THE 10 TYPES OF DEBATE AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS (EXAMPLES) - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

There are various types of debates, among which the Lincoln-Douglas, Karl Popper, Australian, political, instructive, public, formal, informal, among others stand out.

The discussion is a form of communication that discussed around a theme. It involves disagreement, since each of the parties participating in the debate has a point of view or opinion that they must defend.

When debating, a strict order is followed: each participant or group has the right to speak at a given moment and their intervention must be respected by the other participants.

To ensure the organization of the interventions, there is the figure of the moderator, who is an individual who does not participate in the discussion but guides it.

Because the debate is aimed at presenting and defending the ideas of an individual or group, these have become methods of political campaigning.

Currently, when the presidential elections approach, candidates often hold a debate to publicize their action plan and convince voters that their policy is superior to that of their opponents.

Types of discussion according to the format

According to the format that follows, there are various types of discussions. Among which the following stand out.

Karl Popper

The Karl Popper debate, named after the philosopher, is the most common debate format. It is based on a classic discussion between two points: one affirmative and one negative.

This debate requires prior preparation since when presenting the arguments, they must be supported by statistics, citations, scientific evidence, among others.

The Karl Popper format consists of two basic parts: a round of speeches and a round of questions, which can be interspersed according to the needs of the debate.

Example:

Lincoln-Douglas debate

The Lincoln-Douglas debate is one of the most popular forms of debate, which is inspired by the discussions that took place between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858.

In this debate, only two people participate who discuss issues of a social nature (values, moral principles, among others).

Speakers do not require additional data (statistics, figures, among others) but rather use logic to present their arguments.

This debate consists of seven stages:

- Speech by Speaker A

- Cross question to speaker A.

- Speech by speaker B.

- Cross question to speaker B.

- Counterargument by speaker A.

- Counter-argument by speaker B.

- Closure of debate by speaker A.

Example:

End of the 2010 Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Australian debate

The Australian debate is done with two teams made up of three people, who discuss a topic called “proposition”.

The proposition is presented in an affirmative format that is to be supported or refuted, for example: “cats are better than dogs”.

Each of the three team members are named according to the role they play. The speakers are three:

1. First speaker: proponent (if you are in favor of the proposal) or opponent (if you are against).
2. Second speaker: counterargument.
3. Third speaker: captain or advisor.

These speakers intervene in between: one in favor of the statement, one against. So on until everyone has spoken.

Example:

Debate with the Australian format on the death penalty.

European debate

The European-style debate takes place with four or more groups and each of these groups represents a nation.

The issue to be discussed is a problem that affects these four nations, for example: the implementation of alternative energy forms, immigration, the defense of the nation, among others.

This debate features two rounds. In the first round, one speaker from each group presents how the issue affects their nation; in this phase, the spokespersons cannot be interrupted by the other participants.

However, in the second round, members of the other “nations” can ask the spokespersons questions or make pertinent comments about their intervention.

Example:

Drill - Model United Nations

Types of debates according to the environment in which they take place

Political

Political debate takes place to make decisions concerning the government. Two of the most outstanding political debates are the presidential and the parliamentary one.

Debate between the presidential candidates

This type of discussion has a rigid format, which prevents candidates from asking questions among themselves.

Furthermore, the discussion does not focus on a specific topic, but rather various issues are addressed. The intervention of each participant is reduced to a few minutes in each round.

Since 1976, the United States has held debates between presidential candidates. These debates are another way to campaign politically and spread the ideas of the candidates. These are also held in other nations.

Example:

Presidential debate in the 2017 Primary, Chile.

Parliamentary debate

This type of debate is one that takes place in parliaments (as in the British Parliament or the Canadian Parliament). In these debates, issues that concern the government of the country are discussed.

The parliamentary debate takes place between two groups: the government and the opposition. There may be members of parliament who are neutral, but they often form coalitions with one of the two main groups to gain influence.

Example:

Instructive

This is the type of debate that takes place in educational institutions, in order to evaluate the performance of students. The formats most used in schools are Lincoln-Douglas and Karl Popper.

Example:

Types of debate according to the preparation of the participants

Impromptu

Improvised debate. The topic to be discussed is announced minutes before starting the debate. At most, participants have 10-15 minutes to prepare.

Formal

The topic of the debate is announced in advance so that the participants can prepare and investigate in depth the topic to be discussed.

Example:

References

1. Debates Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
2. Types of debates. Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from sites.google.com
3. Debate program and format. Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from snfi.standford.edu
4. Debate. Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from bard.edu
5. Debates in Parliament. Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from parliament.uk
6. Styles discussions. Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from states.jsa.org
7. Types of debates. Retrieved on July 18, 2017, from prezi.com.