Hong Kong’s largest inter-school debating competition kicked off on 13 October. Pauline Yeung (楊寶蓮), a political assistant to the Secretary for Financial Services, together with last year’s winners from Renaissance College (啓新書院), shared debating tips
THIS year marks the 34th Sing Tao Inter-School Debating Competition. Just as before, guests and past champions were invited to share tips on how to ace the competition. Pauline Yeung provided some insights on basic debating techniques, while last year’s winners introduced
some useful tools in preparing for the competition.
Thorough understanding
THE captain of last year’s champion team, Theodore Chow (周子亮), stressed that fully understanding the motion is the key to winning a debate. A ‘full understanding’ means having a clear picture of the motion from different perspectives, namely both the opposition and affirmative, and being well-prepared for all kinds of possible arguments.
Intensive listening
DURING the contest, debaters must also actively and attentively listen to every argument put forward. Not listening to your opponents will result in something more like a presentation of our arguments, rather than an interactive debate on the issue.
Reactive rebutting
CONSTANTLY refining your rebuttals on the fly requires a thorough understanding of the motion and the ability to listen carefully to your opponents. Debating is truly about interacting with your opponents and providing responsive feedbacks.
Respect your opponents
THE champion team from Renaissance College believes that respecting one’s opponents plays a key in getting into a mindset. “We have huge respect for the Wah Yan boys,” Chow said in reference to last year’s final. Taking an opponent seriously helps adjust a team’s mentality and it definitely applies to any competition, not just debating.
Commit to your statistics
DO not stray away by getting caught up in the opponents’ arguments or statistics; commit to your team’s preparations and findings.
Speak with unmatched confidence
ANYONE interested in public speaking should practise speaking loudly and clearly with proper body language and gestures. Use a mirror and be familiar with yourself; do not be shy.
Do not forget Facebook
EVERY debater on stage, including the champions of both of last year’s Chinese and English debating sections, recommended the audience check out the Facebook page for footage of previous competitions. Getting familiar with the actual event undoubtedly helps.
Evidence-based arguments
PAULINE Yeung reminded the audience of hundreds of debating enthusiasts that arguments provided must be based on evidence. She quoted four very technical examples but they were all rigorously crosschecked by facts and evidence. Everything must be backed up by trusted sources and the same goes for quotes and claims.
Use relevant examples
YEUNG emphasised a seemingly trivial but fundamental way of presenting arguments – using relevant examples. She said the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District has faced lots of challenges but added that most cultural infrastructures in the world also face similar diffi culties during their construction.
