NationStates Jolt Archive

Can anyone point out some good resources for improving one's debate skills?

I feel I am a fair to average debater, but I would really like to hone and improve my skills. I am sure there must be some good guides out there...

Join a Model United Nations program or a debate club.

mock trial clubs. OR, just sit on here for 20 minutes 3 days a week and you'll be in the best debating shape of your life.

mock trial clubs. OR, just sit on here for 20 minutes 3 days a week and you'll be in the best debating shape of your life.

False! I sit here at least an hour every day of the week, and I still suck:p

at least look at a few common logical fallacies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_fallacy

Thanks, I don't really have a lot of spare time to join a club, I guess I'm looking more for a treatise on the finer points of debating, or written pointers on debating do's and dont's...

Thanks, I don't really have a lot of spare time to join a club, I guess I'm looking more for a treatise on the finer points of debating, or written pointers on debating do's and dont's...

no flaming, no personal attacks, try not to look mad, dont for any reason try to comprimise with the other side.

Can anyone point out some good resources for improving one's debate skills?

I feel I am a fair to average debater, but I would really like to hone and improve my skills. I am sure there must be some good guides out there...

Two Words: Victory Briefs!!

http://www.victorybriefsdaily.com/

Insults work the best.. like " oh yeah? Yo mamma is a cum dumpster" or refer to someone as a racist/nazi/bigot/hitler/jewhater. Those two things will always allow you to win. :)

Thanks, I don't really have a lot of spare time to join a club, I guess I'm looking more for a treatise on the finer points of debating, or written pointers on debating do's and dont's...I guess I could share a bit about what works for me..
a few basic/simple pointers... If you do want my advice.

no flaming, no personal attacks, try not to look mad, dont for any reason try to comprimise with the other side.

don't violate godwin's law, don't relate your opponent to hitler/communists/terrorists. all you do is destroy your own credibility.

Look up some of jocabia's posts and emulate how he does it.

Also be prepared to do your homework and back your points with quantitative difficult-to-dispute facts whenever practicable.

don't violate godwin's law, don't relate your opponent to hitler/communists/terrorists. all you do is destroy your own credibility.


liar...-cough- we all know you love hitler. so don't even try to argue outta this one!:p

don't violate godwin's law, don't relate your opponent to hitler/communists/terrorists. all you do is destroy your own credibility.

Avoid logical fallacys, because if you get caught on one then your argument's dead.
The converse of this would be that you should look for logical fallacys in your opponent's posts.
Don't load a post with gun smileys. Ever.
Insist on sources for EVERYTHING. If they don't give them, call them a liar.

Always always always do your research! Nothing sucks more than someone proving you to be horribly wrong and you stand there looking like a doofus.

Heh, Doofus. That's a funny word.

To summarize so far-learn the logical fallacies, but don't belabor them. You can always tell the cats that just learned them because they spend all of their posts going 'OMG! Beg the Question!" Actually, hardly anyone gets called on that here and it happens a lot, but you get my point.

Ultimately, it's not enough to notice it's a logical fallacy, you have to be able to demonstrate why and how the argument doesn't work. (My frustrating one, because I'm for the legalization of weed, is 'Alcohol is legal and worse, so pot should be.' This is actually an argument to make alcohol illegal more than it is to make weed legal and thus a poor argument because it's a fallacy.) If you just yell "Fallacy!" and point, then you look like you're half way through your English 1A or equivalent class.

Asking for sources is good, finding your own is even better. Far too often people will harass for sources and start to gloat only to have the person come back with one. The burden of proof technically is on the person who made the claim, but laboring that doesn't move the argument. Finding a source that contradicts the claim is much more effective.

Try and get your source as close to the original as possible. This is why bloggers aren't that reliable. They're for the most part just culling feeds and putting things together on their own with out review. You're better off going to the sources that they went to. If it's a study, try and find the actual study rather than a report on it. Try and look at the source that you're using. If they have a bunch of ads that cater to one political ideal, then it's probably not the best site. You always have to ask why they are reporting it. Don't use some one's opinion in an article as a source to back something up. A million Elvis fans can be wrong.

On this, the more sources the better. If something seems fishy, find many more sources and compare them critically to get to the core of the matter. The following are not sources:
Your e-mail.
Something you heard.
Anything by a pundit.
Your ass.

If it's an anecdote of some kind, go to scopes.com first, it's likely to be false.

The best thing to do is actually try and understand what and why the other person thinks what they do. Don't be reductive and assume they're an idiot, assume they're a smart cat who just got something wrong somewhere and you're helping them find where it is.

Don't add things to their ideology by association. This is pretty common here as well and makes both sides claim the other is inconsistent (in American political debates specifically). Just because someone is against the war, for example, doesn't mean they are a vegetarian. Just because someone is for the war doesn't mean they're against abortion. Make sure you're only arguing claims the person themselves have made.

Don't guess. If you've heard it somewhere, find it. If you think it's one way, check to see if it really is.

Avoid emotional pleas. Which means don't make them and don't cater to them. "Won't someone please think of the children" is not an argument. If someone put an opinion on the board you are not persecuting them to debate it. You are doing nothing to their free speech. They are not a victim.

Don't do any of the following:
Declare yourself the winner.
End an post with "'Nough Said."
Use gun smilies. Really, in a debate, avoid smilies all together. They make you look juvenile.
Defend any action with the action of someone else who did something worse. Didn't work with your mom, doesn't work in a debate.

Actually, on that-try your best not to follow red-herrings. When someone is cornered they will often go, "Oh yeah, well. blah' when blah has fuck all to do with what you where talking about. Don't follow it, stay on topic.

Write your debate for the third party reader. Don't get caught up in getting the other to admit defeat or change their mind but rather to sway the 'audience.' They may not be swayed one way or the other but it keeps you from getting too personal.

Don't look at my posts for examples. Sometimes I just wing it. Though sometimes you can see me getting caught out to underline why you should keep the other things in mind.

Finally, if it's important, spell check. Nothing sucks more than to make a strong point only to have someone respond with some crappy spelling correction.

Good luck.

Can anyone point out some good resources for improving one's debate skills?

I feel I am a fair to average debater, but I would really like to hone and improve my skills. I am sure there must be some good guides out there...

Do forensics! Look up your state or region's forensics league, and find a list of schools that have teams, and local tournaments. You can go on a team or as an independent competitor, and it's a ton of fun, and great for your rhetorical and analytical skills.

Forensics is awesome.

no flaming, no personal attacks, try not to look mad, dont for any reason try to comprimise with the other side.

And when you are nailed on something; don't try to talk your way out. It only makes you look pathetic.

Thanks for all the pointers.