All of us have engaged in some or all of the aspects of debating throughout our lives, whether it be considering the pros and cons of goin on a diet, trying to persuade your parents to buy you the latest iPhone or deconstructing an argument made by a journalist on Donald Trump’s presidency. At its core, debating serves to use detailed analysis and rhetoric to turn unstructured opinions and bickering into incredibly persuasive and compelling arguments.

While debating takes many forms and consists of various competitive formats that differ from country to country, it usually involves two sides having to construct arguments for opposing sides of a given motion; attempting to convince a judge to vote for the strength and validity of the arguments of their side of the motion.

Although it may sound like a technical and daunting term, a motion is simply a statement or an action that one side in a debate must propose and the other side oppose. The proposition must give reasons to believe that enacting the motion would be beneficial, while the opposition must persuade the judge of the opposite notion. The team that gives the strongest and most persuasive arguments to convince the judge to vote for their side will ultimately win!

While debating may seem like a pointless activity for people who simply enjoy arguing with each other, the fundamentals of debating develop skills that are incredibly useful in various contexts and environments in today’s world.

Debating builds the crucial communication, critical thinking and public speaking skills which are vital in the academic and workplace environment, to communicate our ideas effectively and persuasively to our peers, professors, coworkers, and boss. As an added bonus, catering to the real motivation behind why high school students participate in any extra-curricular activity; competitive debating does indeed make you a very appealing candidate for universities and employers, who often look for candidates with the required skills to flourish in their institutions and companies.

 

If by the end of this article, you are more interested and keener to learn how to debate, then we have just successfully used the persuasive powers of debating! Read on to acquire the same skills and experience by learning the Art of Debating!