Purpose

• The purpose of a paradigm debate is to focus on one issue and present judges and spectators with opposing perspectives on which they can agree or disagree. If both sides of the topic are compelling, debaters have done a successful job creating a palpable paradigm.
  
  

Influences

• Paradigm debates are effective when influential material is brought to the table -- that is, social issues to which others can relate. A paradigm debate should be relevant to spectators. This can often be achieved by creating a cause-and-effect argument -- if this happens, then that happens. For instance, one debater could argue that if oil drilling takes place, then the environment suffers. But another debater could argue that if oil drilling doesn't take place, then people are left without efficient or effective resources.
  
  

Facts

• A paradigm debate should incorporate facts as well as social influences. It's not enough to simply say oil drilling is bad for the environment; it is more effective to include hard evidence, such as statistics, to back up claims. Facts should come from reliable resources and provide valid data.
  
  

Right or Wrong

• In a paradigm debate, spectators and judges could be swayed by both sides of the paradigm, seeing both arguments as right and wrong in certain ways. Or, spectators and judges could walk away from the debate believing one of the arguments is right and the other is wrong. Both results help to maintain the paradigm, but the right-or-wrong result makes it more evident.