Great Debate

Tips for a Great Debate How to Engage Effectively in a Debate in an Online Discussion Board

1. Make a Clear Claim – Make sure it is easy to find the central argument in your post. 2. Use Evidence to Support Your Argument – An argument needs evidence to back it up. Make

sure to effectively incorporate evidence from scholarly, credible, relevant sources and cite them appropriately.

3. Build a Case – Your post may include 2-4 sub-arguments that each use evidence to “make the case” for your overarching argument. Make sure these are organized clearly and all build toward the same larger point.

4. Acknowledge and Consider Alternative or Opposing Arguments. Then Refute Them – You cannot win an argument by refusing to engage with the opposing side. Make sure you are open to other arguments, but demonstrate via evidence and argument why your argument is best.

5. Check for Logical Fallacies – By keeping the argument focused on concrete evidence, maintaining an academic tone, and avoiding name-calling and appeals to emotion, you can avoid most logical fallacies. Refer to Chapter 3 of the webtext for more information and then double check your writing to look for fallacies in your own work.

6. Read and Think Before You Post – You might be eager to jump right into a discussion with your opinion, but make sure you really read your peer’s post first, and consider all of the points they make, before writing your retort. Once you draft a retort, read it to yourself and double-check for errors before posting.

7. Ask Questions – Don't assume you know what someone means if their point is unclear to you. Ask clarifying questions. Try to use open-ended “why” questions rather than questions that elicit a yes/no answer.

8. Don’t Assume to Understand Someone Else’s Experiences – If your peer’s argument relates to his or her personal experiences, listen to them, and respect their experiences, even if you disagree with the conclusions they have drawn from their experience.

9. Follow Excelsior College Netiquette Guidelines: a. Be courteous about what you say to or about others in any electronic format. In

electronic communication the golden rule is “Remember the Human”; there is a real person with real feelings on the receiving end of your email or post.

b. Be respectful and open to opinions and ideas that differ from yours. The exchange of diverse thoughts, ideas and opinions are an important part of the scholarly environment. Keep in mind that the people in your classes may come from backgrounds and have views that may vary significantly from your own.

c. Flaming* is not appropriate under any circumstances. While everyone (learners and instructors alike) is encouraged to share ideas and opinions openly, you should never use insults or resort to name-calling even if you disagree strongly with what someone else has written. Insulting remarks and name-calling are never appropriate in an academic setting.

d. When responding to messages or posts made by others, address the ideas, not the person.

e. Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. Without social cues, such as facial expressions and body language, a remark meant as humorous could come across hurtful or offensive. Don’t assume that the use of ‘emoticons’ – such as – are enough to convey your tone or intent.

f. Capitalizing whole words is generally seen as SHOUTING and is often offensive to the reader. Use all capital letters sparingly, such as to highlight an important word or point.

*Flaming is the posting of messages that are deliberately hostile and insulting in an online social context, such as a discussion board or blog.

Additional resources on debating:

• How to Debate