Importance of debate and speech writing in oral communication

ABSTRACT “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt” or so goes a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps this is true in some contexts but my apologies America, I’m going to have to disagree with him where education is concerned. Debate, whether as an abstract construct or as the constructed exercise common in high school competition and politics with strict rules and format, introductions, opening statements, rebuttals and so on is a useful and valuable tool. It is also the cornerstone of tutorials, of essays and of speeches, both at University, colleges and school, as well as at unions. Participation in debates enables you to become less narrow- minded, to look at all sides of an argument, to provide scope and structure to your work and in practice to develop the art of public speaking and rhetoric. The whole process encourages debaters and audience to be both firm and flexible in their ideas, to engage in an interesting and often controversial topic, to communicate clearly and to think and analyses quickly and critically.

INTRODUCTION Debate:- A formal discussion, often in front of an audience, in which two or more people put forward opposing views on a particular subject; any general discussion on a subject, not necessarily in one place or at one time. The importance of fair discussion and a chance to challenge and explore new opinions and ideas cannot be overstated. Debating is your chance to explain what you know, win supporters for your strategies and probe and improve the goings-on throughout the debate. Team-members, innovate in a collaborative and iterative manner by putting your solutions through a debate. Students, solve problems and improve transparency and communication by talking openly about issues and opinions.

IMPORTANCE OF DEBATE AND SPEECH IN ORAL COMMUNICATION Debating and speech writing in the public can have a number of uses: 1. An Opportunity To Listen And Ask Questions In the auditorium can be a chance for colleagues to listen to each other to discuss and bring to life their strategies and opinions, as well as providing a chance to ask for clarification. 2. Provocative Debate Can Clear The Air And Find Cultural Solutions An exercise recently undertaken at a UK consultancy, in order to expose any cultural issues within the team, students were assigned controversial ‘opinions’ and set loose amongst a gathering of colleagues, provoking conversation and debate between individuals and groups. 3. Protect Your Own Interests Similar to a governmental leaders debate, a forum for intelligent and rational conversation can provide opportunity for proposal or strategy personal to them. Perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to participate in a debate, whether as a questioning observer or as active speaker, is a chance to represent yourself and your views. Debate can provide you with a platform to be seen and heard as you are. Debate allows all people to feel included, no matter the outcome, active participation and inclusivity ultimately improves the overall sense of “buy in” to the chosen outcome, in other words, if you allow people to engage and participate in a solution, they take ownership of that solution ( Li et al, 2012), which can be an ideal way to motivate debaters and team members. Holding an informal or formal debate? Remember the most important principle: winning…isn’t everything. Traditionally, debating is seen as a form of verbal swordplay: very ‘win or lose’ scenario, where the winner won by convincing the other parties they were in the right or by completely undermining the opposing argument. Debating can be used as a chance to share information and opinions, and to compromise and collaborate in new ways. 4. Develop Strong Oratory Skills Public speaking has become a necessity for most professions. Having the ability to communicate with others effectively is extremely important, regardless of the field or industry. Speech offers students the opportunity to not only improve speaking ability, but also develop many of the qualities and skills that build successful speakers, such as the ability to “read a room” as well as use vocal inflections and intonations to emphasize important points and concepts. Public speaking is a very common fear; speech anxiety can lead individuals to feel helpless as well as incapable of communicating with others. One of the best ways to overcome gloss phobia is to develop confidence, which only comes through practice. Speech encompasses a wide range of different events, ranging from speeches of persuasion to expository speaking. LEGO, Expository Speech - Anthony English (Source: Youtube) 5. Build Opinions Based On Facts, Evidence, And Logic In the midst of a debating and speech writing, it’s probably pretty common to find yourself in an argument with people that you disagree with, in those cases, it’s likely very difficult to avoid heated tempers. In addition to this problem, it’s common to realize that people often avoid using evidence to back their claims and essentially support unsubstantiated personal feelings. Argumentation and debate appear in select fields, such as law and politics, however, the core idea of understanding how to build a strong opinion and argument is universal. Not everyone is going to become a lawyer, but it’s your responsibility as a reasonable human being to acknowledge all sides of an argument or topic before making a decision, and this applies to all fields. 6. Learn to be Acute, Quick, and Nimble Interviews often make people nervous. Not only because of the fact that they're applying for a job, but the idea that the interviewer will most likely scrutinize every detail and ask any question in order to make sure they are a fit for the role. Reality dictates that it’s not possible to prepare for every single possible question that may come up, therefore it is essential to be able to think on the spot and to be mentally agile. Both Speech and Debate allow students to become more comfortable at "coming up with ideas" on the spot, but also to sound fluid doing so. For example, Impromptu requires competitors to give a speech immediately after seeing a list of topics: Impromptu Speech - Chelsea Lim (Source: Youtube) This short time-frame requires students not only to create a mental outline/talking points, but also be able to think while they are speaking, a very useful personal skill. Developing this speaking style allows speakers to comfortably flow from one point to the next, without sounding scripted, fragmented, or awkward. In most debate events and speech writing, there is a questioning period known as Cross-Examination/Cross-Fire, where students may ask as many questions as they want, in an attempt to poke holes in a case. These instances force students to not only be able to defend their arguments, but to come up with logical rebuttals with little preparation. Being nimble and agile are qualities that are vital in being a well-rounded and savvy individual, especially in an era of constant change and uncertainty.

