School debating revival: the antidote to echo chambers and social media ‘likes’

It’s the era of intellectual tribalism, echo chambers and opinions driven by the Pavlovian response to social media “likes”. So how do you nurture independent thinking in the young minds of the iGeneration?

Go back to the future – and the age of enlightenment’s favourite social pastime: debating. Progressive schools are using the art of debate as a way to show students the value of logic, critical analysis and free thought; how to challenge world views and learn to disagree, agreeably.

As a result, they’re reaping the educational rewards; those who excel tend to go into careers in law, sociology, politics and journalism.

Debating isn’t just about discourse – the competitive element makes it a dynamic mental sport that brings in other skills such as public speaking, rhetoric and team work. It’s a battle of the minds, with added performance and a dash of diplomacy.

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There are several national contests at second level to keep up the rivalry; many are reporting increased numbers of participants. They range from the Concern Debates, which have attracted 50,000 students in its 33-year history, to the prestigious Matheson Junior Debating National Mace.

On a global scale, there's the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD), run by Oxford and Cambridge; and the Department of Education sponsors an Irish team to take part in the World School Debating Championships, which will be held this year in Sri Lanka.

The Irish Times debate is the leading competition at third level; former winners include comedian Dara Ó Briain, writer Gerry Stembridge and broadcaster Marian Finucane, as well as several students who went on to forge top legal careers such as Adrian Hardiman, Rossa Fanning, Eoin McCullough and Dermot Gleeson.

Tactics

So what makes a successful debater? What are the key tactics that can help win over an audience – or more importantly, the adjudicator?

Debate is described as: “conversation between two groups that disagree, but with each trying to convince the adjudicator of the correctness of their position, and the irrationality of their opponents.”

With that in mind, the main focus is on making a solidly-researched, convincing position, presented in an engaging way, and having a sharp ear to spot flaws to pick holes in from the other side, in a process that is known in debating as “active listening” to refute and rebut the other team’s argument.

University College Dublin politics student Juliette Barnes, a champion debater who has won dozens of titles, says a good debater is not afraid to make mistakes publicly.

Barnes (22), who represented UCD's Literary and Historical Society at both the World and European University Debating Championships, says: "You only learn to get it right after getting it very wrong. The results are announced to the room – if you lose, you have to be strong enough to go and shake everyone's hand afterwards."

She said she took up debating to face her “crippling fear of public speaking” and it worked.

“Vocabulary is very important – you don’t want to get stuck in a moment for that one word. Being articulate is vital when you only have a few minutes to make your case in a concise way.”

No googling

The most popular form of debating, British Parliamentary Style – or mace – is impromptu, and teams only get the motion 15-20 minutes before the debate, with no googling allowed.

It means you could find yourself arguing for topics as diverse as why this house says Nike was right to support Colin Kaepernick or how the United Nations has become irrelevant.

“Be very well-read,” advises Barnes. “You can’t guess what will come up, but there are general themes to cover like social justice, law, politics, economics, art, religion and history. Keep up with current affairs and news.”

If you’re doing schools debating and have a week to prepare: “Know the topic well, study it, write it.”

Be compromising, she says: “Come as close to the middle ground, but still come down on your side. Move away from the uncompromising perspective. Make your point, but still try appeal to everyone. A good debate is like a game of tennis. Do you accept this? Where do we draw the line? It’s about convincing the adjudicator the line is drawn more fairly on your side. Be careful to identify boundaries and know how to justify them.”

Matthew Harrison is an English teacher at Coláiste Iognáid in Galway who is passionate about debating. With his guidance, the school's debating society has got to the Matheson finals, and members have made it on to the Irish team for the ICYD debate in Oxford.

Mindset

Harrison says of debating: “It creates one of the few places in school where students are rewarded for thinking for themselves; [Debates] buck rote learning, ban formulas – debating feeds the verbally dexterous and the philosopher, the politician and the reformer.

“It fosters a mindset that there are two sides to every story. It encourages participants to have an open mind and to listen. It provides a competitive and combative activity away from the sports field.”

Teachers who would like to strengthen debating in their school should debate regularly, encourage free speech, and compete.

Coláiste Iognáid has 90-minute meetings once a week after school where attendees can choose to be in the audience or be a speaker. They hold pre-announced debates, to encourage research and impromptu ones, to foster quick thinking.

It’s also the perfect discipline for those students who might find the curriculum limiting, or who could benefit from harnessing a rebellious streak in a positive way.

Says Harrison: “Brilliant minds can lack confidence if they don’t fit into a box. With debating, you’re forced to go against accepted wisdom – it’s all about upsetting the status quo.”

The secrets of debating success

Wining debates requires a mix of skills; interpersonal, intellectual, tactical. But remember, charm, professionalism and good manners are equally as important in the debating hall.

1. Be confident: always act like you're winning, even if you're not. Being well-researched and prepared before the debate will help boost confidence, as will dressing suitably.

2. Rhetoric is a good thing: the art of persuasive speaking is the secret to debating success. Feel free to include humour, draw in the audience, and present facts in an interesting way. Integrate, don't isolate.

3. Respect the discipline: practice self-control and don't take anything personally. Snide remarks will mean docked points, and if you get angry, you lose.

4. Speak in a clear voice and pace yourself: practice at home if you feel your delivery needs work. Think comparatively to pre-empt attacks from the other side.

5. Expand your vocabulary: verbal dexterity is a key skill in debating.

6. Refer to evidence: use relevant reports, statistics and facts and figures to bolster your argument. Ensure they come from well-established sources. Memorise as much as you can.

7. Think as if you were the adjudicator: the only person whose opinion matters at the end of the round is theirs, not yours.

8. Have a point of reassurance: whether it's a friend in the crowd or your team-mate, someone showing support as you speak can be helpful. Seeing a nodding head or a smile is encouragement that you are doing well and helps you to continue.

9. Listen: keep an ear out for points your want to answer, weaknesses in your opponent's logic to highlight.

10. Leave an impact: finish off with a key question or something for the audience to think about at the end.

11. Give yourself plenty of time: don't cram. Try to get plenty of sleep the night before and above all, enjoy it!