Worlds Debate - Building a Case

Summary

The video script offers a comprehensive guide to constructing a persuasive case in debate, emphasizing the importance of rhetorical framing, cohesion, and clear argument structure. It advises on defining critical terms, presenting consistent and non-repetitive arguments, and using strong internal summaries to transition between points. The speaker distinguishes between different types of motions—factual, value, and policy—and provides strategies for each, including the use of evidence and impact statements. The script concludes with a step-by-step approach to building a single argument, akin to constructing a paragraph, ensuring a compelling and logically sound presentation.

Takeaways

• 📝 Importance of Delivery: Effective presentation of a case is crucial, requiring strong arguments and a good delivery style.
• 🎨 Rhetorical Framing: The introduction and conclusion should include catchy elements like slogans or metaphors to make the case more persuasive.
• 🔗 Rhetorical Cohesion: Ensure that the argument is cohesive, capturing the audience's attention and maintaining a consistent message throughout.
• 🔑 Defining Critical Terms: Clearly define the terms of the debate to avoid confusion and to set the stage for a clear understanding of the arguments.
• 📈 Clear Structure: Organize arguments with a clear division, each having a distinct name and a complete thought to avoid repetition or overlap.
• 🌟 Catchy Titles: Use creative and representative titles for each argument to encapsulate the whole argument and make it memorable.
• 🔍 Impact of Arguments: Focus on the real-world impacts of the arguments, explaining why certain outcomes are significant and how they affect people.
• 📊 Types of Motions: Recognize the different types of debate motions—factual, value, policy, and open motions—and tailor the approach accordingly.
• 📝 Building a Single Point: Construct arguments using a structured approach similar to writing a paragraph with a title, explanation, evidence, impact, and summary.
• 👥 Teamwork: Develop arguments in cooperation with partners to ensure alignment and avoid contradictions in the presented case.
• 🗣️ Nonverbals and Previewing: Use nonverbal cues and strategically preview points to give the opposing team a fair chance to prepare their counterarguments.

Q & A

What is the importance of delivery and presentation in arguing a case?

Delivery and presentation are crucial as they determine how effectively your arguments are communicated and how convincingly you can persuade your audience.

What role does rhetorical framing play in a case presentation?

Rhetorical framing sets the stage for your argument, providing an introduction and conclusion that encapsulate your main points with a slogan, catchy metaphor, or analogy to make your case memorable.

Why is rhetorical cohesion important when presenting a case?

Rhetorical cohesion ensures that your argument flows logically and persuasively, making it easier for the audience to follow your points and understand the connections between them.

What is the significance of defining critical terms in a debate?

Defining critical terms is essential to establish a common understanding of the debate's subject matter, preventing confusion and ensuring that all participants are arguing from the same premise.

Why should you avoid using policy jargon like 'plan' in a debate?

Avoiding policy jargon like 'plan' helps make your argument more accessible and less off-putting to the audience, as such terms can be associated with negative connotations or complexity.

What does it mean to have a clear division of issues in a debate?

A clear division of issues means structuring your argument in a way that each point is distinct and focused, avoiding overlaps and ensuring that each part of your case contributes uniquely to your overall argument.

How should you handle the organization of your arguments within a speech?

You should organize your arguments by grouping similar points together, ensuring consistency and avoiding repetition. This helps in presenting a well-structured and coherent case.

What is the purpose of previewing points in a debate?

Previewing points serves as a roadmap for your argument, informing the audience and the opposing team about the structure of your case and the main points you will be making.

What are the different types of motions discussed in the script?

The script discusses motions of fact, motions of value, and motions of policy, each requiring a different approach in terms of evidence, reasoning, and the definition of terms.

How should you build a single point in a debate argument?

A single point should be built like a paragraph with a title, explanation, evidence, impact, and a summary. This structure helps in clearly communicating the logic and significance of each argument.

Why is it important to provide specific examples when making an argument in a debate?

