How to Start a Debate Speech Effectively

Opening a debate the right way will make your audience more interested and help you win your argument. Before your debate, take the time to prepare a solid opening that will win people over. This article covers some tried-and-true ways to help you begin your debate, captivate your audience, and clearly lay out your arguments. Plus, we spoke with expert public speakers to get their top tips for delivering your argument with confidence.

How to Open a Debate: A Quick Guide

The best way to start a debate is to open with a bold rhetorical question, a touching personal story that's relevant to your argument, or a shocking statistic. Introduce your topic by defining key terms, laying out your argument, and briefly presenting a solution.

Section 1 of 6:

Crafting Effective Opening Lines

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1
Tell a captivating story to hook the audience. As the 1st speaker for your team, it’s your job to get the audience’s attention. One way to do that is to tell an interesting story. It can be a personal anecdote about why you’re passionate about the topic or a story about someone the audience can learn from. You can also use a wisdom tale, fable, historic event, or narrative that captures the key points of your argument. No matter which type of story you choose, it can help you engage the audience and give them a reason to listen to you. ^{[1]
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- Make sure your story captures the essence of your debate by exploring the challenges you faced, how you overcame these challenges, and any lessons you learned.
- Public speaking coach Lynn Kirkham says, “The stories need to come from your heart…If you're just regurgitating a story from your head, it's not going to land with the audience.”
- Story hook examples:
  - “As a person who suffers from seizures, medical marijuana was a saving grace. My family and I had to move across the country in order for me to get treated, but it was worth the risk. My seizures decreased from five seizures a day to only one seizure per week.”
  - “After the deaths of poet William Blake and his wife, one man named Frederick Tatham decided some of Blake’s manuscripts were too heretical or radical for people to read, so he burned them. Nearly 200 years later, in 2024, over 1,000 unique book titles were targeted for censorship in the United States.”
  - “I participated in an active shooter drill in school the first time when I was 6 years old…the same year the National Rifle Association spent over $5 million to lobby against all types of gun control.”
2
Get people thinking with a rhetorical question. Another option for crafting an opening line is using a rhetorical question. When rhetorical questions are crafted and delivered well, they can persuade an audience to side with your position. Because a rhetorical question is directed to your audience, you’re asking them to silently answer it for themselves. This gets them thinking about your topic. Ask a question that convinces your audience that you’re similar to them and share their beliefs to get them on your side. ^{[2]
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- Rhetorical question hook examples:
  - “Would you like to see a loved one suffer for no reason at all?”
  - “Who wouldn’t want to take a miracle drug that promised to cure an ailment?”
  - “Should we prioritize economic growth if it means harming the environment?”
  - “How free is a social media platform if algorithms control what we see?”
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3
State an attention-grabbing statistic about the topic. A statistic that’s directly related to your argument's main points is another powerful way to open a debate. The impact of the statistic helps persuade your audience to side with your point of view and buy into your solution for addressing the issue at hand. Plus, using the right statistic backs up your argument and makes your opinion seem more legitimate. ^{[3]
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- Statistic hook examples:
  - “A billion tons of plastic are floating in the ocean right now. That is enough plastic to make an island the size of Hawaii.”
  - “Finnish students spend 75% less time on homework than American students but consistently outperform them in reading, math, and problem-solving.”
  - The average high school student today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s.”
  - “44% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.”
4
Share a powerful quote that’s relevant to your argument. Write a debate speech that uses a quote as the opening line to reinforce your words and add credibility to your ideas. When giving your speech , quotes also demonstrate that you are knowledgeable about the topic. Make sure the quote you use is related to the topic and relevant to the audience. ^{[4]
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University of North Carolina Writing Center
UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process
Go to source} Also, try to quote people who are well-known and respected by your audience.
- Kirkham recommends choosing a quote that comes from your heart and feels authentic. It must speak to you and your audience while also making a point.
- Quote hook examples:
  - “Mark Twain once said, ‘Don’t let school interfere with your education.’ He believed, as we do, that higher education is unnecessary for succeeding in life.”
  - “Albert Einstein said, ‘The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’ As corporations continue to pump carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, this warning has never been more relevant to each and every one of us.”
  - “‘Health is not a consumer good but a universal right.' – Pope Francis. Yet in America, we continue to treat it as a luxury only some can afford.”
  - “‘Privacy is not something that I'm merely entitled to; it's an absolute prerequisite.' – Marlon Brando. In an era where our every move is tracked, logged, and sold, these words take on a new urgency.”
5
Use a prop or visual aid to help people understand your words. Pairing your opening line with a creative visual aid increases comprehension of the issue, adds aesthetic appeal, and engages your audience's imagination. It also makes your message more memorable. Choose visual aids and props that are colorful and unique but not distracting. ^{[5]
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- A visual aid might be a diagram, picture, video, or object that captures the essence of your argument.
- For example, if you’re arguing that climate change is real, show a before-and-after picture of a glacier affected by excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Section 2 of 6:

Introducing Your Topic & Argument

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1
Greet the audience at the beginning of your presentation. As the 1st affirmative speaker, you have the opportunity to make a good first impression and set the tone for your team’s presentation. Making a formal greeting at the start of your speech shows respect for your audience and their opinion. It also demonstrates that you’re confident, serious, in control, and knowledgeable about the topic. ^{[6]
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- Example audience greetings:
  - “Good morning, faculty and staff. The topic of today’s debate is student parking.”
  - “Good morning, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to come to this debate. Today, the topic is fair trade agreements.”
  - “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be here today to discuss the important issue of climate change.”
  - “Honorable judges, esteemed opponents, and distinguished audience members— good afternoon, and thank you for joining us as we explore the topic of artificial intelligence.”
2
Define and explain any key terms in the introduction. As the first speaker in a debate, it’s your job to make sure the audience understands all the key terms in the debate. It’s also important to demonstrate that both teams are using the same definitions for terms, especially for more abstract ideas like “freedom,” “justice,” and “fairness.” If your opponent is defining a term differently, stating at the beginning allows you to challenge their explanation and provide sources. Being able to defend your choice can be key to winning your debate . ^{[7]
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- Identify the key terms in your argument and look up their definitions in a range of dictionaries. Choose the most appropriate definition for each word. You want to pick a definition that is neutral and conventional.
- Your definitions can be literal as well as contextualized. Contextualized definitions add examples of how the concept applies to the real world. For example, a contextualized definition of money would show that money is used to buy services, such as food and gas.
3
Summarize your position and the argument you’ll be making. Many consider the summary of your argument the most important part of the first round of a debate. This is where you explain your speakers’ roles and the most important parts of your argument. ^{[8]
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Research source} Make sure to keep your summary short and to the point so the audience doesn’t get distracted or lose interest.
- Debate summary sentence examples:
  - “We believe enrolled students should not have to pay for a parking pass to park on campus,”
  - “We will argue that students should have a say in what books are included in our school library.”
  - “We’ll demonstrate that investing in better access to mental health resources saves lives, strengthens communities, and reduces healthcare costs.”
  - “Today, we’ll explain how raising the minimum wage to a living wage benefits workers, businesses, and our entire economy.”
- Speaker role explanation example:
  - “As the first speaker, I will be defining key terms and outlining our main argument. Our second speaker will explain the supporting reasons for our argument, and our third speaker will summarize our argument.”
4
Lay out your solution to the debate’s primary issue. Your team's argument should include a proposition on how to address the problem you are debating. Debating teams do this by defining a policy they wish to enact. The first speaker briefly lays out the team’s proposal for change. ^{[9]
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- Try to focus on 2-3 important reasons why your proposed policy is needed or needs to change.
- In order to demonstrate that your team's policy will work, use similar policies that have already been enacted to reinforce your solution.
- For example, you can highlight that a ban on using cell phones while driving is similar to the ban on drinking while driving.

Section 3 of 6:

Delivering a Winning Debate

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1
Make eye contact with the audience to engage with them. No matter what your role is in the debate, try to make eye contact with individual members of the audience when it’s your turn to speak. “Speak to one person at a time for a whole sentence if possible and then go to another person for a whole sentence,” recommends Kirkham. By making eye contact, you’re able to gauge their reactions by reading their facial expressions. It also helps you connect with them on a more personal level, which makes your argument more persuasive. ^{[10]
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- Remember to make eye contact with an audience member at the end of a sentence, hold eye contact for 3-5 seconds, then move on to someone else.
- Communications coach Maureen Taylor says, “If you are telling the truth and have good eye contact…it transmits to another person that you might be credible.”
- To get used to making eye contact, Kirkham recommends, “Just sit with…a friend for a minute or two and not say a word, but just look into each other's eyes.” Repeat the exercise 5 or 6 times.
2
Speak slowly and clearly to make sure you’re easily understood. To perform well in a debate , it’s important that the audience understands every word team members say when they present their speeches. Slow down your speaking by remembering to breathe while you speak. After you finish a sentence, take a deep breath, and then move on to the next sentence. ^{[11]
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- Speak more clearly by focusing on pronouncing each syllable. ^{[12]
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  Research source} Stop air for consonants like ‘t’ and ‘b’ to make them more distinct.
- Kirkham says, “Be sure that you're using good pauses, so when you say something that is really important or poignant, there's a second or so for them to absorb it.”
- Pauses also allow you to catch your breath and plan what you will say next instead of using filler words like “um” and “ah,” which can irritate the audience, Kirkham adds.
3
Stand and move in front of the audience with confidence. Kirkham recommends having good body posture , using your hands naturally, and making purposeful movements. She adds, “Stand in your power and speak with clarity and conciseness.” Face the audience when you speak so the sound of your voice travels toward them.
- While it’s okay to move around a little, try to avoid pacing back and forth, which can be distracting.
- Try standing with your back straight, and your shoulders relaxed with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Certified image consultant Tavia Sharp recommends recording yourself as you practice your speech. Then, take notes when you watch the replay to help improve your presentation.

