Whether it be United States presidential debates or casual debates with friends, debating is no stranger to us at all. But what exactly is debate? Is it just arguing relentlessly with someone who disagrees with you?

Well to start with, in a nutshell, when people engage in a debate, there will be a discussion based on one topic that there are opposite takes on. A debate is friendly and logical, as each side brings forward arguments as well as evidence and analysis to support their stance.

Knowing what debate is, this begs the question-why should we debate?

1. Developing useful skill sets

Well first and foremost, it helps you develop skill sets that will be incredibly useful no matter which field you choose to eventually go into. As a debater, you will learn to think critically as you are required to think about topics from a variety of angles, finding reasons for why someone would agree or disagree on a topic. Since the judge and the opposing team will not have your script, this means you also have to be a very clear communicator, being able to present your points in an articulated way so that everyone can understand what you are trying to say. You will also become a much more persuasive person, as you learn to find research to support your points and also how to take a point from a single sentence to a whole paragraph with supporting analysis.

What all of the above means is that you will be able to think critically, communicate clearly, and argue persuasively. No matter what you choose to do in the future, these skill sets are essential in fostering better cooperation and being able to sell your proposed ideas with either colleagues or collaborators. For example, if you are working with colleagues to propose a fund-raising scheme, you want to be able to collaborate with your colleagues better and be able to articulate your ideas in a clear manner.

2. An amazing community

Secondly, doing competitive debating means an amazing community of friends that you learn to cooperate with as well. Debating is not a solo activity, and no matter the format adopted throughout the world, you will always find yourself with at least a teammate. Through debating, you learn to cooperate with people-you communicate with your teammate how a certain topic should be tackled, you each contribute your own ideas onto the case, you discuss how the points should be allocated between the speakers in order to play into everyone’s strengths.

Not only do you build a relationship with potentially long-lasting friends, this sense of community is enhanced as you go into different competitions and win awards for it. Most debaters reflect on their debating career and find happiness in their experiences either winning or losing competitions with friends that they are close with.

Debating not only helps you develop important skills to aid in your future life, but it also fosters an amazing community that you learn to communicate with and build a relationship with. Not to mention obviously, the glory and usefulness of any awards you might win on a CV when it comes to applying for universities. Regardless, the reasons why you should debate goes beyond just winning or losing, it’s about being able to respond calmly and in detail when asked impromptu questions, it’s about being able to point out why someone might not be entirely correct, it’s about being able to form a strong case with teammates and be persuasive.

LTDO Debate Format -- Simplified World Schools Format

Format and Schedule:

•           Event Timing:

◦           Sparring sessions are hosted every Friday evening from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

•           Competition Structure:

◦           Organized as team debates: 3 vs. 3 format.

◦           Pilot trial includes a total cap of 8 rooms accommodating 48 students.

◦           Engagement of 12 judges from international locations for scoring and feedback.

Competition Details:

◦           Motion Preparation:

▪           Topics/motions released 2 weeks in advance.

◦           Pre-Round and Round Mechanics:

▪           15 minutes of preparation time immediately prior to each round.

▪           Each round includes:

▪           A 30‑minute debate session.

▪           Followed by a 5‑minute break.

▪           Concluding with a 10‑minute OA (Open Analysis) period.

◦           Team Dynamics:

▪           Teams remain the same across the two rounds (one round on the Affirmative side and one round on the Opposition side).

Performance and Metrics:

◦           Scoring System:

▪           Accumulate total wins and speaker scores on a monthly basis.

▪           Scrogin on a 50-100 Scale

◦           Leaderboards and Badges:

▪           Real-time public leaderboard available for all participants.

▪           Badge systems implemented for both debaters and judges to recognize performance and milestones.

◦           Registration & Participation:

▪           Debaters register individually.

▪           Entry fee required to participate.

▪           A rotational cycle is proposed: one month of active competition, followed by a one-month break for processing and awarding certificates.

Rules

◦           No draws

▪           If at the end of a 3 vs. 3 match, the total speaker scores for both sides are equal, judges will adjust ±1 point on a borderline speech.

◦           Ironperson rules

▪           If a team is missing a speaker (e.g., an emergency or no-show), they can proceed under an “Ironperson” approach:

●      A single speaker may deliver two speeches, or the 1st and 2nd speaker might cover the 3rd.

●      The event organizers decide if there’s any penalty or if it’s fully allowed.

●      How do you crack a motion?

To start with, what is a motion? Well a motion is basically the topic in a debate, usually a statement that asks you to either or disagree with. For instance, a motion can be ‘TH would ban the poor from gambling’. TH refers to This House would which just means whichever debater is speaking. Under this motion, the team that agrees would be arguing for enforcing the ban and the team that disagrees would be arguing against such a ban.

