how to close a debate speech

How To End a Debate: Learn to Conclude and Make a Closing Statement

• Post author: Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC
• Post published: December 25, 2021
• Post category: Scholarly Articles

How To End a Debate (Closing Statement): A debate speech is a well-written argument that seeks to refute an opponent’s claim while elaborating on your own. Debating may help you improve your critical thinking abilities, teamwork abilities, public speaking abilities, and persuasive abilities. Arguing with someone and winning may also be enjoyable. Some debates enable you to question your opponents while they are speaking.

You must wait for your turn to speak in other forms. Depending on the debate’s format, each debate is separated into several speeches. Simply review the debate rules ahead of time and practice debating in that format. When finishing your debate speech, you have the opportunity to reiterate your most important points, conclude your arguments, give the judges something to think about, and ultimately deliver a logical conclusion.

Recommended: How to Start a Debate Introduction

Table of Contents

Components Of Debate

a. Introductory Statements : Opening remarks are crucial to a successful discussion because they allow both sides – those in favor of a position and those opposed to it – to capture the attention of the audience. The positive side, also referred to as the side that supports the topic or circumstance, is always the first to make a comment.

Opening statements in structured talks have a limited time for both the positive and negative sides to express their cases. The opening words establish the tone for the dialogue and should include the viewpoint, claim, or notion you wish to defend as well as a brief summary of your supporting evidence.

Following the opening speeches, each party delivers its arguments in further depth, using statistical data, examples, and expert opinions to back up its claims. Once again, the positive side makes their case first.

2. Rebuttals: After both sides have clearly identified and explained their points, each side has the chance to indicate why they feel the other side’s arguments are weak or incorrect – this is known as the “ rebuttal .” The opposing party is the first to respond.

You may begin your response by saying, “ My opponent’s statements are incorrect for various reasons .” “ My study demonstrates that my opponent’s opinions lack credibility ,” for example.

Following each side’s rebuttal, and depending on the moderator or judge’s format for the debate, each side may be given another opportunity to offer a rebuttal – properly known as a “ second rebuttal .” During the rebuttal, neither side is permitted to offer fresh evidence to bolster its argument.

Also see: How to speak in public without fear

3. Sessions for Questions and Answers: Some debates include a question-and-answer session in which each side queries the other party. According to the International Debate Education Association, the objective of cross-examination is to explain your opponents’ arguments, push them to commit to a definite viewpoint on unclear matters, bring out any fallacies or flaws in their arguments, and examine deficiencies in their evidence.

Cross-examination usually occurs after each party has presented its arguments but before the rebuttal stage. Inquire with your teacher or the debate host about when and whether a question-and-answer session will take place.

“ May you perhaps restate and explain your initial argument? ” you could begin your cross-examination. “ Could you perhaps clarify where you obtained the statistical data to support your findings? ”

A Q&A session’s purpose is to guarantee that both parties fully comprehend the opposition’s arguments so that they can formulate and explain their best defense.

Also see: Famous Scientists and their Discoveries in the field

4. Statements of Closure: Closing speeches allow each side to summarize their significant arguments and highlight their most relevant issues. They also allow you to draw attention to your opponent’s flaws in front of the judges.

They have the benefit of making their closing arguments first. The goal is to persuade your audience that you have solid evidence to back up your statements and that your opponent’s ideas are inadequate. To make a lasting impact, conclude with an intriguing example of an eye-catching analogy. Include any negative consequences of your argument not being taken seriously or accepted.

Recommended: Important things to consider before starting a business

Interesting Ways to End a Debate

1. Use of quotation : If you have a quotation that wraps up your final argument or provides closure to your case, use it. Check your notes to ensure that you have addressed all of your opponent’s arguments and that you have concluded your case.

If you discover an unaddressed argument by your opponent, address it before concluding your speech.

2. Explain the most important points: An overview for your judges describes the most important points in your case. This can be accomplished by restating each of your main points or by making a general statement about your case.

For example, if you are arguing for basic human rights over national interests, you may want to make a quick general statement about the importance of human rights and society’s responsibility to prioritize them.

While your speech addressed this general statement with more specific information, the general statement shows your judges that you understand your issue and are concerned about your overall case.

Also see: How to become a better singer fast

3. Sing Song Ending: Request that the audience repeats a phrase from your speech that you used multiple times. Assume your slogan is “ Together, we can win. ” You keep repeating that sentence.

Then, right before you finish, you remark, “I know that all of you are brilliant, and all of you are determined.” I know none of us can accomplish it alone, but (pause) together (pause) we can (pause until the audience responds.)

4. Use specific vocal inflections: Use certain vocal inflections to indicate that you are nearing the end of your speech. While giving a summary of your case and explaining the holes in your opponent’s argument, move your notes away from you and gaze straight at the judges.

Speak slower than you did throughout your real speech, exploiting the difference in speed to make your final comments stay in the minds of your assessors. As you make your closing remarks, practice your final inflection, dropping your voice and slowing your words.

Recommended: How to become a successful lawyer: 10 Qualities you need

5. Third Party Close: The Third-Party close elevates the usage of a quote. Make use of a quotation in the context of your message.

Use the idea of that quotation to frame your conclusion so that it functions as a launching pad to elevate your message high enough for the audience to completely comprehend it.

6. Inform your judges on how to vote : Inform your judges on how to vote. Make a simple statement like, “ After reviewing the information about this topic, you must vote to affirm the topic. ” Continue by elaborating on the specific flaw in your opponent’s argument.

“ Our opponents today failed to contend with our most important point, about the value of human rights and their essential place in a virtuous society, ” for example. Be specific about which points your opponents did not address and emphasize the significance of these issues.

Also see: Causes, Effects and Solutions to low self-esteem

7. Connect the primary points to the core message: It is critical to plan out the primary concepts you will discuss at the start of your presentation. An audience that is unaware of the stages of the journey you are going to take them on will be less relaxed than one that is aware of what is to come.

At the end of your presentation, go through everything you’ve discussed, but don’t just list the many concepts you developed; illustrate how they are linked and how they support your primary thesis.

8. Thank the audience: After you’ve completed presenting the substance, the easiest approach to close a speech is to say, “ thank you .” This has the advantage of being understood by everybody.

It’s an excellent technique for anyone to indicate to the crowd that it’s time to applaud and then go.

Also see: Tips on how to improve your emotional intelligence

Your closing words should make it clear that your debate presentation is coming to an end. The audience should be able to read it and respond quickly. As previously stated, saying “ thank you ” is a good way to conclude. If there is no acclaim, stand tall and wait. Don’t wiggle, and don’t even bother to mumble, ‘ And that just about covers it .’ Thank you very much.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.

This Post Has One Comment

Like what quotation can I use to end a debate

Comments are closed.

How to End a Debate: Top 7 Best Expert Examples

Debates are a common and valuable form of communication, providing a platform for people to express and defend their opinions.

However, debates can become contentious, leading to increased tension and frustration. dictionary

Knowing how to end a debate is a crucial skill that can help to maintain healthy relationships and prevent conflicts from escalating.

In this blog post, we will explore practical tips for ending a debate in a respectful and productive manner.

Whether you are debating with a friend, or coworker, or in a group setting, these tips can help you to navigate difficult conversations with ease and confidence. (if you missed our previous post on Top Best 50 Debate Topics for Secondary Schools in Nigeria , do well to read it.)

Click to  search for the best creche near me  now

Table of Contents

Explanation of what a debate is

A debate is a formal or informal discussion where individuals or groups present arguments and counter-arguments on a specific topic or issue.

The purpose of a debate is to persuade others to accept or reject a particular point of view, and it often involves presenting evidence, logical reasoning, and critical thinking.

Debates can occur in various settings, such as classrooms, political campaigns, business meetings, or social gatherings.

They can also cover a wide range of topics, from politics and social issues to scientific research and philosophical concepts.

Debates can be a powerful tool for expanding knowledge and promoting understanding, but they can also become heated and emotional if not conducted in a respectful and constructive manner.

Click to  search for the best primary school near me  now

Importance of knowing how to end a debate

Knowing how to end a debate is essential for several reasons. Firstly, debates can often become contentious, leading to negative emotions and strained relationships. By ending a debate on a positive note, you can maintain a respectful and amicable relationship with the person you were debating with, even if you don’t agree with their position.

Secondly, ending a debate can help to prevent conflicts from escalating into more significant problems.

If a debate continues without resolution, it can lead to frustration, resentment, and even anger.

By effectively concluding a debate, you can prevent these negative emotions from escalating into more significant conflicts that may be difficult to resolve.

Finally, knowing how to end a debate can help you to hone your communication and critical thinking skills.

By practicing effective debate techniques, you can learn to articulate your position more effectively, listen actively to opposing viewpoints, and find common ground with others.

These skills are essential not just in debates but in all areas of life, including personal relationships, work environments, and social interactions.

Click to  search for the best Nursery school near me  now

A brief overview of tips for ending a debate

Here is a brief overview of some practical tips for ending a debate in a respectful and productive manner:

• Set clear rules and expectations: Establish clear guidelines for the debate and ensure that everyone understands what is expected of them.
• Listen actively: Listen carefully to the other person’s arguments and try to understand their perspective without interrupting or dismissing their points.
• Identify common ground: Look for areas where you and the other person may agree, and use these points of agreement as a foundation for finding a resolution.
• Stay focused on the topic: Avoid getting sidetracked by irrelevant or emotionally charged issues. Stay focused on the primary topic of the debate.
• Use facts and evidence: Support your arguments with credible sources and facts, and encourage the other person to do the same.
• Be willing to compromise: Recognize that compromise is often necessary for reaching a resolution and finding common ground.
• End on a positive note: Conclude the debate with a positive statement or expression of appreciation, even if you do not agree with the other person’s position.

By following these tips, you can effectively end a debate in a way that respects both your own and the other person’s viewpoints, reduces tension and conflict, and fosters productive and respectful communication.

See Top Best 50 Debate Topics for Secondary Schools in Nigeria

• Set clear rules and expectations

One of the most important steps in ending a debate is to set clear rules and expectations from the outset.

This can help to ensure that the discussion remains respectful, productive, and focused on the topic at hand. Here are some tips for setting clear rules and expectations for a debate:

• Establish the purpose of the debate: Make sure that everyone understands the goal of the debate and what you hope to achieve.
• Determine the format: Decide on the format of the debate, such as a structured or informal discussion, and ensure that everyone understands the format.
• Set time limits: Agree on the length of the debate and set time limits for each speaker to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to present their arguments.
• Agree on the ground rules: Establish ground rules for the debate, such as taking turns to speak, avoiding personal attacks, and maintaining a respectful tone.
• Choose a moderator: Consider having a neutral third-party moderator to keep the discussion on track and ensure that everyone follows the established rules.

By setting clear rules and expectations, you can help to create a productive and respectful debate environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their views.

This can help to reduce tension and ensure that the debate remains focused on the topic at hand.

Importance of setting rules and expectations

Setting clear rules and expectations is essential for several reasons when it comes to debates. Here are a few reasons why:

• Establishing a common understanding : By setting rules and expectations, everyone involved in the debate can have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. This can help to ensure that the discussion remains on track, productive, and respectful.
• Creating a fair and balanced debate: Setting time limits, ground rules, and choosing a moderator can ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to express their views and that no one dominates the conversation or monopolizes the discussion.
• Maintaining a respectful and productive environment: Clear rules and expectations can help to create a respectful and productive environment for debate, where everyone feels comfortable expressing their views and listening to others’ perspectives. This can help to reduce tension and prevent the discussion from becoming personal or hostile.
• Encouraging effective communication: By setting clear expectations, the debate can encourage effective communication, critical thinking, and active listening. This can help to promote understanding, foster mutual respect, and lead to a more productive discussion.

Overall, setting clear rules and expectations is essential for creating a productive, respectful, and fair debate environment.

By establishing guidelines and expectations, you can help to ensure that the discussion remains focused on the topic at hand, promotes effective communication, and leads to a positive outcome.

Examples of guidelines to set

Here are some examples of guidelines that you can set to ensure a productive and respectful debate:

• Respectful language: Ensure that all participants use respectful language and avoid personal attacks. Encourage them to focus on the issues and ideas rather than attacking individuals.
• Listening actively: Encourage all participants to listen actively and carefully to each other’s arguments. Ask them to avoid interrupting each other and to acknowledge the points made by others.
• Time limits: Set time limits for each speaker to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to express their views. This can also help to keep the debate on track and prevent it from dragging on for too long.
• Sticking to the topic: Encourage all participants to stick to the topic at hand and avoid getting sidetracked by irrelevant issues or tangents.
• Use of evidence: Encourage all participants to use credible sources and evidence to support their arguments.
• Avoiding assumptions: Encourage all participants to avoid making assumptions about others’ viewpoints and instead seek to understand their perspectives.
• Agreeing on the outcome: Agree on the desired outcome of the debate beforehand, such as reaching a compromise or finding common ground.

By setting guidelines like these, you can create a productive and respectful debate environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their views and listening to others.

These guidelines can help to reduce tension, ensure that the discussion remains focused on the topic at hand, and lead to a positive outcome.

See How To Conduct Debate Competition

How setting rules and expectations can reduce tension

Setting rules and expectations can reduce tension in a debate in several ways:

• Promoting clarity: By setting clear guidelines, all participants will have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. This can help to reduce misunderstandings and prevent any unnecessary tension that may arise due to a lack of clarity.
• Encouraging mutual respect : When the ground rules are established, they promote an atmosphere of mutual respect. This means that each participant is aware of the other’s boundaries and limitations, and they will act accordingly. It can help to prevent personal attacks and create a more amicable environment for discussion.
• Focusing on the issues: Setting expectations for the debate helps to ensure that everyone focuses on the issues being discussed. This reduces the likelihood of personal attacks, and it prevents the debate from becoming derailed by irrelevant topics.
• Reducing ambiguity: By setting expectations, there will be less ambiguity about what the participants are supposed to do, say, or contribute. This clarity can help to reduce tension by giving everyone a sense of purpose and direction.

Overall, setting rules and expectations for a debate can reduce tension by promoting clarity, mutual respect, and focus.

These guidelines can help to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their views, and where the discussion remains productive and respectful.

• Listen actively

Active listening is an essential aspect of ending a debate. Here’s how active listening can help you bring a debate to a productive close:

• Demonstrate respect: When you actively listen to someone, you show that you respect their opinion, even if you don’t necessarily agree with it. This can help to reduce tension and promote a more respectful debate.
• Gain understanding : Active listening helps you gain a better understanding of the other person’s point of view. This can help you to identify common ground and areas of agreement, which can help to bring the debate to a close.
• Reframe the debate: When you actively listen, you can also reframe the debate to focus on the underlying issues or concerns. This can help to bring the debate to a more productive conclusion and identify solutions that address the underlying problems.
• Encourage others: When you actively listen, you can encourage others to do the same. This can help to promote a more respectful and productive debate where everyone feels heard and valued.

Overall, active listening is an essential tool for ending a debate. It can help to reduce tension, promote understanding, and identify common ground. By actively listening, you can help to bring the debate to a close and find a productive way forward.

Explanation of active listening

Active listening is a technique that involves fully concentrating on what someone is saying and showing that you understand their point of view.

It’s more than just hearing what someone is saying – it’s about being fully present at the moment and giving the speaker your undivided attention.

Here are some ways to actively listen during a debate:

• Focus on the speaker: Give the speaker your full attention. Avoid distractions like your phone, computer, or other people in the room.
• Don’t interrupt: Allow the speaker to finish their point before responding. Interrupting can derail the conversation and make the speaker feel unheard or disrespected.
• Show interest: Show the speaker that you are interested in what they have to say. Make eye contact, nod, and ask follow-up questions to show that you understand their perspective.
• Paraphrase: Summarize what the speaker has said in your own words to ensure that you have understood their point correctly. This also shows the speaker that you are actively engaged in the conversation.
• Reflect on your own response: Take a moment to reflect on your own response before speaking. This can help you to respond in a more thoughtful and respectful manner.

Active listening can help to promote a more respectful and productive debate environment. By fully engaging in the conversation and showing that you understand the other person’s perspective, you can reduce tension and find common ground.

Benefits of active listening

Active listening has several benefits that can help in various situations, including debates. Here are some of the benefits of active listening:

• Builds rapport and trust: Active listening can help to build rapport and trust between individuals by showing that you value their opinions and are interested in their perspectives.
• Improves communication: Active listening can help to improve communication by reducing misunderstandings and promoting a clearer understanding of the issues at hand.
• Increases understanding: Active listening can help to increase understanding by allowing you to gain insight into the other person’s point of view and identify areas of agreement.
• Reduces conflict: Active listening can help to reduce conflict by promoting mutual respect and understanding. It can also help to de-escalate tense situations and find common ground.
• Promotes empathy: Active listening can help to promote empathy by allowing you to see things from the other person’s perspective. This can help to build stronger relationships and resolve conflicts more effectively.

Overall, active listening is a valuable skill that can help to improve communication, build relationships, and reduce conflict.

It is an essential tool for anyone who wants to end a debate in a productive and respectful manner.

Tips for practicing active listening during a debate

Here are some tips for practicing active listening during a debate:

• Stay focused: Focus your attention solely on the speaker and what they are saying. Avoid distractions like your phone, computer, or other people in the room.
• Avoid interrupting: Let the speaker finish their point before you respond. Interrupting can derail the conversation and make the speaker feel disrespected.
• Show interest: Show the speaker that you are interested in what they have to say by making eye contact, nodding, and asking follow-up questions.
• Clarify: If you don’t understand something the speaker has said, ask for clarification. This can help to prevent misunderstandings and promote a clearer understanding of the issues.
• Stay neutral: Avoid making judgments or reacting emotionally to what the speaker is saying. Instead, try to stay neutral and objective.

By practicing active listening, you can improve communication, build trust, and reduce conflict during a debate. It’s a valuable skill that can help you to bring a debate to a productive close and find common ground.

• Identify common ground

Identifying common ground is an important step in ending a debate because it helps to find areas of agreement between the parties involved.

Here are some tips for identifying common ground during a debate:

• Listen for common interests: Listen for common interests, values, or goals that you share with the other party. This can help you to find common ground and build a shared understanding of the issues.
• Focus on underlying needs: Focus on the underlying needs or motivations that are driving the debate. By understanding these needs, you can find common ground and identify solutions that meet the needs of both parties.
• Look for compromise: Look for areas where you can compromise to find a solution that works for both parties. This can involve finding a middle ground or making concessions on certain issues.
• Identify shared values: Identify shared values that both parties hold. This can help you to find common ground and build a shared understanding of the issues.
• Find a common language: Try to find a common language that both parties can use to describe the issues. This can help to reduce misunderstandings and promote a clearer understanding of the issues.

By identifying common ground, you can find areas of agreement and work towards a solution that meets the needs of both parties. This can help to end the debate in a productive and respectful manner.

Explanation of why identifying common ground is important

Identifying common ground is important during a debate because it helps to build mutual understanding and find areas of agreement between the parties involved. Here are some reasons why identifying common ground is important:

• Builds trust: By finding areas of agreement, you can build trust and establish a foundation for future collaboration. This can help to reduce tension and promote a more productive debate.
• Encourages collaboration: Identifying common ground can encourage collaboration and a shared sense of purpose. This can help to promote a more positive and productive debate.
• Reduces conflict: By finding areas of agreement, you can reduce conflict and promote a more constructive conversation. This can help to prevent the debate from becoming heated or unproductive.
• Increases understanding: Identifying common ground can help to increase understanding and build a shared understanding of the issues at hand. This can help to promote a more productive debate and lead to more effective solutions.
• Encourages creative problem-solving: By finding common ground, you can encourage creative problem-solving and identify solutions that meet the needs of both parties. This can help to end the debate in a productive and mutually beneficial manner.

Overall, identifying common ground is an important step in ending a debate because it helps to build mutual understanding, reduce conflict, and promote a more positive and productive conversation.

Examples of areas where common ground may exist

Here are some examples of areas where common ground may exist during a debate:

• Shared values: Even if parties disagree on specific issues, they may share underlying values such as fairness, justice, or equality. Identifying these shared values can help to find common ground and build a shared understanding of the issues.
• Common goals: Parties may have different ideas about how to achieve a common goal, but they may agree on the importance of the goal itself. Identifying these common goals can help to find common ground and promote a more productive debate.
• Facts: Parties may disagree on the interpretation of facts, but they may agree on the facts themselves. Identifying areas of agreement around facts can help to build a shared understanding of the issues and promote a more constructive debate.
• Priorities: Parties may have different priorities or preferences, but they may agree on the importance of certain issues or concerns. Identifying these shared priorities can help to find common ground and build a shared understanding of the issues.
• Desired outcomes: Parties may have different ideas about how to achieve a desired outcome, but they may agree on the outcome itself. Identifying these shared desired outcomes can help to find common ground and promote a more productive debate.

By identifying areas of common ground, parties can work towards a more constructive and productive debate.

It can help to build mutual understanding, promote collaboration, and lead to more effective solutions.

Strategies for identifying common ground

Here are some strategies for identifying common ground during a debate:

• Focus on interests: Try to understand the underlying interests or needs of each party. This can help to identify areas of common ground and find solutions that meet the needs of both parties.
• Look for shared values: Identify shared values or principles that both parties hold. This can help to build mutual understanding and identify areas of agreement.
• Ask questions: Ask open-ended questions to better understand the other party’s perspective. This can help to clarify their interests, values, and priorities and identify areas of common ground.
• Use active listening: Practice active listening to fully understand the other party’s perspective. This can help to identify areas of agreement and build mutual understanding.
• Consider multiple options: Be open to considering multiple options or solutions. This can help to find a compromise that meets the needs of both parties.
• Stay focused on the goal: Keep the focus on the common goal or desired outcome. This can help to find common ground and promote a more constructive conversation.

By using these strategies, you can identify areas of common ground and work towards a more productive and mutually beneficial debate.

• Stay focused on the topic

Staying focused on the topic is an important aspect of ending a debate. It helps to ensure that the conversation remains productive and on track toward a resolution.

Here are some reasons why staying focused on the topic is important:

• Increases clarity: Staying focused on the topic helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and has a clear understanding of the issues at hand.
• Prevents distractions: Focusing on the topic helps to prevent distractions and side conversations that can derail the debate.
• Promotes a more productive debate: By staying focused on the topic, parties can have a more productive and constructive debate that leads to a resolution.
• Saves time: Staying on the topic can help to save time by preventing the debate from going off on tangents that do not lead to a resolution.
• Demonstrates respect: Focusing on the topic demonstrates respect for the other party’s time and perspective. It shows that you are willing to engage in constructive and respectful debate.

Overall, staying focused on the topic is an important aspect of ending a debate. It helps to ensure that the conversation remains productive and leads to a resolution that meets the needs of both parties.

Importance of staying focused

Staying focused during a debate is critical for several reasons. Here are some of the most important reasons:

• H elps to reach a resolution: When people stay focused, they are more likely to get to the root of the problem and find a solution that works for everyone.
• Avoids misunderstandings: When the debate stays on topic, it helps to avoid misunderstandings or confusion. This is because everyone is clear on what is being discussed and what needs to be resolved.
• Saves time and resources: When people stay focused during a debate, they can save a significant amount of time and resources. This is because they are not wasting time discussing unrelated or irrelevant topics.
• Demonstrates respect: When people stay focused, they are showing respect for the other participants in the debate. This is because they are taking the time to listen and engage in constructive conversation.
• Promotes learning: When people stay focused, they have a better opportunity to learn from one another. This is because they can fully explore the topic at hand and gain insights that they might not have otherwise discovered.

