For debaters, matter is one of the most important aspects for you to be able to present your case coherently. It is encouraged for debaters to research material, a topic or simply read consistently.
Every debater has their preferred way of researching. Here, we’ve compiled some of the methods you might want to try out!
Focused research
This is done by focusing on only one topic and researching it deeply. You can do this in several ways, such as watching YouTube videos, reading specific news articles, or reading research papers. For example, if you’re interested in feminism you can devote your time to make an entire document on the first wave, second wave and third wave feminism.
This is particularly effective if you’re an average knowledgeable debater who knows basic debate concepts and wishes to have a speciality in one topic. When you get that particular topic in a debate, it will boost your self-confidence since you have already spent some time immersed in it, and extra knowledge can lead to persuasive arguments.
However, it is a gamble. Being specialised means you lay all eggs on one nest at once. Debate is diverse: chances are, that topic will only appear in one round or even not at all.
Despite that, it is a good way to start debating because you are interested in learning that particular matter.
Universal Research
This is a good way for debaters that don’t know where to start researching matters and have a lot of time for researching.
You can refer to this file:
Credit: Beyond Debating Indonesia
The preparation case file lists many questions that may appear in a debate. It is diverse and good for you to research each broad area to build up some basic matter. Alternatively, you can checklist things that you already know until you arrive at a question you cannot grasp. Search for it and its debate application to fill in gaps in your knowledge.
A word of warning: this will take up a lot of time. Many debaters give up in the middle of the way without finishing the list, so you will need time and spirit to finish it!
Daily Reading
This is mostly done by average-top tier debaters. They often really read The Economist, BBC, Al-Jazeera, South China Morning Post, Foreign Policy, or any news site. The key is to do it every single day. This will also require you to have really strong willpower, so you can establish a routine without boring yourself.
This method is good if you already have a basic understanding of multiple topics and wish to find an expert’s analysis, argument or case study to bring in a debate. Moreover, you can also find what the latest news is. It is effective because usually, news outlets section their news per category whether it’s religion, social movements, law, economics, healthcare, or IR, almost all of these topics are available on the news.
This method doesn’t have an arguable weakness, except as stated above: that you need a strong will to be able to read the news carefully and thoroughly.
Noting from Debate
This is done by all debaters, conscious or not. The method is to write down or internalise any new things that you learn during the debate or while watching a debate, online or offline.
Debaters can grow by experience through learning new things during the debate by themselves or by being “demolished” by top-tier debaters. (Yup! If you ever meet a top debater, try not to feel discouraged. Instead, learn some of their material, style or strategy.)
In matter research, this can be done by watching videos of any debate competition. Transcribing and taking note of the rebuttals and points may prove useful in a future debate. Even if you don’t get the same motion, it helps to know how top debaters process or explain things in-depth.
Here are some resources:
a. National debate videos will allow you to get exclusive insights from your debating circuit. Chances are you will get motions exclusive to the nation that you live in, for example, about your nation’s conditions of economy or socio-politics and so on.
Some examples of this are Indonesian Varsity English Debate (IVED), Malaysia Debate Open (MDO), Nanyang Technological University Debating Championships (NTU DCs), and so on.
b. International debate videos are good for the international circuits where most of the motions are usually harder given the competition that exists.
Some examples of this are WUDC, WSDC, Australs, EUDC, ABP, CWSDC, Oxford IV and so on.
Random Searching
This method is to build up some random knowledge that may seem only useful in 1 round, but if you accumulate it, you will reach a point where you cover most of the debate materials without even realising it.
This method is done by reading random feeds on any social media account that is trustworthy or following news accounts in your social media. Try to take five minutes of your time to read news headlines and continue searching on Google if you need more details. My personal method is to subscribe to Quora and see what news might interest you. For example, my list of Quora Spaces includes China-World Leader, World Religion, and International Relations.
Read/Watch Debate-Focused Transcripts or Material
The debate-focused materials are available on the internet on many sites, and it is very recommended for debaters to spend their time watching or reading these articles since their applications in the debate are made explicit. . These materials are written or presented by someone who is usually an experienced debater.
In reading materials, most of it is ready-to-use cases. Examples of this are Debate404, Idebate, and SEF ITB’s Matter Bank
Many debate organisations also have public YouTube videos regarding certain topics Some of these include: Monash Association of Debaters (MAD), European Debate Training Platform, Manchester Debating Union, Debate Havana and Digital Matter Files.
Now that we’ve covered matter building, here are some things to keep in mind!
- After reading, imagine yourself in a debate and write some possible argument using the matter that you just read. Matter shouldn’t stay in its raw form, but there must be applications in a model debate.
If you’re checking out Disputandum’s matter page, we have a list of related motions at the end of every article! Try those out to see if you can apply the arguments.
- Remember: matter is not the end goal! In terms of study cases or examples that you might bring up in debate, you’ll still need to link it back to the argument that you are bringing (e.g. this example proves that assertion A is likely to happen, or this shows that people have done X in the past, etc.). Matter cannot stand by itself, so make sure you back it up with reasoning!
- Use this time to also think of counter-arguments to such a matter in case your opponents bring it up. By then, you would be fully prepared for such conditions.
- Don’t forget to jot it down or to print it out so that you are always ready with it.
- If you are in a debate organisation such as school or university, perhaps you could research different topics with your peers and compile them into one Drive folder of the matter bank to cover more ground.