1. Definitions

The first step would be definitions. Defining keywords in a debate is important because it sets down the scope in which everyone is discussing. For instance, taking the above motion as example, if there is not a clear definition on what ‘the poor’ means, then one team could be talking about those who are under the poverty line while the other team could be talking about those who are below middle-upper class.

Because of the difference in definitions, the arguments would become very different and therefore hard to compare and hard to judge. Other words in the motion that would need defining would also include words like ‘gambling’, does this mean official gambling like in a casino? Or would private gambling through mahjong with your friends in your own home also count?

2. Status quo, problems and solutions

The second step would be to understand what the status quo is currently and what the problems and potential solutions surrounding the debate is. Status quo refers to the current situation. Going back to the example motion, what is the situation surrounding gambling for the poor right now? Are people getting poorer because of gambling? Are gambling centres taking advantage of the poor to get them addicted to gambling?

Looking at these questions, we then can identify what problems there are. The poor might be taken advantage of by gambling centres who then work on getting them as addicted to gambling as possible. The poor gambling probably would not help them gain more wealth and thus a better standard of living. A potential solution then might be to ban the poor from gambling, or maybe it is to educate them better on the risks of gambling.

3. Stakeholder analysis

The third step would then be to do a stakeholder analysis. Stakeholders refer to people who are directly impacted by the motion. Examples from the motion on gambling would be the poor, gambling businesses and the government. If the ban is enforced, it would impact the poor’s ability to gamble, and this would affect how much business gambling centres can attract, as well as extra resources they would need to spend to make sure the poor don't gamble there. For the government, if the ban is enforced resources would have to be spent to make sure it works and if the ban is not enforced perhaps the government would suffer low productivity from the poor. Knowing what each stakeholder wants and how that can be achieved helps us think of arguments either supporting or disagreeing with the motion.

Overall, the ways to crack a motion are simple. Start by defining keywords so that there is a clear scope of the debate, then move on to understanding the status quo and potential problems and solutions, and finally do a stakeholder analysis and see what each would have to say about the motion.

The basis of a debate are your arguments. Your arguments are what’s going to best push for your case, and they are the basis of how you are going to defend your case against your opponents. The question is, how do we form arguments?

After you analyse your motion through definitions, status quo and stakeholder analysis which helps you gain a better understanding of what the main issues are, there is one main guiding principle on how to form arguments-impact.

What is impact? Impact is the key answer to why this motion matters in the first place and why then subsequently your arguments should be taken into account. Think about, whatever side you are from, what will actually happen if the motion becomes or continues to be true? For instance, how will people actually be affected if the poor are indeed banned from gambling?

The first major impact would be that the poor will not be able to gamble which will cause several things. This means that they will be able to escape the negative effects of gambling that are extremely harmful to their socio-economic status, i.e. risking losing even more of their already limited resources, or it means they will continue to seek out illegal and dangerous means of gambling since gambling is extremely addictive.

If you are someone who supports the ban, then your main argument can be derived from the former impact-that the ban is needed because it avoids the detrimental impacts gambling has on the poor, and allows the poor to potentially have a better chance at improving their quality of life. On the other hand, if you are someone who is against the ban, then your main argument can focus on the latter impact-that if the ban is implemented, it is extra harmful for the poor to then seek out illegal means of gambling because illegal gambling centres are often exploitative and dangerous.

Impacts matter in arguments because they show the judges why your arguments matter. If your arguments or your side does not cause a significant impact and actually affect people, why should anyone care about what you are campaigning for? If whether or not the ban is enforced on gambling for the poor does not make an impact anyways, why does it matter whether or not the ban is enforced? It is only when this motion and your arguments affect society do we start to understand why your side is the correct side.

To summarise, an easy way to form arguments is to base it off of impacts. Ask yourself, what would happen if either side comes true? Why would it matter if either side comes true? Lead with your impacts, and you will be able to have your preliminary arguments. Use that to then expand your arguments with elaboration.

Rebuttals are probably what comes up in most people’s minds when they think of debate-a passionate speech about why your opponents are absolutely wrong and why their points do not stand at all. It is certainly an exciting part of debate, but how do we actually do this? How do we actually convince the judge that your opponents’ wrong?

There are two angles that we can use to ask ourselves why our opponents’ arguments might be wrong-reasoning and impact.

1. Reasoning

What this means is looking carefully at how they explain why their arguments are true or why the impacts they are claiming will happen. If you can prove that the reasons behind are untrue or not accurate, then it automatically leads that this argument likely is not actually true and does not stand. Let’s say a team supporting banning the poor from gambling says that financial protection will be offered to the ban since it can prevent those who are already facing financial hardships to avoid going into deeper ends. Their reasoning behind this will be that when gambling is banned to the poor, they will necessarily abide by it.