Overall, staying focused during a debate is essential for reaching a resolution that meets everyone’s needs.

It helps to avoid misunderstandings, saves time and resources, and promotes respect and learning among participants.

Common distractions during a debate

Distractions during a debate can come in many forms. Here are some of the most common distractions that can derail a debate:

• Personal attacks: When people resort to personal attacks, it can be distracting and counterproductive. It can also create an atmosphere of hostility and defensiveness.
• Tangents: Going off on tangents or discussing unrelated topics can be a major distraction. It can also make it harder to stay focused on the main issues at hand.
• Interruptions: Constant interruptions can disrupt the flow of the conversation and prevent people from fully expressing their ideas.
• Emotions: Strong emotions, such as anger or frustration, can make it difficult to stay focused and can create an adversarial atmosphere.
• Technical difficulties: Technical difficulties, such as poor sound quality or connection issues, can disrupt the conversation and make it harder to communicate effectively.
• Lack of preparation: When people come to a debate unprepared, they can struggle to stay focused and contribute meaningfully to the conversation.

By being aware of these common distractions, participants in a debate can take steps to avoid them and keep the conversation on track.

This can help to ensure that the debate remains productive and leads to a resolution that meets everyone’s needs.

Tips for staying on topic

Staying on topic during a debate is essential for reaching a resolution that works for everyone. Here are some tips for staying on topic:

• Set clear goals and objectives: Before the debate begins, it is important to set clear goals and objectives. This will help everyone to stay focused on the main issues at hand.
• Define the scope of the discussion: Be clear about what is in and out of the scope of the debate. This will help to avoid tangents and keep the conversation on track.
• Avoid personal attacks: Personal attacks can be a major distraction and can derail the debate. Focus on the issues, not the people involved.
• Use evidence and facts: Using evidence and facts can help to keep the conversation grounded and prevent it from veering off into speculation or opinion.
• Listen actively: Listening actively can help to keep the conversation focused and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
• Be respectful: Being respectful and courteous to all participants in the debate can help to maintain a positive and constructive atmosphere.
• Use a facilitator: A facilitator can help to keep the conversation on track and ensure that everyone has a chance to participate.

By following these tips, participants in a debate can stay focused on the main issues and work towards a resolution that meets everyone’s needs.

• Use facts and evidence

Using facts and evidence is essential for a productive and effective debate. Here are some reasons why:

• Supports your arguments: Using facts and evidence to support your arguments can strengthen your position and help you persuade others.
• Establishes credibility: By using reliable and verifiable sources of information, you can establish your credibility and demonstrate that your arguments are based on sound reasoning and research.
• Helps to avoid logical fallacies: Logical fallacies are common mistakes in reasoning that can weaken arguments. By using facts and evidence, you can avoid fallacies and present a more persuasive case.
• Facilitates informed decision-making: When everyone in the debate uses facts and evidence, the discussion can be more productive and lead to informed decision-making that takes into account all relevant information.
• Encourages a respectful and constructive atmosphere: When people use facts and evidence to support their arguments, it can create a more respectful and constructive atmosphere. This is because people are less likely to resort to personal attacks or emotional appeals when they have solid evidence to back up their claims.

Overall, using facts and evidence is an important part of any productive and effective debate.

By doing so, participants can strengthen their arguments, establish their credibility, avoid logical fallacies, facilitate informed decision-making, and encourage a respectful and constructive atmosphere.

Importance of using facts and evidence

Using facts and evidence in a debate is crucial for several reasons:

• Establishes credibility: Presenting reliable and verifiable information from credible sources can help establish your credibility as a knowledgeable and well-informed participant in the debate.
• Strengthens your argument: Using facts and evidence to support your position can help to strengthen your argument and make it more persuasive to others.
• Fosters critical thinking: By presenting and analyzing facts and evidence, participants in the debate are encouraged to engage in critical thinking, which can lead to more insightful and informed conclusions.
• Avoids fallacious reasoning: Reliance on fallacious reasoning or faulty logic can weaken an argument and damage the credibility of the person presenting it. Using facts and evidence helps to avoid these pitfalls and build a stronger case.
• Promotes productive discussion: When everyone in the debate is using facts and evidence to support their arguments, the discussion is more likely to be productive and constructive, as opposed to devolving into personal attacks or emotional appeals.

In summary, using facts and evidence in a debate helps to establish credibility, strengthen arguments, foster critical thinking, avoid fallacious reasoning, and promote productive discussion.

Examples of credible sources

Credible sources of information are those that are trustworthy, accurate, and based on factual evidence. Here are some examples of credible sources that you can use in a debate:

• Academic journals : Peer-reviewed academic journals are an excellent source of credible information on a wide range of topics. They are written by experts in their fields and undergo a rigorous review by other experts before publication.
• Government publications: Government agencies often produce reports, statistics, and other data on a variety of topics, such as public health, economics, and the environment. These sources can be valuable for providing accurate and reliable information.
• Expert opinion: Expert opinion can be a valuable source of information in a debate, especially when it is based on factual evidence and supported by research. Experts can include academics, researchers, scientists, and other professionals with specialized knowledge and expertise.
• Books: Books can be a great source of information for debates, especially if they are written by credible authors with expertise in the relevant field. Look for books published by reputable publishers and written by experts in the field.
• News outlets: Reputable news outlets, such as major newspapers and television networks, can be a valuable source of information for a debate. Look for news sources that are known for their journalistic integrity and accuracy.

When using sources in a debate, it is important to evaluate their credibility and reliability.

Look for sources that are based on factual evidence, written by experts in the field, and have been reviewed by others in the field.

By using credible sources, you can strengthen your argument and build your credibility as a participant in the debate.

How to incorporate facts and evidence into a debate

Here are some tips for incorporating facts and evidence into a debate:

• Gather relevant information: Before the debate, do some research on the topic and gather relevant facts and evidence. Make sure the information you use is accurate, reliable, and credible sources.
• Organize your information: Organize your facts and evidence in a clear and concise manner. Use bullet points or a numbered list to make it easy to follow.
• Use examples: Use specific examples to support your argument. This will help to make your points more tangible and relatable to the audience.
• Be prepared to defend your sources: Be prepared to defend the credibility of your sources if challenged. Make sure you are able to explain why your sources are reliable and trustworthy.
• Use visuals: Consider using visuals, such as graphs or charts, to help illustrate your points. This can be a powerful way to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• Use language that is easy to understand: Avoid using technical jargon or complex language that may be difficult for the audience to understand. Use language that is clear and concise, and make sure your argument is easy to follow.

Remember, the goal of using facts and evidence in a debate is to strengthen your argument and make it more persuasive to the audience.

By using relevant and credible information, you can build your credibility as a knowledgeable participant in the debate and increase the likelihood that others will be persuaded by your arguments.

• Be willing to compromise

When it comes to ending a debate, being willing to compromise can be an important strategy. Here are some reasons why:

• Finding common ground: By being willing to compromise, you may be able to find areas of agreement with the other person. This can help to reduce tension and create a more positive atmosphere for the discussion.
• Resolving conflict: Compromise can be a powerful tool for resolving conflict. By finding a middle ground that both parties can agree on, you can work towards a solution that is acceptable to everyone.
• Building relationships: By being willing to compromise, you can demonstrate that you are open to working with others and finding solutions that work for everyone. This can help to build trust and strengthen relationships over time.

Here are some tips for being willing to compromise during a debate:

• Be open to new ideas: Be willing to listen to the other person’s perspective and consider their ideas.
• Focus on common goals: Identify common goals that both parties share, and work towards finding a solution that achieves those goals.
• Be flexible: Be willing to adjust your position if necessary in order to find a solution that works for everyone.
• Communicate effectively: Communicate clearly and respectfully with the other person, and be open to feedback and suggestions.

Remember, compromise is not about giving up your position or sacrificing your beliefs. Rather, it is about finding a solution that works for everyone involved.

By being willing to compromise, you can help to create a more positive and productive environment for debate and discussion.

Importance of compromise

Compromise is important in many aspects of life, including debates. Here are some reasons why compromise is important:

• Finding a solution : Sometimes, a debate can become so polarized that it becomes difficult to find a solution that works for everyone. The compromise allows both parties to find a middle ground and work towards a solution that is acceptable to everyone.
• Building relationships: In a debate, it can be easy to become entrenched in your own position and dismissive of others. By being willing to compromise, you can demonstrate that you are open to working with others and finding solutions that work for everyone. This can help to build trust and strengthen relationships over time.
• Encouraging collaboration: Compromise encourages collaboration and teamwork. By working together towards a common goal, both parties can share their knowledge and expertise, and come up with a solution that is stronger and more effective than anything they could have achieved alone.
• Encouraging creativity: Compromise encourages creativity and innovation. By being willing to consider new ideas and approaches, both parties can come up with unique and effective solutions to complex problems.

Benefits of compromise

Compromise has many benefits in various situations, including debates. Here are some of the benefits of compromise:

• Finding a solution: Compromise allows both parties to find a middle ground and work towards a solution that is acceptable to everyone. This can help to resolve the issue at hand and move forward.
• Encouraging collaboration: Compromise encourages collaboration and teamwork. By working together towards a common goal, both parties can share their knowledge and expertise and come up with a solution that is stronger and more effective than anything they could have achieved alone.
• Reducing tension: In a debate, tension can quickly escalate and make it difficult to find a solution. By being willing to compromise, you can help to reduce tension and create a more positive atmosphere for the discussion.

Tips for finding common ground and compromising

Here are some tips for finding common ground and compromising during a debate:

• Listen actively: Listen to the other person’s arguments and try to understand their perspective. Be open-minded and avoid interrupting or dismissing their points.
• Identify shared values: Look for shared values or goals that both parties can agree on. Focus on these shared values as a starting point for finding a compromise.
• Brainstorm solutions: Brainstorm solutions that address both parties’ concerns. Be creative and think outside the box. Try to come up with multiple solutions that could work for everyone.
• Be willing to give and take: Compromise requires both parties to give a little and take a little. Be open to making concessions and finding a solution that works for everyone.
• Find a middle ground: Look for a middle ground that both parties can agree on. This may require both parties to adjust their position slightly, but it can lead to a solution that is acceptable to everyone.
• Keep the discussion respectful: Remember to keep the discussion respectful and avoid personal attacks. Stick to the issues at hand and avoid making it personal.
• Consider the long-term: Think about the long-term implications of the compromise. Will it work for everyone involved in the long run? Will it address the underlying issues that led to the debate?

End on a positive note

Ending a debate on a positive note is important because it can help to promote a sense of closure and leave a lasting impression on the participants. Here are some tips for ending a debate on a positive note:

• Recap the main points: Take a few minutes to recap the main points of the debate. This can help to reinforce key arguments and remind everyone of the issues that were discussed.
• Express appreciation: Take the time to express appreciation for the other person’s participation in the debate. Thank them for their time and for sharing their perspective.
• Find common ground: Look for areas of common ground that were identified during the debate. Highlight these areas and acknowledge the progress that was made.
• Offer a solution: If possible, offer a solution or compromise that everyone can agree on. This can help to end the debate on a positive note and provide a sense of closure.
• Stay respectful: Remember to stay respectful and avoid personal attacks or negativity. Even if you don’t agree with the other person’s perspective, you can still end the debate on a positive note by acknowledging their participation and staying polite.

By following these tips, you can help to end a debate on a positive note and leave a lasting impression on the participants.

This can help to promote a sense of goodwill and encourage future discussion and collaboration.

Examples of positive ways to end a debate

Here are some examples of positive ways to end a debate:

• “Thank you for your perspective on this issue. I appreciate your time and effort in this debate, and I think we were able to make progress by finding some common ground.”
• “I think we’ve had a really productive discussion today. Even though we may not agree on everything, I appreciate the opportunity to learn from your perspective and have a respectful conversation.”
• “Let’s focus on the things that we can agree on and work together to find a solution. I believe that if we continue to have these types of discussions, we can make a positive impact.”
• “I want to thank everyone for their contributions to this debate. It’s important that we have these types of conversations to better understand different perspectives and find solutions.”
• “Although we may have different viewpoints, I think it’s important that we respect each other’s opinions and continue to have productive discussions. Let’s keep an open mind and work towards finding common ground in the future.”

See Jamb Result Checker

How to express appreciation and optimism for future collaboration

Here are some ways to express appreciation and optimism for future collaboration after a debate:

• Thank the other person for their time and for sharing their perspective. Express appreciation for the opportunity to have a meaningful discussion.
• Highlight areas of agreement or progress that were made during the debate. This can help to reinforce positive aspects of the conversation and provide a foundation for future collaboration.
• Emphasize the importance of continuing the conversation and finding common ground. This can help to promote a sense of optimism and encourage future collaboration.
• Offer to stay in touch and continue the conversation at a later time. This can help to keep the lines of communication open and provide an opportunity for further collaboration.
• End on a positive note by expressing confidence in the potential for future collaboration. This can help to promote a sense of goodwill and encourage future engagement.

By expressing appreciation and optimism for future collaboration, you can help to promote a positive and productive dialogue. This can help to build relationships and create opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving.

In conclusion, ending a debate can be a challenging task, but by following these tips, you can help to ensure that the conversation ends on a positive and productive note.

Setting clear rules and expectations, practicing active listening, identifying common ground, staying focused on the topic, using facts and evidence, being willing to compromise, and expressing appreciation and optimism for future collaboration can all help to promote respectful and productive dialogue.

By working together to find common ground and build relationships, we can create opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving that can lead to positive outcomes for everyone involved.

Remember, the goal of a debate is not to win or lose, but to have a meaningful conversation and find solutions to complex problems.

See WAEC Timetable

Summary of tips for ending a debate

To summarize, here are the tips for ending a debate:

• End on a positive note by expressing appreciation and optimism for future collaboration

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that the conversation ends on a positive and productive note.

Whether you are debating with a colleague, friend, or family member, practicing these skills can help to promote a respectful and productive dialogue.

Encouragement to practice effective debate skills

I would like to encourage you to practice these effective debate skills in your daily life. By becoming skilled in ending debates, you can help to promote positive and productive conversations that can lead to meaningful outcomes.

Whether you are engaging in a debate with colleagues, friends, or family members, these tips can help you to navigate difficult conversations in a respectful and productive manner.

Remember, the key to an effective debate is not to win or lose but to have a meaningful conversation and find solutions to complex problems.

By practicing these skills, you can help to create a better future for yourself and those around you.

Final thoughts and call to action.

In conclusion, effective debate skills are important for promoting positive and productive conversations.

By setting clear rules and expectations, practicing active listening, identifying common ground, staying focused on the topic, using facts and evidence, being willing to compromise, and ending on a positive note, we can help to ensure that difficult conversations end in a constructive and respectful manner.

I encourage you to practice these skills in your daily life and to share them with others. By doing so, we can create a culture of constructive dialogue and problem-solving that can lead to positive outcomes for everyone involved.

Let us work together to promote effective communication and build stronger relationships so that we can create a better future for ourselves and those around us.

75 Funny Debate Topics To Make Students Laugh

How to Write Application Letter for Teaching Job as an Undergrad

NGschoolBoard

Related posts.

Education Movies for Secondary School: Top Picks

Five Effective Teaching Methods in Teaching Secondary School Children

Top 50 Best Secondary Schools in Nigeria 2024

Top Best 50 Debate Topics for Secondary Schools in Nigeria 2024

Top best 50 debate topics for secondary schools in nigeria 2023 - ngschoolboard.

[…] Additionally, debates can be an opportunity for students to engage with current events and complex issues in a structured and constructive way. See How to End a Debate. […]

How To Improve Student And Teacher Relationships 2023 - NGschoolBoard

[…] See How to End a Debate […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Lost Your Password?

Reset Password

Create an account.

Last Updated on 11 months by YB

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

9 Closing a Speech: End with Power and Let Them Know It is Time to Clap

Open Your Speech With a Bang Close It With a Slam-Dunk Westside Toastmasters

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending,” according to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The first few words of your speech make the audience want to listen and the last few sentences help them decide what they feel about you and your topic. In this chapter, I will explain the function of a conclusion, the format of a conclusion, and I will give you numerous examples of ways to end your speech. Most of this chapter is dedicated to showing you good examples of different types of speech closings. Let’s get started by talking about the purpose of the closing.

A Strong Closing Does Many Things

• Summarizes the points. By restating your points your audience is more likely to remember them.
• Tells the audience when to clap. Let’s face it, it is so awkward when you are done with your speech, and no one claps. Being clear the end is near, relieves the audience of the pressure of wondering if they are clapping at the right time.
• Provides resolution. Your speech should give the audience a sense of resolve or a sense of being challenged.

The Formula for Closing Most Speeches

• Transition statement to ending.
• Review the main points–repeat the thesis.
• If it is a persuasive speech, tell the audience what you want them to do or think.
• Provide a closing statement.

Restate the Thesis

Tell them what you are going to say, say it, tell them what you have said. This speech pattern is useful in most types of speeches because it helps the speaker to remember your key points. As you build your closing, make sure you restate the thesis. A good rule of thumb is to write it in such a way that if the audience were asked to restate the main points, their answer would match closely with your thesis.

EXAMPLE Watch as Stella Young gives her thesis and then restates her thesis at the end of the speech as she wraps up. The thesis of the talk in the introduction: We’ve been sold the lie that disability is a Bad Thing, capital B, capital T. It’s a bad thing, and to live with a disability makes you exceptional. It’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t make you exceptional. Restates the thesis of the talk at the closing: Disability doesn’t make you exceptional but questioning what you think you know about it does.

Stella Young, I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtPGrLoU5Uk

This next example is from a student’s speech. It is easy to pull out one sentence that clearly summarizes the main points of her speech. Following her summary, she winds the speech down into a thoughtful conclusion and ends with three powerful words.

Now is the time to separate the war on drugs from the war on addiction. T oday you’ve heard the problems, impacts, and solutions of criminalizing addictions. Bruce Callis is 50 years old now. And he is still struggling with his addiction. while you all are sitting out there listening to this, I’m living with it. Bruce Callis is my father and for my entire life, I have watched our misguided system destroy him. The irony here is that we live in a society where we are told to recycle. We recycle paper, aluminum, and electronics. But why don’t we ever consider recycling them most precision think on Earth– the human life. Student Tunnette Powell, Winner of the 2012 Interstate Oratorical Association Contest.

Closing Phrases

After you restate your thesis, you should carefully deliver your closing phrases.  Your closing should provide a resolution to your speech and/or it should challenge the audience. Frantically Speaking writer Hrideep Barot suggests  “a conclusion is like tying a bow or ribbon to a box of your key ideas that your audience will be taking along with them.”

A speech closing is not just about the words you say, but it is also the way you say it. Change the pace near the end of your speech. Let your tone alone should signal the end is near. It is about deliberate voice control, don’t let your voice weakly away.

In the next section, I will cover these ways to end your speech:

End with powerful words End with a quote End with a graphic End with parallel construction End on a positive note End with a challenge End with a question End with inspiration End with well-wishing End with humor End with a call to action End with a feeling of resolve End with a prop

The best way to teach you about advanced closings is to show not tell. For this section, I will briefly explain each type of closing and then provide a video. Each video is queued so you can play the video and watch the closing statement.  I included a transcript under each video if you want to follow along.  It will be most beneficial for you to watch the clip and not just read the text. By watching, you will have a chance to hear the subtle changes in the speaker’s voice as they deliver their closing statements.

End with Powerful Words

As you design your closing, look at the last three to five words and examine them to see if they are strong words. Oftentimes, you can rearrange a sentence to end with a powerful word. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Watch this clip for how BJ Miller ends with a powerful thought and a powerful word. 

Parts of me died early on, and that’s something we can all say one way or another. I got to redesign my life around this fact, and I tell you it has been a liberation to realize you can always find a shock of beauty or meaning in what life you have left, like that snowball lasting for a perfect moment, all the while melting away. If we love such moments ferociously, then maybe we can learn to live well — not in spite of death, but because of it. Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination. BJ Miller, What Really Matters at the End of Life

End by Circling Back to the Opening

Another type of ending is to circle back to what you said in the beginning. You can revisit a quote, share the end to an illustration that was begun in the beginning, or you can put away a prop you got out in the beginning.

Watch this clip for how Zubing Zhang begins and ends with the same quote to circle back around to the main idea. 

She starts by telling a story of bungee jumping off the world’s highest platform and how she saw a sign with a quote that says, “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.” After telling her own story about pushing her emotional limits, she circles back around at the end by saying, “As the words said high on the bungee platform, “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.”

Yubing Zhang, Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone. 

End With Quote

If you end your speech with a quote, attend to the following.

• Always say the author of the quote before the quote for example, “I want to leave you with a leadership quote ‘What you do has far greater impact than what you say,’ Steven Covey.” The problem with this ending is that “Stephen Covey” are the last two words of the speech and that is boring. Consider instead this ending. “I think Robin Sharma said it best ‘Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence, and inspiration.'” In this arrangement, the last three words are powerful–influence and inspiration.
• Provided context for the quote before or after. Make sure the quote is meaningful and not just an easy way to end.

Watch this clip for how Sir Ken Robinson ends with a quote. Notice how he says the author and then the quote.

Also, notice how he then ties his speech to the quote with a final few sentences and ends with the powerful word–“revolution” and how he uses a strong vocal emphasis as he says his last word. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

There’s a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin. “There are three sorts of people in the world: Those who are immovable, people who don’t get it, or don’t want to do anything about it; there are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it; and there are people who move, people who make things happen.” And if we can encourage more people, that will be a movement. And if the movement is strong enough, that’s, in the best sense of the word, a revolution. And that’s what we need.

Sir Ken Robinson, How to Escape Education’s Death Valley. 

End with a Graphic

You might want to use a visual to make your final point. Bringing in a picture, graphic, or object, reengages the audience to pay attention to your final ideas.

Watch this clip for how Barry Schartz uses the magic words “so to conclude” and then he creatively uses a picture of a fishbowl to narrow in on his point. Notice how his final word is spoken with urgency as he says “disaster.” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

 So, to conclude. (He shows a picture of fish in a fishbowl) He says, “You can be anything you want to be — no limits.” You’re supposed to read this cartoon and, being a sophisticated person, say, “Ah! What does this fish know? Nothing is possible in this fishbowl.” Impoverished imagination, a myopic view of the world –that’s the way I read it at first. The more I thought about it, however, the more I came to the view that this fish knows something. Because the truth of the matter is, if you shatter the fishbowl so that everything is possible, you don’t have freedom. You have paralysis. If you shatter this fishbowl so that everything is possible, you decrease satisfaction. You increase paralysis, and you decrease satisfaction. Everybody needs a fishbowl. This one is almost certainly too limited –perhaps even for the fish, certainly for us. But the absence of some metaphorical fishbowl is a recipe for misery and, I suspect, disaster. Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice

End with Parallel Construction

Parallel construction is a series of repeated phrases. It can be a powerful tool to use in a persuasive speech as it creates a feeling of importance.

