Australia-Asia debating/Rebuttal

One of the main roles of debaters (except for the first affirmative) is to rebut the arguments of the opposing team (argue that their arguments are incorrect or flawed). The first negative speaker and the second speakers do this at the start of their speeches, and the third speakers do this as the primary component of their speeches.

It is what makes the debate an exchange of ideas between the two teams through building rapport, rather than a set of individuals presenting opposing ideas.

Rebutting an argument stated by the opposing team is easy. Simply say what the argument was and why it is incorrect.

In order to find potential rebuttals, think about the potential flaws in what the opposing team is saying. Is there a reason why what they are suggesting would be impractical? Is something they are claiming blatantly incorrect? You can also rebut a statistic presented by the opposing team if its source is not mentioned by questioning its reliability.

Much of the preparation of rebuttal occurs during the debate as you do not know what the other team's arguments will be before the debate. However, you can pre-prepare rebuttals for arguments you believe the other team is likely to use, and use those rebuttals if the other team does indeed make those arguments.

Rules around rebuttal

When giving rebuttal, it is very important that you only attack the argument, and not the person. Never make personal attacks during a debate.

It is generally accepted that all rebuttals should follow the average reasonable person rule. This means that you should not rebut arguments using ideas or facts that a standard individual would not be aware of. This is particularly relevant if you have expert or specialised knowledge relating to what the debate is about.

Remember that third speakers are not allowed to present any new material during their speech, so everything they say in their rebuttals should respond directly to what the opposition has said and not contain new arguments or statistics.