Debate / Multi-agent prompting
Reasoning
Level 3 · Agentic & compositeSimulate two or more perspectives arguing the problem, then reach a conclusion based on the strongest arguments.
Debate prompting asks the model to argue a problem from several distinct perspectives, then weigh the arguments and reach a conclusion — rather than reasoning from a single point of view. Surfacing the strongest case for each side before committing to an answer tends to produce more balanced, better-justified conclusions on questions where reasonable people could disagree. The classic case is exactly two opposing positions (a for/against debate), but the same mechanism generalizes cleanly to any number of named perspectives — three or more stakeholders each arguing their own priorities (a 'stakeholder panel'), not necessarily adversarial to each other, is the same technique with a longer perspective list.
When to use it
Use it for decisions or questions with genuine trade-offs, where a single-perspective answer risks missing a real counter-argument — strategy decisions, policy questions, weighing pros and cons, or a decision that affects several stakeholders with different priorities.
When to avoid it
Avoid it for questions with a single correct answer — there's nothing to debate, and a direct answer (or Self-Consistency) will be faster and just as accurate.
Advantages
- Surfaces counter-arguments a single-perspective answer might miss
- Produces a more balanced, explicitly justified conclusion
- Makes the trade-offs behind a recommendation visible, not just the final answer
- Scales from a simple two-sided debate to a multi-stakeholder panel without changing the underlying mechanism
Disadvantages
- Adds noticeable length and cost compared to a direct answer
- Can manufacture an artificial 'debate' for questions that don't genuinely have two sides
- More than a handful of perspectives can make the final weighing step harder to do well
Examples
Should our team adopt a monorepo for all our services? Context: a team of 8 engineers across 5 services. Have each of the following perspectives argue their position: - For: argues in favor of adopting a monorepo - Against: argues against adopting a monorepo Then weigh all perspectives and reach a recommendation.
Should we raise prices by 15% next quarter? Context: SaaS product, churn has been stable, a competitor just raised prices too. Have each of the following perspectives argue their position: - CFO: cost-recovery and margin-focused - CTO: technical/operational risk of a pricing-tier migration - Head of Sales: customer-relationship and churn-risk-focused Then weigh all perspectives and reach a recommendation.
Pairs well with
Try it
Fill in the placeholders below and see the compiled prompt update live.
What you want to achieve.
The material to work from.
List the perspectives to include, one per line (e.g. 'CFO: cost-focused', 'CTO: focused on technical risk').
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- Scope focus100
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- Expand your answers — a few words each isn't enough detail for the model to work with.
- Add background context so the model understands the situation.