Watch this clip for how Malala Yousafzai ends with a series of parallel statements to build momentum. Notice how her pace perfectly matches her words and you feel her strength when she ends with “education first.” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice, and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism, and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education First.

Malala Yousafzai,  United Nations Youth Assembly

End on a Positive Note

Audiences are constantly evaluating a speaker to determine their attitude and motivation. As you consider your speech closing, ask yourself what type of impression do you want to leave?  Do you want to leave them with depression or hope? Sadness or promise? Most of the time, audiences will receive messages that end positively better than speeches that end negatively.

In this speech sample, Hans Rosling showed the audience some hard statistics and he even pointed fingers at the audience as part of the problem. To help them hear his main point, he wisely ends on a positive note.

Watch this clip for how Hans Rosling ends this thought-provoking talk on a positive note. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Now, when thinking about where all this leaves us, I have just one little humble advice for you, besides everything else, look at the data. Look at the facts about the world and you will see where we are today and how we can move forwards with all these billions on our wonderful planet. The challenge of extreme poverty has been greatly reduced and it’s for the first time in history within our power to end it for good. The challenge of population growth is, in fact, already being solved, the number of children has stopped growing.  And for the challenge for climate change, we can still avoid the worst, but that requires the richest, as soon as possible, find a way to use their set their use of resources and energy at a level that, step by step, can be shared by 10 billion or 11 billion by the end of this century. I’ve never called myself an optimist, but I do say I’m a possibilist and I also say the world is much better than many of you think.

Hans Rosling, Facts about the Population.

End with a Challenge

Leave the audience with a doable personal challenge. Help them mentally make sense of all the information that you shared by helping them know how to file it away and how to use it.

Watch this clip for how Melissa Butler ends with a challenge. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

So, I challenge each of you, when you go home today, look at yourself in the mirror, see all of you, look at all of your greatness that you embody, accept it, and love it. And finally, when you leave the house tomorrow, try to extend that same love and acceptance to someone who doesn’t look like you . Melissa Butler, Why You Think You’re Ugly. 

Watch this clip as Darren LaCroix literally falls face down to anchor the point that when we fall, we “fall forward.” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Darren LaCroix talks about taking risks and falling down and getting back up, he literally and purposefully falls down during his speech and ends this way: What’s your next step… take it. I didn’t want to look back at my life and say you know I never did try that comedy thing, but I died debt-free. All of us are headed toward that goal we are going to teach a point where we get stuck and our feet are like in cement and we can’t move but we’re so afraid of that ouch but we forget that if we lean forward and take a risk–(He falls face down) and we fall on our face. When we get up, notice, you still made progress. So please, with me, go ahead and fall. But fall forward. Darren LaCroiz, Winning Speech delivered at National Speech Association

End with a Question

Asking a question at the end is one way to reengage the audience. It helps them think about what your topic might mean for them.

Watch this clip for how David Eagleman reminds us about why his topic is important and then ends with a question. Notice how he pauses before his final question and how he changes the pace of his speech for the final sentence. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

So I think there’s really no end to the possibilities on the horizon for human expansion. Just imagine an astronaut being able to feel the overall health of the International Space Station, or, for that matter, having you feel the invisible states of your own health, like your blood sugar and the state of your microbiome, or having 360-degree vision or seeing in infrared or ultraviolet. So the key is this: As we move into the future, we’re going to increasingly be able to choose our own peripheral devices. We no longer have to wait for Mother Nature’s sensory gifts on her timescales, but instead, like any good parent, she’s given us the tools that we need to go out and define our own trajectory. So the question now is, how do you want to go out and experience your universe?

David Eagleman, Can We Create New Senses for Humans? 

Watch this clip for how Lera Boroditsky ends with a personal note and a  powerful final question. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

I want to leave you with this final thought. I’ve told you about how speakers of different languages think differently, but of course, that’s not about how people elsewhere think. It’s about how you think. It’s how the language that you speak shapes the way that you think. And that gives you the opportunity to ask, “Why do I think the way that I do?” “How could I think differently?” And also,  “What thoughts do I wish to create?” Lera Boroditsky, How Language Shapes the Way We Think

End with Inspiration

“Inspiring your audience is all about helping them see their own vision, not yours.”

You may want to end your speech with inspiring and encouraging words. Pick words that resonate with most of your audience and deliver them in such a way that your audience feels your lift in emotion.

Watch this clip for how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ends with an inspiring final note and a powerful last few words “regain a kind of paradise” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.

I would like to end with this thought:   That when we reject the single-story,   when we realize that there is never a single story   about any place,   we regain a kind of paradise.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  The Danger of a Single Story  

Watch this clip for how Dan Pink ends with an inspiring final note. (I have the video cued to play just the closing) Let me wrap up. There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does. Here is what science knows. One: Those 20th century rewards, those motivators we think are a natural part of business, do work, but only in a surprisingly narrow band of circumstances. Two: Those if-then rewards often destroy creativity. Three: The secret to high performance isn’t rewards and punishments, but that unseen intrinsic drive– the drive to do things for their own sake. The drive to do things cause they matter.

And here’s the best part. We already know this. The science confirms what we know in our hearts. So, if we repair this mismatch between what science  knows and what business does, if we bring our motivation, notions of motivation into the 21st century, if we get past this lazy, dangerous, ideology of carrots and sticks, we can strengthen our businesses, we can solve a lot of those candle problems, and maybe, maybe — we can change the world. I rest my case. Dan Pink, The Puzzle of Motivation

End with Well Wishing

There are several types of closings where the speaker wished the audience well.

The Benediction Close: M ay God bless and keep you…. The Presidential Close: God bless you and may God bless the USA The Congratulatory Close: I congratulate you on your accomplishment and wish you continued success. 

End with Humor

You can end on a fun lighthearted note. It is important to always run your humor by a variety of people to make sure you are funny, and your humor is appropriate.

Watch this clip for how Andrew Dunham uses humor throughout his speech and ends with a funny one-liner. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

I wish you all the best as we begin this journey on our paths and I sincerely hope and pray that your time and success have proven to be as memorable and spiritually rewarding as mine. If not, there’s always summer school.

Andrew Dunham, Valedictorian Comes Out As Autistic During Speech

End with a Call to Action

If you are delivering a persuasive speech, let the audience know exactly what you want them to do.

End with a Feeling of Resolve

Paul Harvey made famous the line “And now you know…the rest of the story.” Your closing should allow us to know the rest of the story or to know how a situation was resolved.

Watch this clip for how Lucy Hone ends this tough but inspiring talk with a feeling of resolve (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

https://youtu.be/9-5SMpg7Q0k?t=913 If you ever find yourself in a situation where you think there’s no way I’m coming back from this, I urge you to lean into these strategies and think again. I won’t pretend that thinking this way is easy and it doesn’t remove all the pain. But if I’ve learned anything over the last five years, it is that thinking this way really does help. More than anything it has shown me that  it is possible  to live and grieve at the same time. And for that I will be always grateful. Lucy Hone, The Three Secrets of Resilient People

End with a Prop

Nancy Duarte says you should give your audience, SOMETHING THEY  will ALWAYS REMEMBER–S.T.A.R. One way to do that is with an action or statement that will have the audience talking about it for a long time. President Obama did it with a mic drop.

Memorize Your Conclusion

End on time.

Do not diminish the effect of a great speech with a bloated, aimless conclusion. Dan Rothwell.

“Times about up.”

Don’t end with any references to time. It is like a giant stop sign saying, “stop listening.”  Don’t highlight that you ran over time or that it is almost time for lunch. You want them to think about your speech, not the clock.

“Any Questions?”

You want them to feel a sense of closure for your speech.  End with something powerful and let them applaud.  After the applause, you can offer to answer questions. Similarly, projecting your last slide with the words, “Any Questions” is a weak ending.

“Let Me Add This Point I Missed”

If you forget something in the body of your speech, it is usually best to leave it out.  Most of the time you are the only one who will miss it.

“Thank You to the Team”

There is a time to thank the organizers and those who helped you but it is not at the end of your speech. Your focus should be on your audience and what they need and what they need to hear is your idea.  Send a thank you letter to the team if you want them to feel your appreciation.

“I’m Sorry”

“Sorry again for the technology issue,” “I apologize for going over time, ” “I regret I have no answer to this.” These are all negative phrases.  Keep to your topic that is what they need to hear and stay focused.

“I’ll Close with this Video”

No, you should close with talking about the big idea.

If you don’t have a plan at the end, you will ramble. “Steer clear of meandering endings they kill a story,” according to the Moth Storytelling website. “Your last line should be clear in your head before you start. Yes, bring the audience along with you as you contemplate what transpires in your story, but remember, you are driving the story, and must know the final destination. Keep your hands on the wheel!”

To Thank or Not to Thank, That is the Question

There is a debate amongst speech professionals, speech teachers, and speech coaches about whether or not you should thank the audience. Here are their main arguments.

Why You Should Not Say Thank You

• You want to end with powerful words. “Thank you” are not strong words.
• The recency effect suggests they will remember the last words you spoke. You want them to remember more than just “thank you.”
• It is not a very creative way to end.
• It can be a sign of a lazy speaker, “I have no idea how to end this, I’ve run out of good things to say so I’ll say ‘Thank you’ so you will clap now.”

Why You Should Say Thank You

• It has come to be the expected ending in many settings. Violating their expectations can cause them to have a negative reaction.
• It clearly signals you are finished so the audience knows when to clap. The relieves the pressure from both you and the audience.
• It expresses gratitude.

I will leave it up to you to decide what works for you. As for me, I plan on trying to find more creative ways to end other than just saying “thank you.”

Maximizing the Primacy Recency Effect

If I were to read you a list of thirty things on my grocery list and then asked you to list all that you can remember, chances are you would remember the first times on the list and the last items on the list ( and any ones you found interesting from the middle). When people engage in listening, they tend to remember the first and last things they hear, it is called the primacy-recency effect. T his is just one more reason that your introduction and conclusion should be so well planned out. It is those first words and last words that the audience is going to remember. 

The primacy recency effect influences, not only what people pay attention to in a speech, but also which speech we pay the most attention to in a series of speeches. For example, if there is a lineup of six speakers, the first and last speakers tend to get the most attention.

As a speaker, you can use this information to your advantage by volunteering to go first or last. If you are giving a long presentation, you can break it up by allowing the audience to move around or talk to a neighbor. When you come back from break, you have re-engaged that primacy effect and moved them back to a high state of attention.

Do You Have Everything You Need for a Strong Closing?

• Have I signaled my speech is coming to an end with my words or my voice?
• Have I restated my main points?
• If I am persuading my audience, do they know what I want them to do or think?
• Have I written the last three to five words in such a way that I end with powerful words?
• Have I memorized my closing?

Getting Off the Platform is Part of Your Closing

Plan on making a strong exit. Whether you are stepping off a stage or simply going to your seat, you should consider that the audience is watching you.

I have had students who finished their speech and then walked over to the trashcan and in a large, exaggerated movement, they threw their notecards in the trash. In our minds, we threw their message away with those cards. I’ve seen speakers, sit in their chairs and then announce, “I can’t believe my hands were shaking so much.” I’ve sat there and thought, “I didn’t notice.” I then realized that the comments they made influenced my perception of them and my perception of their topic.

You said your last word and the audience is applauding, now what? Look at your audience and smile and nod in appreciation before walking off the stage. If you will be answering questions, wait until after the applause stops to begin your question and answering period.

When practicing your speech, it is a good idea to start from your chair, walk up to a spot and then give your speech, and then walk back to your chair and sit down. Your “speech” impression begins and ends from your chair.

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• A speech closing should include a review of the main points and a purposeful closing sentence.
• Persuasive speech endings should tell the audience specifically what they should do or think about.
• The recency effect suggests that people remember the most recent things they have heard which is one reason the closing is so important.
• Chance the pace of your speech and the tone of your voice to signal the end of the speech.

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

Adichie, C.N. (2009). The danger of a single story. [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg Standard YouTube License.

Anderson, C. (2016). TED talks: The official TED guide to public speaking. Mariner Books.

Barot, H.  Fifteen powerful speech ending lines (and tips to create your own). Frantically Speaking. https://franticallyspeaking.com/15-powerful-speech-ending-lines-and-tips-to-create-your-own/

Boroditsky, L. (2017). How language shapes the way we think.  https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think  Standard Youtube License. 

Butler, M. (2018). Why you think you’re ugly. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imCBztvKgus  Standard YouTube License. 

Dunham. A. (2019). Valedictorian comes out as autistic during speech. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtPGrLoU5Uk  Standard Youtube License. 

Eagleman, D. (2015). Can we create new senses for humans?[Video]. YouTube  https://youtu.be/4c1lqFXHvqI  Standard YouTube License. 

Hone, L. (2019).  The three secrets of resilient people. [Video]. YouTube  https://youtu.be/NWH8N-BvhAw  Standard YouTube License. 

Jeff, P. (2009). Ten ways to end your speech with a bang. http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/10-ways-to-end-your-speech

Jobs, S. (2005). You’ve got to find what you love. https://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/

Khanna, P. (2016). Let the head of TED show you how to end your speech with power. https://www.fastcompany.com/3059459/let-the-head-of-ted-show-you-how-to-end-your-speech-with-p

Karia, A. (2013). How to open and close a TED talk (or any other speech or presentation). https://akashkaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/HowtoOpenandCloseaTEDTalk.pdf

LaCroix, D. (2001). World champion of public speaking. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUDCzbmLV-0  Standard YouTube License. 

Mandela, N. (2011). Speech from the dock in the Rivonia trial.[Video]. YouTube https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/i-am-prepared-to-die  Standard YouTube License. 

Mandela, N. (1994). Presidential Inaugural Speech. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/nelsonmandelainauguralspeech.htm  Standard YouTube License. 

Miller, B.J. (2015). What really matters at the end of life. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_the_end_of_life?language=en  Standard YouTube License. 

Moth. (2021). Storytelling tips and tricks: How to tell a successful story. https://themoth.org/share-your-story/storytelling-tips-tricks 

Obama, B. (2016). White House correspondents dinner. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxFkEj7KPC0  Standard YouTube License. 

Pink, D. (2009). The puzzle of motivation. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation  Standard YouTube License. 

Rothwell, D. (2014). Practically Speaking. Oxford University Press.Robinson, K. (2013). How to escape education’s death valley. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX78iKhInsc  Standard YouTube License. 

Rosling, H. (2014). Don’t Panic-Hans Rosling showing the facts about population.[Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FACK2knC08E  Standard YouTube License. 

Schwartz, B. (2005). The paradox of choice. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice  Standard YouTube License. 

Toastmasters International. (2016). Concluding your Speech. https://www.toastmasters.org/Resources/Concluding-Your-Speech

Young, S. (2014). I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtPGrLoU5Uk  Standard YouTube License. 

Yousafzai, M. (2013). Malala Yousafzai addresses United Nations Youth Assembly. [Video]. YouTube https://youtu.be/3rNhZu3ttIU  Standard YouTube License. 

Zhang, Y. (2015). Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmN4xOGkxGo  Standard YouTube License. 

Media Attributions

• Audience clapping © Alex Motoc is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
• jose-aragones-81QkOoPGahY-unsplash © Jose Aragones is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license

Advanced Public Speaking Copyright © 2021 by Lynn Meade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

I Rest My Case: Your Guide to a Powerful Closing Speech

by Amanda McPhetridge | Apr 25, 2022 | From Advanced to National-Class , Negative , Speaking , Technique | 1 comment

Have you ever witnessed a round where you can practically feel the mic-drop potential after the last speech? That’s what every single round should be like. You should be able to step away and say with a confident smile, “I rest my case.” 

The balance of defending and also representing your side in a 2AR or 2NR is nearly impossible to nail. The good news is, it’s definitely not impossible and is a super fun thing to work with!

The first thing I think a lot of people forget about is that you need to have a mantra for each round. (Some people might call this a thesis, but I decided to rename it because it’s cooler.) This is going to be the judge’s mini roadmap to the arguments on their flow. You’ll want to establish whatever your mantra is super early in the round. Most Aff teams include some sort of thesis statement in the 1AC, eg. Whichever team best upholds Justice, or We want to prevent such-and-such rather than reacting. However, more than half the time this mantra dies out even before the 1AR, without a single attempt to bring it back in the last speech of the round. That is what I would confidently label a missed opportunity. As far as Negative mantras go, some of the best I’ve heard go like this; The current system addresses the problem better than the proposed plan, the plan is fundamentally flawed and Unconstitutional, even setting forward an alternative goal could be a Negative mantra. Every round naturally develops its own track based on an Aff or Neg mantra. The key is to state this course for the judge and then point back to it at the end to help you dissect the events of the round. Whatever your thesis may be, don’t forget to identify it in the 1AC or 1NC (even in the 2NC or 2AC wouldn’t be too late!), and then reintroduce it in the last speech. 

• Reduce and Respond

Otherwise known as the art of the “Clump and Dump” most people are familiar with this step, but lots of them struggle with the execution. Throughout the round, you need to be asking yourself the question, “What does my team need to prove/say/do right now to win the round?” Answering this question requires that you’re very carefully noting the other team’s arguments and can identify whether or not they’ve responded, as well as knowing if you even provided a good argument in the first place. This is a tricky step because it often requires just reading your judge’s mind. What will they find most important in the round? Of course, this can often be unpredictable, which is why it requires practice, but ultimately if you can identify the crux issues in debates it will help you respond adequately only to the things you need to, and then be able to properly dissect the round. 

• Dissecting the Round

After a long couple of days of judging, and sitting through your entire debate round, hopefully clinging to your every word, judges are extremely exhausted, so dissecting and diagnosing the round for them will be your best chance of winning. This is also your chance to show off just how much you were listening and flowing throughout the rest of the round. Dissecting the round can also be described as tracking arguments through speeches, and then tagging on one last response to sway it to your side. It’s what an experienced judge with enough time on their hands would do in the Reason for Decision box at the bottom of their ballot. Don’t get me wrong, you shouldn’t be wasting 4 minutes of your Rebuttal just tracking arguments, but especially if there was a contested Fact from your 1AC, the other team has failed to give an adequate response, or perhaps they dropped the argument altogether, this is where you should mention it to the judge. A few very short sentences will do the trick here, and then don’t forget to bring it all back around to your mantra!

• Rehash your Strengths

Either while you dissect the round, or right after, you’ll want to restate some of your strongest points from your 1AC/1NC. You know the ones I’m talking about, the statistics about significance, that one super credible Advocate. Whatever it is, know your strengths and be sure to a) use them in the round and b) ensure your judge remembers them in your last speech. This will go a long way in your responses, especially if there has been a lot of clash about significance, but you think you’ve brought up everything you need to. 

A quick warning here: Don’t spend all of your speech rereading evidence or explaining once again what everything said. Restate the author, the point they were making, or a key phrase they introduced, and quickly move on. Give your judges just enough to grasp and remember what you have already said. 

• Bring it Right Around

The last step is just to strengthen your position as much as possible by bringing up Voting Issues. These arguments will rely on the arguments you identified as most important for your case. This is where you will probably bring up your mantra again. Be sure these really are crucial issues. Impact them all the way. Craft catchy tags to help them stick in your judge’s mind. Have fun, and then rest your case. 

Overall, these tips will help you realign your strategy for the last two speeches of the round. With Nationals coming up soon, practice identifying the crucial issues of rounds, either by doing practice rounds yourself, judging other’s practice rounds, or watching past debates on Youtube. Finish every round as if it was the best round you’ve ever participated in because at the end of the day, one good closing speech could sway the entire round.

Share this:

Great article!!

Some might even call the mantra a catchphrase 😉 https://www.ethosdebate.com/whats-your-catchphrase/

Leave a suggestion, question, or other comment! Cancel reply

Get our emails.

• Ethos Info (47)
• Featured (35)
• Guest Posts (27)
• Question and Answer (6)
• Soapbox (77)
• Artificial Intelligence (1)
• Coaching (149)
• Coaching a Club (31)
• Communication/Rhetoric (65)
• Example Rounds, Briefs, and Case Studies (11)
• From Advanced to National-Class (58)
• From Intermediate to Advanced (95)
• From Novice to Intermediate (58)
• The Parli Station (6)
• Thinking Strategically (50)
• Top Drills (22)
• Lincoln-Douglas (80)
• Moot Court (7)
• Parli Resolutions (4)
• Public Forum (5)
• Advocacy (5)
• Counterplans (11)
• Disadvantages (6)
• Inherency (3)
• Specifications (1)
• Topicality (7)
• College Debate (2)
• Affirmative (3)
• Bonus Evidence (19)
• Concept Analysis (23)
• Cross Examination (13)
• Debate Partnerships (2)
• Debate Rounds (18)
• Judging/Judges (9)
• Negative (42)
• Online Debate (4)
• Research Tips (80)
• Speaking (47)
• Strategy (171)
• Technique (143)
• DebateSmart (7)
• Ethics Bowl (4)
• For Alumni (7)
• Quiz Corner (3)
• 2022 – 2023 NCFCA LD Rez: Property Rights vs. Community (1)
• Stoa Resolutions (27)
• Apologetics (10)
• Extemporaneous (5)
• Impromptu (7)
• Expository & Informative (1)
• Interps (2)
• Persuasive (2)
• Tournaments (33)
• Uncategorized (217)

Complete Guide to Debating: Improve your Debating Skills

In the world of communication and persuasion, mastering the art of debate is a skill that can truly set you apart. Whether you're a student, a professional, or simply someone who wants to express their opinions more effectively, understanding how to speak during a debate and how to develop debating skills is essential.

After all, debates provide a platform to express ideas, challenge perspectives, and influence others through logical arguments and persuasive communication. If you've ever wondered how to do a debate or how to become a more skilled debater, you've come to the right place.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricacies of debating skills, explore the debate rules, and provide valuable insights on improving your performance. SoME, your go-to source for professional courses, is here to equip you with the tools and techniques you need to excel in the world of debating.

Let's dive in and discover the secrets to becoming a confident and compelling debater.

Understanding the Basics of Debating

Are you ready to delve into the fascinating world of debating?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of improving your skills, it's essential to grasp the fundamentals.

In this section, we'll explore the definition of debating, the different types of debates you might encounter, and the key elements that make up a successful debate.

So, let's get started!

Definition of Debating

Debating can be defined as a structured discussion where participants present arguments and counterarguments on a specific topic.

It's a dynamic exchange of ideas, where individuals express their viewpoints while actively engaging with opposing perspectives.

Debating goes beyond mere persuasion; it requires logical reasoning, research, and effective communication to make a compelling case for your side.

Different Types of Debates

1. formal debates.

Formal debates follow a predefined structure and set of rules. These debates often take place in academic or competitive settings.

They involve teams representing different sides of an argument and follow a specific format, such as the Oxford-style or the Karl Popper-style debates.

Formal debates typically have designated speakers and time limits for each segment, ensuring a fair and organised discussion.

2. Parliamentary Debates

Parliamentary debates mimic the proceedings of a legislative assembly, where participants engage in a lively discussion on a given topic. These debates involve teams or individuals representing different political parties or viewpoints.

