The Art of Rebuttals

What is a Rebuttal?

A rebuttal is an argument that looks to undermine or discredit the opposition’s point.

How to structurally break down an argument through a Rebuttal?

The two most common ways you can structure your rebuttal is listed below. You can either question the validity of their argument or the relevancy in this debate.

• Is it actually true?
  • This is where you look for possible gaps in the opposition argument
    • Are they contradicting themself?
    • Is the premise of their argument valid?
    • Does their argument apply in the real world?

• Is it relevant or impactful?
  • This is where you take the opposition argument at its best and still prove why your substantive is better
  • You must undermine the urgency or scope of their proposed argument
  • You can ask yourself the following questions:
    • How important is the situation they are trying to solve?
    • What is the scope of its impact?

Application:

In order to be effective at rebutting, you must be attentive and a good listener. I would recommend that you write down the key points that your opposition presents and sort them into 2-3 categories that you can target as a whole. Therefore when you give your rebuttals, you can dismiss each pillar that their argument stands on using the separate sub-points you’ve noted down. This will be more structured and will allow you to see the bigger picture in the debate.

Conclusion:

Rebutting is an important skill for all debaters regardless of their speaker role. In every debate, one should interact with the other team’s argument otherwise the essence of the debate is lost.

This is a useful skill because it teaches you to question what is in front of you in a structured and well-reasoned manner.

If you need any clarification or would appreciate a more in depth explanation, please feel free to email us at shrish.debatepro@gmail.com