just wandering around the net, I came across an interesting site.<http://travisherche.com/2014/02/07/guest-post-top-5-things-i-had-to-unlearn-after-debate/> It was all about technique. Technique is a good thing, right? They had a guest speaker section and I happened upon this girl's debate advice and I thought I'd pass it on to y'all. Something about her message really pisses me off and makes me want to debate her like mad. Guess what it is and win a prize.
And for bonus points, tell me how this relates to the MoQ and Quality; in thought and expression. ----- I hadn't been warned about how many habits I had to unlearn after I graduated from high school and speech and debate competition, though. This list can also be read as top strategies for debaters if you're still competing, because within competition, they work great. In fact, they're not bad things, because they're helping you learn and grow as a debater. Here's a few of the more dramatic ones: 1. Never concede an argument. Some debaters read this title and immediately discredited me: of course it's okay to concede an argument, especially if it helps you win the round! No, I'm talking about losing the whole round. Proverbially, because rounds don't exist in real life. When I started having conversations with fellow students in college, going deeper spiritually than my Apologetics cards could ever take me, and discussing controversial topics, I realized I couldn't admit when a point was a good one. Until I learned to be honest and allow some give-and-take into my conversations (that is, I was making it an option that I was wrong), people grew very frustrated with me. The reason we don't forfeit our debate rounds while we're competing is because it ruins the whole experience. There are times to learn to defend your case, and arguing both sides of an issue will help you to find out when. Build on that knowledge outside the round, and concede points in conversation. 2. Never ask questions you don't know the answer to. If you plan on being a lawyer, this advice for cross-examination will carry well into your life experience beyond high school. For the rest of us, though, this strategy will make it very difficult to make any friends. It was an excellent strategy for constructing questions for CX, and I once coached a student to win her next tournament after one coaching session emphasizing CX. I struggled with this when I started college, because I was often afraid of being caught off-guard. One of my journalism instructors gave me a new strategy, one I used to build upon my past experience: embrace ignorance, because it helps you learn to ask all the most interesting questions. Even lawyers and debaters have to admit to not knowing a detail of the case while they're preparing. The difference, I found, was every conversation and interview I had could be full of questions I didn't know the answer to. It satisfied my curiosity and gave me many more interesting stories. 3. Convince the judge, not your opponent. I didn't realize how much of a habit I'd made this until I started volunteering for Justice For All during my second year of college. Convincing the audience is a fantastic base strategy, and I still use it when I'm conducting an online discussion. Bill Nye was well aware of his additional online audience in his recent debate with Ken Ham because he knew this tactic. There are times, however, to convince the individual. This takes a completely different set of skills, some of them entirely reversed. It involves genuine listening, a demeanor that makes the person you're trying to convince feel smart and loved, and of communicating so there's no misunderstanding. Learning to convince people to reconsider controversial issues one-on-one was an entirely different challenge compared to convincing a judge or audience, but I had to unlearn it. This gave me two different skills, and helped me grow as a persuasive communicator. 4. Listen calculatively. This one is a necessity in successful debate. Before I got anywhere near running from one end of the room to the other to pick up five or six trophies at one tournament, I had to develop the skill of doing a half-dozen things at once. I had to listen, think about what I was going to say next, write down each point in an organized manner, dig through my evidence binders, and stay conscious of the time I had left. This was such a strong habit once I got out of high school, I realized how many people without speech and debate background are also calculative listeners. A majority of people are waiting for the other person to stop talking so they can say something. Learning to listen, and just hear what the other person was saying as a story, or expression, or shared observation, made me more appreciative of the people around me. I needed this skill to develop quick thinking, so I certainly recommend it, but I needed to learn to listen with sincerity instead of thinking ahead. 5. Value polished appearance over honesty. Vulnerability is being consistently proven in psychological studies to be seen as courageous and necessary to developing healthy relationships. Speech and debate taught me to be aware I was always being watched. Early in my debate training, I remember being warned about parking-lot judges. If I snapped at a sibling when we arrived in our van on the morning of the first day, someone who would judge me later might see me and have a bias against me before the round began. This was good advice because nobody should be snapping at their siblings anyway, but I had to learn that appearances weren't everything. When I graduated, I realized how much more impactful it was to be vulnerable about my own failures and doubts. Polished appearance has its place and is a skill I call upon every time I get out my old suit for a job interview. I needed to unlearn it as I got older. Now, for the people who have been out of speech and debate for a while, as I have, but haven't unlearned the above five strategies, I have something to say: Grow up. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
