FIAT: Magic Wand Of Debate

Something to think about.

[This article was posted on socal-ld.net and posted by "Danny"]

Fiat is a term that is often used in debates and I wanted to go over some basics.


Fiat is a term which means “let it be.” In debate, its come to represent the idea that debates should revolve around the “should” question instead of the “could” question. So rather than asking, could the US federal government reform transportation infrastructure in this way, we ask, should the US federal government, if it could, reform transportation infrastructure in this way?

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Refuting An Opinion

Refuting means to deny something.  In a debate this means stating why someone's opinion is either not true or has no significance.  Basically, you are refuting to (1) state the opinion or facts are false or (2) to state the opinion is not important or has no relevance.

When refuting you want to stay focused on the issues.  Don't get caught in the trap of arguing the person.  When you start to argue the person, not the issues, you will turn the attention away from the issues and thus,  the debate becomes a believe me not him forum.  So stay focused on the objectives.

When refuting the accuracy of the opinion, you need to keep in mind the following:

• Is the opinion 100% untrue?
• Is the opinion not always true?
• Is the opinion not necessarily true?

By understanding which of the above catergories it fits into, you can better strategize how you will refute the opinion.

When refuting the significance of the opinion, you need to keep in mind the following:

• Is the opinion relevant?
• Is the opinion significant?
• Is the opinion easy to overcome/solve/substitute/replace/etc...?

Again, you should strategize how you will refute the opinion.

Debate Conclusions

The conclusion of the first affirmative constructive speech or the 1AC is quite simple.

Here are the parts of the conclusion:

1. Reasons (signposts)
2. Repeat the resolution
3. Final statement the you support the resolution

Let's look at an example:

Ladies and gentlemen, we have talked about the health, environment and public decency of smoking in public.  Through these reasons we propose, it is clear that smoking in public places should be banned. 

Here are the three parts:

Reason
 health, environment and public decency of smoking in public

Final Statement
 Through these reasons we propose, it is clear

Repeat the resolution
 smoking in public places should be banned

* Note that I switched #2 and #3

Debate Introductions

When preparing for the first affirmative constructive speech or the 1AC, you begin with your introduction.

Here are the parts of the introduction:

1. Greetings
2. Resolution
3. Reasons

Let's look at an example:

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  We are debating the resolution, "Smoking should be banned in all public places."  We, on the affirmative team, support this with the following reasons:  health, environment and public decency.

Here are the three parts:

Greeting
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Resolution
We are debating the resolution, "Smoking should be banned in all public places."

Reasons
We, on the affirmative team, support this with the following reasons: health, environment and public decency.

Debate Delivery

In Presidential debates, candidates spend a great deal of focus on the methods of delivery.  Aside from the words coming out of their mouths, people are watching their appearance and gestures.  These non-verbal aspects are critical in the way others perceive debaters.  This perception, in addition to a strong argument can make a debater quite convincing.

Let's look at the points:

Manner

Manner is essentially all of the points combined.  This includes, verbal and non-verbal aspects of the debate delivery.  Verbal includes - pause, pitch, rhythm, tone,...  Non-verbal includes - gestures, eye contact, posture, ...  By combining these together, your manner shows your confidence, conviction and most of all in a debate, believability.

Gestures

Many great speakers use some form of hand gestures.  These gestures help the impact of the words.  For example, if you are counting numbers, you can gesture the amount with your fingers.  In addition to hand gestures, we utilize other parts of out body.  Such as the shoulders, head and face.  These gestures help the overall appearance of the debater's manner.

Eye Contact

It is important to maintain eye contact with your audience.  In a debate setting, you also want to keep eye contact with the judges.  If you don't maintain eye contact, this can be a sign of fibbing or not believing in what you are saying.

Posture

Having a good posture is important for your manner.  Standing tall and proud, instead of slouching, increases the conviction in your words.  Don't stand uncomfortably tall or unnatural, just try to have your shoulders back and head held up high.

Presentation on Debating

This presentation gives some useful information regarding debate.

Debating

View more PowerPoint from Kevin A

Organizing the First Affirmative Constructive Speech

In the previous post we looked at the First Affirmative Constructive speech or the 1AC. 

In the 1AC there were three parts:  introduction, affirmative points and the conclusion.  We will now look at the affirmative points.

To begin with each point, you need to have a signpost.  A signpoint is the reason for supporting the argument of your opinion.

Some examples of signpost are;  price, function, benefits, design, ease, etc...

Each affirmative point consists of three parts:  signpost, reason and supports.

Remember in your 1AC, you can have multiple points, however, each point follows the above sequence.

Let's take a look at an example.

Point 1

Signpost:  Buying an electric vehicle will save on fuel costs.
Reason:  The cost of electricity is much cheaper than the cost of gasoline.
Support:  A gallon of unleaded gasoline costs an average of $4.00 while a full charge for an electric vehicle will cost you $8.00.

Here the signpost (reason) is price.  The reason explains the signpost.  Support backs up the reason for the signpost.

If you have an additional point, you can link it with the previous point.

Point 2

Signpost:  Electric vehicles are good for the environment.
Reason:  Electic vehicles give off no emissions, so there is no pollution emitting from the vehicle.
Support:  Scientists believe that by cutting down on vehicle emissions, we can reduce greenhouse gases by 20%.

Here the signpost (reason) is environment. 

If you have any additional points, you can link them directly after point #2.

First Affirmative Constructive Speech

The first speech in a debate is called the First Affirmative Constructive speech, known as the 1AC.  The reason it is called the constructive speech is because it begins to build to your case. 

There are three parts to the 1AC:

The introduction:  Giving your opinion

Affirmative Points:  Reasons and supporting statements

Conclusion:  Concluding your speech

As for the affirmative points, you can give multiple reasons and supporting statements. I will explain the organization for the points in another post.

For now take a look at the basic structure below:

Supporting Your Opinion

You have stated your opinion and explained the reason(s) for your opinion, now you need to support your opinion. 

To support your opinion you need to provide evidence.  You can provide evidence in the form of an explanation, an example, statistics or the use of an expert opinion.

Explanation is similar to using the cause-and-effect pattern seen in the explain your opinion section.  This pattern utilizes a "if" with a potential outcome.

ex.)  If we don't change the policies then people on welfare will not receive proper benefits.

We can also use other patterns to provide explanation:

ex.)  People on welfare need additional assistance to live above the poverty line, so the policy needs to change.

ex.)  In order to improve the lives of people on welfare, policies need to change.

Examples provide real-life situations and give an account of past occurances.

ex.)  We need to implement changes to improve the lives of people on welfare.  For example, vocational classes can help people learn skills to get jobs.

ex.)  When I observed their system, it worked by providing skills helpful in finding employment.

Statistics use numbers and data to support your opinion.  Use of accurate data is hard to refute, so this is a good way to support your opinion.

ex.)  Studies suggested that vocational education helped welfare recipients find jobs 50% faster than other programs.

ex.)  Three out of five welfare recipients found a job after completing a vocational program.

Expert opinions can also be profound in supporting your opinion.  Just be aware that who the expert is, is important.  The more credibility an expert has, the harder it is to refute his/her claim.

ex.)  According to John B. May, vocational programs have a higher success rate in getting people off welfare.

ex.)  The Institute on Social Welfare published a study finding that vocational  programs were the key in helping those on welfare find a job.

You may also consider utilizing more than one of the above ways to support your opinion.  The more support your opinion has, the harder it is to refute.  The harder your opinion is to refute, the more likely that others will believe in your opinion.