How English Debate Helps Improving Your English Skills

It is an undeniable fact that we have been learning English since in the elementary, junior high school, senior high school, even in the university also. (either in school or in English course

Now the question is, despite the fact that we have spent so many years to learn English, why do we still have difficulty in speaking English?

The answer is simple, it's because during all of those years we rarely had an opportunity (either being asked to or had a chance to or even brave to) to speak in English. All of the speaking part in the lesson was mostly dominated by the teacher or by some more talented students. So even though you already have a lot of grammar knowledge, but rarely have a chance to use it in the conversation or in the public speaking (e.g. speech, news reading, debate), then when you have to speak in English, either in a conversation or in a public speaking, you'd feel afraid to use it, you'd feel afraid to make a mistake, you'd loose your confidence to use it, you'd be feel very awkward to produce any verbal communication in English.

Practice makes perfect, the often you speak in English, the more you will feel confidence to use it in any occasion, either in a conversation or in a public speaking.

So,if you are looking for a situation and condition where the speaking activity is dominated by the students (and not the teacher), you could find it in the ENGLISH DEBATE COMPETITION.

There are several systems of English Debate Competition, the most used systems in the competition are; Asian Parliamentary system and Australian Parliamentary system.

In these systems of competition, there are two teams (each team consist of 3 speakers), the affirmative team should support the given topic/motion, while the negative team should attack the given topic/motion.

In which when these two teams are debating, instead of just using their SPEAKING skill, at the same time, they are also using their LISTENING skill (because they have to hear all of the detail of the opponent team's argument), and before the debate they are also have to prepare their material of debate, in which when doing so, they often have to search the information related to the topic/motion in the internet or other sources, this activity automatically trains their READING skill too, since they have to search for information that would be relevant to support their argument. After that they will have to WRITE down all of those information and arrange it into the most suitable way that can persuade and can be easily understood by the audience and the adjudicators (judges/juries).

So basically by joining English Debate Competition, you will be facing a situation and condition in which you have to use and have to train all of those English skills (Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing) at the same time. This is of course the most suitable way to enhance your English Skills. And not only those English skills, at the same time you will also enhancing your CONFIDENCE to speak in front of public and you will also enhancing your ANALYTICAL THINKING where you will be trained to analyze every national and international issue around the world in a critical way and logical way of thinking (e.g.politics, social, economics, cultures, law, war, middle east, global warming, etc). This is of course will also change you into a person that MORE CARE AND AWARE on every issue (problem/conflict) that happen in the national or international region.

For more information on Asian Parliamentary System, you could see it here, Asian Parliamentary System

For some examples of Asian Parliamentary System English Debate Competition video, you could see it or download it here:
WSDC 2008

Now, since most of English Debate Competition event is only held by and for Junior/Senior high school students and University students, the next question is, where and how can I enhance my English skills through this English Debate method?

Therefore, we try to make an offer to help anybody out there who would like to enhance their English skills through English Debate method.

Of course after seeing the example of debate video that we provide in the link above, you could see that this method will be more effective if there are 6 people (3 people will be the affirmative team and the other 3 will be the negative team). That’s why the maximum amount of number of students for each class would be only 6 students.


For further information or question you may ask:

S.C.U.D
(Surabaya Community of Debating)

Contact person:

Surabaya:
Teguh Adimarta – 0856.4808.2021

Muhammad Ziad Balbeid - 0838.5816.242 / 0829.6076.832 / 0819.6076.832

Rizal Kuddah – 817.5273.884

Ponorogo and Madiun:

Dwi Supriono – 0852.3503.3934