Specific examples serve as evidence to support your argument, making it more concrete and relatable. They help in translating opinions into facts and strengthening the persuasiveness of your case.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Importance of Case Presentation and Rhetorical Techniques

The first paragraph emphasizes the significance of case construction in debates, highlighting the necessity of strong arguments and effective presentation. It discusses the importance of rhetorical framing in the introduction and conclusion of a debate, suggesting the use of slogans, metaphors, and analogies to make a case more persuasive. The paragraph also stresses the need for rhetorical cohesion to engage the audience and ensure that the arguments are consistent and well-structured, avoiding repetition and overlaps.

05:00

🌟 Developing and Organizing Arguments in Debates

This paragraph focuses on the development and organization of arguments in a debate. It advises on defining critical terms and avoiding the use of jargon that might alienate the audience. The paragraph outlines the importance of structuring arguments with clear divisions and catchy titles that encapsulate the complete thought behind each point. It also cautions against poor organization methods, such as dividing arguments by locations rather than issues, and emphasizes the need for internal summaries to transition smoothly between arguments.

10:01

📚 Understanding Different Types of Debate Motions

The third paragraph delves into the different types of debate motions, including motions of fact, value, and policy. It explains that motions of fact aim to establish the truth of a statement, while motions of value require defining and arguing for a particular value. Policy motions, on the other hand, propose changes to laws or regulations. The paragraph also touches on open motions, which are more general and allow for a wider range of arguments, and discusses the importance of interpreting the motion correctly to build a solid case.

15:28

🛠 Building a Single Argument in Debates

This paragraph provides a structured approach to building a single argument in a debate. It suggests starting with a catchy title that encapsulates the argument, followed by an explanation of the logic behind it. Evidence in the form of examples, opinions, or scientific findings should be presented to support the argument. The paragraph stresses the importance of impact, explaining why the argument is significant and what the consequences are, and concludes with an exit summary that reinforces the argument's importance.

20:28

🏛 Structuring the Opening Statement in Debates

The final paragraph discusses the structure of the opening statement in a debate, recommending the use of rhetorical framing to introduce the issue and its timeliness. It advises on defining terms and previewing the major points that will be argued, including the introduction of a model if the motion is policy-based. The paragraph concludes with advice on delivering the arguments and the conclusion, emphasizing the need for strong summaries to transition between points and to leave a lasting impression on the judges.

Keywords

💡Rhetorical framing

Rhetorical framing refers to the strategic use of language to present an argument in a way that is persuasive and engaging. In the context of the video, it is used to craft an introduction and conclusion that encapsulate the main points of the argument, often using slogans, metaphors, or analogies. An example from the script is the metaphor of a 'half-baked cake' to describe a case that lacks substance.

💡Cohesion

Cohesion in the context of the video pertains to the internal consistency and logical flow of an argument. It is crucial for ensuring that the argument is not only persuasive but also coherent. The script emphasizes the need for rhetorical cohesion to effectively draw in the audience and maintain their attention, such as using a consistent theme or slogan throughout the presentation.

💡Critical terms

Critical terms are the key concepts or definitions that underpin the argument and must be clearly defined to avoid ambiguity. The video script mentions the importance of defining terms like 'model' in a policy debate to ensure that both sides are arguing from a common understanding, which is essential for a constructive debate.

💡Structure

Structure in this video refers to the organization of arguments within a debate. It involves having a clear division of issues and presenting each point as a complete thought with a catchy title. The script provides examples of how to structure points around themes like economic opportunity, environment, and freedom, emphasizing the need for consistency and avoiding contradictions between arguments.

💡Consistency

Consistency within the video's narrative is about ensuring that the arguments presented do not contradict each other and that they collectively support the main thesis. The script warns against repeating or overlapping points and advises to group similar arguments together, such as all economic points, to maintain a clear and coherent stance.

