WHAT MAKES A GOOD OPINION?
--Start with a strong opening statement that tells the audience your opinion
People should be able to keep rats as pets.
--Explain the reasons why your side of the topic is the best.
Rats are destructive creatures; they chew on clothes and books and ruin all of your possessions. This is bad because then you will have to buy new ones and you won’t be able to spend your money on other things you want to buy.
--Think: Why should the audience care? Why should they agree with me?
If your audience doesn’t care, they won’t be persuaded. Explain why all of your reasons are good ones. When you finish your argument, your opponent should not be able to ask, “why?”
--Make sure your reasons are within the realm of possibility
Reasons involving dinosaurs, spaceships, or other impossible situations will be refuted very easily.
--Compare your side to others
Rats are better than dogs or goldfish because they require less grooming and less food. Thus they will be less expensive to care for. People who don’t have a lot of money would be able to have a pet if they had a rat.
--Have fun and interesting facts about your side of the topic
Rats have long tails, cute whiskers, and tiny intelligent eyes
--Explain the consequences or effects of your side of the topic
Rats are loyal and will amuse you. They can even vacuum crumbs from your carpet!!!
--Use powerful words and adjectives
Rats are disgusting, smellypests filled with hideous diseases.
--Appeal to your audience
Force them to think about their own lives or situations. “It is very irresponsible for a person to have a rat as a pet.” This tells them that if they have a pet rat, some people think they are irresponsible.
--Refute the other side’s points
Say why the other side is wrong. Think of the reasons the other side will use, and tell your audience why those reasons are incorrect or flawed. “Some people say rats are destructive and therefore not good pets, but they are only destructive if you are careless enough to let them out of their cages. When a rat is in it’s cage, it can’t chew your books and clothes so it doesn’t matter if they are destructive creatures.”
--End with a bang
You want the audience to remember you and be convinced that your opinion is correct. End with a question, or a powerful quote, or a strong statement that the audience will remember.
--Remember the TREE formula
T=Topic (what are you trying to prove?)
R=Reasons that support your topic (why is your position correct)
E=Evidence/Examples (proof of your reason)
E=Explanation (explain why your audience cares and why it is important)
Example of a Good Opinion:
Plants definitely grow better when you talk to them (Topic). This is true because they sense the vibrations from your voice, which causes them to grow more, and also because they can feel the love and attention you give them by talking and it makes them want to grow more (Reasons). A study done by Doctor Tulip in 2003 shows that plants have tiny organs inside their stems that grow when vibrations from sounds reach them (Evidence). I conducted an experiment to prove my second reason by talking to one plant and ignoring the other; the plant I talked to grew more even though they were planted at the same time and in the same conditions (Evidence). Some people say that plants can’t think for themselves because they have no brains, but there are some animals, like amoeba and other single-celled creatures, that don’t have brains either. These creatures get food, reproduce, and live their lives happily without brains, so why shouldn’t plants be able to do the same thing? (Refuting Something the Opponent Says) It is very important for us to know how plants grow best because they produce oxygen for us to breathe. With all the pollution in the world, we need more oxygen and thus we need our plants to grow taller and faster as we produce more pollution. (Explanation) Plants are clearly capable of hearing us speak and growing better, faster, and healthier in response to our voices (Using Powerful Adjectives). The experiments conducted by Dr. Tulip and myself have proved it, and just because something doesn’t have a brain, it doesn’t mean they aren’t as smart as human beings. Plants are capable of wonderful things of which scientists never before thought, including growing better when they are spoken to lovingly by their human friends! (Ending)