How Can You Make Your Child Win A Debate?

You must have seen that in schools, most of the students refrain from participating in Debate competitions. The majority of the students opt for other activities like Painting, Dance, Music, Sports, Arts and crafts etc. Whenever the teacher asks for the names who want to participate in the debate competition, sab ka muh neeche aur haath peeche. No one raises his hand.

The reason is that many students shy to speak in front of others. Phir kon karega bhai itni saari lines yaad, Ratta marna sab k bas ka rog nhi.  Gone are the days when one use to get the job on a marks basis only. These days, one has to go through rounds of interviews, group discussions etc. To clear interviews and Group Discussions, one must be a good speaker.

So, how can you make your child win a debate competition?

Hold discussions at home

It is a very common practice at home that parents don’t involve kids in their discussions. If he tries to speak or give his suggestion or advice, jawab ye aayega, ”Tujhe jyada pta hei, Tu chup reh”. You are doing wrong with your kids. Let him speak. Try to hold discussions related to your kid’s level and involve them.

Learn by speaking

Whenever you are preparing your kid for the exam, try to listen to the syllabus rather than writing, what he has practised. This way he will learn the syllabus and speak in front of you.

 Hold Extempore at home

Extempore is speaking on a particular topic without giving time in advance or with little preparation. You can assign a particular topic to your kid and let him speak. This way his thinking power and speaking skills will improve.

Organize Debate competition among friends/ siblings

From time to time organize debate sessions or competitions with peer groups/friends/cousins at home. Teach them the rules of a debate competition. Let them participate and give prizes at the end. This activity can be done at the school level as well. In the end, tell them their flaws with politeness and encourage them to remove them and perform better next time.

Mirror Therapy

For beginners who feel shy to speak in front of others, you can suggest Mirror Therapy. Your child can start speaking in front of a mirror. Then gradually as he starts gaining confidence, he will feel comfortable speaking publicly.

Encouragement/Motivation

Encourage your child to speak in front of you and others. Motivate him with your motivational words like “WELL Done”, “Keep it up”, “You are a star”. Boost his morale. Encourage him if he hasn’t spoken well.

Body Gestures

Teach him how to be presentable with appropriate body gestures. How to stand, where to keep your hands, how much to shake your head, hand movements, how much to smile, facial expressions, all these matter a lot along with good speaking in a debate competition. So, teach your child appropriate body gestures to be more confident.

Eye contact

A person can never be a good speaker if he doesn’t make eye contact with the person he is speaking to or in front of the audience. Making eye contact makes you confident and shakes the morale and confidence of the other person.

Present your point with knowledge and authenticity

You should be well prepared and have valid points to speak. The authenticity and genuineness of the topic and subject matter prepared will make you confident and help you gain mileage in the debate competition.

Don’t lose self-control

 Sometimes the contestants in debates lose their self-control and start arguing with each other. You need to teach your child, qualities like calmness, patience and self-control.

These points definitely help your child gain his confidence, perform better, make a good speaker and win a debate competition as well. But teach him that participation with hard work and full effort is the priority. Winning and losing are a part of the game.

Do you need a professional trainer who can help your child? Connect with us!