By: Aarav Maitra '31
Hundreds of thousands of students participate in policy debates every year; however, it may come as a surprise for many people because such activity does not get nearly enough publicity. During a policy debate, two teams defend opposing positions on a certain topic that comes from the official government resolution. As for this year, the topic is whether the U.S. federal government should explore or develop the Arctic region. Policy debate can be an exciting experience for students since this activity helps them hone various skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and public speaking. Moreover, in many cases, policy debate becomes one of the highlights in a student's academic life.
The structure of the debate. If you have not witnessed a debate, it is quite hard to picture how it takes place, especially at the beginning. At the very start, the affirmative team presents the case through the 1AC or the First Affirmative Constructive. Next, the negative team delivers a rebuttal with the 1NC (First Negative Constructive). Finally, the second part of the affirmative's argumentation is presented by means of the 2AC (Second Affirmative Constructive), and so forth. As one could guess, it is quite an intense process for all those who take part in a debate. One needs to think fast and speak faster. Debaters have to organize themselves spontaneously and provide arguments on the spot. Gradually, debaters develop the ability to cope with pressure and remain calm despite all the attacks made from the opponent's side. This skill proves to be helpful not only when debating but also during presentations, group projects, or even ordinary discussions.
It is worth mentioning another skill that debaters acquire while taking part in the activity – collaboration. In order to be effective in debates, participants have to brainstorm together, discuss strategies, research information, divide tasks, and much more. Collaboration helps debaters develop important social skills, including good communication and leadership.
Conclusion... debating is basically training children to argue extremely well. So, in case you ever wanted to argue about whether the Wi-Fi connection is slow or pineapple should go on pizza, you might lose because these children know how to pick apart an argument, counter it, and respond before you even realize what happened—while still smiling and looking nice in front of the judge. Yes, debaters learn how to be confident, work together, and think critically. But let’s admit it: they’re just really good at proving other people wrong.