Parliamentary debates focus on persuasion, reasoning, and the ability to think on your feet. They require quick thinking and adaptability to address the arguments presented by opponents.

3. Public Debates

Public debates are open to a larger audience and often occur in community settings or as part of public events. They aim to engage the public in important social, political, or environmental discussions.

Public debates allow individuals from diverse backgrounds to voice their opinions, learn from others, and foster understanding.

4. Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Originating from the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln-Douglas debates focus on moral and philosophical topics.

They typically involve two individuals presenting their arguments and engaging in a detailed discussion. These debates emphasise logical reasoning, ethical considerations, and the ability to develop a coherent and persuasive case.

Key Elements of a Debate

1. opening statements.

The debate begins with opening statements, where each participant introduces their position and outlines their main arguments.

The opening statements set the stage for the ensuing discussion and provide an initial overview of each side's perspective.

2. Arguments and Counterarguments

A debate revolves around presenting strong arguments and countering the opposing arguments.

Participants must support their claims with evidence, statistics, expert opinions, or logical reasoning.

Anticipating and effectively addressing counter arguments is crucial to strengthening your position.

3. Rebuttals

Rebuttals allow participants to challenge and refute the arguments presented by the opposing side.

This is an opportunity to address weaknesses in the opposing case and reinforce the strength of your own arguments.

4. Cross-Examination

Cross-examination involves questioning the opposing side's arguments or seeking clarification on their position.

It requires critical thinking, active listening, and the ability to think on your feet. Cross-examination can help uncover flaws in opposing arguments and strengthen your own position.

5. Summation

At the end of the debate, participants deliver closing statements summarising their key points and reinforcing the overall strength of their arguments.

Summation provides a final opportunity to leave a lasting impression and persuade the audience.

How to Speak During a Debate: Command the Room with Conviction

Speaking during a debate is an art that can make or break your persuasive abilities. It's not just about expressing your ideas; it's about capturing the attention of your audience, delivering your arguments effectively, and leaving a lasting impact.

In this section, we'll explore valuable tips and techniques to help you speak with confidence and authority during a debate.

So, let's dive in and learn how to speak during a debate!

1. Structure Your Speech

Start with a clear and concise introduction that grabs the audience's attention and clearly states your position. Organise your arguments logically, presenting each point in a structured manner.

Use transitional phrases to guide the flow of your speech and make it easy for the audience to follow your line of reasoning.

2. Use Rhetorical Devices

Employ rhetorical devices such as metaphors, analogies, and rhetorical questions to make your speech more engaging and memorable. These devices help convey your message effectively, evoke emotions, and emphasise key points.

3. Speak with Conviction

Project confidence and conviction through your tone of voice and body language. Maintain good posture, make eye contact with the audience, and use gestures to enhance your delivery.

Speak clearly and articulate your words to ensure that your message is easily understood.

4. Emphasise Key Points

Highlight the most important aspects of your arguments by using vocal emphasis.

Modulate your tone, volume, and pace to draw attention to key points and make them stand out. This technique helps the audience remember and internalize your strongest arguments.

5. Use Evidence and Examples

Back up your arguments with evidence, facts, and real-life examples. Providing concrete evidence strengthens your position and lends credibility to your speech.

Incorporate relevant statistics, expert opinions, and anecdotes to support your claims.

6. Address the Opposing Side

Acknowledge and address the arguments presented by the opposing side. Refute them with well-reasoned counterarguments while maintaining a respectful tone.

Anticipating and addressing counter arguments demonstrates your thorough understanding of the topic and strengthens your position.

7. Maintain Clarity and Simplicity

Avoid using jargon, complex terminology, or convoluted sentences that may confuse the audience.

Aim for clarity and simplicity in your speech to ensure that your message is easily comprehensible to everyone in the room.

8. Practise Active Listening

Demonstrate active listening skills during the debate by attentively listening to the opposing side's arguments. Take notes and prepare thoughtful responses to effectively engage in the discussion.

Active listening also allows you to identify potential weaknesses in the opposing arguments that you can exploit during your rebuttal.

9. Adapt to the Audience

Consider the demographics and knowledge level of your audience while crafting your speech.

Tailor your language, examples, and explanations to resonate with the audience and make your arguments more relatable and compelling.

10. Conclude with Impact

End your speech with a strong and memorable conclusion. Summarise your key points, reiterate the strength of your arguments, and leave the audience with a compelling final thought. A powerful conclusion reinforces your position and leaves a lasting impression.

How to Develop Debating Skills: Unlock Your Potential as a Persuasive Communicator

Are you eager to enhance your debating skills and become a more persuasive communicator?

Developing strong debating skills requires dedication, practice, and a strategic approach. In this section, we'll explore how to develop debating skills and unlock your potential.

1. Research and Stay Informed

Start by researching a wide range of topics and staying up-to-date with current events.

Read reputable sources, explore different perspectives, and deepen your knowledge on various subjects. A well-informed debater is better equipped to present compelling arguments.

2. Analyse Debates and Study Expert Speakers

Watch and analyse debates featuring experienced debaters or renowned public speakers.

Observe their speaking styles, argumentation techniques, and delivery. Take notes on their strengths and strategies, and learn from their successes.

3. Practise Constructive Listening

Develop active listening skills during debates or public discussions.

Pay attention to the arguments presented by both sides, analyse their strengths and weaknesses, and formulate your own counterarguments. Listening critically helps refine your thinking and prepares you to respond effectively.

4. Join a Debating Club or Society

Seek out debating clubs or societies in your community or educational institution.

Participating in regular practice sessions with like-minded individuals provides opportunities to engage in debates, receive feedback, and learn from peers who share your passion for debating.

5. Engage in Mock Debates

Organise or participate in mock debates with friends, classmates, or colleagues. Practice presenting arguments, countering opposing viewpoints, and refining your delivery.

Mock debates allow you to experiment with different strategies and build confidence.

6. Seek Feedback and Learn from It

Welcome constructive criticism from peers, mentors, or debate coaches. Feedback helps identify areas for improvement and guides your development as a debater. Incorporate the feedback into your practice sessions and continuously strive to enhance your skills.

With these strategies, consistent practice, and a passion for self-improvement, you can develop your debating skills and become a persuasive communicator.

SoME, your trusted source for professional courses, offers comprehensive programmes designed to sharpen your debating abilities and boost your confidence in public speaking. Unleash your potential and excel as a debater with SoME's expert guidance and practical training.

How to Do a Debate: Unleashing Your Persuasive Power on the Stage

Ready to step into the world of debating?

Whether it's for a school competition, a professional setting, or simply to sharpen your persuasive skills, learning how to do a debate effectively is a valuable asset.

In this section, we'll guide you through the process of preparing, organising, and executing a successful debate. So, let's dive in and unlock your persuasive power on the stage!

1. Understand the Debate Format

Familiarise yourself with the specific format of the debate you'll be participating in. Whether it's a formal or informal setting, understand the structure, time limits, and rules to ensure a smooth and coherent debate.

2. Choose an Engaging Topic

Select a topic that is relevant, thought-provoking, and sparks interest among the participants and audience. Consider both sides of the argument to create a balanced and engaging debate.

3. Research Thoroughly

Dive into extensive research on the chosen topic. Gather credible sources, statistics, and examples to support your arguments. Develop a deep understanding of the subject matter to present well-informed viewpoints.

4. Construct a Strong Opening Statement

Craft a compelling opening statement to capture the audience's attention. Clearly state your position, introduce key arguments, and establish a solid foundation for your case.

5. Organise Your Arguments

Structure your arguments in a logical and coherent manner. Present each point with clarity, supporting evidence, and persuasive reasoning. Use subheadings or numbering to help the audience follow your flow of thought.

6. Engage with Confidence

Present your arguments with confidence and conviction. Maintain eye contact with the audience, use gestures to emphasise key points, and project your voice effectively. Engaging with confidence enhances your persuasive impact.

7. Summarise and Conclude Strongly

End your debate with a concise summary of your key arguments and a powerful conclusion. Recap your main points, reinforce your position, and leave a lasting impression on the audience.

Understanding Debate Rules and Etiquette: Navigating the Path to Civil Discourse

Debate rules and etiquette provide the framework for a constructive and meaningful exchange of ideas. To engage in debates effectively, it's crucial to familiarise yourself with these debate rules and follow proper etiquette.

In this section, we'll delve into the essential debate rules and etiquette of debates, equipping you with the knowledge to navigate the path to civil discourse.

So, let's explore the debate rules that ensure debates remain respectful, informative, and engaging!

1. Research and Understand the Topic

Before engaging in a debate, thoroughly research and familiarise yourself with the topic. Understanding the subject matter enables you to present informed arguments and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. 

2. Respect Time Limits

Adhere to the designated time limits for each debate segment. Respect the speakers' time and avoid going over your allotted time, as it can disrupt the flow and fairness of the debate.

3. Follow Turn-Taking Protocol

Abide by the turn-taking protocol established for the debate. Wait for your turn to speak and avoid interrupting other speakers. Listen attentively to ensure a respectful and productive exchange of ideas.

4. Constructive Language and Tone

Use respectful and constructive language throughout the debate. Avoid personal attacks, offensive language, or derogatory remarks. Maintain a calm and composed tone, focusing on the arguments rather than attacking individuals.

5. Stay on Topic

Keep your arguments relevant to the debate topic. Straying off-topic dilutes the focus and can hinder productive discussion. Ensure that your points directly relate to the subject being debated.

Wrapping it up

Mastering the art of debating opens doors to numerous opportunities for personal growth, professional development, and intellectual engagement.

Remember, debating is not just about winning arguments, but also about fostering respectful dialogue and learning from diverse perspectives. Embrace the journey, embrace the challenge, and continue to refine your skills through practice and continuous learning.

So, why wait? Unlock your potential as a debater and embark on a path of self-improvement with SoME, your trusted partner in professional courses. Explore the range of programs offered and take the first step towards becoming a confident and persuasive communicator.

Start your journey today and let the world hear your voice through the power of debating.

Recent Blogs

What is Social Learning Theory? How to Adopt It in The Workplace

Explore the transformative power of social learning theory in the OB. If you're curious about what social learning theory is and how it can revolutionize your workplace,...

Why Are Employees Your Greatest Asset and How to Mentor Them

In the dynamic landscape of modern businesses, employees are the most valuable asset of any organisation. Their skills, knowledge, creativity, and dedication fuel an organisation's...

Dealing with difficult employees: An employer's guide

In any workplace, you're likely to encounter a variety of personalities and work styles. While most employees are cooperative and contribute positively to the team, there may be in...

How to stop being self-conscious: Strategies to feel more confident

In a world where self-confidence reigns supreme, it's all too easy to feel self-conscious. But what does it really mean to be self-conscious?And why does it have such a profound im...

How to prepare your team to handle negotiations?

In the dynamic business world, the ability to negotiate effectively and deliver persuasive pitches can be the key differentiator between triumph and failure. Whether you're seeking...

Effective Communication skills can improve your self-confidence and boost career growth

In today's fast-paced and competitive professional world, self-confidence is a valuable asset that can significantly impact your career growth and success. Whether you're seeking a...

Difference between KRA and KPI

In the realm of performance management and goal setting, the terms KRA (Key Result Area) and KPI (Key Performance Indicator) are frequently used, but they serve distinct purposes i...

What is the difference between a boss and a leader?

In the world of management and leadership, the terms "boss" and "leader" are often used interchangeably. However, they represent distinct approaches to managing and inspiring a tea...

How to interview for a job when you have no work experience?

Landing your first job can be both exciting and nerve-wracking, especially when you lack work experience. However, with the right approach and preparation, you can ace your job int...

9 steps for improving collaboration between teams

In today's rapidly evolving workplace, effective team collaboration is more critical than ever. Whether you're in a traditional office, a remote team, or a hybrid work environment,...

How being intentional can advance your career?

In a world filled with constant distractions and fast-paced living, the concept of being intentional stands out as a beacon of purpose and direction. But what does it mean to...

How to improve your problem solving skills?

Problem solving is a critical skill that permeates various aspects of life, from personal challenges to professional endeavors. The ability to tackle issues, make decisions, and fi...

Experimentation brings innovation: An experimental workplace

Experimentation is the lifeblood of innovation, breathing new life into stagnant routines and sparking transformative ideas. Organisations that embrace a culture of experimentation...

How to Build a Healthy Workplace Environment?

In today's highly competitive work landscape, the importance of cultivating a healthy workplace environment cannot be overstated. A positive work environment not only contributes t...

How Would You Define Success?

Success, a word that carries different meanings for different individuals, is a universal aspiration.The concept of what is success in life has captivated minds for centuries, fuel...

Why is Networking Important

The importance of networking has never been more evident. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, building and nurturing a strong professional network can be t...

Guide to Choosing a Successful Speech Topic

Effective communication skills have become more crucial in today's rapidly changing world. Whether you're a student, a professional, or someone simply looking to enhance your publi...

The Importance of Storytelling in Business, with Examples

In the dynamic world of business, where information is abundant, and attention spans are fleeting, storytelling has emerged as a powerful tool that captivates audiences and leaves...

10 Best Practices for Giving a Remote Presentation

After COVID, with more companies embracing the WFH hybrid model of working, virtual presentations have become a fundamental part of professional communication. Whether you're an ex...

Anger Management at Workplace: Tips to tame your temper

Anger is a normal feeling and can motivate you to work through issues or problems, whether that’s at work or at home. However, anger can become problematic if it leads to aggressio...

Your success. Powered by the Six Cs.

Knowledge centre.

Copyright © School Of Meaningful Experiences private limited, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Terms of Use | Sitemap

Chat with us now

Your account has been created.

Join our team

Interact with our admission team, download brochure, no result found.

OTP has been sent, Please check your E-mail

Resend OTP in:

Verify Your Details

• Personal Development
• Sales Training
• Business Training
• Time Management
• Leadership Training
• Book Writing
• Public Speaking
• Live Speaker Training With Brian
• See Brian Speak
• Coaching Programs
• Become a Coach
• Personal Success
• Sales Success
• Business Success
• Leadership Success
• How to End a Speech: What You Need for a Bang

A good talk or public speech is like a good play, movie, or song.

It opens by arresting the listener’s attention, develops point by point, and then ends strongly, ensuring that the audience’s attention is maintained throughout.

The truth is, if you don’t know how to end a speech, the overall message won’t be persuasive and your key points may get lost.

The words you say at the beginning, and especially at the end of your talk, are usually the most persuasive parts of the speech and will be remembered longer than almost any other part of your speech. It’s crucial to leave a lasting impression with a powerful conclusion.

Some of the great speeches in history and some of the most memorable Ted talks have ended with powerful, stirring words that live on in memory.

How do you end a speech and get the standing ovation that you deserve?

Keep reading to discover how…

Here are 9 tips and examples for concluding a speech.

To ensure that your conclusion is as powerful as it can be, you must plan it word for word, including a strong closing statement.

Ask yourself,  “What is the purpose of this talk?”

Your answer should involve the actions that you want your listeners to take after hearing you speak on this subject.

When you are clear about the end result you desire, it becomes much easier to design a conclusion that asks your listeners to take that action. It is also crucial to restate a key idea to reinforce your message and leave a lasting impression.

The best strategy for ending with a BANG is to plan your close before you plan the rest of your speech.

You then go back and design your opening so that it sets the stage for your conclusion.

The body of your talk is where you present your ideas and make your case for what you want the audience to think, remember, and do after hearing you speak.

2) Always End A Speech With A Call To Action

It is especially important to tell the audience what you want it to do as a result of hearing you speak.

A call to action is the best way to wrap up your talk with strength and power. Reinforce your key points by summarizing the main message, ensuring it leaves a lasting impression. Closing the speech effectively can evoke emotions and make a significant impact on the audience.

Here’s a Speech Call To Action Example

“We have great challenges and great opportunities, and with your help, we will meet them and make this next year the best year in our history!”

Consider ending with a thought-provoking question to challenge the audience to think differently and inspire them to take action.

Whatever you say, imagine an exclamation point at the end. As you approach the conclusion, pick up your energy and tempo.  This is even more important if  the presentation you are giving is virtual .

Speak with strength and emphasis.

Drive the final point home.

Regardless of whether the audience participants agree with you or are willing to do what you ask, it should be perfectly clear to them what you are requesting.

3) End a Speech With a Summary

There is a simple formula for any talk:

• Tell them what you are going to tell them.
• Then, tell them what you told them.

As you approach the end of your talk, say something like,

“Let me briefly restate these main points…”

You then list your key points, one by one, and repeat them to the audience, showing how each of them links to the other points.

Audiences appreciate a linear repetition of what they have just heard. This repetition helps make your message memorable and ensures that your key points leave a lasting impression.

This makes it clear that you are coming to the end of your talk.

4) Close with a Story

As you reach the end of your talk, you can say,

“Let me tell you a story that illustrates what I have been talking about…”

You then tell a brief story with a moral and then tell the audience what the moral is. Using effective body language, such as maintaining eye contact, smiling, and using open gestures, can make your story more impactful and leave a lasting impression.

Don’t leave it to them to figure out for themselves.

Often you can close with a story that illustrates your key points and then clearly links to the key message that you are making with your speech.

To learn more about storytelling in speaking, you can read my previous blog post  “8 Public Speaking Tips to Wow Your Audience.”

5) Make Them Laugh

You can close with humor.

You can tell a joke that loops back into your subject and repeats the lesson or main point you are making with a story that makes everyone laugh.

During my talks on planning and persistence, I discuss the biggest enemy that we have, which is the tendency to follow the path of least resistance. I then tell this story.

Ole and Sven are out hunting in Minnesota and they shoot a deer. They begin dragging the deer back to the truck by the tail, but they keep slipping and losing both their grip and their balance.

A farmer comes along and asks them, “What are you boys doing?”

They reply, “We’re dragging the deer back to the truck.”

The farmer tells them, “You are not supposed to drag a deer by the tail. You’re supposed to drag the deer by the handles. They’re called antlers. You’re supposed to drag a deer by the antlers.”

Ole and Sven say, “Thank you very much for the idea.”

They begin pulling the deer by the antlers. After about five minutes, they are making rapid progress. Ole says to Sven, “Sven, the farmer was right. It goes a lot easier by the antlers.”

Sven replies, “Yeah, but we’re getting farther and farther from the truck.”

After the laughter dies down, I say…

“The majority of people in life are pulling the easy way, but they are getting further and further from the ‘truck’ or their real goals and objectives.”

A memorable statement like this can make the humor more effective by condensing the core message into a crisp and authentic sound bite.

That’s just one example of closing using humor.

6) Make It Rhyme

You can close with a poem.

There are many fine poems that contain messages that summarize the key points you want to make. Here are some practical tips for selecting and delivering a poem: choose a poem that resonates with your message, practice your delivery to ensure it flows naturally, and use appropriate pauses to emphasize key lines.

You can select a poem that is moving, dramatic, or emotional.

For years I ended seminars with the poem,  “Don’t Quit,”  or  “Carry On!”  by Robert W. Service. It was always well received by the audience.

7) Close With Inspiration for A Lasting Impression

You can end a speech with something inspirational as well.

If you have given an uplifting talk, remember that hope is, and has always been, the main religion of mankind.

People love to be motivated and inspired to be or do something different and better in the future.

Here are a few of  my favorite inspirational quotes  that can be tied into most speeches.  You can also  read this collection of leadership quotes  for further inspiration.

Remember, everyone in your audience is dealing with problems, difficulties, challenges, disappointments, setbacks, and temporary failures.

For this reason, everyone appreciates a poem, quote, or story of encouragement that gives them strength and courage.

Here are 7 Tips to Tell an Inspiring Poem or Story to End Your Speech

• You have to slow down and add emotion and drama to your words.
• Raise your voice on a key line of the poem, and then drop it when you’re saying something that is intimate and emotional.
• Pick up the tempo occasionally as you go through the story or poem, but then slow down on the most memorable parts.
• Especially, double the number of pauses you normally use in a conversation.
• Use dramatic pauses at the end of a line to allow the audience to digest the words and catch up with you.
• Smile if the line is funny, and be serious if the line is more thought-provoking or emotional.
• When you come to the end of your talk, be sure to bring your voice up on the last line, rather than letting it drop. Remember the  “exclamation point”  at the end to reinforce your main message and leave a lasting impression.

Try practicing on this poem that I referenced above…

Read through  “Carry On!” by Robert Service

Identify the key lines, intimate parts, and memorable parts, and recite it.

8) Make it Clear That You’re Done

When you say your final words, it should be clear to everyone that you have ended. A strong closing statement is crucial in signaling the end of your speech, leaving a lasting impression, and ensuring that the audience remembers the key points. There should be no ambiguity or confusion in the mind of your audience. The audience members should know that this is the end.

Many speakers just allow their talks to wind down.

They say  something with filler words  like,  “Well, that just about covers it. Thank you.”

This isn’t a good idea…

It’s not powerful…

It’s not an authoritative ending and thus detracts from your credibility and influence.

When you have concluded, discipline yourself to stand perfectly still. Select a friendly face in the audience and look straight at that person.

If it is appropriate, smile warmly at that person to signal that your speech has come to an end.

Resist the temptation to:

• Shuffle papers.
• Fidget with your clothes or microphone.
• Move forward, backward, or sideways.
• Do anything else except stand solidly, like a tree.

9) Let Them Applaud

When you have finished your talk, the audience members will want to applaud. Using effective body language, such as maintaining eye contact, smiling, and using open gestures, can signal to the audience that it is time to begin clapping.

What they need from you is a clear signal that now is the time to begin clapping.

How do you signal this?

Some people will recognize sooner than others that you have concluded your remarks.

In many cases, when you make your concluding comments and stop talking, the audience members will be completely silent.

They may be unsure whether you are finished.

They may be processing your final remarks and thinking them over. They may not know what to do until someone else does something.

In a few seconds, which will often feel like several minutes, people will applaud.

Then another…

Then the entire audience will begin clapping.

When someone begins to applaud, look directly at that person, smile, and mouth the words  thank you.

As more and more people applaud, sweep slowly from person to person, nodding, smiling and saying, “Thank You.”

Eventually, the whole room will be clapping.

There’s no better reward for overcoming your  fear of public speaking  than enjoying a round of applause.

BONUS TIP: How to Handle a Standing Ovation

If you’ve given a moving talk and really connected with your audience, someone will stand up and applaud. To encourage a standing ovation, make your message memorable by using repetition of your keyword or phrase and incorporating relevant visuals or metaphors to leave a lasting impression on the audience. When this happens, encourage others by looking directly at the clapper and saying,  “Thank you.”

This will often prompt other members of the audience to stand.

As people see others standing, they will stand as well, applauding the whole time.

It is not uncommon for a speaker to conclude his or her remarks, stand silently, and have the entire audience sit silently in response.

Stand Comfortably And Shake Hands

But as the speaker stands there comfortably, waiting for the audience to realize the talk is over, one by one people will begin to applaud and often stand up one by one. Using positive body language, such as maintaining eye contact, smiling, and using open gestures, can leave a lasting impression on the audience.

If the first row of audience members is close in front of you, step or lean forward and shake that person’s hand when one of them stands up to applaud.

When you shake hands with one person in the audience, many other people in the audience feel that you are shaking their hands and congratulating them as well.

They will then stand up and applaud.

