A debater is he who disapproves one’s argument by offering contrary evidence or argument. He has courage to face the audience without stage fear, good vocabulary and communication skills, general knowledge, outstanding leadership qualities, should be able to articulate views clears, should be positive, should enthralls the audience. I will only say two words ‘confidence’ and ‘convincing attitude’. According to me, primarily, the content of speech is given maximum weight age making sure that data is collected from reliable sources.
We use quotes made by famous personalities and lines from prose-poetry books that are relevant to the theme. We speak affirmatively; avoid usage of words such as “but”, “only”, “and”, “also”, etc repeatedly, make use of word such as “moreover”, “however”, “although”, “yet”, “nevertheless”, “besides”, etc instead showing that we have good command over the language, we used real word, surrounding examples to back up our statements. For this we have to keep up with the news, documentaries and books to expand our knowledge. This aids when we are cross-questioned and need to provide the judging panel/audience with satisfactory answers. Apart from that, what counts most is we must first believe in what we speak in order to convince to audience to go by our words. In reality, our body language says lot about us. We maintain a good posture, stand tall, make eye contact, don’t fold our hands into the pocket and make affirmative gestures with our hands. Another important thing as a debater, we must pay utmost attention to the other speakers, and the judge panel. This will be very insightful, and will give us ample point to debate against or talk for. It will also indicate what the judge expect, and help us give the best. Basically, there are no particular “characteristics” of a good debater. There are skills that must be worked on, and once mastered; anyone and everyone can debate well. A good debater needs not always shout his lungs off while debating. Our speech adds weight age and audience pays heed to it with due emphasis. At the same time how much we listen to our opponent’ speech clearly is important for us to point them see their mistakes. No matter what the situation is, we simply stay CLAM, COMPOSED and CONFIDENT. A good debater sticks to his side which he has taken. He has to have maximum knowledge on the subject given, should be firm on the points, should try to be convincing with all his point, should be clear, audible to all and above all confident. A good debater always maintains the time frame fixed for the debate. There are many characteristics that a good debater has. Some of the important characteristics are: calmness in the face, using humorous story or personal anecdote to disarm their opponent, simultaneously being appealing and winsome to the audience and being able to constantly convey emotion like excitement, enjoyment etc. voice modulation is important as well as listening to opposition, finding out there weak points and then attacking them at their weaknesses are absolutely necessary. A debater has an ENPT personality. ENPT stands for extroversion, intuition and thinking are perception. If we go for a little deeper interpretation, we see:
We use quotes made by famous personalities and lines from prose-poetry books that are relevant to the theme. We speak affirmatively; avoid usage of words such as “but”, “only”, “and”, “also”, etc repeatedly, make use of word such as “moreover”, “however”, “although”, “yet”, “nevertheless”, “besides”, etc instead showing that we have good command over the language, we used real word, surrounding examples to back up our statements. For this we have to keep up with the news, documentaries and books to expand our knowledge. This aids when we are cross-questioned and need to provide the judging panel/audience with satisfactory answers. Apart from that, what counts most is we must first believe in what we speak in order to convince to audience to go by our words. In reality, our body language says lot about us. We maintain a good posture, stand tall, make eye contact, don’t fold our hands into the pocket and make affirmative gestures with our hands. Another important thing as a debater, we must pay utmost attention to the other speakers, and the judge panel. This will be very insightful, and will give us ample point to debate against or talk for. It will also indicate what the judge expect, and help us give the best. Basically, there are no particular “characteristics” of a good debater. There are skills that must be worked on, and once mastered; anyone and everyone can debate well. A good debater needs not always shout his lungs off while debating. Our speech adds weight age and audience pays heed to it with due emphasis. At the same time how much we listen to our opponent’ speech clearly is important for us to point them see their mistakes. No matter what the situation is, we simply stay CLAM, COMPOSED and CONFIDENT. A good debater sticks to his side which he has taken. He has to have maximum knowledge on the subject given, should be firm on the points, should try to be convincing with all his point, should be clear, audible to all and above all confident. A good debater always maintains the time frame fixed for the debate. There are many characteristics that a good debater has. Some of the important characteristics are: calmness in the face, using humorous story or personal anecdote to disarm their opponent, simultaneously being appealing and winsome to the audience and being able to constantly convey emotion like excitement, enjoyment etc. voice modulation is important as well as listening to opposition, finding out there weak points and then attacking them at their weaknesses are absolutely necessary. A debater has an ENPT personality. ENPT stands for extroversion, intuition and thinking are perception. If we go for a little deeper interpretation, we see:
* E – extroversion gain energy through interactions with people or objects in the outside world.
* N – intuition preferred to sense and focuses attention on the big picture rather than the details first, and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities.
* T – Thinking preferred to feeling tends to value object criteria above personal preference giving more weight to logic than to social considerations.
* P – perception preferred to judgment, tends to withhold judgment preferring to keep the options open for the opponents and entrap them to fall into error attack and attack over and over to out do them completely.
And ENPT personality carries some important qualities which can be abbreviated as KOEBSCEQ that means: Knowledgeable- Original- Excellent Brain - Stormier - Charismatic - Energetic – Quickness.
A debater has a good opportunity to learn and earn new knowledge. He is a knowledge bank and his information is not absorbed for a planned purpose, rather he finds the knowledge store in him as something fascination.
Original
Having little attachment to tradition, ENPT personalities are able to discard existing systems and methods and pull together disparate Ideas from their extensive knowledge base, with a little raw creativity to hold them together, to formulate bold to new ideas. If presented with chronic, systematic problem and given tradition to solve, an ENPT debater responds with unabashed logic.
