By: Sichula Mike
Over the years gone by it is heart breaking and disappointing watching the standards of debate go down.
Debate used to be a highly respected and regularly organized activity during my high school days.
Debate in many developed countries like United States and Britain is still even today a highly organized activity among students in high schools, colleges and universities.
Some of the reasons why the standards have come short are partially the lack of sponsors to organize annual debates.
Others who have sponsored do so to just market their agendas over looking the real basics of debate.
Sometimes organizers lack the debate procedure and these have greatly contributed to failing standards.
Even the moderators and judges have to some extent played negative roles in lowing debate standards.
In order to have a really good debate, sponsors should invest in human resource to train debaters.
There is need for sponsors to engage people who once debated to be judges and moderators.
It is for this reason today`s topic seeks to point out one area of debate which has not been spared in failing standards.
This area is known in debate circles as called debate salutations.
Salutation is acknowledging people in authority of any debate session,
each panelist needs to have an introduction of the motion.
The duty of first speakers is to simplify the motion based on their team`s side.
The importance of simplifying the motion is to make the people in the audience understand the motion.
You simplify the motion by picking out key words in the motion and define those words
For instance “Technology has brought more harm than good “as our motion!
If you are the first speaker of the Proposing team, the key words to define is technology…more harm and if you are opposing the key words to define might be technology…good.
When you picked out the key words you should define them in simple terms to suit your team’s side.
Later read the redefined motion so that when you begin to argue your point the judges and audience will make a distinction between proposing and opposing views.
I would urge the Ministry of Education to consider organizing inter schools debates annually so that students can be debating regularly.
Next weeks topic will look at the full details of what the other speakers’ duties
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