Soon the whole room will be standing and applauding.

Whether you receive a standing ovation or not, if your introducer comes back on to thank you on behalf of the audience, smile and shake their hand warmly.

If it’s appropriate, give the introducer a hug of thanks, wave in a friendly way to the audience, and then move aside and give the introducer the stage.

Follow these tips to get that standing ovation every time.

« Previous Post Goal Setting for Success & Developing SMART Habits Next Post » 7 Tips for Writing Motivation: Stay Motivated When Writing a Book

About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined. You can follow him on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest , Linkedin and Youtube .

• Most Recent
• Top 10 Leadership Qualities of Great Leaders
• How to Write a Book: Proven Start-to-Finish Steps
• 117 Leadership Quotes for Inspiration
• 7 Tips for Writing Motivation: Stay Motivated When Writing a Book
• Free Webinar: How To Write a Book and Become a Published Author
• Free Video Series: 3-Part Sales Mastery Training Series
• Free Assessment: The Confidence Factor
• Free Assessment: Discovering Your Talents

Browse Categories

• Financial Success

Follow Brian & Join the Discussion

• Free Resources
• Best Sellers
• Knowledge Base
• Shipping & Returns
• Privacy Policy
• About Brian
• Brian Recommends

Your Privacy is Guaranteed. We will never give, lease or sell your personal information. Period!

© Copyright 2001-2024 Brian Tracy International. All Rights Reserved.

• How to Order

Debate Writing

Debate Speech

Debate Speech - Ultimate Writing Guide for Students

People also read

Debate Writing - A Comprehensive Writing Guide

Interesting Debate Topics and Ideas for Students

Types of Debate - A Complete Overview & Examples

Free Debate Examples for All Academic Levels

Best Debate Tips for Students

Advanced Debating Techniques for Students

Struggling to compose an impactful debate speech that captivates your audience and secures a win? 

You're not alone. Crafting a persuasive and well-structured debate speech is a challenge faced by numerous students. The process of articulating your thoughts, organizing arguments can be challenging.

However, fear not! This blog post is your comprehensive guide, presenting a step-by-step approach to empower you in constructing a debate speech. We’ve included examples and tips to make sure your speech captures attention and ensures a compelling and victorious performance.

So, keep reading.

• 1. What Is A Debate Speech?
• 2. How To Prepare For Debate Speech?
• 3. Debate Speech Examples for Students
• 4. Tips for an Effective Debate Speech
• 5. Debate Speech Topics

What Is A Debate Speech?

A debate speech is a formal presentation where you argue for or against a specific topic. 

It involves structured arguments presented in different sections, aiming to persuade the audience with facts and convincing points. It's a way of discussing and trying to show why your side is the right one on a particular subject.

Key Elements of A Debate Speech

A debate typically includes several essential elements to effectively communicate your position and persuade the audience. These elements form the building blocks of a strong debate speech:

• Opening Statements: These kick off the debate, presenting the main arguments for your side or against the motion. It sets the tone for the discussion.
• Rebuttals: In this stage, you respond to the arguments made by the opposing side, highlighting weaknesses or presenting counterpoints.
• Summary: Towards the end of the debate, a summary is provided to reinforce your main arguments and explain why your perspective is stronger. This section aims to leave a lasting impression on the audience.
• Use of Evidence: Supporting your arguments with evidence, facts, and examples strengthens your position and makes your speech more convincing.
• Logical Reasoning: Presenting arguments in a clear, logical sequence enhances the coherence and persuasiveness of your speech.
• Rhetorical Appeal: Adding appeals like ethos, pathos and logos to your speech can engage the audience, making your points more relatable and impactful.

How To Prepare For Debate Speech?

Creating a compelling debate speech requires a methodical approach that ensures a clear, convincing, and organized presentation. Let's delve into the detailed steps for an effective preparation:

Choosing a Position

Start by selecting a clear stance or position regarding the debate topic. Decide whether you are arguing for or against the motion. Understanding and committing to your position forms the foundation of your speech.

Conducting Thorough Research

Gathering information for your debate speech is really important. Look at different sources like books, reliable websites, and experts' ideas. 

Find facts, numbers, and real stories that support what you want to say. It's key to use strong and trusted information that backs up your side of the argument. 

When you collect different types of information, it makes your speech stronger and more convincing. This way, you'll be well-prepared to explain your ideas during the debate.

Structure The Key Points

After research and collecting points, organize your main arguments in a clear and logical manner to effectively convey your position in the debate. Set sufficient time to each key point to ensure they're adequately developed and presented. 

You can do this by following a debate format. Here is a standard debate speech format for a 20-15 minutes long debate:

How to Start a Debate Speech

Crafting a compelling opening for your speech involves capturing the audience's attention while introducing key points of discussion. 

You can achieve this by using attention-grabbing techniques such as sharing an eye-opening fact, a powerful quote, or a personal anecdote related to the topic. 

Additionally, it's beneficial to briefly outline the key areas of discussion that you'll cover in your speech. By providing a sneak peek of the main points, you offer the audience a roadmap of what's to come. 

This not only piques the audience's interest but also helps them anticipate and follow the structure of your speech.

Structure Your Arguments

Structuring arguments in the debate speech means organizing your ideas in a way that makes sense to others. 

A well-structured argument often uses the P-E-E format, which stands for Point, Evidence, Explanation (P-E-E):

• Point or Reason: Begin by stating your main argument or reason. This is the central idea you want to convey in support of your position.
• Evidence: Provide evidence, facts, or examples that support your point. This evidence should be reliable and back up what you're saying.
• Explanation: Explain how your evidence supports your point. Make it clear to your audience why this evidence is important and how it links to your argument.

This structure helps make your arguments more persuasive and clear. It enables you to present your points effectively, support them with evidence, and explain why that evidence matters in the context of your argument.

Address Counterarguments (Rebuttals)

Addressing counterarguments involves anticipating the opposing viewpoints and crafting responses, known as rebuttals , within your speech. A rebuttal is a persuasive counter-argument that challenges or opposes the points raised by the other side.

By thinking ahead and having strong responses, you showcase a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. 

This approach makes your argument stronger and shows your skill in defending your position, boosting your speech's credibility.

How to End a Debate Speech

Concluding your debate speech effectively is as important as starting it strong. Here are two impactful ways to conclude your speech:

• Summarize Key Points with a Call to Action Example: "In conclusion, the evidence overwhelmingly supports the idea that [your stance on the topic]. As we leave here today, let's not merely acknowledge the importance of [debate topic] but commit to [call to action], ensuring a brighter future for all."
• End with a Powerful Quote or Statement Example: "As [relevant figure] once wisely said, '[insert impactful quote].' Let these words guide us in our understanding of [debate topic]. Together, we can [highlight the desired outcome or change]."

Review And Practice

The last step is to review and practice a lot. Read through your speech to make sure it all makes sense and fits the time limit. 

Practice how you talk, how fast or slow, and how you use your body while speaking. Also, be ready to answer questions or handle different arguments. 

Do a few final practice rounds to feel more confident and comfortable. This way, you'll be well-prepared and ready to deliver a strong debate speech.

Debate Speech Examples for Students

For students, understanding how to structure and present a debate speech is crucial. Here are some debate speech samples to help you grasp the basics of debating:

First Speaker Debate Speech Example

2nd Speaker Debate Speech Example

3rd Speaker Debate Speech Example

Short Example Of Debate Speech

Debate Speech Structure

Examples can serve as a great starting point. Check out more expertly crafted debate examples for inspiration!

Tips for an Effective Debate Speech

Crafting a persuasive and impactful debate speech requires careful consideration and strategic planning. Here are key tips to enhance the effectiveness of your presentation:

• Tailor language to match the audience's demographics and interests.
• Strengthen arguments with credible sources and diverse perspectives.
• Organize with a clear introduction, well-developed body, and strong conclusion for a logical flow.
• Capture attention with a compelling quote, question, or anecdote.
• Support arguments with relevant statistics, examples, and real-world scenarios.
• Anticipate opposing viewpoints and incorporate strong rebuttals.
• Clearly articulate and repeat key ideas to reinforce your stance.
• Maintain a dynamic and engaging delivery by varying tone and pace.
• Pay attention to body language, eye contact, and gestures.
• Allocate time wisely for each speech segment to ensure a well-paced presentation.
• Be prepared to adapt to unexpected changes during the debate.
• Practice multiple times to enhance clarity, emphasis, and pacing, boosting confidence.

Need to polish your debate? Have a look at this in-depth blog on debate techniques and get effective tips!

Debate Speech Topics

Here are some unique topic ideas for you to write a debate on.

• Credit cards are more harmful than debit cards.
• We are becoming too dependent on technology.
• Marriage is an outdated concept.
• Homework is necessary with regard to the learning process.
• Being a college graduate in the United States is necessary for a successful career.
• It is a good idea to have laptops in classrooms.
• Facebook is a better social platform than Twitter.
• Cell phones can be used as educational tools.
• Junk food must be banned in high schools and colleges.
• The Prime Minister of any state enjoys more power than the president.

Can’t pick a topic? Check out this extensive blog with multiple debate topics and get unique ideas!

You are now better equipped to confidently prepare and deliver your debate speech.

However, if public speaking isn’t your forte or it feels overwhelming, our service is here to help. 

Simply buy speech from our expert writers and receive a persuasive and effective piece of writing. Plus, with our satisfaction guarantee, you can get your speech revised as many times as you want. 

So, just ask us to " write an essay for me " and let us help you!

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Cathy has been been working as an author on our platform for over five years now. She has a Masters degree in mass communication and is well-versed in the art of writing. Cathy is a professional who takes her work seriously and is widely appreciated by clients for her excellent writing skills.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

How to End a Debate

Moderator Duties for a Debate

Often, the most difficult part of any debate is trying to end it. With complex topics and moral or ethical considerations, it can be almost impossible to get either side to yield. But there are a few practical techniques you can use to try and draw the debate to a close, effectively silencing the politicians.

Get Everyone's Attention

Get the attention of the room by either raising your voice or standing up. Outline the need to end the debate by listing reasons simply. These could be anything from a lack of time to the need for an urgent resolution.

Set a Time Limit

Inform all opposing sides they will have a few minutes to summarize their arguments before the close of the debate and give them a specified time to discuss their arguments and gather information. Set ground rules for the summary, such as no interrupting of an opposing side. If necessary, outline the consequences if they do not follow your rules.

Time the Summary

Use a stopwatch and time each speaker as they give a summary of the main points of their argument. This way, all speakers get an equal opportunity to close and they won't be able to dispute that any side received an unfair advantage. If one person passes the time limit, politely interject and ask for a quick summary so the other party will have time to speak. Although debaters don't have to stick to the limit by the second, it's important to avoid one person talking endlessly at the expense of the other.

Take an Audience Vote

Make a visible list of the main points of each perspective as they summarize and display these, side by side in the same format, so it is easy to distinguish each perspective. Ask if there can be a resolve to the debate by a show of hands for a simple yes or no decision. If the majority votes no, conclude the debate with the reasons why not. If the vote is yes, give extra time for each side to create a list of concessions. To speed things up, agree on a number to list.

Come to a Final Agreement

Set a time limit for extra discussion and count down at regular intervals until each party has reached a common ground. Time and verbalize the final agreement. If the debate consists of many minor details, determine a future timeline to have any necessary documents or drafts completed.

Related Articles

What Are the Parts of a Debate?

How to Create a Debate Speech

How to Outline a Case for Legal Studies

Debate Rules and Techniques

How to write a rebuttal speech.

How to Write a Good Closing Argument

How to Write a Speech to Welcome People to an Event

How to Revise a Narrative Essay

This article was written by the CareerTrend team, copy edited and fact checked through a multi-point auditing system, in efforts to ensure our readers only receive the best information. To submit your questions or ideas, or to simply learn more about CareerTrend, contact us [here](http://careertrend.com/about-us).

Debate Writing

Debate Speech

A Comprehensive Guide to Preparing and Delivering A Debate Speech

Published on: Mar 9, 2022

Last updated on: Jul 23, 2024

People also read

20+ Thought Provoking Debate Examples: Including Tips

Interesting and Great Debate Topics (2024)

Learn All About Different Types of Debate - Complete Guide

10 Expert Debate Tips for Improving Your Debate Skills

Learn the Art of Debate Writing: Proven Techniques for Convincing Arguments

Share this article

Whether you are a student, a policymaker, or a business leader, the ability to debate effectively can be a game-changer. 

Debate speeches are important for anyone wanting to persuade others. However, writing and delivering a debate speech isn’t easy, especially if you are new to the process. 

This guide explains simple steps on how to write and deliver an excellent debate speech. It covers everything from preparing your arguments to delivering your speech with confidence and conviction.

So dive in to learn!   

On This Page On This Page -->

What is a Debate Speech?

A debate speech is a structured argument on a specific topic that is presented in a formal setting.  

The main purpose of debate speech is to:  

• Express your point of view persuasively and effectively
• Convince the opposition that you are right.
• Change the people's point of view on a particular topic.

In a debate speech, the speaker presents their argument in a clear, concise, and convincing manner. Debate speeches have a set time limit, and the speaker must use their time effectively to make their case and address counterarguments. 

Preparing for a Debate Speech 

You can only win your debate if you have spent time preparing it well. Follow the steps below to be prepared for your next debate speech.

Understanding the Debate Format 

It's essential to understand the format of the debate in which you want to participate. Different debate formats have specific rules and guidelines that you need to follow to succeed. 

Some popular types of debates include parliamentary, Lincoln-Douglas, and policy debates.

• Parliamentary debate is a format where two teams of two or three members argue for or against a motion. It is presided over by a moderator. In this format, debaters have limited preparation time to gather information and construct their arguments.
• Lincoln-Douglas debate is a one-on-one debate where debaters argue for their positions on a specific topic. This format usually involves a value system and a criterion that the debaters must uphold and defend.
• Policy debate is a format where two teams of two members argue for or against a specific policy proposal. This format requires in-depth research and analysis of the policy and its potential implications.

Selecting a Position

Choose a topic that you are passionate about and that you feel strongly about. Once you have chosen a topic, narrow it down to a specific aspect that you can argue for or against. 

The clearer your position, the easier it will be to research and prepare your arguments.

Need some good debate topic ideas to get started? Check out our list of interesting and engaging debate topics to help you out!

Researching and Gathering Information

Once you have selected your topic, research it thoroughly. Gather as much information as you can from credible sources such as academic journals, news articles, and government reports. 

Take detailed notes, and make sure to record the sources you use so that you can reference them later.

Understanding Both Sides of the Argument 

To write a persuasive debate speech, it is important to understand both sides of the argument. 

Consider the arguments that your opponents might make and anticipate counterarguments. This will help you to strengthen your own arguments and address potential weaknesses in your position.

Organizing Your Arguments 

Once you have gathered all of the information you need, organize your arguments in a clear and logical way. 

Start by outlining the main points you want to make and then add supporting evidence to each point. Make sure that your arguments flow logically and build on each other.

Practicing Your Delivery

Finally, practice your delivery. Read your speech out loud several times to get a feel for how it flows. 

Time yourself to make sure that you can fit all of your arguments into the allotted time. Consider practicing in front of a friend or family member to get feedback on your delivery.

Paper due? Why Suffer? That's our job

How to Present a Debate Speech?

This type of speech requires some essential components. Here are the major components you need to present an effective debate speech. 

1. Catchy Introduction

The first important step is starting the debate with a compelling introduction. You can begin with a question, a quote, or a statistic related to the topic.

Moreover, your introduction should state your stance on the topic and provides a preview of your arguments. 

2. State the Problem & Define Key Terms

Define key terms in your speech that are important to your argument. This helps to ensure that your audience understands the meaning of the words you use.

3. Present Your Arguments

Present your arguments in a clear and logical order. Start with your strongest argument and provide evidence to support it. Then, move on to the weaker arguments and provide evidence for each one.

A good argument often follows the PEE structure, which means "Point, Evidence, Explanation (PEE)".

• Point or Reason: This is where you state your main idea or argument, providing a concise and clear statement of your position. The point should be specific, focused, and relevant to the topic at hand. It serves as the foundation for your argument
• Evidence: Here, you provide supporting evidence to bolster your argument. This can take the form of examples, statistics, or any other relevant information that helps illustrate your point. 
• Explanation: In this part, you elaborate on how the evidence you provided supports your point. This is where you explain the relationship between your point and the evidence, highlighting its significance

4. Rebuttals 

Address counterarguments by acknowledging the opposing viewpoints and refuting them with evidence. This is called a rebuttal. 

It shows that you have considered both sides of the argument and strengthens your own position. Addressing counterarguments through rebuttals is a vital aspect of constructing a well-rounded and persuasive argument. 

Rebuttals involve presenting evidence that challenges the opposing counter-arguments and weakens their validity. Additionally, it is crucial to explain the flaws or fallacies in the opposing arguments during the process of rebuttal.

5. Conclusion

End your speech with a strong conclusion that summarizes your arguments and restates your stance on the topic. You can also end with a call to action, encouraging your audience to take action based on your argument.

Tips for Presenting a Debate Speech Effectively

The above steps will help you prepare and present an acceptable speech, but you can improve it even more with the tips below.

• Use Clear and Concise Language

Speak clearly and use language that is easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or complex words that might confuse your audience.

• Emphasize Key Points

Highlight the key points of your argument by using vocal inflection and tone. Emphasize important words or phrases to help your audience remember your key arguments.

• Use Body Language and Gestures

Body language and gestures can help to reinforce your arguments and make your speech more engaging. Use hand gestures to emphasize key points, and vary your posture and movement to keep your audience interested.

• Maintain Eye Contact

Maintain eye contact with your audience throughout your speech. This will help to establish a connection with them and make them feel more engaged with your argument.

• Use Vocal Variety and Tone

Vary your vocal tone and pace to add interest and emphasis to your speech. Use pauses and changes in pace to emphasize important points, and vary your volume to make your arguments more impactful.

• Use the Debate Speech Checklist

Here is a checklist that can help you evaluate your debate.

• Does your speech cover your opinion about the topic?
• Does your speech start with a catchy hook?
• Does your speech cover all the main points?
• Does your speech provide sufficient counterarguments?
• Does your speech contain enough evidence?
• Does your speech provide a call to action to the conclusion?

Debate Speech Examples 

Here are some examples to help you prepare and present your debate speech better. 

Debate Speech Structure

Debate Speech Template

Debate Speech Sample

Writing and delivering a successful debate speech requires careful planning, research, and effective communication skills. 

By following the steps and tips provided above, you can persuade your audience effectively and make a lasting impact. Remember to practice, rehearse, and be confident in your abilities. 

Still need expert help in writing your speech? We've got you covered! 

CollegeEssay.org is here to assist you. We are an expert speech writing service with a team of experienced professionals. 

Our AI essay writing tools can help you at every step of the speech-writing process, from selecting a topic to gathering evidence.

We provide customized, high-quality writing services at an affordable price. You can also take advantage from our AI essay writer tool to improve your writing skills.

So why wait? Contact our professional essay writing service and impress your audience with an amazing speech!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 4 types of debate.

The four main types of debate are: 

• Parliamentary Debate 
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate 
• Cross-Examination Debate 
• Academic Debate 

What are the 2 sides of a debate called?

The opposition and proposition are the two sides of a debate. 

Caleb S. (Literature, Marketing)

Caleb S. has extensive experience in writing and holds a Masters from Oxford University. He takes great satisfaction in helping students exceed their academic goals. Caleb always puts the needs of his clients first and is dedicated to providing quality service.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Legal & Policies

• Privacy Policy
• Cookies Policy
• Terms of Use
• Refunds & Cancellations
• Our Writers
• Success Stories
• Our Guarantees
• Affiliate Program
• Referral Program
• AI Essay Writer

Disclaimer: All client orders are completed by our team of highly qualified human writers. The essays and papers provided by us are not to be used for submission but rather as learning models only.

Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

Complete Guide to Debating: How to Improve your Debating Skills

August 1, 2018 - Gini Beqiri

Debating can look intimidating from the sidelines, with speakers appearing confident, passionate and unwavering, but it consists of skills that anybody can learn. Debating may not be something that you encounter in your everyday work but these skills can be incredibly valuable. In this article we provide a guide to the basics of debating.

What is debating?

A debate is a structured contest over an issue or policy. There are two sides – one supporting, one opposing.

Benefits of debating include:

• Allowing you to think about aspects and perspectives you may not have considered.
• Encourages you to speak strategically.
• Improving  public speaking skills .
• Learning how to create a persuasive argument.
• When you have to argue against your personal view you realise that there are two sides to the argument.

Debating examples

The U.K. Prime Minister, Theresa May, answers questions:

This example video shows Theresa May answering questions from MPs in the House of Commons. Notice her strong debating skills and how she answers difficult questions under pressure.

Watch the full video here:  Prime Minister’s Questions: 16 May 2018

Debate structure

There are multiple formats a debate can follow, this is a basic debate structure:

• A topic is chosen for each debate – this is called a resolution or motion. It can be a statement, policy or idea. The motion is usually a policy which changes the current state of affairs or a statement which is either truth or false. The motion typically starts with “This House…”
• The Affirmative team support the statement
• The Negative team oppose the statement
• Sometimes you will be asked to take a position in the debate but in other debates you will be allocated your position.
• Teams are provided with time to prepare – usually one hour
• Each speaker presents for a set amount of time
• Speakers alternate between the teams, usually a speaker in the Affirmative team starts, followed by a Negative speaker, then the second Affirmative speaker presents, followed by the second Negative speaker etc.
• The debate is then judged.
• There may be an audience present but they are not involved in the debate

Once you have learned how to debate in one format you can easily switch to another.

Roles of the speakers

Each speaker must typically do the following:

First Affirmative

• Contextualise the debate – clearly set out your team’s interpretation of the topic and the significant issues they disagree with.
• Provide definitions if necessary.
• Outline the team line and the team split – this is where you outline your team’s case and summarise the way your arguments have been divided between your speakers.
• Provide 2-3 arguments supporting the motion.

First Negative

• Clearly state your definition
• Provide your arguments as to why this is the superior definition
• Rebut the Affirmative’s arguments supporting their definition
• Outline a team line and team split.
• Rebut the arguments made by the First Affirmative.
• Deliver 2-3 arguments against the motion.

Second Affirmative

• If needed, resolve any definitional issues.
• Rebut the First Negative’s arguments.
• Deliver 2-3 arguments supporting the motion.

Second Negative

• Rebut the arguments made by the Affirmative team up to this point, with a focus on the Second Affirmative’s arguments.

Third Affirmative

• Rebut specific issues raised by Second Negative and defend any other important attacks on your team’s case.
• Conclude your speech with a brief summary (1-2 minutes) of your team’s case. You should include the key issues which you and the Negative team disagreed on during this.
• You can introduce new material but this is interpreted as poor team planning.

Third Negative

• This is the same structure as the Third Affirmative.

There are many variations of the three against three debate, a commonly known one is Points of Information. This is used a lot in  university debates . During a speech the opposition is allowed to ask a question or make a point.

They stand up and say “point of information” or “on that point” etc. The speaker can choose to accept or reject the point. If accepted, the point of information can last around 15 seconds and the speaker can ask for it to stop at any time.