💡Motions of fact

Motions of fact are a type of debate topic that seeks to determine the truth or falsity of a statement, such as 'Free trade does more harm than good to developing countries.' The video script explains that these motions require presenting factual proofs and evidence to support the argument, with the goal of demonstrating which side has the preponderance of evidence.

💡Motions of value

Motions of value are debate topics that revolve around abstract concepts or values, such as 'George Bush is a great president.' The script emphasizes the need to define the value term in the motion, such as 'great' in this example, and to argue how the subject meets the defined criteria, often involving less empirical evidence and more subjective reasoning.

💡Motions of policy

Motions of policy propose a course of action or a change in law, such as 'This house would ban elective cosmetic surgery.' The video script outlines the need to propose a model, identify a problem, and demonstrate how the proposed policy addresses the problem, which is central to policy debates.

💡Open motion

An open motion, as discussed in the video, is a type of debate topic that is very broad and allows for a wide range of arguments, such as 'This house would unlock the doors.' The script explains that these motions were popular in British parliamentary debate and require creativity and flexibility in argument construction.

💡Building a single point

Building a single point in the video refers to the process of constructing a compelling argument within a debate. It involves creating a title that encapsulates the argument, explaining the logic, providing evidence, discussing the impact, and concluding with a summary. The script provides a model for this process, emphasizing the importance of evidence and impact in making the argument persuasive.

Highlights

Importance of delivery and presentation in making a strong case with solid arguments.

Use of rhetorical framing in the introduction and conclusion to create a memorable impact.

The necessity of rhetorical cohesion to engage the audience and emphasize the importance of the message.

The analogy of a 'half-baked cake' to illustrate the inadequacy of a poorly presented case.

The significance of developing and using slogans in unison with partners for a cohesive argument.

Defining critical terms to avoid confusion and ensure clarity in debate.

Avoiding policy jargon like 'plan' in favor of more universally accepted terms like 'model'.

The structure of a clear division of issues and the importance of naming each point effectively.

Ensuring each point is a complete thought and avoiding contradictions between arguments.

The need for consistency within arguments and avoiding overlaps or repetition.

Differentiating between organizing arguments by social, economic, or political factors versus by location.

The importance of having real impacts in arguments and the need to identify and articulate them clearly.

The strategy of previewing points to give the opposing team a fair chance to prepare their counterarguments.

The role of nonverbals in debate and the use of internal summaries to transition between arguments.

Different kinds of motions including motions of fact, value, and policy, each requiring different approaches.

The use of open motions in certain debate formats and the challenges they present.

Building a single point using the model of a paragraph with a title, explanation, evidence, impact, and summary.

The importance of using facts to support opinions and the power of personal experience in debate.

The structure of a debate speech, including introduction, defining terms, previewing points, presenting arguments, and conclusion.