This is where you can point out that this reasoning is faulty-countless cases in law enforcement has shown that people are not perfectly obedient beings and they often find ways to avoid complying with the rules. For instance, during the prohibition period in the United States where alcohol is banned, lots of Americans nevertheless secretly bought booze and there were definitely underground booze businesses. Therefore, the reasoning behind the poor enjoying financial protection is false and thus this argument is wrong.

2. Impact

When your opponents present arguments, usually it leads to something, meaning that there is an impact that comes with the argument. The impacts are either good or bad, therefore making it either necessary to support or be against the motion. Again, consider an argument that claims instead of banning the poor from gambling, the government should instead educate them on the harms of gambling and how avoiding it may give them more financial security. Therefore, the impact is that now the poor will be able to not only avoid gambling on their own, but also be able to better manage their finances.

To raise a rebuttal, one possible approach is to question whether such an impact will actually happen. Is government education truly enough to make the poor willingly avoid gambling? Do we have sufficient proof or past examples that these education schemes actually work in improving their living conditions? If not, then your rebuttal will be that this argument is wrong because it falsely presents its impacts-it is unlikely that the poor will be able to actually benefit from such government schemes, and therefore the impacts do not stand.

To summarise, there are two ways you can approach rebuttals. Think about why your opponents claim their argument is true, and what impacts they are associating with it, and explore in your mind why either of those might be wrong or might not represent the whole truth. Go ahead and use these skills to beat your opponents!

Impromptu debates are both exciting and scary, and often it begs the question-how do I prepare? Impromptu means that I am not allowed to prepare ahead of time, and for instance under the British Parliamentary format I would only have about 15 minutes to prepare for a 7 minute speech. How am I supposed to establish a good case and debate within such a short time? Fear not, here are several steps you can use to most effectively prepare:

1. Go through the basics

When you first hear the motion, the first thing you should do is lay down anything that speeches usually include-the basics. That includes things such as characterisation, status quo, definitions, models etc. Often times it is hard to immediately come up with a very established argument or case, and so to avoid wasting your preparation time on just wandering around, focus on going through the basics will help your speech and is also easy to do. Another reason why you should go through these elements is because they help you start brainstorming for arguments.

For instance, on the motion ‘TH would ban the poor from gambling’, you can immediately start characterising gambling: addictive and often not lucrative which can lead to an argument about how the ban can protect the poor from the negative qualities that gambling has. Knowing that this is a motion about a ban, you can also start thinking about a model first, and you can use that model to then form an argument, such as the fact that even if a ban is not 100% effective, it is still able to deter most of the poor from gambling.

2. Lay down arguments

Once you have the basics down, it is time to establish your arguments. Two main arguments should be the basis of your teams’ case, preferably a positive case and a negative case. What that means is that one argument can focus on the benefits of your side and one can focus on the harms of the other side. An example would be one argument being the benefits of banning the poor from gambling and the other on how harmful it would be if the ban is not implemented.

Think about the positive impacts your side would have and the negative impacts the other side has. When you have your arguments down, you can get started on elaborating them so that it is convincing. While you are doing so, you can also try imagining what the other side might say against your arguments and mentally prepare responses.

3. Calm down

There will be a universal 50–100 scale for individual speaker points. Judges adjudicate by considering the following:

1.        Content (40%)

●      The logic, evidence, and relevance of arguments.

●      Includes the depth of analysis, clarity of points, and direct engagement with the motion’s core issues (clash).

2.        Style (30%)

●      The persuasive presentation (tone, pacing, emphasis, and audience engagement).

●      Clarity and coherence in speech flow, effective signposting, and rhetorical flair if appropriate.

3.        Strategy (30%)

●      Role fulfillment: e.g., how well a 1st speaker sets up definitions or how a 3rd speaker crystallizes the debate.

●      Time usage: prioritizing major clashes, addressing important opponent points, avoiding irrelevancies.

●      Responsiveness: good rebuttals, sensible focus on the most critical argumentsThere will be a universal 50–100 scale for individual speaker points. Judges adjudicate by considering the following:

1.        Content (40%)

●      The logic, evidence, and relevance of arguments.

●      Includes the depth of analysis, clarity of points, and direct engagement with the motion’s core issues (clash).

2.        Style (30%)

●      The persuasive presentation (tone, pacing, emphasis, and audience engagement).

●      Clarity and coherence in speech flow, effective signposting, and rhetorical flair if appropriate.

3.        Strategy (30%)

●      Role fulfillment: e.g., how well a 1st speaker sets up definitions or how a 3rd speaker crystallizes the debate.

