I am very pleased that Kelsey Trail has agreed to participate in a debate against the
Flin Flon Club. Debating really belongs in the Toastmasters program. Experts agree that it
is of great educational value. Its values indeed go beyond the scope of the club. In an
article I found on the net, Thompson writes "debate is important to the political and social
processes of a democratic society."
	Debating allows you to use all your speaking and listening skills while having fun
at the same time. Having fun while learning is part of the Toastmasters tradition. To quote
our founder Dr. Ralph Smedley "You learn in times of enjoyment". Most of you have
learned the basic public speaking skills. What I will tell you tonight will help you gear
those skills to a particular purpose.
	I will outline for you some of the basics of debating, argument construction and
preparing rebuttal.
	Let me begin with some definitions. First of all
what is a debate? Simply defined:

OH#1
A debate is an exchange of ideas on a given issue with one side in favour and the other
side opposed. 

OH #2
The side speaking in favour of the resolution is the Affirmative. The side opposed to the
resolution is known as the negative.

The resolution simply refers to the topic to be debated.  

	Resolutions may deal with concrete issues like "The sale of marijuana should be
legalized" or more abstract concepts like "We have too much freedom." You will notice
that both these resolutions indicate that something should be changed. The resolution
about marijuana suggests that we should change the laws regarding the regulation of this
drug. The freedom resolution suggests that an existing value we have in our society should
be re-examined. To keep straight the role of each side of the debate, think of it this way:
the affirmative side is arguing for change and the negative that  laws or values should
remain the same. 
	Debating is done in teams. There are usually two people on the affirmative side
and two on the negative. Each side has to make a case to convince the judges and
audience that their side has the most merit. The affirmative case may simply be to show
why change is necessary and how it can be implemented. The negative side can build its
case by explaining why things are going well today and why tampering with the current
situation in society might bring more harm than good.
	For example if I were to argue why the sale of marijuana should be legalized I
might first look at why I believe the current laws are not working and then develop a plan
to show that marijuana could be legalized in a way that would work. The negative might
argue that the current laws governing marijuana are necessary and do work. They could
further develop an argument demonstrating  that changing the status quo might bring more
problems and certainly would not be an improvement in society. 
	After you have decided what you are going to argue, you next need to work out
how you will develop arguments. These arguments are normally presented in the first part
of the debate which is sometimes called the constructive phase. Constructive arguments
are used to convince the judges 
	To develop an effective argument you need to do two things.            

OH#3	
Make your point
Support your point


	For example your point might be that people over the age of 18 are adults and
should be able to make their own decisions about smoking marijuana.
	For support you might mention that since eighteen year olds can vote, drink and
serve in the armed forces they should be able to make an intelligent decision about
marijuana use.
	In sports we frequently hear the expression "the best offence is a good defense."
Constructive arguments certainly may anticipate lines of argument you feel your
opponents might use and explain why that kind of reasoning just isn’t workable. Let’s
look at the marijuana issue again. Here is an example of how some one on the negative
side might anticipate an argument. 
	"Proponents of the legalization of marijuana, like our worthy opponents might try
to tell you that if marijuana is sold publicly it can be taxed and our government will gain a
good deal of tax money as a result. We do not believe this would be true. Tax money
would be raised but it would be offset by extra expenditures in health costs. Look at the
costs today of health care as a direct result of smoking".
	As you will have noticed, debating is a very structured way of presenting an
argument. Not only are there rules about how arguments are presented, there is a set way
for speeches to be presented. The order is as follows:

OH#4

First Affirmative
First Negative
Second Affirmative
Second Negative

	The constructive phase of the debate ends after Negative #2 finishes speaking.
There is a ten minute break for the speakers to prepare for final rebuttal.
		In the rebuttal, the speaking order is reversed with rhe first negative speaking
followed by the first affirmative  The affirmative side always gets the last word. This
principle is similiar to what happens when Rob prosecutes a case. Just as the prosecutor
has the burden of proof to show that the accused is guilty, similarly the affirmative has to
prove that the need for change exists. 
	There are two different ways in which rebuttal can be handle. All debates have a
final rebuttal time in which the two teams can argue against what the opponents have said
and then give their final position statements. 
	In addition to final rebuttal, sometimes debates have what is known as
"spontaneous rebuttal". This means that a speaker immediately rebuts what the previous
speaker has said. 

OH#5
	This means simply that the first negative will rebut what affirmative one says prior
to making a speech, 2nd affirmative rebuts first negative and so on. In this method of
debating, three out of the four speakers are required to spontaneously rebut what the last
speaker has said.

	In the ten minutes preceeding final rebuttal, speakers are allowed to confer and
discuss how they wish to refute points raised by their opponents. No consultation is
allowed prior to spontaneous rebuttal. We need to decide if we wish spontaneous rebuttal
to be part of our upcoming debate. 
	Good listening skills are important in rebuttal preparation. As opponents are
speaking the other team should write down what is being said. You may attack the points
your opponents made of the logic of their arguments. For example if your opponents have
argued that legalizing marijuana will result in all illegal drugs becoming widely available,
you might want to challenge the logic of that statement. Remember tha rebuttal arguments
should follow the same pattern as constructive arguments. You need to make your point
then offer some support. For example a rebuttal point might go like this
"We take issue with our opponent’s statements that there will be a lot of extra tax money
raised should marijuana be legalized. Any money that will be raised will be offset by extra
health care costs."
	A good strategy is to try to rebut as many of your opponent’s points as time
permits. If spontaneous rebuttal has been used then the final rebuttal speech should focus
on the arguments that were not refuted in the first rebuttal.
	Think of your rebuttal as a speech with the three main elements: opening, body
conclusion. Your opening may be as simple as restating your position in the debate "we
believe that marijuana should be legalized. Your body will consist of the points you wish
to rebut. Your conclusion can summarize not just your speech but the entire debate your
team has presented. For example your conclusion might sound like this:
	"We the negative have proven that legalizing marijuana will cause more harm than
good. We have shown that health risks will increase if this drug is legalized, health costs
will go up and the door will be opened for harder drugs to be used in our society. We have
also pointed out weaknesses in our opponents’ case for legalizing this drug. In our view
the resolution should be defeated."
	During the rebuttal you may not bring in new arguments. Let’s say you forgot to
mention that in your plan to legalize marijuana, you will only allow it to be smoked in pot
bars. You cannot now raise this during rebuttal. If you do the judges will disregard it. 
	These are a few of the basics of debating to assist those involved in getting ready
for this debate. The debate we will be holding on May 7th is going to be a fun debate so
don’t worry if you forget some of the finer points. Remember to put as much emotion and
conviction into your delivery as you can.
	In advance of the debate on May 7th you will be given sometime to organize your
speech. Remember to think of what arguments you wish to present, and how you might
develop them. In rebuttal,  try your best to pick holes in the points your opponents have
raised. Organize your rebuttal speech with an opening body and conclusion. Most
important of all remember what our Toastmasters founder said and have fun!