Transcripts

okay now let's talk about case

construction which is the next she a bit

right okay now delivery and presentation

are important but need to sound good at

presenting your case and you have to

have strong arguments so I'm going to

talk about what you need to do for that

important features of any case

rhetorical framing this is the stuff

that makes up your introduction in

conclusion a slogan a catchy metaphor an

analogy right it may be a great cake but

if it's only half-baked it doesn't taste

very good and ladies and gentlemen this

case is a half-baked cake if I've ever

seen one but but you need some

rhetorical usually you need some

rhetorical cohesion you need to reach

out and say hey sucker listen to me I

got some important said yeah right and

that's the way you want to do it okay so

you need that it's very important you

need to develop it need to use it

thank you need to develop it in

cooperation with your partners so you're

both singing the same tune so I really

like that slogan the second go team head

hey you need to define critical terms

we'll talk later about what kind of

different emotion

what you have to do on them the word for

a specific proposal you like what I have

is model right that's the word that's

here's our model for this motion is you

don't use the word plan and that's only

because these are national debaters hate

policy jargon really but it's reality

right people don't like the N word

either and so try not to use that

structure well you need a clear division

of issues you need to have a nice name

for each point each point needs to have

attained and that's a complete thought

here's that first we will talk to an

economic opportunity second we will talk

about environment and third we'll talk

about freedom those are not those are

the most boring titles that you can

imagine need to have a complete thought

dynasty family this program endorses

international imperialism right needs to

be sort of a complete thought our

proposal guarantees equal opportunity

for all now need have a complete thought

and it needs to have a catchy title

write something that because it

represents the whole argument you need

they need to be consistent your second

argument should not contradict your

first read Armand

okay you don't want to have repeats or

overlaps right put all your money stuff

together and all your freedom stuff

together and all your the environment

stuff together you know what I mean this

is within your own speech yeah this is

this is when you're running your kids

let's go lately or for your Newark if

your when your partner makes a good

point and you want it

I like no no I'm saying to the same

speech I do the same speech you don't

want to say we saved my first we're

gonna save money that'll be really good

and second we're gonna save even more

it'll be really good and the third the

reason with my partner all talk about

its economic efficiency and if those are

not separate arguments now here's some

really bad ways to organize your social

factors economic factors political

factors but usually they're all kind of

the same it costs too much money that's

bad that the economy costs too much

money

voters won't like that it's done I need

don't divide things like that like some

European debaters do this and then Brits

really make fun of them for this flight

international national and local right

those are locations those are not issues

those are not arguments all right so so

don't do that you you may have an

argument that says this will cost

profound economic dislocation and you

may have another argument that says this

will have dangerous political

repercussions okay that's cool but don't

just automatically divide things by

issues and important arguments from this

list whatever side you're on

okay and you know all these things I'm

saying now also apply to like first off

first speaker first off same thing same

thing because you have to build here

counter case consistent maybe twine you

need to have strong reasons reasons that

have real impacts and if you don't have

real impacts you better figure out what

they are like what's the impact that

Hillary's have politically what's that

mean I mean you can say that her first

priority is her popularity her power

right and her avoiding publicity

problems she's much more interested in

that than she is in the right pulse

right so she will adopt the bad policy

if it's popular right and she will

neglect a good policy if it's under now

how could that operate international

relations right the American people

don't like your an Iran is you know

convicts a secret initiative to say look

us we need to have some quiet talks to

work this out before we have war and

Hillary with Michael well that's not

gonna be popular the American people so

y'all get out of here in a way when that

would obviously be the best thing to do

right this is how you have to explain

why stuff anyway big things that have

real impacts and if you can tease you

can't think of any with then get

thinking right as I say take it to the

end of the line things aren't bad

because they cost money

things are bad if it costs too much

money and we have a limited supply that

something else has to be cut right

that's why I would be there or it you

know creates deficit spending which is

bad or you know I mean

the line what does it mean my people

lose their jobs okay means they don't

have my number to support their families

is that they'll have to let their health

insurance lapse it means that their

children won't be able to go to college

but also unemployment causes love heavy

stress if you've been an auto worker for

twenty years and all of a sudden you're

unemployed you know it really affects

your feeling my self-worth

Frank there's a lot of stress on you

which is linked to illness alcohol of

