Healthy competition can encourage kids to strive beyond their regular abilities and reach toward producing the best work they can give. When students are challenged to compete against each other or themselves, they often become more inquisitive and interested in performing in-depth research. Competition can even encourage students to team up with each other!
That’s why an increasing number of parents are enrolling their children in speech and debate classes. The skills they learn during classes and competitions can prepare them for college and beyond. Learn more about the numerous benefits of speech and debate in our latest article now.
How Do Speech and Debate Competitions Work?
Learn How Numerous Benefits of Speech and Debate Flourish in Competition
Speech and debate competitions challenge students and teams to argue for a particular side of a debate. For instance, students might have to debate whether or not civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified. In another competition, they could debate whether or not the death penalty should be abolished.
If you have never been to a speech and debate competition before, you are in for a treat. During a competition, two students or separate sets of teams must argue different sides of an issue. As they argue their respective points, a team of judges will rate their abilities to determine which team is the winner of the debate.
Debate competitions can follow a variety of forms, including:
- Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Competition during which two debaters must argue either for or against a resolution that was selected by the National Forensics League
- Public Forum Debate: Common form of high school debate competition in the U.S. where individuals or teams give short speeches that advocate or reject a position; these speeches are interspersed with crossfire questions where opposing teams can direct numerous questions toward each other
- Original Oratory: Students write a 10-minute speech ahead of time arguing for or against a particular point
- Duo Interpretation: Two students analyze a passage from a play or story before delivering a 10-minute performance based upon it
As you can see here, there are competitions suitable for debaters of all skill levels and varying strengths. The more time your student spends practicing and preparing for these events, the greater their confidence will grow. An extra trophy on their shelf can also help boost their confidence. Both individual and team prizes are typically awarded in speech and debate tournaments.
Preparing for Speech and Debate Competitions
Some of the Best Benefits of Speech and Debate Stem From Preparing for Upcoming Competitions
Preparing for speech and debate competitions will challenge your kids and require them to undergo rigorous training and research. For most competitions, your student will be given a topic to research ahead of time. During this time period, their coach will help them research, write, and prepare to argue for both sides of the debate. While the preparation process may vary according to certain competitions, your student will still learn how to challenge themselves as they get ready for their competition.
Sample Class
If you were wondering how speech and debate classes teach students how to navigate different topics and points, check out this sample video below.
In this video, Early Scholars instructor Adam Chase explores some background on the argument that “On balance, charter schools are beneficial to the quality of education in the United States.”
Throughout the video, he examines information on:
- The background and history of charter schools in North America
- Teaching in charter schools
- The general mission of charter schools
- Funding for charter schools in the U.S.
Why Your Child Should Compete in Speech and Debate
Give Your Child a Competitive Edge for College and Beyond
There are numerous benefits of speech and debate classes that will help students beyond their formal education years. As the continue to research new material and practice speeches in class, they will cultivate valuable leadership skills and gain more confidence. While the extra addition to your student’s resume for college is certainly a bonus as well, it is just one of many benefits that speech and debate classes can offer your child. Some of the most noticeable benefits of speech and debate classes include:
- Improved oral and written communication which are critical for any job field
- Persuasive and enticing public speaking skills
- Increase in confidence
- The ability to see a particular topic from a diverse range of perspectives
- Learning how to become poised and composed in professional settings
At Early Scholars, we focus on giving our students the confidence they need to assert themselves. By teaching them effective public speaking skills, we are giving them the necessary tools to support their academic success and socio-emotional development. To enroll your kid in one of our online speech and debate programs, contact one of our team members today.
