Debating: The moving debate

• Learning to listen to different arguments
• Positioning oneself on a specific topic
• Showing how arguments touch us

Duration: 1 hour

Propose a polemic statement, a simple sentence summarising a position on a subject, which it is assumed will divide the group into “Agree” and “Disagree”. Ask participants to position themselves according to their opinion on the topic. Suggest a time to think before taking a position and the beginning of the debate. Give the speech to the side that has fewer persons, then alternate from one side to the other. People who are convinced by an argument can change sides. Remind the participants that if they move it doesn't mean they changed completely their opinion on the topic, they move because they agree to the last argument that has been provided.

This exercise is to show how complex is the way we build our opinions and that no matter our side, we can be touched by the arguments of a person that has a different opinion than us about a topic. 

• Set a constraint of “speaking only once per person”.
• Give the speech to those who change sides, to understand the reasons.
• Switch sides: those spontaneously positioned in the “Agree” or “Disagree” camp must then find arguments going in the other direction (“against” or “disagree”).

Something to represent the line in the middle (the separation between I agree/I disagree side)