drug use and if you feel like you

believe you've let your family down this

is the kind of stuff you have to do by

taking these from the end of life you

need to have the preview points down if

you're one of the first two speakers you

have to say I'm going to present these

two arguments and then my partner Joe

will present our third argument which is

right now why is it that that's done

it's done out of fairness to your stuff

to the second team because then they

know what your three arguments are and

they can start working on their new

argument but if they don't know what

your third big arguments going to be you

know you might present it and they go oh

my god what am I going to do with my

network right so it's a it's not

required but but it's a fairness issue

you want to give them a chance and

judges think that that's the right thing

to do

to preview what you're going nonverbals

say their questions

no okay sometimes I don't tell them too

much detail about what Joe is going to

say his new argument just very briefly

mention it maybe give its name but but

don't go into any detail and you needed

strong summaries I believe you need

strong summaries at the end but before

you move from argument one to argument

to so what we see is what we see in our

first argument is bla bla bla

now let's turn to our second RV right

these are called internal summaries

which you use as you exit one major

argument and as you go into another it

tells the judge or cam finishing up here

on number one stand by number two is

coming up right here comes my second

argument so then usually the internal

summary is another way of saying how

this is really important you know if you

say this happens and then this is does

often hear it often it might be a

rephrasing of your income okay but it

also might just be a summary of why this

is really a cool very brief

okay all right next thing I want to talk

about are different kinds of motions

different kinds of motions there are

three kinds of motions motions of fact

motions of value motions of policy

motions of facts try to determine

whether something is true or not free

trade does more harm than good

to developing countries that there is a

motion of fact did it doesn't really do

more harm than good right so it's about

facts okay and the way you do that is

you you know talk about your you know

you you you want to show various factual

proofs you know you know Paris Hilton is

beautiful right you might want to is

Paris Hilton the most the the most

outrageous star now all right and say

well what do we mean by our agent star

well she's outrageous in a bunch of

different ways let's talk about them

because the first one is the second one

and my partner will talk about the third

one about not wearing underwear and so

and so you know you save that one for

later and no pictures and then you talk

about how your evidence is bigger and

more important than theirs and the

standard for effective eight is usually

the preponderance of evidence right the

preponderance of evidence on our side is

on our side right it's bigger than on

their side and that's how you determine

factual questions at a court of law

okay all excited about the underwear

remark okay proposition of that effect

proposition of value

okay George Bush is a great president

politicians do not deserve private lives

the right of the public to know is more

important than celebrities right to

privacy right these are all like value

and you can tell they're like value

oriented issues they have that abstract

value word in them right and so and what

you have to do here is you have to

define that value okay if the motion is

Paris Hilton is beautiful right

beautiful is pretty much a value term so

you would define what beautiful means

and you might define in such a way so

that she meets them then you would talk

about different ways in which Paris

Hilton meets that definition of them but

the critical thing about a value topic

is you need to define the value properly

to fit your arguments that seems

reasonable in your okay Joe with your

with the value topic then you're using a

lot less empirical evidence yeah

although if you're saying that America

yeah usually you know you don't say like

we have 13% increase in beauty or a 21%

incremental freedom

so that I mean how it like at what if

you are working on same you're not the

first person to speak about this value

can they define the value you're stuck

in there right at me baby put on it as

you said like to their own advantage

very self-serving money yeah you would

dispute the definition if you thought it

was exceedingly self-serving other than

that you go for it and depend on the

judges to punishment because if the

first government team is perceived as

trying to narrow this way so that we

don't have a good debate the judges will

punch me this is the job of the first

government team to create a case which

allows for a good debate that's their

first them to a little bit my cheekbones

blonde thin no underwear yeah yeah just

like you couldn't say you know China is

not the People's Republic China is not a

free country you could say freedom to us

means having the rights that we have in

the United States that's what we mean by

free honey

oh yeah China doesn't have them so we

wish basically you have to have a

broader definition of freedom okay

finally you have a proposition of policy

okay

which means what should we do change

some law banned something right it's a

policy time and here you need to propose

a model you need to show there's a

problem we need to show that your model

assaults the problem one interpret the

motion in one way okay this house has no

confidence in Hillary Clinton what kind

of motion value value okay we should ban

electric cosmetic surgery okay John

Kennedy was killed in a conspiracy

thanks back alright so so if you can

