Why should you do Lincoln-Douglas debate?
Academic debate is one of the best investments a student can make in their future. From building communication skills to fostering critical thinking and confidence, debate teaches students what they need to live a successful academic, professional, and personal life.
Academic success
Debate provides a competitive incentive to do the very activities that are a necessity in the classroom. Debate research involves finding, reading, and synthesizing information from various sources, evaluating competing points of view, and compiling this in a communicable format. In debates themselves, students are forced to select key arguments and critically analyze their opponents’ arguments for flaws. These tasks are exactly the ones needed to prepare research papers, participate in classroom discussions, and increase comprehension of material. Not surprisingly, evidence finds that debate is directly linked to higher GPAs and graduation rates.
Careers
An article in Forbes magazine urged booming companies to hire debaters, who come with a “deep understanding of how to persuade, how to present clearly and how to connect with an audience.” Debate trains exactly the skills needed for success in any workplace.
More benefits
Making the Case for Forensics (Minch, K. 2006)
Forensics and College Admissions (Luong, M. 2000)
An Investigation into the Relationship Between Participation in Competitive Forensics and Standardized Test Scores (Peters, T. L. 2009)