An Unprecedented Presidential Debate

The 2020 US presidential debate may have gone unnoticed by many of us in Taiwan because fighter jets from the CPC or freeway accidents get more coverage in the news. Nonetheless, Donald Trump and "the other candidate(Joe Biden)" just gave the world the most embarrassing but entertaining debate in US history. What happened?

avada kedavra vs. expecto patronum

Here's some ground for the story.

Trump is a media guy. He has done books, which are The Bibliography of Donald Trump and The Art of the Deal (one about himself and the other about how good he is), much involved in WWF (World Wrestling Federation), had TV series(The Apprentice), was invited as a guest to a national talk show for two dozen of times, had his own Trumped! and was an unpaid commentator for Fox & Friends. It's difficult to imagine how much of an entertainer he is because he's even had his own "University", which technically, is just part of the name of the company he made for selling real estate courses and was involved in state and federal lawsuits. Guess what the name is, Trump University! In short, he's a self-promoting p***k, a self-made business person, and one with little or no moral standards.

Woah... That seems harsh for the majority of the American voters in 2016, doesn't it?

Yes. Yes, that's it.

Biden is an old guy. We're sorry but he is! Just kidding, he's just 3 years older than the other old guy but somehow being mocked for being old. OK, let's do this again more seriously.

Biden is a political guy. He was a councilman, a senate of 7 terms(36 years!), and Vice President of Obama for 8 years. That's about the summing up. No, not that easy. To know a person, we cannot do so only by what they do but how they do it.

...................... but we don't know much about Biden other than this little nor do we want to go deeper on it. Feel free to check further with each of them according to your interests in them.

We're not really here to talk about politics this time though.

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Watching/listening to the debate between Trump and Biden has taught us much in subcontext. On the surface, it's basically two senior guys fighting with plain words. However, because that was supposed to be a debate and they turned it into a quarrel, we'd like to examine it and talk about what a debate should turn out.

A debate is basically a standardized and mannered argument. People have different points of view and there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, debates are not about who's right or wrong but instead, whose arguments are better reasoned. Furthermore, practicing speaking in debates, as it is intended in this case, will help one's speaking ability and logic. It's a good learning method for learners of intermediate level. In any debate, you may work on your basic skills:

Style

Style is the manner in which you deliver your arguments. This is the most basic part of debating to master. Content and strategy are worth little unless you deliver your material in a confident and persuasive way.

Speed

It is vital to talk at a pace that is fast enough to sound intelligent and allow you time to say what you want, but slow enough to be easily understood. 

Tone

A varying tone is what makes you sound interesting.  Listening to one tone for an entire presentation is boring.

Volume

Speaking quite loudly is sometimes a necessity, but it is by no means necessary to shout through every debate regardless of context.  There is absolutely no need to speak any more loudly than the volume at which everyone in the room can comfortably hear you.  Shouting does not win debates.  Speaking too quietly is clearly disastrous since no one will be able to hear you.

Clarity

The ability to concisely and clearly express complex issues is what debating is all about. The main reason people begin to sound unclear is usually because they lose the “stream of thought” which is keeping them going. It is also important to keep it simple. While long words may make you sound clever, they may also make you incomprehensible.

Use of notes and eye contact

Notes are essential, but they must be brief and well organized to be effective.  There is absolutely no point in trying to speak without notes. Of course, notes should never become obtrusive and damage your contact with the audience, nor should they ever be read from verbatim. Most people sketch out the main headings of their speech, with brief notes under each. 

When writing notes for rebuttal during the debate, it is usually better to use a separate sheet of paper so you can take down the details of what the other speakers have said and then transfer a rough outline onto the notes you will actually be using. 

Eye contact with the audience is very important, but keep shifting your gaze. No one likes to be stared at.  Online Source(slightly modified)

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Let's get back on the T vs. B debate if we could call it a debate. This is the short version of the 90-minute show.

Trump: I'm the best. We're better. My economy, administration, and everything else are greatest (high-intensity content and fast-paced).

Biden: I'm good. He's lying. "Here's the deal", "Would you shut up, man" "...clown. Excuse me."

Trump+ Biden: *&()*^&%(&^$*&^#&$^$%^&%*(&*&(*)*&*&&&(***%%$##@!!~~(interruption)

Moderator: ......please! Please! Please!

The main reasons for them BOTH to be laughed at are because the arguments the candidates have were not delivered but sprayed out in the open, leaving the moderator at times speechless. We could see or hear two senior adults first tried/pretended to be civilized to tell the audience about their stance on given issues but quickly become attacking each other's weaknesses. Many interruptions were made and almost unstoppable. We and many others feel sorry for the poor moderator who seemed helpless at the time.

It is very important to understand the purpose of debates because otherwise, we'll see monkeys dressed in suits and the event would just be a complete squander of time. In a fixed situation like this, both parties should remain stoic. Being calm doesn't mean emotionless. It is when people start reasoning with logic can they get the most result out of discussions.

If there's anything we could learn from the performances of these two candidates, it would be "not" to learn from them.

#selfreflection