Section 4 of 6:

Basic Debate Format

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Debates have 3 rounds for teams to present and defend their arguments. In debate, there are usually 2 teams, with one taking the affirmative position and the other taking the negative position. Each team is given the opportunity to make their argument (usually called the constructive or affirmative) in the first round. In the second round, the teams have another opportunity to make their argument (also called the constructive or affirmative). ^{[13]
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- In the third and fourth rounds, each team takes turns refuting the other’s argument (usually called the rebuttals).
- Constructives and rebuttals have set time limits.
- Remember, different styles of debate may have different rules, terminology, and formats, so your debate might be a little different.

Section 5 of 6:

Debate Speaker Roles

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Each team has 2-3 speakers, with 1 speaker leading each round. Each speaker has a specific role to play over the course of the debate that includes presenting a speech that either supports their argument or rebuts the other team’s argument. ^{[14]
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Research source} However, there are different debate styles that may have different titles, roles, and duties for team members.
- 1st Speaker Affirmative: This speaker is usually responsible for defining the topic and key terms, introducing their team’s overarching argument, explaining what each member of their team will do, and presenting at least one positive argument.
- 1st Speaker Negative: The 1st speaker negative is usually responsible for defining key terms that were left out by the 1st Speaker Affirmative and any they disagree with, introducing their team’s overarching argument, what each member on their team will do, and presenting at least one argument. They must also rebut any substantive points made by the first speaker affirmative.
- 2nd Speaker Affirmative & Negative: These speakers are usually responsible for rebutting any of the other team’s important points, briefly reintroducing their team’s main arguments, and delivering most of the team’s substantive material, including facts, statistics, examples, or other evidence to back up their argument.
- 3rd Speaker Affirmative & Negative: The third speakers are usually responsible for rebutting the other team’s entire argument and summarizing their team’s case. They can’t introduce any new evidence that doesn’t directly rebut the other team’s argument.

Section 6 of 6:

General Debate Etiquette

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Debate teams follow a set of rules for an orderly debate. It’s important to show respect to your opponents and the audience. This is true whether you’re debating in a classroom or in a national competition. Below is a list of general rules of etiquette for debates, but your teacher or league may have additional requirements. ^{[15]
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- Use respectful language to refer to the opposing team members.
- Be attentive and engaged with the person speaking.
- Avoid attacking your opponent’s appearance, character, or personality.
- Turn off your phone during the debate.
- Shake hands with your opponents and the judges when the debate ends.
- Stay calm and cool even if you feel strong emotions during and after the debate.
- Be a gracious winner (or loser), and don’t show emotion until you’ve moved away from your opponents.

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Question

How can I improve my public speaking?

Lynn Kirkham
Public Speaking Coach
Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others.

Lynn Kirkham

Public Speaking Coach

Expert Answer

Set your intention before you even step into the space. How do you want to be? Intend to make great great eye contact, love the audience, be loved by the audience, and hit your presentation out of the park. Treat the experience like an opportunity rather than obligation.

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What is the importance of debating if I am in high school?

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Debate can help kids feel confident voicing their opinions in front of others, which is important in the development of self-confidence.

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What should I do if I forget the words?

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Just think about what you're debating about; it's not a speech, it's an arguement. As long as you've researched your side, you'll be fine. Note cards are also helpful.

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How to Start a Debate Speech Effectively

How to Open a Debate: A Quick Guide

Steps

Crafting Effective Opening Lines

Introducing Your Topic & Argument

Delivering a Winning Debate

Basic Debate Format

Debate Speaker Roles

General Debate Etiquette

Sample Lines & Salutations

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

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