figure it out and that's the very first

thing you do when you look at emotion is

what like what kind of what what kind of

emotion is so you handle it properly

that's Oh and finally there's the kind

of motion that you don't get in worlds

but you do get a British parliamentary

debate the open motion this house would

unlock the doors this house would set

sail and never come back this house

believes the cup is half full this house

it's a very general thing that you can

come up with whatever you want

yeah we're killing ourselves with music

right and so I mean you never you never

know what's gonna happen you have no

idea what the first governments what I

say right and these used to be popular

at British parliamentary debate there's

a couple of tournaments that still use

them but not in the world style at all

the world style we had a big showdown

with the open topic people and a long

debate of the council meeting and they

voted that they were going to use what

are called tight topics this house would

ban elective cosmetic surgery you know

what that's about not you know this

house believes that look it good it's

all the matters okay I want to talk

about how to build a single point build

a single point and this is how you

should build your new arguments wherever

you are

first go first off whoever is presenting

a new argument you should do it this way

I just used the model of a paragraph

apparently you know you all know how to

write paragraphs then you should be all

set okay you have a title

just like you would have a title

sentence right that one title a complete

thought flashy splashy language that

encapsulates your argument in one

sentence right

that would be your title okay next you

would explain what is meant by this you

would give the logic the reasoning

behind it okay a couple of sentences

next you got to give us some evidence

generally these are examples either

current events or historical they could

be opinions from important people they

could be references to social phenomena

they could be some scientific findings

that you're familiar with they could be

your personal experience there could be

a store you could be you could tell a

very short story about an underage size

zero' model right who was victimized by

the fashion industry you might there are

lots of different things that you can

use but you got to have them and this is

so far and the debates we've seen this

is the biggest weakness right right

everybody says Hillary is bad but won't

give specific examples of why she's good

I understand doubt personal

yeah let me tell you about my

experiences in the z-row sighs mom when

I felt I was degraded

no no if you can give and I'll tell you

quite quite honestly this is powerful

you know I was abused by my parents

that's really well you don't if it's

true okay you don't make stuff up

you don't lie in the debate okay okay

this is important unless you no longer

want to represent the University of

Vermont you should like but if you could

say you know yeah when I lost my job I

felt like that was worthless like I

couldn't provide for my family

okay it was really stressed yeah and

what someone gonna say oh yeah right

it's like undeniable right if you have a

debate about eating disorders and one of

the speakers says you know she said

struggle with bulimia the whole room

like oh all right so you must only do it

if it's true yeah but these aren't sin I

think you need three I think you need

three you don't need one you need three

and this will also help your speech

right way to 310 ones the current event

what's the scientific theory knew about

once a personal example right ones the

statistic - or current events soon I

mean right I mean with Hillary it would

be you know you would look at our list

up here you know you would try to find

stuff and then the health care in the

90s the health care today right and you

could this is why you need this list

right you need this you need to work on

this list during prep right and you're

not sure where you're going to put all

this stuff but when you start to write

this you'll figure out what's going on

and you may think of one during the

debate and you can insert but you really

need that next impact so what so why is

this important what does this mean

what's the bottom line

and then we need that little exit

summary I talked about

what makes it something

okay so what we've seen here is that the

unemployment caused by the government

proposal is going to shatter the lives

of hundreds of thousands of families and

that's an excellent reason why we should

oppose this motion my second argument is

all right so that's the way just like a

paragraph title explanation evidence

impact summer right because if the

paragraph you have a title sentence of

the summary sentence and then the first

couple of sentences are usually

explanation of the logic behind that

paragraph and then there's specific

facts that burn out this evidence thing

is really important because you are able

to translate your opinions into facts

you could translate your opinions of the

facts you know I have this argument yeah

but you know what reality proves my art

history proves Larry

science proves Larry my personal

experience proves the circuit you know

whether traces experienced Bruce SR

alright so the sitting structure let's

look at the bottom of page 2 and we're

done let's say you're the first gov

introduction use framing what this issue

comes before us it's very timely that we

discuss it let's define the terms if you

need to give a model because it's a

policy motion you would introduce it at

that point right out to the definitions

preview two or three major points right

say your partner will handle the last

one then do them then have your

conclusion loots it Thanks so those are

some pieces of advice for its

what

you