7. Final Thoughts When I look back on high school, the most rewarding and meaningful organization to joined was the Speech and Debate Team. Not only did it allow you to step outside normal social and academic bubble, it allowed you to become more knowledgeable as well as proficient in public speaking and communication. Many students today still hold an inherent bias towards activities focused on public speaking and argumentation. What’s important to understand is that these activities are not limited to a singular message, but focus on the development of a set of skills - Speech and Debate help you develop your own unique voice, one that can be amplified in whatever career path you choose to pursue. In a world becoming more digitalized and reclusive, it remains important to remember the power of verbal communication of ideas from one individual to another.

CONCLUSION Debating, particularly organized debating (i.e. speech and debate) gives you very special and indeed very useful lenses through which to view the world. It teaches you to look at a question or topic and think about what both sides of that topic might say, and thus allows you not only to empathize better with the other side of real world issues, but also for those times when you really want or need to convince someone of something outside of organized debating, the single most important tool for rebutting their arguments is understanding them as when you are rebutting, you want to address why the whole argument is wrong, and an understanding of what the argument is really trying to say is required to do this effectively. In addition, public speaking is a very useful part of our modern world in the sense that it allows you to get your ideas across in a very intellectual and influential manner, which can not only impress people, but also allow you to better convince others of your views. In addition, doing speech and debate well forces you to gain very important attributes for the world like confidence and resilience (your opposition is going to spend up to 30 min. bashing your ideas after all).

SUGGESSION AND RECOMMENDATION When students graduate from high school, one of the most common complaints is that they “haven’t learned anything worthwhile or anything that has real world applications”. Often times, the same people with this outlook are those that avoid expanding beyond their own ‘comfort zone’ to look for opportunities outside their social niche. This is partly due to natural tendencies to gravitate towards familiarity, but also because of preconceived notions as well as forms of social stigma certain activities seem to hold. Before one joined high school debate team, he was well aware of the various connotations that the phrase “Debate Team” often held (a bunch of socially awkward kids that spent early mornings arguing with one another). Luckily for me, I didn’t find a need to validate my decisions based on the judgment of others; however, many students nowadays do feel social pressure from their peers. This influence can often lead them to avoid certain clubs and organizations without considering whether or not they would be a good fit. Speech and Debate are often two of those activities that are mislabeled due to a social perception that vastly underscores the relevancy and necessity of the skills students take away from them.

REFERENCE  Allen, mike, Sandra berkowitz, steve hunt, and allan louden, “A meta-analysis of the impact of forensics and communication education on critical thinking,” communication education 48, January, 1999.  Bellon, J. (2000). A research based justification for debate across the curriculum. Argumentation and advocacy, 36(3), 161-176.  Carrol, R.C. (2007, February). Forensic participation as gifted and talented education. Rostrum, 81(6), 31, 34-36  Infant, D.A., & wigley, C.D., III. (1986). Verbal aggressiveness; an inter-personal model and measure. Communication monographs; 53,61-69.  Billman, J. & christiensen, H. (2008). [ short survey responses from NFL alumni]. Unpublished raw data.  Carr, J.E. (2002, January).  Luong, M. (2002, November)  Colbert, kent and Thompson Biggers, (1985).  Windes, Jr., russel R. “Competitive debating; the speech program, the individual, and society.” The speech teacher 9 (1960); 99-108

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