ELEMENTS OF A DEBATE: WHAT ARE THEY AND WHAT ARE THEIR FUNCTIONS? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The key elements of a debate are the proposition (assertion to be debated), the parties (individuals who support the proposition or not), the speech (message to support or not the proposition, the judge (moderator) and the decision (made by the judge), as well as argumentation, central axis of the concept.

Debate is a process through which opinions are discussed, disputed, supported, and defended. Many have defined debate as the game of argumentation, since it consists of presenting, refuting and debating arguments.

Besides being the game of argumentation, the debate is a communication model since two or more parties are presented (which act as senders and receivers) and a message (made up of the parties' interventions).

Essential elements of a debate

1- The proposition

The proposition is the resolution that the parties must support or refute. It is usually presented in one of the following formats:

Having accepted that x, then y is true / false.

If a is b and b is c, then a is b.

That the x's are y's.

Propositions are always presented in the affirmative format, this does not mean that they should be taken as true.

One of the most common problems that arise around the proposition is that the parties to 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. Any debate must involve at least two parties: one in favor of a statement and one against it. The job of the parties is to convince the judge that their position is the right one.

In addition, the parties must study their opinion in depth. Debating is not about taking a side and then saying that it is better. The debate includes a thorough research process by the participating individuals.

3- The speeches

The debate game revolves around speeches that are presented by each of the parties. In these speeches, the arguments that support or contest 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. In general, these interventions do not exceed ten minutes.

Because the intervention time is short, the parties must know how 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 spectators consider it the duty of the parties to convince the opposing party. This idea is false. It is not debated to convince the opponent, it is debated 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 judges.

The judge's duty is to determine which of the parties has presented the arguments in the most efficient manner, which has used arguments 100% related to the proposition. In short, which party 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 is up to the judges, who are human beings with preconceptions and opinions.

In any case, the number of judges is usually greater than one, so that the winner's decision 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 game of argumentation, it cannot be denied that argument is the central element of debate. Without it, the speeches of the parties would not make sense, so the judges could not make a decision.

Every argument must present five aspects: perspective, development, clash of ideas, refutation and defense.

1- Perspective

Perspective is the point of view that the parties to the debate take when presenting their arguments. If the party is in favor of the proposition, then their outlook will be positive.

2- Development

This refers to the way in which ideas that support our point of view are presented. It is not enough to present the argument, however consistent it may be, but it must be developed.

3- Clash of ideas

This is the moment when the ideas of one side clash with those of the other side, which is an essential part of the debate.

4- Refutation

Rebuttal occurs when one of the parties presents arguments that prove 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 his opponent. It is the duty of the party to find weaknesses, inconsistencies and flaws in the arguments of the other party.

5- Defense

Counter arguments cannot be ignored by the defense, but must be answered. The party whose argument is being refuted defends its opinion through arguments that invalidate the counter arguments.

Rebuttal and defense are repeated in a cycle: ideas are presented, refuted, defended and refuted again until the debate is over.

Other elements of the arguments that are also worth mentioning are description, explanation, and proof.

The first two, the proof and the explanation, allow the efficient development of the arguments. 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

1. What are the Parts of a Debate? Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from classroom.synonym.com.
2. Five Elements to Every Debate Round. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from chrisjeub.com.
3. Daniel Paulnock. Elements of Debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from danielpalnock.efoliomn.com.
4. Elements of Debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from people.uncw.edu.
5. Five elements of a debate round for beginners. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from monument publishing.com.
6. How to debate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from www.sfu.ca.
7. Some elements in the dabate. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from jstor.org.