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DEBATE 101 – A “CLASH” COURSE FOR SOON-TO-BE DEBATERS


Source: FUNiX

1. Introduction

Margaret Heffernan - a world-renowned entrepreneur, once stated: "For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate…."

And yes, our society, since time immemorial, has always been revolving around a "debate" pivot, and humanity has always been making use of debate to resolve their apples of discord and to thrive to obtain many of the innovations in which we are taking pride to date.


However, the concept of debating is still deemed vague and somewhat reserved for a certain kind of society (at least in Vietnam, where most of our readers dwell). So if that is why you keep debate at arm's length, then this article is for you!

We will walk you through multiple forms in which debate may appear, what debate has to offer, and some recommendations for debaters-wanna-be. And now, without further ado, let's get started!



2. What Is Debate?

So what exactly is debate, you might ask. Let's look it up in the dictionary, shall we? According to Cambridge University, the word "debate" is described as "a serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part." However, we believe that debate, de facto, can be any endeavor to reach a consensus or to bear desirable results through discussion.


Yes, debate can be informal or formal with rigorous restrictions and procedures. And yes, it can appear in small talk between friends, a forum online, in one of the United Nations' committees, and the list goes on. Little do most of us realize that even before entering any academic debate tournament, we might have debated every now and then without actually knowing it!


So through many bywords for debate that we shortlisted above, we hope that our readers may see that debate is just a natural process produced by human interactions, and by optimizing them, we could tackle most of the disagreements and crises we're facing.



3. Why Is Debate?

*Disclaimer: The undermentioned part will shift its focus on academic, formal debate rather than any other forms.


The idea of debating maybe a little clearer than before, right? So here comes the million-dollar question: how does debate garner most of its reputation?


3.1 Self-confidence Constructing

Thomas Edison once expressed that "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration," familiar, isn't it? Indeed, this creditable quote has succinctly captured most of what success is attributed to. However, we believe that it lacks something to transform such "perspiration" into the sought-after and long-awaited success – self-confidence.


We hold a belief that, apart from persistence and ingenuity, self-confidence ought to be the prerequisite, the quintessence upon which success hinges. Any passion which is void of self-confidence is much harder to bear noticeable fruit. Any enthusiasm which is bereft of self-confidence is much harder to catalyze any growth. And any determination which exudes no self-confidence is well-nigh transient.


So how can debate help with constructing self-confidence? Participating in debate accentuates the requirements of improvisation, reflexes, and especially public speaking. Inasmuch as that, all debaters are given a chance and an environment to gain and construct their confidence, proving useful to develop confidence in real life.


3.2 Skillsets Bolstering

The ever-changing status quo will incessantly eliminate any individual who lacks adaptability and the capacity to catch up with the situation. With that being said, it foregrounds the paramount role of many sets of skills aiding us throughout the impediments brought about by the unpredictable future.


So what might be those skill sets, and how does debate come in handy?


3.2.1 Critical thinking

At the top of the list lies the critical thinking skill, which has always been in the limelight as the most prominent skill sets that debate has ever offered. So how does it earn such praise?


As its name suggests, critical thinking is a thinking process in which the yielded results are by no means affected and distracted by any external factors. The aforementioned process includes, inter alia, the act of revising many of the deemed bonafide notions or even universally accepted facts, evaluating information garnered from multiple sources. In short, it emphasizes individuality, originality, and reflection.


So in this invariably changing world, acquiring such skill helps most of us define and resolve any seemingly unassailable, unbiased, or undistorted problem. Participating in the academic debate requires critical thinking to bear the best response to the opponent's point of information (POI) and rebut their apparently reasonable arguments, providing the best environment for critical thinking to be honed and thrive.


3.2.2 Knowledge Acquiring

Knowledge is indubitably great, right? With an extensive range of knowledge at your disposal, you will be able to tackle most of what are considered insurmountable hindrances generated by the constantly shifting environment, especially the ongoing globalization process. With knowledge at the service, you will be able to push the envelope and attain many of your objectives that once were considered by no stretch of imagination plausible.

The strength of knowledge is mighty and not to be underestimated. So how can you gain knowledge from your debate experience?


The thing is that participating in academic debates allows you to know what you did not know that is happening in some part of the world.


Looking at the motion, "This House believes that the Arab Spring has done more harm than good," as someone who has no idea about anything happening in the Middle East, what would you think? Clueless, confused, or any adjective you could think of? However, it gives you the direction to do your research; it gives you the most needed momentum to type something on Google or Youtube or whatever; it gives you a feeling that you lack something and the urge to fix that immediately. Isn't that great?


3.3 Network Expansion

Last but, by no means, least is the opportunity to strengthen established relationships and connect to other people on whom later you can rely.

So why is that? The first reason is that you have to work together with your team. Despite many debate formats ranging from British Parliamentary (BP) or Asian Parliamentary (AP), a debate team still has to consist of at least two members. The teammate you are working with is the one that is an acquaintance of yours oftentimes, and preparing the case, doing research, or brainstorming together does really help with strengthening your bonds with that friend.


And we believe that everyone who is part of the academic debate community does share one thing in common, albeit being utterly disparate, is the willingness to learn new things. Hence, taking part in academic competition allows you to meet up with many great individuals or even your new soon-to-be long-term companion. Your way to success may be arduous and protracted or not, but the relationships you established while debating does give you a surefire head start!



4. Where To Debate?

New debaters may struggle to find where to start, so there is a list of projects, organizations, etc., that we think may come in handy!


4.1 General Knowledge

Consider checking these to gain more knowledge on a particular subject:

a. Vox:

b. Hỏi Chấm Project

c. The Google Scholar tool (mentioned in our "How To Research Effectively" article)

d. Al Jazeera

e. CrashCourse


4.2 Debate Skills

In order to have the best performance, you will need more than just general knowledge. Consider checking these organizations below:

a. Debate Clubs

b. Debate Tournaments

Check our "How Important Are Extracurricular Activities ?" article's references for more related information.



5. Wrap Up

And that's all that we want to share about how to start debating and much of the information extracted from our debate experiences!


We hope that every reader of The Shift now has a much better view of what debate is, how we use it and where we should start!


And for those discouraged from embarking on the debate journey due to their lack of confidence or the fear that they may cause trouble, we want to emphasize the core value of debate once again: learning and learning.


There can indeed be many people with a better head start than you, but persistence and enthusiasm are still the main success factors. Keep trying again, and you won't even recognize who you have become!


Thanks for reading our article! If you have come across anything useful, please don't mind sharing it with others!

Credit: Hao Tran



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