By Ajay Gundlapalli
Public speaking anxiety, or glossophobia, is a fear that plagues individuals worldwide. Debate is a powerful activity that can turn public speaking from a fear into a strength. Debate clubs, despite being well-known, deserve recognition for the positive impact they have on students. This article delves into the educational, social, and leadership aspects of debate clubs, emphasizing why they should be expanded and embraced.
A Journey to Debate Club
The journey to establishing a debate club at my middle school began with a simple observation — the interest in debate among my friends and classmates. Recognizing that there was no platform for them to explore this interest, I decided to take action. I asked an assistant principal to approve my idea for a debate club. I gathered twenty students who were willing to sign up for the club and we signed our names becoming the first members of the Admiral Forensics debate club. After obtaining the necessary approvals, our debate club came into being. We now meet every Monday and Wednesday during lunch in a classroom generously provided by a teacher. There are three main reasons why I believe this club is crucial: its educational value, its social benefits, and the leadership and responsibility it instills in the students.
Unlocking Educational Horizons
Debate, as we all know, is an educational powerhouse. It delves into topics like current events and foreign policies, offering students an opportunity to expand their knowledge. Personally, I’ve learned an array of facts and information through debate, ranging from high-speed rail to help speed up mass transportation to Arctic militarization. Furthermore, participation in debate improves confidence, spurs creativity,and increases critical thinking skills to prepare students for the workplace, says the National Speech and Debate Association. My friends and I have been enlightened by the wealth of knowledge that debate has exposed us to. Additionally, several members in our club have found that debate’s influence extends beyond our meetings. It has helped them excel in research projects by honing their research skills and critical thinking abilities, emphasizing the significance of factual evidence and statistics to support arguments.
Fostering Social Bonds
When the members of our debate club first came together, many did not know each other. In fact, I, as the club’s founder, was responsible for inviting several of them. This diverse group of individuals quickly formed strong bonds. Within a week of a new participant joining the club, he or she was embraced warmly, welcomed into our conversations, and shared laughter with us. Debate club became a hub of camaraderie, where people with varying backgrounds and interests found common ground and exchanged ideas and experiences, learning from each other. It served as a catalyst for forming meaningful friendships and connections that extended beyond our club meetings.
Cultivating Leadership and Responsibility
The inception of our debate club required significant effort and responsibility on our part. Many of my friends who shared the vision of the club worked tirelessly to gather signatures, showing the school administration that there was genuine interest in starting a debate club. After securing the necessary approvals, we had to actively promote the club throughout the school. Even after we attracted more members, our responsibilities continued. We were tasked with deciding on topics and working on persuasive and rhetorical skills to ensure the club remained organized and productive.
In conclusion, debate is a powerful activity that gives students tools that will help them succeed throughout their life. Many neglect getting better at public speaking because they believe they will never have to do it. This belief is very wrong. Knowing the fundamentals of public speaking who will help you in conversations and lead you to make better impressions on other people. Thus, I would urge any student to take a chance and join their school’s debate club. If your school doesn’t have one, take the initiative and start one.
Ajay Gundlapalli is an eighth-grader at Nimitz Middle School.
