Benefits of Acquiring Debate Skills: Tips to Become a More Persuasive Speaker (Part 3)

Here are some techniques for the cross-fire segment in debates

Listening before Reacting (Active Listening)

Reacting, dissenting, and attacking are our natural reactions when confronted with opposing viewpoints. This aggressive posture is more protective of our own interests. Actually, your opponent is more likely to anticipate you to vigorously defend your stance during an argument! The first step is unconventional: surprise the person you are arguing with by pausing to hear their worries before responding to the arguments as well.

The ability to listen intently and actively is the pertinent communication skill in this situation. We would draw attention to the distinction between actively listening and passively hearing as a formality. The former is merely lip service; if your rival sees how eager you are to make your argument, it will be obvious that you are not interested in or sincere about it. The latter entails a sincere desire to fully comprehend the viewpoint, justifications, and worries of the other party. This goes beyond simply waiting for your turn to speak while sitting there calmly. You should give your full attention to your counterpart and try to understand what they are saying. This is more likely to disarm them and get them to react to you in a friendly manner because it reverses their expectations for your behaviour!

Critiquing the Content and Sources of an Argument

Effectively critiquing an opponent’s argument entails assessing both the argument’s substance and the reliability of its sources (for example, if the source of a piece of data or statistic is biased and highly prejudiced, it casts a pall over the support it lends). Start by pointing out logical flaws (i.e. fallacies, cognitive biases) that undermine their reasoning, such as hasty generalizations, slippery slope, ad hominem, straw man, or false dilemmas. Does the evidence cited come from trustworthy, objective publications that are based on opinions are not as credible as peer-reviewed research and reputable organizations? Examine the information’s accuracy and relevance because out-of-date or cherry-picked facts might distort reality.

Finally, besides learning how to “zoom-in” to scrutinize the sources and evidence, learn to “zoom-out” as well to take into account the larger context; remarks or figures can occasionally be deceptive when taken out of context.

For example:

If the other party quotes a report that states, “Crime rates increased by 10% in ABC city last year,” but carelessly or intentionally omits the larger context that crime had previously dropped by 50% over the past five years, the statistic may create a misleading impression of widening crime issue.

Formulating Your Response In A Structured Way (P.E.E.Ca.R.L)

When it comes to impromptu speaking, we also teach our students to fall back on the P.E.E.Ca.R.L structure (one of the multiple impromptu speech structures that we will impart to our students) by calmly and systematically stating your (we will provide the truncated version here instead – P.E.E.L):

Point (e.g. “Playtime is important to a child’s development”),
Explain (“e.g. “because it provides opportunities to learn skills not found in classrooms”),
Example (e.g. “such as socializing, communication, leadership skills.”),
Link back (e.g. that’s why I think playtime is important for all-round learning).

All in all, gaining proficiency in debate is a great way to advance both professionally and personally in terms of persuasive communication, critical thinking, or public speaking. Check out our Speech Excellence Program (comprehensive 12-month public speaking course for children) for a comprehensive course for children to hone their presentation and interpersonal communication skills (month of December’s topic will be debate!)