How to Win a Debate

Posted on August 31st, 2009 by aileen

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We deal with arguments all the time. A simple exchange of different opinions may be considered a debate. Whether you’re arguing with a friend, engaging in a formal or informal debate, it would be helpful to know how to make your arguments strong and win over your opponent. Here are easy ways you can follow to win a debate.

Tips:

Be well -informed. Whatever position you may take, the most important thing is to have a good grasp of the subject. Your knowledge on the topic will help you make winning arguments and anticipate possible rebuttals from your opponent.

debate

Start with a brief statement. Presenting a lengthy speech will make you lose your audience. Your opponent and audience need to have a clear understanding of what your position is all about. A strong thesis is a good start for winning a debate.
Answer objections. Don’t brush off objections. Try to answer each objections before continuing on another argument. If you’re well -informed, you won’t have a hard time answering these objections.
Construct logical responses. Make it a point to provide evidence-base premises. Premises with factual evidences will hold strong in a debate. They will be hard to refute unless you’ve fallen in the pit of logical fallacies. Have some ideas on the fallacies of logic. This way you’ll be able to avoid committing these mistakes and spot them easily in your opponent’s arguments.
Use your opponent’s objections to your advantage. You can deal with objections in several ways. One way is by disproving them and another is by using them against your opponent. Look at your opponent’s objections from another perspective and you might find a weak spot or a wrong premise that you could use to make your argument stronger.
Be reasonable at all times. There may come a time when you feel like your opponent or audience don’t understand your point. Stay calm and patiently state all your arguments and premises. Be ethical in speaking. Using bad language and acting inappropriately will take you out of the debate.
Use simple language and effective grammar as much as you can. Your goal is to be understood by your audience and opponent and not impress them with your choice of words. Don’t try to sound geeky all the time. Jargons is acceptable only if your speaking to an audience that can understand such terms.
Ask questions. One way of defeating an opponent is by asking questions until your opponent can’t answer anymore. Of course, your questions should be rational all the time. You might easily prove your opponent wrong by simply asking questions. If your opponent breaks, or is unable to answer a very good question, that’s a point for you.

Logical Fallacies

Here are some of the most common fallacies you might want to learn before engaging on a debate.

Personal attacks are also called argumentum ad hominem. These are statements directed towards the speaker and not really on the argument. The speaker concentrates on the other person’s character or credibility to try to weaken that person’s position.
Appeal to pity or argumentum ad misercordiam are statements commonly used to move the emotions of the audience. The speaker convinces the audience that his position should be accepted because of the state he’s in.
Appeal to consequences focuses on the effects of accepting or rejecting the argument and not really on what the argument is all about.
Circular arguments are formed when the conclusion is also one of the premises. Keep in mind that a premise supports your conclusion. Your conclusion shouldn’t stand to prove itself. This type of fallacy is also called begging the question.

Winning an argument and making people change their views on things may be a bit hard to do. Don’t be frustrated and lose control when on a debate. Keep it cool and understand what is presented to you. Having an open and relax mind will make you construct effective arguments and win a debate. If you enjoy learning this article you’ll surely be interested in reading the Top 10 ways to fight public speaking fears.