument however well that it is, but must be developed.
3- Shock of ideas
This is the moment in which the ideas of one side are faced with those of the other side, which is an essential part of the debate.
Refutation
The refutation occurs when one of the parties presents arguments proving that the opinion of the other party is not valid. These are known as counterarguments.
In order to be able to refute correctly, the party must pay careful attention to the intervention of its opponent. It is the duty of the party to find weaknesses, inconsistencies and flaws in the arguments of the opposing party.
5- Defense
Counter arguments can not be ignored by the defense, but must be answered. The part whose argument is being refuted defends its opinion through arguments that invalidate the counter arguments.
Refutation and defense are repeated in cycle: ideas are presented, refuted, defended and refuted again until the conclusion of the debate.
Other elements of the arguments that are also worth mentioning are description, explanation and demonstration.
The first two, the demonstration and the explanation, allow to develop the arguments in an efficient way. The third element, the proof, is used when words are not enough to prove that the opinion of one of the parties is correct.
References
- What are the Parts of a Debate? Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from classroom.synonym.com.
- Five Elements to Every Debate Round. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from chrisjeub.com.
- Daniel Paulnock. Elements of Debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from danielpalnock.efoliomn.com.
- Elements of Debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from people.uncw.edu.
- Five elements of a debate round for beginners. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from monument publishing.com.
- How to debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from www.sfu.ca.
- Some elements in the debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from jstor.org.