Success In Debating and Business

Success In Debating and Business

Over the last few weeks we discussed a method for teaching debate to English learners. Debate is a valuable way to practice communicating. It can also bring long-lasting rewards outside the classroom, especially for people working with Western businesses.

Communicating Western-style

The main activity of debate is presenting one's opinion and supporting it with evidence, such as statistics¹ or facts. It is a way of persuasive² communication – of making someone believe what you are saying.

Charles Lebeau helped create the "Discover Debate" method. He says debate is important to understanding how people communicate in Western business. Successful debaters learn how to give their opinion, reasons and support.

"What we are trying to do is to develop a kind of thinking or approach to discussion and how to interact³ with someone else’s opinion, rather than brush their opinion aside and say, “well yes, but this is what I think."

Debate skills are also important in selling a product, he says. In that situation, the judges are the customers.

"So on Monday, for example, one company may come in and present their case to the customer and they'll make as strong a case as they can. On Tuesday, the next day, another company will come in and present their case to the customer. Usually the party that can present the strongest case wins."

He adds that people use persuasive communication in meetings, too. Three or four people may present ideas. Then, they attack or support each other's arguments.

"I think this way of approaching presenting opinions and responding to opinions, is very important for English speaking. In Japan, we don't really do that, we don't respond to a person point by point. In English-style meetings, we do do that and Japanese participants need to do that in an English style meeting in order to be successful."

Critical thinking

Debate also strengthens critical thinking. In other words, it helps students learn to ask questions and try to understand someone's reasons and evidence.

Mr. Lebeau points out that successful debaters learn to listen carefully to what other people are saying. Then, they look for the weak points in someone else's opinion or argument. He says debate teaches a systematic⁴ way of questioning.

Broadening⁶ one's perspective

Successful debaters also learn to think from someone else's point of view. Mr. Lebeau says debate can help broaden⁵ the mind.

"There's an expression in English: don't criticize another person before you have walked in their shoes. I think the wonderful thing about debate is, it puts us in another person's shoes."

For example, students in a debate might argue the topic "soccer is a better sport than baseball." A student may have to argue in favor of soccer, even if he or she does not really think soccer is better than baseball. But the student will have to explain why soccer is an interesting sport and present the viewpoint of soccer fans. The exercise will offer a way of thinking the student may not have normally had.

Debate can improve one's thinking and language so much that it brings benefits to a student's life and career. Professor Lebeau tells a story about teaching debate to new employees at Toshiba. One young woman came up and asked, "Do you remember me?" She had been his student in a Debate and Presentation class at her university. She said the class improved her English skills so much that she had been able to get a good job in the company. 

She is living evidence of the benefits of learning to debate.

Words in This Story

persuasive - adj. able to cause people to do or believe something; able to persuade people

critical thinking - n. analyzing⁷ and evaluating an issue in order to form a judgment⁸

broaden - v. to make something wider or more general

1 statistics   

n.统计，统计数字，统计学

参考例句：

• We have statistics for the last year.我们有去年的统计资料。
• Statistics is taught in many colleges.许多大学都教授统计学。

2 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

3 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。

4 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

5 broaden   

v.放宽，变宽，扩大

参考例句：

• We broaden in experiences by traveling.旅行增长我们的经验。
• Let's broaden out the discussion to talk about education as a whole.我们来扩大一下讨论范围，全面谈谈教育问题。

6 broadening   

加宽

参考例句：

• Traveling with the bands was a broadening experience for the musicians, who were usually self- taught. 和这些乐队一起旅行使那些平素全靠自学的乐师们开阔了眼界。
• This variety of controls contributed to a broadening use of the toolbar. 这种控件变体扩展了工具栏的用途。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。