Debate definitions

Younger debaters tend to waste time defining terms so you must first decide whether you need to define a term. Ask yourself: will my speech be confusing if I don’t define this term? Could the opposition misinterpret what I mean without a definition? For example, the motion could be “we should ban plastic straws”. It’s clear what “plastic straws” are but what does “ban” mean?

Two factors which determine the definition of the debate:

1. Context  – what is happening in the area that relates to this issue? For example, maybe the government of a country is debating banning smoking in public buildings and you decide to define the term “passive smoking” during the debate. If a significant event related to the topic has occurred then it should be the focus of the debate, for instance, a shocking report may have recently been revealed in the media showing the widespread effects of second-hand smoking.

2. Spirit of the motion  – topics are chosen for a reason so what sort of debate was imagined when the topic was chosen? Looking at the spirit of the motion will ensure that you pick a definition that will produce a well-balanced and important debate.

If the topic is vague then you will have more choice of definitions. You have a duty to pick a clear definition and one that will create a good debate. If not, this may cause a definitional challenge which will ruin the debate and frustrate the judges.

For example, the topic may be “we spend too much money on the stars”. Stars can refer to celebrities or astronomy so you need to choose a definition.

• Look at the context and see if there has been a recent significant event related to either topics – the media is the best place to look.
• Then apply second test – which definition will lead to the best debate, which will be more interesting and debatable?

If one answer passes both tests then that’s your definition. If they tie then either is a good definition.

When providing your definition explain the context used to form the definition. This is important because your understanding of the context may be different from others due to various factors, such as, religion, culture, gender etc.

Learn more about using  AI to practice your debating skills .

Basic argument structure

There are various ways of dividing up cases according to groups of arguments, such as, social/economic/political etc. You could assign each speaker to handle a group.

Place the most important arguments first, for example, “The media has more influence on self-esteem than anybody else. This is true for three reasons. Firstly (most important argument)… Secondly…, Thirdly (least important argument)…”

To structure an argument follow these steps:

• Claim  – present your argument in a clear statement. This claim is one reason why you’re in favour of/against the motion.
• Evidence  – the evidence supporting your claim, such as, statistics, references, quotes, analogies etc.
• Impact  – explain the significance of the evidence – how does this support your claim?

Arguments are weakest at the evidence stage as it’s easy to argue against, for example, the evidence may consist of isolated examples or there may be counter evidence. But it’s not a good technique because the opposition can provide more evidence or rebut your criticisms.

It’s difficult to rebut claims because they are usually reasonable but if you can attack a claim then that speaker’s whole argument falls apart. So if you think a claim is vulnerable then rebut it but you will need a strong explanation to show why it doesn’t matter.

European  human rights debating  for sixth form students from across London.

There are common flaws you can look for to form a rebuttal:

1. False dichotomy  – this is where the speaker is trying to falsely divide the debate into two sides even though there are more alternatives than they state. It’s likely the speaker is doing this on purpose but in some cases they do not understand the debate.

2. Assertion  – this is when a speaker presents a statement which isn’t actually an argument because there is no reason to believe that the statement is valid. It may just be an assumption. You can point out that there has not been enough examination to prove this validity and then give a reason why the assertion is (probably) not valid.

3. Morally flawed  – arguments can be morally flawed, for example, “All criminals given a prison sentence should be given the death penalty instead, this will save the country money and space.” What has been argued is true but it’s clearly morally flawed.

4. Correlation rather than causation  – a speaker may suggest a link between two events and suggest one led to the other. But the speaker may not explain how one caused the other event which can make an argument invalid.

5. Failure to deliver promises  – sometimes a speaker might fail to complete a task they promised to deliver. For instance, they may state that they will provide evidence supporting a certain claim but they may lose track of what they have said and not actually do this.

6. Straw man  – the opposing team introduces an argument and then rebuts it. They may use an extreme example of your proposal or perhaps they were hoping that you would make this argument.

7. Contradiction  – an argument the other team presents may contradict one of their previous arguments. You must point out that the arguments cannot be true simultaneously and then explain how this reduces their case’s credibility.

8. Compare the conclusion to reality  – think “what would happen if what they (the other team) are suggesting is implemented right now?” This usually shows that it’s more complicated than they have suggested and the changes can cause secondary problems.

Judges generally score the speakers looking at this criteria:

• Content / Matter  – What the debaters say, their arguments and evidence, the relevance of their arguments.
• Style / Manner  – How the debaters speak, including the language and tone used.
• Strategy / Method  – The structure of the speech, the clarity and responding to other’s arguments.

Debating event at  the Oxford Union

Important skills for debating

To meet the judges criteria you will have to develop certain skills, consider the following:

• You points must be relevant to the topic.
• Provide evidence whenever you can and not your personal opinion.
• You must put aside your personal views and remain objective when you debate so your argument remains logical. You can be passionate about a topic but interest can turn into aggression and passion can turn into upset.
• Consider the audience’s attention span – make it interesting, for example, don’t just present lots of complicated statistics.
• Ethos – the ethical appeal
• Pathos – the emotional appeal
• Logos – the logical appeal
• Use notes but keep them brief and well organised. Use a different piece of paper for rebuttals.
• Similar to looking at conclusions to create rebuttals, think comparatively by asking yourself “How does my plan compare to what’s happening now/what would happen in the world if the other team won?” You can win the debate if you can make comparative claims about why your arguments matter more than the other team.
• Only tell jokes if you’re naturally good at it otherwise this can backfire.
• Flexibility is important because you might get allocated the side of the argument you don’t agree with. You’ll have to work hard to overcome your views. Also use this insight to think of the potential arguments you might make and then plan for counter arguments.
• Speak clearly and concisely.
• You must talk fast enough to have the time to deliver your speech but slow enough so you can be understood.
• Project your voice to the back of the room.
• Incorporate dramatic pauses.
• Emphasise important words and vary your tone appropriately.
• Have a relaxed pose and posture.
• Avoid filler words.
• Know your material.
• Emphasise using gestures and avoid nervous gestures.
• Maintain eye contact with the audience.
• Keep your language simple to avoid confusion.
• Refer to the opposite side as: “My opponent”.
• When making a rebuttal say: “My opponent said…, however…”
• Don’t exaggerate – avoid the words “never” or “always” etc.
• Avoid saying that a speaker “is wrong”, instead say that “your idea is mistaken”.

What to avoid

• Falsifying, making up or altering evidence.
• Publicly disagreeing with the judges’ decision.
• Attacking a speaker rather than an idea.
• Acting aggressively or offensively towards debaters, judges, audience etc.
• Interrupting other debaters as this can suggest that your argument isn’t very strong.
• Disagreeing with facts or obvious truths.

British Parliamentary debating

British Parliamentary debating  is a popular form of debating so we will briefly explain it: There are four teams made up of two speakers each. Two teams are on the government’s side and the other two teams are the opposition but all the teams are trying to win rather than one side. The motion is given 15 minutes before the debate begins and teams are assigned to positions randomly. They alternate their speeches, with the government’s side starting. Speeches are usually 5-7 minutes.

The first two speakers on the government side are called the “opening government” and the first two speakers on the opposition’s side are called the “opening opposition”. The last two speakers on the government’s and opposition’s side are called the “closing government” and “closing opposition” correspondingly.

The speakers’ roles in the opening half of the debate are similar to the roles of the first and second speakers in the three against three debate described previously. The only difference is that the second opening government and second opening opposition speakers include summaries at the end of their speeches – this is because they will also be competing with the teams in the closing half of the debate.

The closing government and closing opposition aim to move the debate on but not contradict their side’s opening team. As well as rebuttal, the majority of the third speaker’s time consists of presenting either: new material, new arguments, a new analysis from a different perspective or extending previously presented arguments. This is called an “extension” which must be something that sets their team apart and makes them unique.

The last two speeches of the closing teams are summary speeches – they summarise the debate and disagreements between the team. Their most important goal is to explain why their side has won the debate. They are not allowed to present new arguments but they can present new evidence and rebuttal.

During the speeches points of information are offered regularly. Speakers should only accept a maximum of two points of information. The first and last minute is protected time where points of information cannot be offered.

Rather than a side trying to win, all the teams are trying to win – this allows different perspectives to be explored. The teams are then ranked 1st to 4th in the debate.

Debate topics

Almost anything can be debated, here are some popular topics – these have been written as questions but they can be easily adapted into statements:

• Is animal experimentation justified?
• Should we legalise the possession of cannabis for medicinal use?
• Should we recognise Bitcoin as a legal currency?
• Is torture acceptable when used for national security?
• Should mobile phones be banned until a certain age?
• Does technology make us more lonely?
• Should guns be banned in the U.S.?
• Should we make internet companies liable for illegal content shared on their platforms?
• Will posting students’ grades publicly motivate them to perform better?
• Should animals be used for scientific testing?
• Do violent video games make people more violent?
• Should the death penalty be stopped completely?
• Should smoking in public places be completely banned?
• Should doping be allowed in professional sports?
• Should all zoos be closed?
• Should consumers must take responsibility for the plastic waste crisis?
• Is euthanasia justified?
• Is the boarding school system beneficial to children?

Debate topics for children

If you’re trying to think of debate topics for a classroom, consider the following:

• Should mobile phones be allowed at school?
• Is global warming a problem?
• Should violent video games be banned?
• Is school detention beneficial?
• Are celebrities good role models?
• Does social networking have a beneficial effect on society?
• Are single sex schools more effective than co-ed schools?
• Do celebrities get away with more crime than non-celebrities?
• Is cloning animals ethical?
• Are humans to blame for certain animal extinctions?

Debating societies

If you’re interested in debating consider searching for a society or debating events near you:

• Most universities have a debating society and their webpages usually contain lots of useful information and tips.
• Toastmasters
• Use Meetup to find debates close to you

Specific to the UK:

• Sylvans Debating Club
• The Association of Speakers Clubs

How to Close a Debate Speech

Kristyn hammond, 27 jun 2018.

Debates are a competition between two debate teams, one arguing for an affirmation of the topic and the other arguing for the negation. Competitions divide each debate into a number of speeches, determined by the style of the debate. A debate speech is a carefully constructed argument, designed to counter an opponent’s argument, while explaining the virtues of your argument. In closing your debate speech, you have the opportunity to reiterate your most important points, close your arguments, give your judges something to remember about your speech and then provide a natural closing.

Complete your arguments by making your final statements about your case. Use a quotation, if you have one available, that wraps up your final argument or provides some closure to your case. Double-check your notes and make sure that you have addresses all of your opponents arguments and concluded your case. If you find an argument by your opponent that you have not addressed, address it before you conclude your speech.

Explain the most important points in your case as an overview for your judges. You can do this by restating each of your main points or by offering a general statement about your case. For instance, if you are arguing for basic human rights over national interest, you may want to offer a quick general statement about the urgency of human rights and society’s responsibility to consider them first. While your speech addressed this general statement with more direct information, the general statement shows your judges that you understand your issue and care about your overall case.

Tell your judges how to vote. Provide a simple statement, such as, “After reviewing the information about this topic, you must vote to affirm the topic.” Continue by explaining the specific weakness in your opponent’s argument. As an example, you can say, “Our opponents today failed to contend with our most important point, about the value of human rights and its essential place in a virtuous society.” Be specific about which points your opponents failed to address and stress the important of these issues.

Use specific vocal inflections to suggest that you are moving into the conclusion of your speech. Move your notes away from you and look directly at the judges, while you are giving an overview of your case and explaining the weaknesses in your opponents case. Speak slower than you did during your actual speech, using the change of pace to help your final statements stick in your judges’ minds. Practice your final inflection, lowering you voice and slowing your speech as you make your final comments.

• 1 Shoreland Community College: Debate Paper Outline
• 2 ForCom: Writing the Conclusion

About the Author

Kristyn Hammond has been teaching freshman college composition at the university level since 2010. She has experience teaching developmental writing, freshman composition, and freshman composition and research. She currently resides in Central Texas where she works for a small university in the Texas A&M system of schools.

Related Articles

Ways to Write a Closing Argument for a Classroom Debate

How to Give a Good 8th-Grade Speech

How to Write an Opening Argument for a Mock Trial

How to Write a Constructive Speech

How to Write an Impromptu Speech

Passive Agreement Speech

How to Write a Conclusion to a Speech

How to Write a Negative Debate Speech

How to Write a Persuasive Speech on Starving Children

How to Write an Informative Speech About Adopting

How to Write a Summary of a Speech

What Is an Analytical Speech?

How to Make an Opening Statement in a Debate

How to Write About an Ethical Dilemma

Rules for How to Judge Debates

Key Ideas to Help Write an Argument & Persuasion Essay

How to Write a Defense Statement

How to Do a Good English Oral Presentation

How to Write a Persuasive Speech in the Sixth Grade

How to Write Conclusions for Persuasive Speeches

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

• Accessibility
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Copyright Policy
• Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• Communication Skills
• Public Speaking

How to Write a Debate Speech

Last Updated: August 25, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,528,439 times.

So, you've joined debate, and it's time to write a debate speech. There are some tried and true methods to writing an effective debate speech. If you understand them, and the components that make up a standard debate speech, you will increase your chances of success.

Sample Speeches

Preparing for the Debate Speech

• You may be asked to stand affirmative or negative. In LD (Lincoln-Douglas debate), the first affirmative speech will be at most 7 minutes long, and the first negative speech will be at most 6 minutes. [1] X Research source
• The speakers then present arguments against the earlier affirmative or negative speech that was just read. Speakers must listen carefully and be able to counter arguments. There are two segments involving cross-examination (CX), in which the debaters are allowed to ask questions and openly debate the topic. This is most often called cross-examination, or cx for short, and occurs after the first affirmative speech, and the first negative speech.
• The best thing you can do to better understand LD/PF/Policy debate is practice and research.

• Brainstorm the topic, and research it before you sit down to write. Write out a list of key components for both sides of the issue. If you are on a debate team, do this together. Each member could discuss the key component list, in order to figure out which issues you want to cover in each speech.
• Spend some time at the library or on the Internet using credible sources to research the key reasons that seem strongest. Use books, scholarly journals, credible newspapers, and the like. Be very cautious about unverified information bandied about on the Internet.
• You will also want prepare to deal with the strongest arguments your opponent(s) might make. Ignoring the other side’s best arguments can weaken your rhetorical appeal.

• A basic debate outline should contain six parts: An attention-getter, your stated stance (aff or neg)/ restatement of the resolution, your definitions, your value, criterion, and contentions.
• You can break each of those six parts into subcategories. It’s often a good idea to write the contentions last, focusing on the value and criterion to hold it up first.

Writing the Debate Speech

• You should address the jury or audience with formal salutations. For example, you could say something like, “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” Debates are very formal in tone.
• Making a good first impression with the judges is very important. This leads judges to assume the debater is persuasive. One technique to write a strong introduction is to contextualize the topic, especially in relation to real world events. [6] X Trustworthy Source American Bar Association Leading professional organization of lawyers and law students Go to source
• Introductions can also focus on prominent examples, quotations, or on a personal anecdote that can help establish a rapport with the audience and judges. Be careful using humor; it involves risks and can lead to awkward silences if not done right. Find a relevant specific that illustrates the underlying point.

• Don’t muddle your position. It needs to be extremely clear whether you affirm or negate the resolution, so don’t hem and haw and contradict yourself. The audience also should not have to wait until the end to find out. Make your stance very clear, and do it early on
• For example, you could say, “my partner and I firmly negate (or affirm) the resolution which states that unilateral military force by the United States is justified to prevent nuclear proliferation.” [7] X Research source

• A good rule of thumb is to back up your position with 3-4 strong points of supporting argumentation. You definitely need to have more than 1 or 2 key points to back up the stance you have taken.
• The body of the speech – the key points and their development – should be, by far, the longest part of the debate speech (perhaps 3 ½ minutes to 30 seconds for an opening and for a conclusion, depending on the rules of the debate you are doing).

• Focus on the causes of the problem, the effects of the problem, expert opinion, examples, statistics, and present a solution. Try to use visual images, not just generic terms – show don’t tell, and illustrate a point with details.
• Appeal to the motives and emotions of the listener with a light touch. Appeal to their sense of fair play, desire to save, to be helpful, to care about community, etc. Ground examples in how people are affected.
• Try using rhetorical questions, which make your opponents consider the validity of their point; irony, which undermines their point and makes you seem more mature and intelligent; simile, which gives them something to relate to; humor, which gets the audience on your side when done well; and repetition, which reinforces your point.

• Aristotle believed that speakers were more persuasive if they combined elements of logos (persuasion by reasoning) with pathos (having an element of emotional appeal) and ethos (an appeal based on the character of the speaker) - for example, that they seem intelligent or of good will.
• There are two ways to use logic – inductive (which makes the case with measurable evidence like statistics or a specific anecdote or example) and deductive (which makes the case by outlining a general principle that is related to the specific topic to infer a conclusion from it - as in, I oppose all wars except those involving imminent self defense; thus, I must oppose this one because it's a war that was not in imminent self defense, and here's why). Or the reverse.
• You should use pathos sparingly. Emotional appeal on its own can be dangerous. Logos - the appeal to reason - should be at the core. However, logical appeal without any pathos at all can render a speech dry and dull. Consider what you are trying to make your audience feel. Explaining how a topic affects real people is one way to use pathos well.

Concluding the Debate Speech

• One strong way to conclude a debate speech is to bookend the conclusion with the opening, by referring back to the introduction and tying the conclusion into the same theme.
• Quotations can be a good way to end a speech. You can also end with a brief summation of the key arguments of the speech to ensure they remain fresh in judges’ minds.

• Use a clear , loud voice, and be careful to watch pacing. You don’t want to speak too loud or too slowly. Remember that confidence goes a long way toward persuasion.

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

• Never add new points in your speech because you still have time, as you might not present it in the best way. When you are nervous, you might even say an argument in favor of the other side and you don't want that. Thanks Helpful 32 Not Helpful 2
• Never degrade your topic. Thanks Helpful 33 Not Helpful 3
• Don't use all your points in your debate- in an actual debate, it is sometimes useful to have other information to cite if the argument starts going their way Thanks Helpful 30 Not Helpful 3

Tips from our Readers

• You can make a sample opening and closing speech beforehand so you can focus more time on developing your arguments during the actual debate.
• Make sure to include rebuttals in your speech, as they are just as important as your main arguments.
• Practice as much as possible — it will make you more confident and help you maintain eye contact.
• Imagine you're just practicing with a friend rather than performing in front of an audience.
• Take deep breaths before starting to ease nerves.

• Remember, just because you can write a debate speech, it doesn't mean you can say a debate speech effectively. Practice! Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 5

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.learndebating.com/english/DEBATING.pdf
• ↑ https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/faq/reliable
• ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-outline-a-speech
• ↑ https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/resources/newsletters/trial-evidence/five-tips-engaging-opening-statements/
• ↑ https://www.oxfordsd.org/Page/5582
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/argument/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/persuasive-speaking
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/speech-anxiety

About This Article

To write a debate speech, start by researching the topic thoroughly with credible and scholarly sources, and make an outline of your argument including an introduction, thesis argument, key points, and conclusion. Write the thesis argument and develop 3-4 strong points of argumentation. Be sure to clearly state your stance, and utilize expert opinions, statistics, and examples to support your opinion. To finish the speech, write an interesting introduction that incorporates your thesis and a brief conclusion that summarizes your main points. If you want to learn more, such as how to make your debate speech persuasive, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Did this article help you?

Kaveesha Pathiranahewa

Dec 1, 2021

Payton Ayoardi

Jul 25, 2021

David Williams

Nov 21, 2017

Luyanda Nondalo

Feb 6, 2017

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Develop the tech skills you need for work and life

How to Write a Winning Debate Speech

What is a Debate?

A classroom debate involves students delivering persuasive speeches to present and support their opinions on a given subject. This activity helps develop critical thinking and communication skills, enabling students to gain a more comprehensive grasp of various topics.

Debate speeches are written according to a set of rules so a moderator can assess their effectiveness and allow others to question or challenge their statements within a formal debate.

A classroom debate is not an unruly fight or pointless argument but a structured formal conversation on a chosen topic in which two teams argue for or against it to convince the neutral moderator that they hold the stronger position.

Debating is a form of persuasive communication, and while we will be sticking to the fundamentals of how to write a debating speech, we also have a great guide to persuasive essay writing that elaborates on specific persuasive techniques.

Complete Teaching Unit on Class Debating

This unit will guide your students to write excellent DEBATE SPEECHES and craft well-researched, constructed ARGU MENTS ready for critique from their classmates.

Furthermore, this EDITABLE UNIT will provide the TOOLS and STRATEGIES for running highly engaging CLASSROOM DEBATES.

How To Run A Classroom Debate

Before jumping in headfirst to write your debating speech, ensure you understand how a debate is run to maximise your strategy and impact when it counts.

Debates occur in many different contexts, such as public meetings, election campaigns, legislative assemblies, and as entertainment on television shows. These contexts determine the specific structure the debate will follow.

This guide provides a basic step-by-step debate structure we can comfortably run with students in a classroom. By familiarizing students with this structure, they will effortlessly transition to other debate frameworks.

Running a classroom debate can be an engaging and educational activity that helps students develop critical thinking, communication, and research skills. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to organize and facilitate a successful classroom debate:

1. Choose a Topic For Your Debate.

Also called a resolution or a motion , the topic is sometimes chosen to debate. This is usually the case in a school activity to practice debating skills. 

The resolution or motion is usually centered around a true or false statement or a proposal to change the current situation. Often, the motion starts, ”This House believes that….”

Select a topic relevant to your curriculum and the students’ interests. Ensure that it is debatable and has multiple perspectives. Further down this article, you can find a list of popular classroom debating topics.

2. Form Two Debating Teams

Two teams of three speakers each are formed. These are referred to as ‘ The House for the Motion ’ or the ‘ Affirmative ’ team and ‘The House Against the Motion ’ or the ‘ Negative ’ team.

Preparation is an essential aspect of debating. The speech and debate team members will need time to research their arguments, collaborate, and organize themselves and their respective roles in the upcoming debate.

They’ll also need time to write and rehearse their speeches. The better prepared and coordinated they are as a team, the greater their chances of success in the debate.

3. Assign Roles to Students.

Each team member should have a specific role, such as speaker, researcher , or rebuttal specialist . This encourages teamwork and ensures that each student is actively involved.

4. Research and Preparation:

• Allocate time for teams to research and prepare their arguments. Encourage students to use multiple sources, including books, articles, and reputable websites. Make sure you read our complete guide to powerful student research strategies.

5. Set Debate Format:

• Define the debate format, including the structure of each round. Common formats include opening statements, cross-examination, rebuttals, and closing statements.

6. Establish Rules:

• Set ground rules for the debate, such as time limits for each speaker, etiquette, guidelines for respectful communication, and consequences for rule violations.

7. Conduct a Practice Debate:

• Before the actual debate, conduct a practice round. This helps students become familiar with the format and allows you to provide feedback on their arguments and presentation skills.
• On the day of the debate, set up the classroom to accommodate the format. Ensure that each round has a clear structure, and designate a timekeeper to keep the debate on schedule.

9. Facilitate Q&A Sessions:

• After each team presents their arguments, allow time for questions and cross-examination. This encourages critical thinking and engagement among the students.

