Decision-making is tough. There are situations in life where the choices we make are complex, and a single wrong move puts our very own lives at risk. Even the most simple scenarios like what food to eat or what clothes to buy requires hours of thinking and analyzing. You may also see Expense Worksheet Examples in PDF.
One way of tackling decision-making is through debates. There is a misconception of debates being practiced only by politicians, lawyers and other government people, but debating can be done by anyone and everyone. Debating is helpful in everyday life because in any situation or any location, a debate can commence. Among the skills you can learn from debating are critical thinking and listening, analytical skills, research and verification, information processing, creative thinking, communication, and most especially persuasion. You may also see Budget Worksheet
Even if the matter to be debated on is not trivial, it still feels good if you can express what you feel. It is through debates that we get a chance to express our views and feelings in an orderly fashion while also gaining an open-mind as we the hear the opinions and comments of the other party. You may also see Goal Setting Worksheets – PDF.
A debate is actually a type of a competitive and two-way conversation, in which the goal is to win the argument and persuade someone, not only the other party, but more particularly the third-party observers. You may also see Alphabet Worksheet Examples in PDF.
Aside from helping us make up our minds when we making a crucial or trivial decision, debating has other benefits and here are some of them:
Whether you are in the affirmative or negative side, make use of this tips in order to win every debate that you will be involved in:
Keep in mind that in every debate, the only opinion that matters is the opinion of the judge and definitely not yours. Put yourself in the shoes of the judge, listen to your opinion, and ask yourself some questions that would help you improve your argument. Do not assume that your audience already understood your entire argument just because you have understood it yourself. Remember that the audience is one of your judges too. Listen carefully to your own argument and see if it’s also convincing as you as you play the part of the audience. You may also like Self-Assessment Worksheet Examples in PDF.
It is important that in every argument that you make, keep in mind to always compare it with the argument of the other side. Weigh the relative importance of both yours and the other team’s arguments and the claims that had an impact and draw out the points where your argument has proven more. This is why you also have to keep track of the other team’s arguments so that you will not miss the parts where you could make a comparative claim out of. You may also check out goal setting worksheets
Even if you know you are losing the debate, keep your cool, compose yourself, keep your poise, and most of all, be graceful. If people will see this as arrogance then just let them dwell on such a close-minded opinion. Being graceful even in the face of defeat means that you were confident in the arguments you and your team had made. Remember when you do not believe in your own argument, how can you expect the listeners to get on your side? Momentum can easily shift in an debate so stay confident. You may also like debt worksheet examples in pdf
Sure, your arguments have great points but there are times that you forget about the evidence you gathered which can add more impact to your arguments. If you want to gain an advantage and additional credibility, referring constantly to your evidence is the surefire way to win a debate. Your claims and arguments might be questioned by the opponent and if you do not rely on your gathered evidence, you will surely feel helpless in answering your opponent’s questions. You may also check out alphabet worksheet examples in pdf
Evidence can also be a great tool in making a memorable rebuttal (but make sure you have introduced the evidence prior the rebuttal since you cannot anymore introduce additional information during rebuttals). And giving a point to your opponent will be useless if you do not have any evidence to support your claims in the first place. You may also see coaching worksheet examples
The common saying that goes “united we stand, divided we fall” fits the whole debating situation. Even if you or one of your teammates have strong and meaty arguments that could easily take down the other party, you will surely lose if there is no cooperation between the team. What if your partner or one of your teammates have mediocre arguments? You can always share some tips to boost his confidence and realign his focus during the debate. You may also like resume worksheet examples in pdf
Keep in mind that judges can identify whenever who in the team are not doing their part in the debate. Even if the point system, particularly in a classroom setting, is based on individual performance, it can still affect the whole team because in a debate, the overall performance of the team will determine the result. You may also check out biography worksheet examples
We hope you have learned a lot from this article on debating, not only about winning arguments but also about critical-thinking and decision-making.