●      Time usage: prioritizing major clashes, addressing important opponent points, avoiding irrelevancies.

●      Responsiveness: good rebuttals, sensible focus on the most critical arguments

You’re all prepared and you are ready to tackle the exciting world of debating! Before you go into your first competition, here are some final tips for debaters.

1. Don’t appear nervous

Wait a moment before you ask if it is ever possible to not be nervous for a debate competition and the answer is no, no it is not. Even the most seasoned and accomplished debaters will necessarily feel nervous before going on stage and that is okay. This tip is not to ask you to become an emotionless robot who is not afraid of anything. What this tip is saying is to not appear so. Try not to stutter as much, and look confident. Look at the judges and your opponents firmly, and don’t hesitate during your speech.

If you yourself don’t seem to buy and believe in your own arguments, how do you expect the judge to do so? Confidence does affect how people view your arguments, and a confident speaker will always be able to deliver their arguments way more convincingly than a nervous speaker. Remember that everyone in that room is going to necessarily be equally nervous.

2. Be flexible

One key thing to remember about debate is that nobody has your script. Your judge does not know ahead of time what you planned to say, nor does your opponent. What they will hear and note down about your speech is solely based on what you actually say in your speech, and not any prior notes you made. This is not to say that you should completely abandon everything you have already written, but what this means is that you have the ability to be flexible, and you are absolutely encouraged to be flexible.

If a really good point suddenly occurs to you during your speech, include it. If you suddenly realised one of your arguments has already been taken down by the other team, don’t include it. Your ability to respond and adjust your speech on-the-spot shows your adaptability and is an extremely useful skill in debate.

3. Don’t take wins or losses to heart

You have probably heard this a million times, but that is only because it is such an important principle to emphasise. Especially in debate, oftentimes teams only lose by a very small margin or by luck. If you lose, don’t take it too seriously, and remember that this is not an absolute indicator of your ability. It is very likely that you lost only because you scarcely missed a point mentioned by the other team and therefore was unable to take it down, or because you forgot to mention that one detail that can make your argument much more solid.

On the other hand, if you win, remember to not be too prideful and remember that there are always places where you can improve. Perhaps there was a part of your case that could actually have been taken down by the other team and so it is important to recognize that and strengthen your debate accordingly. Everyone, no matter victors or losers, has something to learn from the debate. Remember that at the end of the day this is just a competition, and it is important to have good competitive sportsmanship with the other teams.

1. Do I need to be good in English to compete in English debating?

If your question is asking whether or not you need a good basic level of English, as in proper grammar and ability to express yourself in a way that is understandable, then yes you need to be good in English to compete in well, English, debating. However, if your question is asking whether or not you need an absolutely fluent level in English, as in knowing complicated vocabularies and sentence structures, or having an American or British accent, then no you don’t need to be good in English.

While it can be good to know fancy words and sentence structures, it is not necessary, and they often don’t actually do a lot in helping you build a more convincing case. Certainly, some can be useful, but at the end of the day what matters is that the judges can understand and be convinced by you, which does not require complicated grammar at all. In fact, often the simplest messages are what makes the greatest impacts. Moreover, when judges are judging, they are not supposed to take into account your accent, so as to be fair to everyone.

At the end of the day, if your goal is to be better in English, then I say practice makes perfect. If you block yourself from participating in English Debate because you are not ‘good’ in English, then how are you ever going to be better in it?

2. How can I improve in English Debating?

There are several ways you can improve in English Debating. One good daily practice that should not take up a lot of time is to not just read news, but think critically about them. More often than not news covers issues that different people have different opinions about. Let’s say you see a news article talking about BTS members going into military service and fans being distraught by it. This gives you a chance to consider why someone would be against these stars enlisting. Is it simply a fan’s love, or are there valid economical or cultural reasons behind it? Whenever you’re riding in a train or a bus, take some time to think about news you might see on the MTR screen.

Another way you can improve is by listening to really good speeches. If you search on youtube for Worlds Schools Debate Competition, you will see videos from past competitions, such as those from multiple grand finals. Listening to these speeches can be extremely helpful-look out for what kind of strategies these speakers employ, how they structure their arguments, what they use to strengthen them, how they respond to POIs etc. See if you can note down skills they use and try to learn them. You can also prepare for the motion yourself, and draft out a speech. Compare your speech to theirs and see where you might be able to do better.

3. How can I compete in English Debating in Hong Kong?

If you want to compete in Hong Kong so that you can hone your skills with other competitors and receive feedback from judges, then Lumitalk Debate Open is a great choice. LumiTalk Debate Open offers sparring sessions and team debates and partnered  with international judges providing feedback and scoring, will most definitely be able to help you improve your debating skills.