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Tips for Online Debate

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Over the years, I have read and participated in many online debates, some with very good debaters and others with very poor debaters.

Apart from knowledge, what makes a good debate and how should you try to debate so people reading the debate respect you?

Here are a few things I’ve learned from debating online. (Note: These rules are more related to public debate, not private email debate, which can sometimes go by a less strict code since it’s more private.)

1.    Be respectful, even if you’d rather scream insults at your opponent. If you are respectful and your opponent is not, who do you think will appear more rational to readers?

2.    Don’t let your emotions get involved. CAPITALS, especially a sentence that’s in capitals, is generally the equivalent to raising your voice. Exclamation marks are another thing to avoid since they don’t look professional. It makes you look sloppy and mad. Bold text can be used a little, especially if you’re trying to bring attention to a few key words someone else said (a Bible verse, for example) but don’t use anything in excess since it can make you appear like you are talking down to others, or you’re angry. (An article like this uses bold text to organize things, which is different.) Also, avoid phrases that make you appear emotional.

3.    Don’t use derogatory terms for anything or anyone in a debate. Don’t call someone a nut job, stupid, bigot, or any other insult (especially cuss words) even if they think little green men from Mars shot Abraham Lincoln for target practice on their way to Venus. Instead of name-calling, use evidence and explain why you think the aliens didn’t assassinate Lincoln. If you can’t find any evidence, go do some research or stop debating. (Note that beliefs like this different are hard to debate against.) 
You shouldn’t use derogatory terms for anything, even if you think the person you are debating would agree with you. There could be other people reading the debate that don’t like you calling the aliens “greenies.” People often have much more diverse opinions than you think they would. Even if your views match up with theirs, their grandma could think the aliens shot Lincoln and be offended if you call Granny a mean name.

4.    Don’t use curse words. Some people are very offended by these while other people won’t mind. You want to turn people to your side, not offend them. Keep in mind that children could be reading what you say. (In some cases, you might even be debating against a kid.)

5.    Don’t put labels on people. Even if a person seems to belong to a certain group, like Democrats or Republicans, it’s best not to use the name for that group. People can consider it an insult if they know you don’t like people from that group. Another thing to remember is the person might not classify themselves in a certain group, even if you think they are in that group.

6.    Don’t attack someone personally or talk down to them. This is about the same as 1 and 3 but it’s something that is very important. You are not debating to make the other person mad. You’re debating to convince them of your views, or at least convince other people reading the debate. Attacks will not help your cause; they’ll make people mad, and once someone is mad, it won't be easy to convince them of anything.

7.    If you state your political opinion, it is wise to plan on having to stand up for it. If you don’t want to debate, keep your hands off the keyboard, and keep your mouth shut. This also goes for jokes and forward emails. Keep in mind even a little "support the troops" post can be seen as controversial. Some social networks have settings so you can hide things from certain people. If you just want your friends who agree with you to see the post, perhaps it is best to make use of your settings so you can avoid debating with that one friend who is convinced that the politician holding a cute baby is actually an alien.

8.   If you're on a social network that allows you to delete someone's posts, try to be polite about it. Don't delete their post because you don't agree with them. If you aren't willing to debate, read point 7. If you post something you didn't realize was controversial, you may be able to get by deleting a post but at least state why you did so in a private message or just delete your own post.
If someone is being rude or uses profanity, I consider it okay to delete the post. Just make sure they know why you did it. If two people turn your wall into a debate you don't want there, it is much more polite to ask them to stop debating than start deleting posts with no warning. If you ask them to stop and they don't, then you can delete posts. (If you are upset the debate happened in the first place, at least tell them why you deleted their posts.)
Don't delete posts because they made you look stupid. If you posted something then got in a debate and lost and you must hide the confrontation, delete the original post to purge everything. This is less rude than just deleting the opposing view.

9.   Always verify information. If you see a cute story about a politician giving sick children horsy rides, google it. You don't want to pass on false information. This is especially important with forward emails and shared posts on social networks. If it is something you found on a news website, check the other stories in the sidebar. If the other headlines look suspicious, you may want to find a more reputable news website.

10.    If you post something and someone gives you a link disproving what you posted, the best thing to do is to thank them. If you want, you can delete your post. If you feel a lot of people saw the false info you posted, you may even want to make an announcement that you learned you'd posted something that was false.

11.    Don’t become offended easily. I’ve seen people get offended because someone respectfully disagreed. If you want to debate, you will have to learn not to show you’re offended, even when someone attacks you personally and calls you names. If someone is rude, don't stoop to their level. Leave the debate or keep being polite.

12.    Don’t be arrogant. If you act like you know everything, even if you think you do, it will make people dislike you. You want people to respect you. You don’t want the to cheer on the other side because the dislike your personality.

13.    Remember some people with differing opinions are good friends, or even related. This is even more likely if you’re in a debate on Facebook or another network of that sort. It will not look good if you tell your friend’s kid sister they have their head in the sand. They might not agree with their relative’s political views but there’s a fair chance they won’t appreciate someone insulting (or even debating with) their family.

14.    Be careful about private messages. If you don't know the person well and the debate started in public, especially on a forum, it may be best to keep it public. People often feel safer in public. Another thing to keep in mind is the people watching are probably more likely to change their views than the person you're debating.

15.    You are an example. Many people learn how to conduct themselves online by watching others. Don’t be a bad example.

 

Now, I’ll try to help you win the debate.

 

16.  Try to figure out what your opponent's comeback is going to be ahead of time. This allows you to think about your reply, and research it, if necessary.

17.  If you are debating Christians, use Bible verses often as possible. These are hard to debate against. I haven’t debated many nonbelievers so I don’t know what you’re supposed to use on them.

18.    Try to have a comeback for every false statement your opponent makes. If you don’t, they’ll probably think they made their point.

19.    Be careful with your words, especially if you know the person you are debating is a good debater. With inexperienced people, you can normally have a few slip-ups and they won’t manage to take advantage of it but if you’re going up against a more experienced debater, you’d better use every word with care.

20.    Use your own words, not an article. I don’t like seeing debaters use someone else’s words. It’s better to come up with things yourself since that will help you get more experienced. Long articles are also tedious to read through. Even worse, you could end up having to defend part of the article when you're not prepared to defend it.

21.    20 goes double for videos. Some people have slow internet or bandwidth limits. They may not be able to watch videos so you should not reply with a link to a video, and they may not have time for long videos.

22.    Chose your battles wisely. Is there a point to debating? Can you do any good, or will you just be wasting time?

23.    Know your topic. If you don’t know much about what you’re debating, you might want to do some research before stating your opinion on it.

24.    Other people can join the debate at any time. If you’re not debating in emails, there is a chance someone could be watching. You could try going after an inexperienced debater only to have a more experienced person back them up. You should be ready to debate against a lot of people when you spout off your political opinions in public. Note: This can also work in your favor.

25.    Figure out how much energy you want to spend on this. When you start debating, figure out how much energy you're willing to use on this. Is it something you want to debate for weeks, or do you just want this person to know that not everyone agrees with them?

These are some tips I've composed for online debate.

Edited to add 8, 9, 10, and 14.
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Jedi-Cowgirl's avatar
Wow. I love how people had to just go and start bickering and debating about debating.....

Good tips my friend! I tend to stay out of debates on account of constantly getting "gang beat" every single time.