10. Evaluate and Debrief:

• After the debate, provide constructive feedback to each team. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments, presentation skills, and teamwork. Also, please encourage students to reflect on what they learned from the experience.
• Have a class discussion about the debate, exploring different perspectives and opinions. This can deepen students’ understanding of the topic and enhance their critical thinking skills.

Consider integrating the debate topic into future lessons or assignments. This reinforces the learning experience and allows students to delve deeper into the subject matter.

Remember to create a supportive and respectful environment throughout the debate, emphasizing the importance of listening to opposing views and engaging in constructive dialogue.

Each speaker takes a turn making their speech, alternating between the House for the Motion, who goes first, and the House Against the Motion. Each speaker speaks for a pre-agreed amount of time.

Ensure your debate is held in front of an audience (in this case, the class), and occasionally, the audience is given time to ask questions after all the speeches have been made.

Finally, the debate is judged either by moderators or by an audience vote. 

Download our Debate Organizer

Stay fousssed with this handy template to keep all your ideas organized.

How To Write A Debate

How to start a debate speech.

In highly competitive speech and debate tournaments, students are only provided the topic on the day, and limited time is allowed for preparation, but this is not recommended for beginners.

Regardless of the stakes of your classroom debate, the speechwriting process always begins with research. Thorough research will provide students with both the arguments and the supporting evidence for their position on a topic and generate forward-thinking about what their opponents might use against them.

Writing Your Introduction

The purpose of the introduction in a debate speech is to achieve several things:

• Grab the attention of the audience,
• Introduce the topic
• Provide a thesis statement
• Preview some of the main arguments.

Grab The Attention Of Your Audience With Strong Hooks

Securing the audience’s attention is crucial, and failure to do this will have a strong, negative impact on how the team’s efforts will be scored as a whole. Let’s explore three proven strategies to hook your audience and align their thinking to yours.

Introduce Your Topic With Efficiency and Effectiveness

Once the audience’s attention has been firmly grasped, it’s time to introduce the topic or the motion. This should be done straightforwardly and transparently to ensure the audience understands the topic of the debate and the position you are approaching it from.

For example, if the topic of the debate was school uniforms, the topic may be introduced with:

Provide Your Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a concise declaration summarizing the points and arguments of your debating speech.

• It presents a clear stance on a topic and guides the reader on what to expect in the content.
• A good thesis statement is debatable and allows for opposing viewpoints and discussion.
• It serves as a roadmap for the writer, ensuring coherence and focus in the piece.
• It helps the audience understand the purpose and direction of the work from the beginning.

The thesis statement should express the student’s or the team’s position on the motion. Clearly explaining the speaker’s side of the debate. An example can be seen here.

Provide A Preview Of Your Arguments

The final part of the introduction section of a debate speech involves previewing the main points of the speech for the audience.

There is no need to go into detail with each argument here; that’s what the body of the speech is for. It is enough to provide a general thesis statement for each argument or ‘claims’ – (more on this to follow).

Previewing the arguments in a speech is especially important as the audience and judges only get one listen to a speech – unlike a text, which can be reread as frequently as the reader likes.

debate introduction examples for students

Attention grabbers task.

After explaining the different types of attention grabbers and the format for the rest of the introduction to your students, challenge them to write an example of each type of opening for a specific debate topic. 

When they’ve finished writing these speech openings, discuss with the students which one best fits their chosen topic. Then, they can continue by completing the rest of the introduction for their speech using the format described above.

You might like to try a simple topic like “Homework should be banned.” you can choose from our collection further in this article.

Writing T he Body of the Speech

The body paragraphs are the real meat of the speech. They contain the in-depth arguments that make up the substance of the debate, and How well these arguments are made will determine how the judges will assess each speaker’s performance, so it’s essential to get the structure of these arguments just right.

Let’s take a look at how to do that.

How to structure an Argument

With the introduction out of the way, it’s time for the student to get down to the nitty-gritty of the debate – that is, making compelling arguments to support their case.

There are three main aspects to an argument in a debate speech. They are:

• The Warrant

Following this structure carefully enables our students to build coherent and robust arguments. Ttake a look at these elements in action in the example below.

Brainstorming Arguments

Present your students with a topic and, as a class, brainstorm some arguments for and against the motion.

Then, ask students to choose one argument and, using the Claim-Warrant-Impact format, take a few moments to write down a well-structured argument that’s up to debate standard.

Students can then present their arguments to the class. 

Or, you could also divide the class along pro/con lines and host a mini-debate!

Concluding a Debate Speech

The conclusion of a speech or a debate is the final chance for the speaker to convey their message to the audience. In a formal debate that has a set time limit, the conclusion is crucial as it demonstrates the speaker’s ability to cover all their material within the given time frame.

Avoid introducing new information and focus on reinforcing the strength of your position for a compelling and memorable conclusion.

A good conclusion should refer back to the introduction and restate the main position of the speaker, followed by a summary of the key arguments presented. Finally, the speaker should end the speech with a powerful image that will leave a lasting impression on the audience and judges.

Examples of strong debate Conclusions

The Burden of the Rejoinder

In formal debates, the burden of the rejoinder means that any time an opponent makes a point for their side, it’s incumbent upon the student/team to address that point directly.

Failing to do so will automatically be seen as accepting the truth of the point made by the opponent.

For example, if the opposing side argues that all grass is pink, despite how ridiculous that statement is, failing to refute that point directly means that, for the debate, all grass is pink.

Our students must understand the burden of the rejoinder and ensure that any points the opposing team makes are fully addressed during the debate.

The Devils Advocate

When preparing to write their speech, students should spend a significant proportion of their team collaborating as a team. 

One good way to practice the burden of the rejoinder concept is to use the concept of Devil’s Advocate, whereby one team member acts as a member of the opposing team, posing arguments from the other side for the speaker to counter, sharpening up their refutation skills in the process.

20 Great Debating Topics for Students

• Should cell phones be allowed in schools?
• Is climate change primarily caused by human activities?
• Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
• Is social media more harmful than beneficial to society?
• Should genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be embraced or rejected?
• Is the death penalty an effective crime deterrent?
• Should schools implement mandatory drug testing for students?
• Is animal testing necessary for scientific and medical advancements?
• Should school uniforms be mandatory?
• Is censorship justified in certain circumstances?
• Should the use of performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?
• Is homeschooling more beneficial than traditional schooling?
• Should the use of plastic bags be banned?
• Is nuclear energy a viable solution to the world’s energy needs?
• Should the government regulate the fast food industry?
• Is social inequality a result of systemic factors or individual choices?
• Should the consumption of meat be reduced for environmental reasons?
• Is online learning more effective than traditional classroom learning?
• Should the use of drones in warfare be banned?
• Is the legalization of marijuana beneficial for society?

These topics cover a range of subjects and offer students the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking debates on relevant and impactful issues.

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO DEBATING

The Ultimate Guide to Opinion Writing for Students and Teachers

Top 5 Persuasive Writing Techniques for Students

5 Top Persuasive Writing Lesson Plans for Students and Teachers

23 Persuasive writing Topics for High School students

How to Write Perfect Persuasive Essays in 5 Simple Steps

Debating strategies for students.

Research and preparation are essential to ensure good performance in a debate. Students should spend as much time as possible drafting and redrafting their speeches to maximize their chances of winning. However, a debate is a dynamic activity, and victory cannot be assured by pre-writing alone.

Students must understand that the key to securing victory lies in also being able to think, write (often in the form of notes), and respond instantly amid the turmoil of the verbal battle. To do this, students must understand the following keys to victory.

When we think of winning a debate, we often think of blinding the enemy with the brilliance of our verbal eloquence. We think of impressing the audience and the judges alike with our outstanding oratory.

What we don’t often picture when we imagine what a debate winner looks like is a quiet figure sitting and listening intently. But being a good listener is one of our students’ most critical debating skills.

If students don’t listen to the other side, whether by researching opposing arguments or during the thrust of the actual debate, they won’t know the arguments the other side is making. Without this knowledge, they cannot effectively refute the opposition’s claims.

Read the Audience

In terms of the writing that happens before the debate takes place, this means knowing your audience. 

Students should learn that how they present their arguments may change according to the demographics of the audience and/or judges to whom they will be making their speech. 

An audience of retired school teachers and an audience of teen students may have very different responses to the same arguments.

This applies during the actual debate itself too. If the student making their speech reads resistance in the faces of the listeners, they should be prepared to adapt their approach accordingly in mid-speech.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The student must practice their speech before the debate. There’s no need to learn it entirely by heart. There isn’t usually an expectation to memorize a speech entirely, and doing so can lead to the speaker losing some of their spontaneity and power in their delivery. At the same time, students shouldn’t spend the whole speech bent over a sheet of paper reading word by word.

Ideally, students should familiarize themselves with the content and be prepared to deliver their speech using flashcards as prompts when necessary.

Another important element for students to focus on when practising their speech is making their body language, facial expressions, and hand gestures coherent with the verbal content of their speech. One excellent way to achieve this is for the student to practice delivering their speech in a mirror.

And Finally…

Debating is a lot of fun to teach and partake in, but it also offers students a valuable opportunity to pick up some powerful life skills.

It helps students develop a knack for distinguishing fact from opinion and an ability to assess whether a source is credible or not. It also helps to encourage them to think about the other side of the argument. 

Debating helps our students understand others, even when disagreeing with them. An important skill in these challenging times, without a doubt.

Debating Teaching Strategies

Clearly Define Debate Roles and Structure when running speech and debate events: Clearly define the roles of speakers, timekeepers, moderators, and audience members. Establish a structured format with specific time limits for speeches, rebuttals, and audience participation. This ensures a well-organized and engaging debate.

• Provide Topic Selection and Preparation Time: Offer students a range of debate topics, allowing them to select a subject they are passionate about. Allocate ample time for research and preparation, encouraging students to gather evidence, develop strong arguments, and anticipate counterarguments.
• Incorporate Scaffolded Debating Skills Practice: Before the actual debate, engage students in scaffolded activities that build their debating skills. This can include small group discussions, mock debates, or persuasive writing exercises. Provide feedback and guidance to help students refine their arguments and delivery.
• Encourage Active Listening and Note-taking during speech and debate competitions: Emphasize the importance of active listening during the debate. Encourage students to take notes on key points, supporting evidence, and persuasive techniques used by speakers. This cultivates critical thinking skills and prepares them for thoughtful responses during rebuttals.
• Facilitate Post-Debate Reflection and Discussion: After the debate, facilitate a reflection session where students can share their thoughts, lessons learned, and insights gained. Encourage them to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments and engage in constructive dialogue. This promotes metacognitive skills and encourages continuous improvement.

By following these tips, teachers can create a vibrant and educational debate experience for their students. Through structured preparation, active engagement, and reflective discussions, students develop valuable literacy and critical thinking skills that extend beyond the boundaries of the debate itself.

A COMPLETE UNIT FOR TEACHING OPINION WRITING

Teach your students to write EXCELLENT PERSUASIVE ESSAYS and master INFLUENTIAL WRITING SKILLS using PROVEN TEACHING STRATEGIES with this 140-PAGE UNIT.

ALL RESOURCES AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS INCLUDED – NO PREP REQUIRED.

30+ 5-star Ratings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

15 Powerful Speech Ending Lines (And Tips to Create Your Own)

Hitiksha jain.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

A powerful speech ending line helps you recapture the essence of your speech: your main points and the purpose of why you spoke.

Basically, it is a summary of your dominant points. 

The words you say at the beginning, and especially at the end of your talk will be remembered longer than any other part of your speech. (This doesn’t mean the body of your speech has no importance.)

The beginning of your speech needs to be strong because it grips the attention of your audience. If that falls apart, they might lose interest in your speech. To avoid such a situation, here’s an article on 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own) that you can refer to.

It has happened time after time- a speaker has concluded his speech with no conclusion or a simple “Thank you!” which made their impactful and amazing speech entirely fall apart.

An ineffective conclusion or no conclusion makes your speech lose its charm and the energy that has been created. This leaves your audience in a state of confusion and disappointment. 

Remember, the conclusion of your speech is NOT the time to introduce new points or new supporting evidence; doing so will all the more confuse the listeners. 

Instead, a conclusion is like tying a bow or ribbon to a box of your key ideas that your audience will be taking along with them. Meaning, it’s the final touch that makes your speech stand out and memorable.

So, how can you end your speech with a bang? To discover it, let’s jump in to the 15 powerful speech ending lines and ways to create your own:

1) Abraham Lincoln

Speech ending line: “And this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.”

How to use The Rule Of Three to end your speech?

The Rule of Three is an effective technique that allows you to express your ideas more completely by emphasizing your points and increasing the memorability of your message.

Dale Carneige once said, 

“Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you just told them.”

Information when presented in a group of three sticks in our head better than say, groups of four or five.

The answer is simple! We humans are generally good at pattern recognition and three is the smallest number needed to make a pattern. When used at the end of a speech, you can create maximum impact, (obviously) if said in a proper tone of voice. 

Repeating your ideas can make your message more persuasive, memorable, and entertaining.

Since, the conclusion is your last chance as a speaker to drive home your ideas, you need to repeat and emphasize phrases, sentences and words to make others remember your key message. 

The repetition of phrases and sentences should be such that it creates a micro story of your entire speech. 

If you are trying to incorporate the rule of three in your speech and need guidance to do so. Here’s an article on The Power of the Rule of Three in Speech Writing that might help you!

2) Simon Sinek

Speech ending line: “Listen to politicians now, with their comprehensive 12-point plans. They’re not inspiring anybody. Because there are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s those who start with “why” that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.”

How to mark an end of a speech with a story?

Telling stories can do wonders in making your speech a memorable one. Because we as humans relate to stories. 

Using an effective and persuasive story at the end can engage the audience, evoke empathy, increase trust and motivate action.

Your story should be crafted in such a way that it sums up your entire speech. But don’t forget, it needs to be short and sweet.

You can start your story by saying, “Let me tell you a story that illustrates what I have been talking about…”

To make your speech/story worth remembering, you can try these various storytelling approaches mentioned in this article- 9 Storytelling Approaches For Your Next Speech or Presentation .

3) Les Brown

Speech ending line: “If you want a thing bad enough To go out and fight for it, Work day and night for it, Give up your time and your peace and Your sleep for it

If only desire of it Makes you quite mad enough Never to tire of it, Makes you hold all other things tawdry And cheap for it

If life seems all empty and useless without it And all that you scheme and you dream is about it,

If gladly you’ll sweat for it, Fret for it, Plan for it, Lose all your terror of God or man for it,

If you’ll simply go after that thing that you want. With all your capacity, Strength and sagacity, Faith, hope and confidence, stern pertinacity,

If neither cold, poverty, famished and gaunt, Nor sickness nor pain Of body or brain Can turn you away from the thing that you want,

If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it, You’ll get it.”

How to end a speech with a poem?

This works similar to the notion of storytelling. 

You can end your speech with a poem that summarizes your entire speech. To do this you can either make your own or select the one that works the best for your speech. If you select one, remember to cite the source.

While reciting a poem add emotions and drama to your words, raise your voice on a key line of the poem and pause whenever required.

Poetry is a powerful way to get your point across because it helps you create an impression in your audiences’ mind. If you are planning to tap into poetry for your next speech, we have written an article- Getting Your ‘Wordsworth’: Poetry in Public Speaking that you can review to get some tips on how to add a poem in your speech.

4) Sir Ken Robinson

Speech ending line: “There’s a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin. “There are three sorts of people in the world: Those who are immovable, people who don’t get it, or don’t want to do anything about it; there are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it; and there are people who move, people who make things happen.” And if we can encourage more people, that will be a movement. And if the movement is strong enough, that’s, in the best sense of the word, a revolution. And that’s what we need.”

How to close a speech with a memorable quote?

Quotations are usually concise and memorable phrasing of an idea. (This is why we repeat and remember quotations, right?)

The sole reason to quote material is that it reinforces your ideas. A quotation offers a second voice echoing your claims which is more powerful than simply just repeating yourself.

So, your quote should be such that summarizes your main idea. You can quote words of an expert, a person who spoke before you at an event or something in your own words.

Tips for using quotations in your speech:

• Phrasing it correctly can help boost your credibility
• Don’t quote anything outside your context

Taking the above example of Sir Ken Robinson, the quoted words at the end of his speech summarized the heart of his speech.

5) Lera Boroditsky

Speech ending line: “It’s how the language that you speak shapes the way that you think. And that gives you the opportunity to ask, “Why do I think the way that I do?” “How could I think differently?” And also, “What thoughts do I wish to create?”

How to end a speech with a question?

You can try and engage your audience with questions that will get them thinking.

It is often effective to end with a rhetorical question that captures the message and leaves the audience thinking—especially one that directly ties in your CTA. For instance:

“What choice will you make when you leave here today? Will you ____(your key message), or will you go about your normal routine?”

See how Lera Boroditsky leaves her audience with a set of questions rattling around their minds.

6) Melissa Butler  

Speech ending line: “So I challenge each of you, when you go home today, look at yourself in the mirror, see all of you, look at all of your greatness that you embody, accept it, and love it. And finally, when you leave the house tomorrow, try to extend that same love and acceptance to someone who doesn’t look like you. Thank you.”

How to give a challenge close to your speech?

In the above example, Melissa Butler used a challenge close to force her audience to take action over something.

In this type of closing, you challenge your audience to apply whatever you spoke in your speech and engage them in thought or action.

A good way to do that is to make sure they know you’re aware of the challenges that exist, and that you have concrete and actionable solutions to it.

To do this, you can have a bit of a forceful tone of voice to make a failure process a learning one.

Do express your belief in them and focus on setting a high bar, but an achievable one.

7) Brian Kateman

Speech ending line: “You can change the world by ordering a smaller steak, or doing something more. But don’t just sit by and ignore what you already know. Consider eating less meat and be a reducetarian.

Save our planet, improve your health, and save a lot of animals.”

How to end a speech by giving a solution to a concern?

This type of closing is suitable for speeches where you talk about a problem and give a solution for the same.

First you introduce the problem and explain why the audience should be concerned about it.

While concluding, you provide a practical solution to the stated concern. 

Look at how Brian Kateman states a problem: The battle between vegans, vegetarians, and everyone else and ends up giving a pragmatic solution.

8) Anjelah Johnson

Speech ending line: “Really?! It’s funny because my finger didn’t do like that before I came in here.” “It’s okay honey, don’t worry. I’ll fix it for you, don’t worry.” (Imitates talking in Vietnamese) (Laughter) (Laughter) (Stops talking Vietnamese) “Oh, see? You look so pretty!” God bless, you guys.”

How to leave your audience with a good laugh?

Wouldn’t you love leaving your audience with a good laugh? Ending your speech with humor can help you to do so. 

But you need to use them with caution. Tell jokes that are related to your speech. And avoid telling offensive jokes.

You can add anecdotes and funny stories that have happened in real life since it’s easy to relate to and, if said in a correct manner, you can have your audience laughing while hitting your message home!

Tips to deliver a good humor:

• Surprise your audience by breaking their expectations with the help of a good setup and punchline. Setup creates a specific expectation in people’s minds and a punchline reveals the surprise. For instance, “I believe that each person can make a difference (setup), but it’s so slight that there’s basically no point (punch)”
• Try and impersonate your dialogues or the characters as it will make your listeners feel they are in the scene
• You can twist the literal meaning of a word. Example- Everybody looked up to me in college because I was the tallest of all
• You can also incorporate the rule of three that works similar to the setup and punchline technique i.e. setup, setup, punch. Take an example of Elicia Sanchez, “I was a super nerd when I was a kid. I liked video games, I liked comic books, I was the youngest mage in the D&D campaign I was part of with 30-year-olds at the Yardbirds in Centralia, Washington.”

Apart from this, always test and rehearse the humor that you are going to incorporate and ask for honest feedback. Also, make sure the jokes and stories you use add value to your point and are insightful

9) Yubing Zhang

Speech ending line: “As the words said high on the bungee platform, “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.”

How to end a speech using the circle theory?

Here, the idea is to take your audience on a journey and get them back to the place from where you started, making a circle.

Meaning, you refer back to what you started with (movie, words, quote).

Yubing Zhang begins her speech with- Life Begins at The Edge of Your Comfort Zone” and ends with the same. 

You can bookend your speech in different ways:

• You can end by referencing your opening
• Concluding words can contrast from your opening words.
• Open with a question and answer it at the end 

We have written an in-depth article on 7 Techniques to Bookending Your Speech: Guidelines and Examples . Review it for some inspiration!

10) BJ Miller

Speech ending line: “Parts of me died early on, and that’s something we can all say one way or another. I got to redesign my life around this fact, and I tell you it has been a liberation to realize you can always find a shock of beauty or meaning in what life you have left, like that snowball lasting for a perfect moment, all the while melting away. If we love such moments ferociously, then maybe we can learn to live well — not in spite of death, but because of it. Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination.”

How to close a speech with an inspiring note?

Okay, let’s be real here. We humans are dealing with problems, difficulties, challenges, disappointments, setbacks, and temporary failures.

Ending your speech with an uplifting talk that gives a ray of hope might encourage your audience.

“Inspiring your audience is all about helping them see their own vision, not yours.” Anonymous

If your hope is to inspire your audience then your material needs to be about them and ways on how they can grow .

To do so you can opt for stories or share your personal experiences to get your message alive, but you need to paint a picture of what your audiences’ vision is when it comes to themselves and how you can help them achieve that vision by your talk.

11) Dr. Shashi Tharoor

Speech ending line: “95% of our 12 year-olds across India can read and write. So the future looks good. And as far as the workforce is concerned, if we can get all these other pieces in place, we can say to the rest of the world, “We are coming.”

How to end your speech with facts?

Adding only facts in a speech can make it boring, right? Because there’s nothing entertaining about that.

Well, this wouldn’t be a case when you use the right facts in a proper way and at a proper time. 

Adding facts as a speech ending line can be a way through which you can re-engage your audience, leaving them mesmerized. 

Incorporate only those facts that are relevant to your topic because you don’t want to make them apathetic towards you.

Present your facts in a creative manner. For instance, asking a question after when you stated the fact, audience poll, or add humor.

Trying to add facts in your speech without making it sound boring? Here’s an article- 11 Steps to Add Facts in A Speech Without Making It Boring that can guide you. 

12) Cameron Russell

Speech ending line: “If there’s a takeaway to this talk, I hope it’s that we all feel more comfortable acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes and our perceived failures.”  

How to leave your audience with a piece of advice?

This works similar to the fact concept.

Your advices should get your audience encouraged about something and not discourage them or make them feel incompetent.

Try to chunk your advice into simple steps that your audience can follow. Inject emotions, relate it to your own experience (if possible) and make it inspirational.

The sole purpose of giving advice is to help someone. Don’t forget that!

Because a lot of times the advice is created on the basis of expectation and not understanding others. To simplify it, you need to understand the problem that your audience is facing and then advise them keeping your expectations and judgements aside.

Look at how Cameron Russell makes people feel good about themselves by empowering them regardless of the topic.

13) Nora Mclnerny

Speech ending line: “But yes, absolutely, they’re going to move forward. But that doesn’t mean that they’ve moved on.”

How to use a title close to end your speech?

