Next week, you will be leading a class discussion on a topic of your choice!
You will:
- Give a 1-2 minute intro, in which you:
- Introduce your topic in an interesting way
- Provide a few key facts about your topic
- Briefly show both sides of the topic
- **You can use visuals if you'd like, but it's not required
- Lead a 5-7 minute discussion in which you:
- Bring conversation back to the main point if it gets way off topic (I'm okay with a little off topic—mostly I like good discussion here)
- Have 4-5 questions prepared to push people further if the conversation is a little slow
- Call on people who haven't said much
When choosing the topic, consider the following things:
- Controversy is exciting—so it's okay to pick real topics. Just remember, the more intense the topic, the more people will get worked up, so be careful—because you'll have to be ready to handle the intensity!
- My only two topics that are not allowed because they're just too intense and I don't want any major fights are:
- Abortion
- Gay Marriage
- Make sure you are not so passionate about one side of your topic that you could not play the devil's advocate.
- IE: If your topic is dogs vs. cats and you can't even imagine why people like dogs—not a good topic. What if everyone else only likes cats—you'll have to be ready to defend dogs to get conversation going
- Mentally prepare yourself to defend both sides, so you're ready for anything
- I suggest making a T-Chart so you have several good arguments for both sides
Email me if you have questions!
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