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By Evans AUG 25, 2020
Debate is one of the most important tasks a student gets to engage in. This is because debate allows you to utilize and sharpen different skills at the same time. Debate sharpens: writing skills, presentation, critical thinking, analytical, and reasoning skills among others. Most students shy away from debate thinking that it’s quite difficult. However, taking the necessary steps and understanding what is expected of you makes a debate quite an easy and even enjoyable task! The first step to winning in a debate? Coming up with a killer topic!
Three debate formats
The debate topic you choose is largely influenced by the format you want to use, or the one instructed by your professor. The format you choose dictates how you carry on your debate. The formats are:
Argumentative debate topics
For an argumentative debate topic, you need factual information to argue a point. Argumentative debates are good in that you can choose a less-spoken about idea and argue for it.
Persuasive debate topics
The purpose of a persuasive debate topic is to convince your audience to take a certain stand on an issue. For example, if you choose a topic on, ‘beauty pageants are meant for objectifying a woman’s body,’ you need to be convincing enough for your audience to buy into your opinion.
Controversial debate topics
We all know controversial. A controversial topic is a topic that doesn’t really sit well with the majority of people. Some controversial debate topics actually contain very important issues that we don’t want to face. A controversial debate topic is sure to be very heated. Therefore, ensure you are well ready with your well-researched arguments.
So what should you look for when choosing a debate topic?
You need to understand that you aren’t going to debate with yourself. You will have opponents whose aim is to frustrate everything you say. This means you need a topic that you understand perfectly well. Don’t know just one side of the topic. You need to prepare not just good arguments for your debate, but you need to know every argument and every opinion against your stand. You need to get into the head of your opponents and come up with a strong defense. Understanding both sides of a topic will give you a winning edge against your opponents. Have you realized now why it’s important to choose a great debate topic? Good! Let’s get into it:
Political debate topics
Political debate is the most common kind of a debate that students get to hold. Political debates are not for classroom only. Political debates are an important part of our lives, and most especially for politicians, lawyers, and the likes. A great political debate topic should therefore revolve around real-life current news. Here are some areas you can explore for your political debate:
1 Does the voting system really work?
2 Are the wars against each other economically justifiable?
3 United States should vote in a woman as the next president.
4 Why feminism cry is a wasted effort.
5 Should USA ban all manner of migration?
6 Immigrants are not the enemy. Discuss.
7 The problems with taxation.
8 Should the wealthier people be taxed more than the poor?
9 Can a country’s financial instability lead to war with the neighbors?
10 Should the voting age be lowered?
11 Police should be allowed to use excessive force in tough situations. Explain.
12 Countries should stop manufacturing nuclear wars.
13 European Union should be disbanded.
14 The government should do more to ensure that health facilities are affordable and accessible to everyone.
15 Monarch kind of government would be much better for United States.
16 It is time for Britain to change their governing system.
17 Paris agreement is no longer relevant. Discuss.
18 President Trump’s ideologies are fought for no good reason.
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Controversial debate topics
The more controversial a debate topic is, the more debatable it gets. Don’t shy away from a controversial topic. Well, as long as you can master it. We have sampled a few controversial debate topics that you can choose from.
1 Illegal immigrants should be not be deported.
2 Teachers should be allowed to carry guns in school.
3 Democracy is not the best form of government.
4 Regulations making abortion inaccessible should be removed.
5 Animals should not be used for laboratory testing.
6 Nuclear weapons are not enough. The government needs super soldiers.
7 Video games should be banned as they support violence.
8 Poor parenting leads to increased cases of obesity in children.
9 Public colleges should be tuition-free.
10 Schools should block all social media sites on their computers.
11 Social media has led to massive stalking and cyberbullying in schools.
12 GPA doesn’t really portray a student’s value.
13 Beauty pageants are used for objectifying, rather than showcasing beauty and talent.
Funny debate topics
A debate should be heated. But it doesn’t have to be so serious! A funny debate topic will attract your audience more easily. Here are a few funny debate topics:
1 Women should be allowed to date younger men with no prejudice.
2 Fairy tales should be banned as they mislead and give children false hopes.
3 Get money whatever the cost.
4 Hip enlargement should be declared illegal.
5 Schools should set apart one hour every day for students to use social media.
6 Birth control should be accessible in schools.
7 Barbie should not be used as a role model to the girl child.
8 Final exams should not be given in schools.
10 Men should not participate in beauty pageants.
Before settling on a debate topic, ensure that:
*You can find enough content to defend your opinion/topic
*The topic is interesting and appealing. You don’t want a topic that doesn’t pull your audience towards you now, do you?
*You are able to cover all information concerning that topic so that your opponents won’t pull a surprise on you.
Final thoughts
Thinking about a debate shouldn’t worry you to death. With the necessary tools, preparing for a debate can be the best thing that you can do. As you have clearly seen, a good debate topic is one of the main tools you will need. If you’re still unsure of your ability or availability to write a good debate, you can seek help from paper per hour, a professional writing service with a number of amazing debate writers.
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