To give your speech a title close, your speech needs to have a provocative title that encapsulates your message memorably. 

Use the title of your speech as your closing words to stir your audience to think more fully about what they just heard, reinforcing the title of your speech mentioned earlier.

14) Alfred Chuang

Speech ending line: “A new world is on the horizon. And it will be more incredible than any of us can possibly imagine. Our greatest innovations are ahead of us, not behind. But we need great engineers to build that world for us. And that’s you. We need you to not give up. Ever. We need you to finish your projects. Done, done, done. We need you to leverage the power of an immigrant-rich workforce. And we need you all to be a little insane.”

How to make a direct call to action at the end of your speech?

A well constructed and presented speech is the one that changes people’s mind and ignites action.

The call to action comes right before the end of a persuasive speech. Here, you clearly tell the audience the role they can play after they leave your talk.

It serves as a road map that your listeners can follow after when they are thoroughly gripped to your idea. Because they exactly know what they need to do.

In the above example, you can see how Alfred Chuang delivered a powerful CTA, as he clearly explains what listeners can do to push his idea forward.

Barring this type of a CTA, the other forms include signing a petition, buying your product, visiting your website.

15) Barack Obama

Speech ending line: “So let’s get to work, people. Let’s bring this home. I love you, Philadelphia. Honk if you’re fired up, honk if you’re ready to go. Are you fired up?”

How to use an appeal to end your speech?

The most common closing for a persuasive speech can be an appeal for action.

You can shape your appeal according to who your intended audience is and the purpose of you talking to them.

One of the best ways to make an appeal is by tapping into their emotions in order to form a deeper connection with the listeners.

Avoid making your message too pushy. Instead, try and make your content relatable and valuable for them. This is when the audience is much more likely to pay attention to you.

Valuable reads: The Secret of Writing a Persuasive Speech 

Level up your public speaking in 15 minutes!

Get the exclusive Masterclass video delivered to your inbox to see immediate speaking results.

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Final Thoughts

Depending on the type of speech you are presenting, you will be asking the audience for something. And that can be- asking them to act in a certain way, or to change their attitude towards a certain person or topic or simply make them understand what you’re trying to say.

Nonetheless, the conclusion of your speech is to leave the audience positively motivated towards you and the topic you have been presenting. 

Hopefully, these 15 examples will guide you to create your own speech ending line that is impactful.

Let us know in the comments below which one worked for you.

Still looking for inspiration? Check out this video we made on closing remarks:

Enroll in our transformative 1:1 Coaching Program

Schedule a call with our expert communication coach to know if this program would be the right fit for you

How to Brag Like a Pro as a Speaker

Less is More! Tips to Avoid Overwhelming Your Audience 

What does it mean to Resonate with the Audience- Agreement, Acceptance, Approval

• [email protected]
• +91 98203 57888

Get our latest tips and tricks in your inbox always

Copyright © 2023 Frantically Speaking All rights reserved

Charges against Telegram CEO sparks debate over balance of free speech and responsibility

Stephanie Sy Stephanie Sy

Azhar Merchant Azhar Merchant

Leave your feedback

• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/charges-against-telegram-ceo-sparks-debate-over-balance-of-free-speech-and-responsibility

The arrest of Telegram's CEO and founder has reignited concerns about the balance of free speech and responsibility that comes with running social platforms. Telegram has more than 900 million users, making it among the most popular messaging services in the world. The arrest of Pavel Durov has far-reaching implications for the industry at large. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Pranshu Verma.

Read the Full Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz:

The arrest of Telegram's CEO and founder this week has reignited concerns about the balance of free speech and the responsibility that comes with running social platforms.

Telegram, founded in 2013, now has more than 900 million users, making it among the most popular messaging services in the world.

Stephanie Sy has the latest.

Stephanie Sy:

French authorities have charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with several offenses related to his messaging app. The charges include complicity in the distribution of child abuse images, drug trafficking and failure to comply with law enforcement requests.

Durov, who operates Telegram from Dubai, was apprehended over the weekend and was ordered to pay five million euros for bail. The arrest of the Russian-born tech billionaire has sparked a free speech rallying cry in some circles and has raised questions about how other social media executives may be held accountable for their platforms.

Joining me to discuss the implications of this arrest is Pranshu Verma, technology reporter for The Washington Post.

Pranshu, thank you so much for joining the "News Hour."

Before we get into the ramifications of this arrest, tell us why Telegram is in law enforcement's bullseye and what brought about this unprecedented arrest of the company's founder?

Pranshu Verma, The Washington Post:

So Telegram is a wildly popular messaging app, mostly in places like Russia, the Middle East, and South Asia.

About 950 million people use it. And it's a way to send private chats or public broadcasting messages to large — hundreds of thousands of people. And it's also a way to send individual kind of encrypted chats as well. So it melds two types of messaging into one app.

And now this kind of app is pretty good in some ways, for example, if you're a dissident and you want to organize a protest against an authoritarian government. But it's also become an app where some of the worst activity online kind of has become a haven for it, such as the sharing of child sexual abuse imagery.

And so that's kind of what's made Telegram into the bullseyes of the French authorities now, is that they are basically saying that the owner of Telegram, Pavel Durov, is complicit in making Telegram spread child sex abuse imagery, kind of spread organized crime, and also not complying with law enforcement when law enforcement wants user data about criminal activity.

And so, as you saw this weekend, this all culminated into a head when Pavel Durov landed in France outside of a Paris airport and was arrested and has now been issued charges around these types of activities.

But the other platforms, as you know, including platforms like Facebook and Instagram, have also been accused of having nefarious activities, including sexual abuse imagery of children, extremism, scammers.

How is this different? How does Durov differ from his peers when it comes to that? Do the other platforms, for example, cooperate much more with governments and law enforcement?

Pranshu Verma:

There's no doubt that platforms like Meta and Twitter do host similar types of content.

But what Telegram is very specifically known for, it actually boasts about is its reluctance and often complete noncompliance with law enforcement in sharing user data. So even if a law enforcement official comes to Telegram, it is their policy as they boast about even on their own site to not share zero bytes of data with government to date.

And that's what makes it really different from all the other tech companies is that kind of strong noncompliance.

Elon Musk and other tech giants have posted their support of Mr. Pavel on X. Musk did. And a lot of people are asking what his arrest means for the heads of other similar platforms.

Should folks like Mark Zuckerberg, for example, be concerned about facing similar accusations? And could you see him being arrested if he travels to Europe? And do you see these charges being levied against a tech executive in the United States?

Yes, this is the big question here. It's opened up a can of worms.

Are the people who own the tech companies liable for the content that is on their platforms? Now, in the United States, there's a rule in law that shields companies from being held liable for the content that they have put on their sites.

But in Europe, there is a little bit more of a strength around holding tech companies accountable. And you have seen now, in this case, kind of the most muscular act to date of a government official — of a government holding a private official of a company to account. And it is unlikely that we would see it in the United States where somebody like a Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk is detained for what is on Facebook or on Twitter.

But now the question becomes, what happens if that activity happens in Europe or elsewhere, and will governments kind of respond in kind? And we don't know the answer yet.

That is The Washington Post's Pranshu Verma joining us.

Thank you so much.

Listen to this Segment

Watch the Full Episode

Stephanie Sy is a PBS News Hour correspondent and serves as anchor of PBS News Hour West. Throughout her career, she served in anchor and correspondent capacities for ABC News, Al Jazeera America, CBSN, CNN International, and PBS News Hour Weekend. Prior to joining NewsHour, she was with Yahoo News where she anchored coverage of the 2018 Midterm Elections and reported from Donald Trump’s victory party on Election Day 2016.

Azhar Merchant is Associate Producer for National Affairs.

Support Provided By: Learn more

More Ways to Watch

Educate your inbox.

Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.

Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Newsletters
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides
• Labor Day sales

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Trump agrees to debate rules, muted mics for Sept. 10 showdown with Harris

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will participate in next month's 90-minute debate in Philadelphia with Vice President Kamala Harris after raising concerns about the rules.

Trump revealed his decision to participate in the live Sept. 10 debate on ABC in a post on his Truth Social media platform, saying he had "reached an agreement" over the rules, which will include muted microphones.

"The rules will be the same as the last CNN debate, which seemed to work out well for everyone," the former president wrote.

"The debate will be 'stand up,' and candidates cannot bring notes, or 'cheat sheets.' We have also been given assurance by ABC that this will be a 'fair and equitable' debate, and that neither side will be given the questions in advance," he added.

In the post, Trump said he is still open to a Fox News debate scheduled for Sept. 4, after Harris would not agree to participate. Trump also said he is willing to take part in a third debate with NBC News.

"A possible third debate, which would go to NBC fake news, has not been agreed to by the radical left," Trump added.

The rules for next month's debate will be much like those used by CNN for its June 27 debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. That includes muted microphones when the other candidate speaks and no studio audience. Candidates will also be given a pad of paper, a pen and water.

While Trump on Monday told reporters he preferred live microphones, the Harris campaign -- which also lobbied for unmuted mics-- indicated Tuesday it had not agreed to the terms.

"Both candidates have publicly made clear their willingness to debate with unmuted mics for the duration of the debate to fully allow for substantive exchanges between the candidates -- but it appears Donald Trump is letting his handlers overrule him. Sad!" the Harris campaign said in a statement.

Trump and Biden had agreed to a second and final debate on Sept. 10, before Biden ended his presidential re-election campaign last month following a poor performance during the first debate .

Earlier this month, Trump said he planned to reconcile with debate host ABC, despite ongoing legal issues with the network. The former president currently has a defamation lawsuit against ABC and host George Stephanopoulos before the courts.

How To Start A Debate On Any Topic

Debate is a type of persuasive speaking that involves two sides, each speaking on a different side of a topic. A good debater knows how to start by greeting the audience in a compelling way and then presenting their thesis, which they will restate at the end of the talk.

Engaging in healthy and constructive debates is an essential skill in today’s complex and interconnected world. Whether discussing societal issues, exploring differing viewpoints, or honing critical thinking abilities, debates provide a platform for intellectual growth and understanding.

This article delves into practical strategies and techniques for starting a debate and creating an environment conducive to insightful conversation and respectful dialogue.

From defining clear objectives to mastering the art of persuasive opening statements, let’s uncover the keys to kickstarting engaging debates that promote intellectual exploration and mutual respect.

You should include several key elements that set the stage for your debate in your introduction:  Begin with a captivating statement, anecdote, question, statistic, or quote that captures the audience’s attention and piques their interest in the topic .

Table of Contents

Why is Good Preparation The Best Way To Start A Debate?

Good preparation is the best way to kick off a debate for several powerful reasons.

First, it helps you master the topic, gather key facts, and build strong evidence , boosting your confidence and credibility. You’ll come across as knowledgeable and authoritative, which is crucial for winning over your audience.

Second, preparation allows you to anticipate counterarguments and objections. By understanding different perspectives, you can craft well-rounded arguments and deliver persuasive rebuttals.

Third, being prepared b rings structure and organization to your debate . You’ll present your points clearly and logically, making your case more compelling and easier to follow.

Finally, a solid grasp of your position lets you articulate your ideas with confidence and passion, fully engaging your audience.

In short, thorough preparation sets the stage for a successful debate, helping you present strong arguments, anticipate challenges, and communicate effectively.

What Is A Good Way To Start A Debate?

A good way to start a debate is by employing several engaging techniques that capture the audience’s attention and set the tone for a compelling discussion.

One effective approach is to  begin with a captivating story  relating to the topic at hand. By sharing a relatable narrative, you can connect with the audience on an emotional level and establish a personal connection.

Another effective strategy is to ask a  thought-provoking rhetorical question . This prompts the audience to reflect on the topic and encourages active engagement from the start. Rhetorical questions stimulate critical thinking and create an atmosphere of curiosity, setting the stage for a spirited debate.

Using  impactful statistics  can also be a powerful opener. Presenting a surprising statistic related to the subject grabs attention and emphasizes the topic’s significance. This approach establishes the relevance and urgency of the debate.

Additionally, incorporating a  powerful quote  from a notable figure can add credibility and intrigue to your opening statement. A well-chosen quote can encapsulate the essence of your argument or introduce a unique perspective, generating interest and setting the tone for the discussion.

Employing a prop or creative visual aid can be highly effective if appropriate. Visual elements strongly impact audience engagement and can help illustrate complex ideas or reinforce key points, making your opening more memorable and persuasive.

For more detailed guidance, refer to the  WikiHow article , which offers further insights and practical tips.

What Is A Greeting To Start The Debate?

A suitable greeting to start a debate is one that is respectful, professional, and engaging. Here’s an example:

“Good [morning/afternoon/evening], everyone. Welcome to today’s debate. I’m [Your Name], and I will be your moderator. Thank you all for joining us. We look forward to a spirited and respectful discussion on [debate topic]. Let’s introduce our speakers and get started.”

This greeting sets a positive tone and engages both participants and the audience.

What Are Some Examples Of Debate Greetings?

Some other examples to kick off your debate are:

• “Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed judges, and fellow debaters, I extend a warm welcome to each of you as we embark on a thought-provoking journey of intellectual discourse.”
• “Good morning/afternoon/evening, distinguished panel of judges, honorable guests, and fellow participants. It is a privilege to stand before you today and engage in a stimulating debate on [insert topic].”
• “Greetings, respected audience, esteemed adjudicators, and fellow debaters. Thank you for joining us as we delve into the complexities of [insert topic], seeking to unravel its intricacies and explore diverse perspectives.”
• “Hello, everyone, and welcome to this exciting debate in which we will explore the depths of [insert topic]. It is my pleasure to be here today alongside esteemed colleagues to engage in a spirited exchange of ideas.”

What Is A Good Opening Sentence For A Debate?

“In the realm of debate, where ideas collide, and perspectives converge, it is imperative to examine the multifaceted nuances surrounding [insert topic], which demands our unwavering attention and critical analysis.”

Other options include:

• “Ladies and gentlemen, today we gather to explore the compelling issue of [insert topic], a matter that impacts us all and deserves our thoughtful consideration.”
• “Welcome, everyone. The topic of [insert topic] is not only timely but also crucial to our society, and today we will delve into its various aspects.”
• “Thank you for joining us. The debate on [insert topic] is one that stirs passion and controversy, and we are here to dissect it from all angles.”
• “Greetings, audience and esteemed colleagues. The subject of [insert topic] poses significant questions that we must address with both intellect and empathy.”
• “Good [morning/afternoon/evening], and welcome to our debate. We are here to engage in a critical discussion on [insert topic], a topic that affects each of us in profound ways.”
• “Hello, everyone. Today, we confront the complex issue of [insert topic], and through this debate, we aim to uncover deeper truths and actionable insights.”
• “Good day, and thank you for being here. The matter of [insert topic] is one that demands our full attention and a rigorous examination of its implications.”
• “Welcome to today’s debate on [insert topic]. This topic is more than just a discussion point; it is a pivotal issue that requires our careful deliberation.”
• “Esteemed guests and fellow debaters, we are here to explore the intricate dimensions of [insert topic], a subject that calls for both reasoned argument and open-minded dialogue.”
• “Thank you for joining us. The debate over [insert topic] is essential to our understanding of [relevant context], and we look forward to a robust exchange of ideas.”

What Should You Include In Your Introduction?

You should include several key elements in your introduction that set the stage for your debate:

• Begin with a captivating statement, anecdote, question, statistic, or quote that will capture the audience’s attention and pique their interest in the topic.
• Provide a brief overview or background information about the topic to establish its relevance and significance. Set the stage by highlighting key historical, social, or cultural factors relevant to the discussion.
• Clearly state the topic or issue that will be debated, ensuring it is concise and specific. This helps to focus the debate and ensure all participants are on the same page.
• Articulate the purpose of the debate. What are the main goals or objectives you aim to achieve through the discussion? This helps to guide the debate and provide a sense of direction.
• Present your main argument or thesis statement and the central claim or viewpoint you will support throughout the debate. Make sure it is clear, concise, and well-articulated.
• Provide a brief roadmap or overview of the main points or arguments supporting your thesis to give the audience an idea of what to expect and provide a structure for the debate.

Understanding How To Start A Debate In Class

When starting a debate in a classroom setting, consider the following steps:

• Begin by clearly stating the topic of the debate  through a brief explanation or a thought-provoking question focusing on the subject. Make sure the issue is relevant to the curriculum or the lesson being discussed.
• Set clear guidelines and expectations . Establish the rules of engagement for the debate, such as time limits for speakers, respectful language and behavior, and any specific guidelines for presenting arguments or rebuttals. Emphasize the importance of active listening , respect for differing points of view, and constructive dialogue.
• Organize students into debate teams or assign specific roles , such as affirmative and negative speakers. This creates a structured and balanced debate environment. Ensure each team has sufficient time for preparation.
• Give students time to conduct research  and gather relevant information to support their arguments. Encourage them to use credible sources and think critically when evaluating evidence.
• Begin the debate by having each team or individual  present their opening statements.  This allows them to introduce both sides of the argument and set the groundwork for the discussion. Allocate equal time for each team to present their case.
• Encourage active participation and respectful exchanges  between the teams. Manage the debate by moderating the speaking order, ensuring equal opportunity for all participants, and keeping the discussion focused and on track.
• After the opening statements,  provide opportunities for teams to challenge each other’s arguments  through rebuttals and counterarguments. This promotes critical thinking, analytical skills, and the ability to respond effectively to opposing viewpoints.
• Conclude the debate  by summarizing each side’s main points and highlighting any areas of consensus or unresolved issues. Encourage students to reflect on the debate and the insights gained from it.

How Do You Start A Debate If You Are In A Hurry?

If you find yourself in a hurry to start a debate, here’s a quick and efficient way to initiate the discussion:

• Provide a brief statement or question that clearly states the topic of the debate. Keep it straightforward and direct to immediately engage the participants.
• Quickly divide the participants into teams or assign specific roles, ensuring a balanced representation of different viewpoints.
• Establish time limits for opening statements, rebuttals, and overall debate duration. Keep the time constraints concise and manageable, ensuring the debate progresses efficiently within the available timeframe.
• Prompt each team or individual to present a brief opening statement outlining their main argument or position. Encourage them to be concise and focused, allowing for efficient communication of ideas.
• Allocate a brief period for teams to offer immediate rebuttals or counterarguments to the opposing side’s opening statements. Emphasize the importance of providing succinct and impactful responses.
• Encourage participants to engage in concise exchanges while ensuring the debate remains respectful and on-topic. Facilitate brief opportunities for teams to respond to each other’s arguments, maintaining a fast-paced flow.
• Dedicate a moment to briefly summarize the main points raised by each side, acknowledging any areas of agreement or key disagreements. Provide a quick wrap-up to conclude the debate.

How Do You Start And End A Debate?

To start and end a debate speech effectively, follow these general guidelines:

Beginning A Debate Speech

• Begin with a strong and attention-grabbing opening statement, such as a relevant quote, rhetorical question, or compelling statistic, to engage the audience and establish the context of the debate.
• Address the audience, judges, and fellow debaters respectfully, acknowledging their presence and the importance of the topic being discussed.
• Clearly state your team’s position or stance on the topic to provide a clear framework for your arguments and help the audience understand your perspective.
• Provide a concise overview of the main arguments you will present supporting your position. This preview gives the audience a roadmap of what to expect during your speech.

Ending A Debate Speech

• Briefly recap the key arguments you presented during your speech. Restate them concisely and compellingly, reinforcing their relevance and importance.
• Acknowledge and address the main points raised by the opposing team. Offer concise rebuttals or counterarguments to strengthen your position and demonstrate critical thinking in the face of opposing arguments.
• End your speech with a strong closing statement that emphasizes the significance of your position and leaves a lasting impact on the audience. You can use a memorable quote, a call to action, or a thought-provoking statement.

Remember, your debate speech’s specific content and structure will depend on the format, topic, and assigned role (e.g., first speaker, second speaker, etc.). Tailor your approach to align with the guidelines and expectations of the specific debate setting.

How To Start A Debate As A Second Speaker

Sometimes, you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to follow a previous speaker who has spent a few minutes providing the audience with their point of view on the topic in question. Let’s assume the first speaker has laid the groundwork, but now the debate really heats up when you take the microphone. As the second speaker, your role is not just important; it’s pivotal. You hold the power to shape the direction of the debate, and your words have the potential to sway the audience. Here’s how to grab their attention:

• Acknowledge the First Speaker: Briefly thank them for their points to show you’ve been listening. This is not just a courtesy but a strategic move to establish a respectful tone.
• Bridge and Refocus: Connect their arguments to yours, then subtly shift the focus to reflect your stance on the topic in question.
• Highlight Weaknesses: Identify inconsistencies or gaps in the opposition’s case. Don’t be rude, but politely point out where their logic crumbles.
• Preview Your Points: End with a clear roadmap of what you’ll address, building anticipation for your arguments.

By following these proven steps, you’ll establish yourself as a strong opponent, ready to dismantle the other side’s case and build your own, confident that these strategies will work.

What Are Some Good Debate Topics?

Here are some good debate topics that cover a range of areas related to debating skills, public speaking , and various aspects of debates.

These topics offer opportunities to explore different facets of debating, public speaking, and debate competitions. They can spark engaging discussions and allow participants to develop their speaking skills while also considering different perspectives and arguments:

• Should public speaking be included as a mandatory course in the school curriculum?
• Is formal debate an effective way to develop critical thinking skills?
• Should debate competitions focus more on collaboration and teamwork rather than individual performance?
• Is body language more influential than verbal communication in a debate?
• Should beginners be encouraged to participate in competitive debates or start with informal practice sessions?
• Is parliamentary debate a more effective format than traditional formal debate?
• Should high schools prioritize debate programs as an essential extracurricular activity?
• Is eye contact an essential aspect of persuasive public speaking?
• Should hand gestures be regulated or restricted during formal debates?
• Should affirmative teams be given additional responsibilities in a debate to encourage innovative approaches?
• Is there a preferred debate format that should be universally adopted for all competitive debates?
• Should debate introductions be concise and to the point or include more detailed contextual information?
• Are third speakers in debates undervalued or underutilized?
• Should there be specific guidelines for timekeepers in debates to ensure fairness and accuracy?
• Is it beneficial to have a variety of debate formats to cater to different styles and preferences?

Closing Thoughts

Mastering the art of debate is about more than just arguing a point—it’s about engaging with ideas, understanding different perspectives, and communicating effectively. By greeting your audience compellingly, thoroughly preparing, and employing strategic techniques, you can excel in any debate setting.

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced debater, the skills you develop through debating will serve you well in many areas of life. So, embrace the challenge, enjoy the process, and let your voice be heard. Happy debating!

Adam Howarth

Adam covers the topic of Public Speaking for Digital Authority. From his first experience of oratory with his school debating society to his more recent experiences of promoting the local business scene in Wrexham, Wales, he has always been involved in public speaking.

Recent Posts

Active Listening Absorbs The Whole Message, Not Just The Words

Active listening goes beyond hearing the words someone is saying to you and understanding the message they are conveying. Many only hear a small percentage of what is being said as they are...

Counteracting Fear Of Public Speaking With Coaching And Therapy

Nearly 75% of people experience the social phobia of fear of public speaking. The result may be nervousness before speaking or a full-blown panic attack. Practicing public speaking may lessen the...