Over the past few months I took part in a debate concerning the ethics around keeping cetaceans in captivity. I was on the affirmative arguing against them being kept captive. After going through the motions and completing the debate I look back on it with pleasure. I enjoyed participating in the debate, doing the research, interviewing people and becoming confident that I could argue my points. I did many things right but I also have some aspects that I could work on and improve on for my next debate. These are the things I will be talking about in this reflection.
Things I did well. I believe that I did many things right during my debate. I had good information that backed my points, good volume when I was speaking at the podium, and I used all my time. The debate had lots of build up before so I had plenty of time to research and get quality information. I needed reliable information for my points to have any weight so I always used credible websites. When I am public speaking, I make sure my volume is good because one of my pet peeves is when people are too quiet. When I was practicing my debate at home with my parents I timed my self. I was at 4 minutes of pure speaking, so I added 30 seconds of content then made a mental note to speak slower. At the podium I had my phone with me timing my progress, in the end I used 4 minutes and 50 seconds of my 5 minutes. These are the things that I believe I did the well.
Things I can improve on and add. This was my first debate. I was sick on the day of the mock debate and this was a brand new experience for me, but I had fun and was satisfied with my performance. Still, I know I have room for improvement. For example, at the podium I rarely looked up from my notes. I could improve this by memorizing certain lines in my script so I can look up when I am saying them. I also could cite more government websites because saying the government is behind your information gives your team a lot of power. Another thing I could work on is stuttering less, I don’t stutter a lot, but being 100% fluent is very easy to listen to and people understand your points better. The final thing that I need to work on is putting more emotion into my words and make the audience really believe this is what my heart is fighting for.
Conclusion. I can’t wait for the next debate. I had fun and did well in this debate. I know with even more revision and care, my next debate could be even better and more empowering.
