Your story should capture the essence of your debate. It could explore, for example, the challenges you have faced in relation to the topic, how you overcame these challenges, and the lessons you learned. For example, “As a person who suffers from seizures, medical marijuana was a saving grace. My family and I had to move across to the country in order for me to get treated, but it was worth the risk. My seizures decreased from five seizures a day to only one seizure per week. " Make sure that the story comes from your heart rather than your head. If you’re just regurgitating a story from memory, it’s not going to land with the audience.
You can ask, for example, “Would you like to see a loved one suffer for no reason at all?”
You can say, for example, “A billion tons of plastic are floating in the ocean right now. That is enough plastic to make an island the size of Hawaii. ” Then, proceed to talk about the issue and explain to your audience why your resolution is the best one.
For example, imagine you are giving a speech on why you think higher education is unnecessary for succeeding in life. You could open with, “Mark Twain once said, ‘Don’t let school interfere with your education. ’” Make sure that quote comes from your heart and feels authentic. It must speak to you and your audience while also making a point.
For example, if you are arguing that climate change is real, show a before and after picture of a glacier that has been affected by excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Identify the key terms in your argument and look up their definitions in a range of dictionaries. Choose the most appropriate definition for each word. You want to pick a definition that is neutral and conventional. Your definitions can be literal, as well as contextualized. Contextualized definitions add examples of how the concept applies to the real world. For example, a contextualized definition of money would show that money is used to buy services, such as food and gas.
For example, “My team and I will show you the need, practicality, and benefits of medicinal marijuana. Together we will show that thousands of patients, including young children, who suffer from seizures, find relief in medicinal marijuana. Studies show that medicinal marijuana reduces instances of seizures by 80%. Furthermore, the side effects of medicinal marijuana are not as severe as the side effects that come with conventional forms of medication used to treat seizures, particularly for children. We will show that medicinal marijuana is a practical, safe, and cost-effective solution for patients and their families. ”
In order to demonstrate that your team’s policy will work, use policies that have already been enacted as the basis of your policy. For example, you can highlight that a ban on using cellphones while driving is similar to the ban on drinking while driving. Try to focus on three important reasons for why the policy is needed or needs to change. [7] X Research source
Greet your audience by saying, “Good morning faculty and staff. The topic of today’s debate is student parking,” or “Good morning teachers and students. Thank you for taking the time to come to this debate. Today, the topic is student parking. ”
State what your side is arguing by saying, “We believe enrolled students should not have to pay for a parking pass to park on campus,” or “We believe enrolled students should pay for a parking pass to park on campus. ” Explain the speakers’ roles by saying, “As the first speaker, I will be defining key terms and outlining our main argument. Our second speaker will explain the supporting reasons for our argument, and our third speaker will summarize our argument. ”
Remember to maintain eye contact with an audience at the end of a sentence. Hold eye contact with an individual for only three to five seconds, then move on to someone else. Practice holding eye contact with someone you know for a minute or two. Repeat the exercise 5 or 6 times—that will really help a lot.
Also, remember to take pauses. Pauses allow you to catch your breath and plan what you will say next. They also allow your audience to process what you have just said.
