A cornerstone of advocacy is the skill of public speaking which is enhanced through debate. When two sides argue with each other with thoughtful argumentation, they tend to discover loopholes in each other’s words. This leads to the development of excellent critical thinking skills, which correlates to stronger advocacy on topics one may be passionate about concerning world issues.

Critical thinking is a valuable skill to have in our world with all of the misinformation circulating on digital platforms. The transport of knowledge is rapid, and keeps growing exponentially throughout the years. If we want to know the truth about an issue, we must look at more than one perspective. We must be careful to evaluate each and one of these angles, because if we don’t, truth can slip from our grasp. Evaluation and decision making extends beyond the classroom and translates to a critical life skill students will use throughout their lives.

What this translates to is eventually, the betterment of others around debaters. Once one has knowledge of the art of argumentation, it is quite contagious. This is because debate is a verbal sport. Like all sports, it requires practice. However, what differentiates debate is that practice is constant because argumentation plays a daily part in our everyday lives. The gains of becoming a debater ensure that once you start the art, you only get better, leading to increased advocacy, and ability to make change.