Debate - what are the things that matter?

As an avid debater and in general, a very eloquent and outspoken person, I think the following points are often overlooked, though extremely important.

Do’s

• Do be convinced about your argument at first. This is especially applicable in competitions and conferences. Be 'in character’, know why you are right. However, leading us to the next point…
• Do have a flexible opinion. You do not have to be right all the time. If the opponent has a valid point, be open-minded to it.
• Do acknowledge your opponent’s point. Recognise that it is your opinion that someone is at odd ends with, not you yourself as a person. Many make the mistake of becoming defensive and feel threatened if their point is being disproved by a logical, factual argument. There is no shame - absolutely no shame - in admitting the validity of another opinion over yours. In fact, it is what will help you obtain more depth as a person.
• Do respect your opponent at all times. Your opponent is not your enemy. He/she is just someone who happens to think differently on a given matter.
• Do remain polite, civil and diplomatic at all times during your debate.
• Do have an objective, pragmatic approach towards every single point raised, be it yours or your opponent’s. You need to be rooted in logic. Ask the five W’s and one H in all possible circumstances.
• Do be versed with your statistics and facts. They astronomically increase your chances of being convincing.
• Do use examples often to elucidate your argument.
• Do keep your argument as concise as you can. Brevity is important.
• Do play with ethos, pathos, and logos as necessary to deliver your point(s) effectively.
• Do keep in mind the following with regard to your point — brevity, clarity, carrying the essence of your opinion, and factual and logical correctness.

Don’ts

• Don’t be rigid in your opinion.
• Don’t make points which are digressive or dilatory in nature. They will degrade the quality of debate. Many people do this when they see that their argument is flimsy and is being disproven by their opponent - they digress and nitpick over irrelevant details and make mountains out of mole-hills. Avoid this.
• Don’t resort to overly animated expressions to strengthen the delivery of your point. This involves yelling, speaking in a condescending manner, or laughing at your opponent’s point. It is your speech that should make an impact, not your expressions.
• Don’t slight your opponent. Inclusively, never bring up any irrelevant personal topics into the course of your debate and use them against your opponent. That is an extremely unwise thing to do - as stated before, it is your opinion someone disagrees with, not you yourself.
• Additionally, don’t make your statements sound offensive. This is a slightly tricky case. For example, if you are debating in favour of the abolition of the death sentence, the statement - ‘Say you are wrongly convicted and are executed tomorrow… (etc. etc.)’ is not wrong. However, it is very upfront - people will not want to think that they are being executed! Rather, for sentences of such a nature, go for - ‘Say an innocent man is convicted and executed unjustly… (etc. etc.)’. This conveys the point more palatably and diplomatically.
• Don’t go for the emotion card very often. The quality of ‘pathos’ - appealing to the soft side of your opponent to convince them in your favour - is often not a good resort. It can give strength to your argument, but it is very easy to demolish a point which relies entirely on the ‘emotion card’. The poetic ‘Imagine a young man, full of dreams for a bright future, having his life shattered - in fact, taken away - due to a wrong sentence, that is the tragedy the death sentence inflicts’ is much weaker compared to - ‘Over 1,500 prisoners had been wrongly convicted and executed in the United States since 1975’. The previous statement is better for a campaign, not a debate.
• Don’t use profanity or indecent, unparliamentary language. This is an absolute rule. It may add a dramatic effect to your point, but it is unbefitting of the atmosphere of a healthy debate to be tainted with bad language. It also creates a terrible impression of the person who uses it.
• Don’t use unverified statistics. Some hawk-eyed people could have facts off the top of their head and can catch anyone who attempts ‘winging it’.
• Don't launch off into an argument in the wrong place or at the wrong time. This is mostly applicable in comment sections of websites. Someone who argues for the sake of arguing and has a private axe to grind, is not respected much.
• Last but not the least, don’t risk your relationship with your opponent to stand your ground in a debate, unless it has actually proven that your opponent is toxic. This applies mostly in informal cases and not in competitions and such.