Debating Workshop 1

DEBATE

A.    What is Debate?

Debating is a clash of arguments.What is challenging in debating is that you will find strict rules of conduct and quite sophisticated arguing techniques and you will often be in a position where you will have to argue the opposite of what you believe in. For any issue, there are always different sides of perspectives; different story of why do people support or disagree with certain issues. Debating seeks to explore the reasons behind each side. To make those reasons understandable and convincing, you should deliver your arguments with good communication skills.

Snieder (2008) believes that debating is about change. In debating, you are constantly engaged in a struggle to better our lives, our community, and our future. You should never be satisfied with the status quo since something in our lives needs improving. Debate is the process that determines how change should occur.

Research on debating evidences by Kraak Andre (2006) advances that debate can be described as a formal discussion where two opposing sides follow a set of agreed rules to engage in an oral exchange of different points of view on an issue. Formal debates are commonly seen in public meetings or legislative assemblies, where individuals freely choose which side of an issue to support, and also in schools or university competitions, where the participants are often assigned a particular side for which to advocate.

B.     Why Debate?

In debate, you always need to hear both sides of an opinion. Hear all of the information involved. Someone on the other side may make you rethink your own opinion. Persuade you to change your mind. In any case, it always stimulates your brain and causes you to form a stronger opinion. Even when you change your mind and believe what the other side thinks. The more information you can gather, the better. It is important to see two sides of an argument. Also debate is essentially about persuasion as most have an audience, so you need to be able to show that you have thought enough about what you are saying to be able to defend that position from someone of an alternative view.

Believing that debate is a challenging and highly rewarding activity for most who become involved in it, there are a full range of benefits associated with being on the debate team.  People debate for couple of reasons. Some think that debate is fun.  The vast majority of the tens of thousands of students who compete in debate tournaments each year will tell you that debate is fun. The experience is a little different from one to another, but generally the thrill of competition, the teamwork,and the travel opportunities make debate fun. Debate is also about a teamwork. An additional benefit of getting involved is building friendships with teammates who enjoy similar interests. Debate also trigger public speaking skills.  This increases your chances of doing well in important events such as interviews for jobs or scholarships. Debate arms you with analytical skills defined as the ability to critically analyze a problem and propose workable solutions.  This is a skill that debate best teaches and high-level leaders and business people possess. Research skills would be an invaluable skill you will gain in debate. This covers traditional library research to the internet-based research. Excellence in debate is listening and note taking skills. Debate requires that you become a careful listener and good note taker.  This helps you to get and learn faster and understand better.

                Many of successful people like reputable lawyers, business executives, and elected leaders were involved in debate, and for good reason.  Simply put, debate-related skills help you get ahead and stay there.  The power to persuade is highly respected and there is no better way to master this art than through debate.