Debate is a game where two people or teams make speeches to support their argument. In debate it is important to use strong facts and strong reasons to make your argument effective. These skills will help you become more effective at expressing your opinion.
Strong facts and reasons have the following qualities:
- It logically supports the opinion.
- It is specific and states the idea clearly.
- It is convincing to a majority of people.
Look at the following examples of strong reasons or weak reasons. Which is a stronger reason?
- Topic: Smoking shouldn't be allowed in public places because:
- It is bad
- It makes your breath smell horrible
- It creates second hand smoke, which is harmful to nonsmokers
- It causes lung cancer
Using the strongest reasons are important for all arguments.
Once you have determined the strongest reasons, you need to find support for those reasons. Giving support for your reasons is helpful for making your argument stronger. Here are examples of support that you can give to each reason:
- Statistics
- Common known facts
- Examples from your life
- Opinions from an expert
Example
- Statistics:
- Secondhand smoke causes about 250,000 respiratory infections in infants and children every year, resulting in about 15,000 hospitalizations each year.
- Common Sense:
- Everyone knows / if...then / it's common knowledge that Secondhand smoke is very unhealthy for nonsmokers.
- Examples from your life:
- For example / for instance / let me give an example. Whenever I go to a restaurant or bar and there are people smoking near me, I feel that I am breathing their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don't want to be.
- Expert Opinion:
- According to.../ to quote.../ the book _____ says...According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year."
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.