A written argument is an essay that presents a central idea, or a main point of view. Frequently, these main points are made in the form of declarative statements. For example, on the subject of immigration, a declarative statement would be, "The United States should spend more money to increase the security along the Mexican border." After making the declarative statement, the rest of your written argument should include facts, supported by research, to validate the accuracy of your main point. Generally, it is important to stay on point, and not get off topic. The extent to which you prove your main point will determine the validity of your argument.
Informal arguments are verbal disagreements between two or more individuals. They typically have no order or structure. Because of this lack of structure, participants in an informal argument can easily get off topic. A difference of opinion can create strong emotions, so an argument usually contains frequent interruptions. When individuals can't control their emotions in a disagreement, personal verbal attacks can result. The personal nature of many arguments make the preservation of the egos of the participants more important than the resolution of different points of view.
A structured way to express differing points of view is to have a debate. Debates can occur between individuals, or teams. A widely used form of debate, practiced at schools and universities, is a parliamentary debate. A parliamentary debate format is based on the discussions that take place in the British House of Commons. Generally, the debates are between teams, such as two opposing colleges. The topics are usually picked in advance, allowing each team to prepare. An American tournament parliamentary debate has six speeches. Each team takes turns presenting two separate constructive speeches of a designated length. After the constructive speeches, each team is given time for a rebuttal. In total, the speeches for each team take 20 minutes. After the speeches are completed, a winner is declared.
Written arguments and debates provide the opportunity for you to express a viewpoint and support it with facts. They are both designed to provide information that creates a greater understanding of a topic or issue. Because social arguments rarely have a structure or purpose, they often fail to produce positive outcomes or benefits.