Debating

Welcome to the Debating Learning Space.

What is Debating?

A debate is a kind of formal argument between two or more opposing sides. Most people only hear about debates when there’s an election, but they’re also common at universities and in government. In a debate, each side takes turns to state their argument and reply to the previous argument. A moderator, who oversees the debate, tells a side if they’re taking too long to make their point. It’s common for debates to have no declared winner, with the audience being left to make up their own minds. Sometimes, the outcome might be decided by a vote or a panel of judges.

How Does Debating Work?

There’re a few different ways that a debate might work.

One of the most common types of debate is the British Parliamentary Debate. This is the set of rules that are used in a lot of schools and universities, as well as some debating world championships. As you might have guessed, the British Parliamentary Style is based on how the British Parliament works. This means that each side of the debate is called either ‘the government’ or ‘the opposition’ depending on whether or not they agree with a statement like ‘school uniforms should be banned’. Like most styles of debate, each side is given time to make their arguments and to respond to the other team.