Six Elements of a Healthy D.E.B.A.T.E.
Seventeen seconds of hideous audio prompted me to write this article.
That a town hall meeting in Utah could devolve into boos and jeers so shortly after it began perhaps shouldn’t be surprising given what we saw last fall on the national stage — not to mention the daily deluge of verbal boxing matches masquerading as news. (Not sure if this clip from 2014 is still “the worst;” it now seems pretty standard.)
We’re surrounded by examples of destructive arguments rather than healthy debate about the merits of an issue — and that’s not doing any of us any good.
In fact, even sharing my intention to write this article set off a debate with a friend about the word “debate.” She’d tell you we had a “discussion” because the word “debate” has such negative connotations. I’ll tell you that whatever you want to call it — conversation, talk, disagreement, discussion — the fact that the very word “debate” can trigger such a response underscores our collective need to pause and be more thoughtful in our interactions.
If you know me, you know I love a good acronym so it will surprise no one that I developed one to easily remember the six elements of a useful, productive, and respectful debate. I outline D.E.B.A.T.E…
