Have someone discuss 2-3 arguments about any simple prompt (i.e. “Spring is better than summer.”). Listeners take notes using as few full, real words as possible -- the goal is to try use abbreviations, symbols, and codes to represent ideas. Round 2: Dish the Dirt – possible search terms for students to use when using the web to research negative points about the rival finalists! In this way, the focus of the whole debate is changed, everybody remains engaged, and the final will not merely consist of rehearsing the same old points a second time.

National and international topics persuade children to think globally about the struggles, irrespective of the state or country boundaries. Get students to make a mask to wear during the debate. See this post on the ClassTools blog for some ideas. Similarly, this activity can be done individually by putting statements on index cards and responding to them as you draw them out of a hat. Each member of the audience then has to vote for just one character to be thrown OUT of the balloon. Rearrange the classroom so that the opposing groups face one another and the observers are seated at one side.

Because like any skill, the art of debate requires practice. Practice requires an understanding of the underlying structure and one way to explore those structures is through playful activities. The great thing about them is that we can fail without any negative consequences — other than to our ego. Here to crush and then rebuild our self-esteem are three underrated debate games that can teach us how to argue effectively. Table of Contents Each student should then be given a copy of the PowerPoint Template which they can use to frame their research:

Second, compared to the first two, Speed Debating is less public. Individuals talk to individuals, they can ‘hide’ in the crowd and the general noise the parallel debates create. So it lends itself to participants being able to practice what they say and how they say it. They could be encouraged to make one claim (see: If I ruled the world…) and give one explanation (see: The Why Game) before the other side responds. Debaters take turns making a single move each so to speak. It’s a bit like playing several rounds of fast chess. At any rate, I’d like to think that I invented this version, even though I’m sure someone beat me to it. The way I like to do it is to have all participants sit at a long table, two people facing each other (even numbers work best or someone has to pause). It’s a setup we find in speed dating (I guess) or at chess tournaments.

Not everyone is as argumentative as the late Hitch himself. But everyone has to make a convincing case at some point in their lives. As useful as mastering the skills of the debate are, as much there’s often not the time, place, let alone motivation to practice something so seemingly basic as talking. Not to mention the image that comes with debate clubs and all the rest of it. That makes debating perhaps one of the most overused and undertrained skills. What better way to practice these skills than with debate games? But perhaps they’re the type of person who’d claim to prevent Russia from acquiring SS-20 ICBMs in accordance with the START II treaty. Now they may come across as pretentious experts who know enough to clarify the ICBM acronym, but not enough to know that SS-20 missiles have long been out of service. Instead, they may be tempted to promise the ban of useless debate games if they ever got to have it their way. Now people may infer they’re self-referential comics who try to circumvent saying something of significance by pointing out the elephant in the room.

When a student agrees with the statement, they should stand up and ‘cross the circle’, finding a new seat from one which has been vacated. The facilitator should also take a seat and the student left standing then begins the next round with a statement of their own. The two characters who get the least votes are then ‘thrown out’ (or even bottom three, depending on the size of the class / time available).In sum, If I ruled the world… can be played as a mere uttering of meaningless words. If we prefer to use it to its full potential, on the other hand, we can make it a warm-up or an exercise to practice what we say and how we say it. It’s also great as a diagnostic tool to gauge how comfortable people are in their presentation. In any case, this activity lays the groundwork for debate game number two. 2. The Why Game Round 2 – Each proposal may be best at something, but this doesn’t yet allow us to choose which is best overall.