Excellent Brain-stormier
Nothing is quite as enjoyable to ENPT as analyzing problems from every angle to find the best situations. Combining his knowledge base and originality, and ENPT debater travels into the deep thought about anything. He is just irreplaceable in brainstorming sessions.
Charismatic
A debater with the ENPT personality type has a way of words and wit to create stunning impression among audience, his confident quick thought and ability to connect disparate ideas in a surprising way creates a style of communication that is charming, entertaining and informative at the same time.
Energetic
An ENPT debater can be truly impressive in his enthusiasm and energy with nothing tiresome in putting his logic, knowledge, impression, charisma, attack and power of establishing the truth which is nothing but his forceful energy of brain, body and voice.
Quickness
An ENPT debater has a tremendously flexible mind and is able to shift from idea to idea without effort, drawing on his accumulated knowledge to prove his points and disprove his opponent.
If seen closely, a debater is found with certain other traits in his personality which makes him very powerful within the average population around him:
Communication Ability
His communicative ability enables him to cope up with the different forms and modes of debates like “Competitive Debate” parliamentary debate” or “Oxford Debate” without breaking the rules or system. So, so he can communicate at different situations in life we have to face to.
Clam and Cool
A good debater is clam and cool in personality. He doesn’t feel the need to shout or get angry or never feel anxious or tense at any kind of excitement which frightens the opponent greatly and they lose their nerve at his cool throw of logics to the point and finally lose the debate.
A Clear Speaker
When he talks, he speaks clearly so that the people can understand his mind and communicate him through listening. A good debater not only communicates by speaking, he also makes the listeners communicate himself and there he reaches the goal. If the opponent presents and an important story with an unclear pronunciation, he takes the chance and overcomes the opponent very easily even telling a less important story. Listeners listen to his less important story with more importance than to his opponent only because of his clear, smart and confident speech.
An explainer/ A logic interpreter a good debater explains his points to the listeners deliberately and step by step smoothly interpreting his logics in a way that the listeners easily arrived at the conclusion that his statement is correct, strong and impressive and so acceptable. A good debater can use the most effective ways to bring someone over to his side from the side of the opponents.
Respectful and Fair
When he argues with opponents, he is simply respectful. He never insults them, talk over them or judge them to be right or wrong. He hands over the judgement softly to the ‘Judges but gently refutes opponent’ logics and attacks them duly with respect and fairness which impresses the judges and he wins.
Confident
Even if when a good debater doesn’t have enough preparation or enough weapon to fight and has nothing to feel confident, still he acts confident, while using his best possible power of present-wit and makes his argument much more appealing and believable.
Using argument based on Logic
A good debater practice ‘Logos’ which argument based on logic. He uses practical examples and ideas which are rooted in simple, direct reasoning. This kind of arguments with a confident production with clear impressive voice can break down the opponents who thought themselves smarter. He is a mood of seriousness in this kind of situation exemplifying from the real world around like from history, polities, economics, etc. of the current world.
Using Arguments based on Emotions
A good debater used ‘Pathos’ of various types of necessary emotions while arguing and creates appeals to people hearts. even judge are also moved at his relevant emotion because judge are also nothing but good “human” in nature and so arguments about social justice, discrimination, or current events with great tolls on society (like the Israel Palestinian conflict) can draw on people’s hopes and frustration, joy and sadness, and finally he win the listeners heart.
Using argument based in on authority
A good debater uses “ethos” he applies arguments with using appeals to his authority and can guarantee the credibility to the evidence he produces. These kinds of arguments are especially helpful when debating with someone who is not as experienced in the field or who has a particularly weak argument. Especially the debates which are “academic” in nature, like arguments about medicine, science, or history.
Doing Research
The more prepared the debater is for a debate, the better he will do. He conducts a research with his research topic through knowing the topic backward and forwards and from all angles. And this makes him really an educated philosopher (observe). A well educated man is self-educated (Pramath Chawdhury). The debater learns about the pros and cons (all good and bad side) of the topic with different perspective and becomes not only a learner but an observer also. So, at the same time, he is becoming not only a learner but an observer also. So, at the same time, he is becoming an educated, an educator and an observer or philosopher who can see the truth from various perspectives. Thus he remains no longer a conservative, fanatic, dogmatic and has no chance to be an extremist, rather a gentleman.
A debater’s personal carries the attributes of a true gentleman in like manner carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those with whom he is cast. He manages all clashing opinion, collision of feeling or suspicion or resentment with simple logics and makes even his enemy satisfied with arguments. He keeps others at their ease and at home. He has his eyes on all his company and is tender towards the bashful, gentle toward the distant, and merciful toward the absurd. He guards wrong against wrong allusion or topics which may irritate. He is conversant and is never wearisome. He throws light on ignorance and do not hesitate to accept other logics. He never takes unfair advantage; never lose his personality with sharp sayings for arguments or by speaking ill or evil. He has a long sighted prudence and doesn’t hesitate to accept the oldest maxim of truth or to reject the false information of the latest discoveries or invention. He has good sense to be affronted at insults and patient, forbearing, and resigned on philosophical principles. He knows the weakness of human reason as well as its strength, its province and its limits. He is to wise to be a dogmatist or fanatic in his infidelity. He respects other’s opinion and freedom of thinking and expression. A good debaters is an attendant on civilization’ and a dreamer of better one.
Author:
Associate Professor, English, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)
Ex- Team leader, Carmichael college national television debate team (1994-1998) &
Ex- chief coordinator and Honourable member,
Bitarka Parishad (Debating Society)
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