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Skills Series: CONFIDENCE!πŸ—£

Read on to learn exactly why this skill is so valuable in our 21st Century world and crucially, how debating can help develop it...

According to Oxford English Dictionary, self-confidence is defined as...

"a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgement."

In a society that often teaches us we're not good enough, having confidence in yourself is a superpower!

Self-confidence allows you to...

  • Perform better in interviews πŸ’¬ - if you have faith in your abilities, interviewers will too!
  • Keep improving and developing your skills πŸ“ˆ - if you believe in the true extent of your potential, you'll be more motivated to work hard at self-improvement.
  • Apply for a better job, pay rise or promotion πŸ’°- when you appreciate your own value and recognise what you bring to the table, you won't settle for poor treatment or stop reaching for what you deserve!
  • Grab new and daunting opportunities with both hands πŸ™Œ - we grow and develop by stepping out of our comfort zone, which takes a lot of self-confidence!

Ultimately, having the hard skillset for a job is not enough- you ALSO need the confidence to advocate for yourself and demonstrate your huge potential!

Whilst the hard skills we need to apply for a job are taught at schools, the soft skills, such as confidence, that we need to actually get the job are not!

This is where Debate Mate comes in!

At Debate Mate, our students gain confidence through...

Debating and Public Speaking Practice:


  • We use debating as a methodology to teach confidence, as debating is all about speaking up and advocating for yourself!
  • As a part of this, students are regularly pushed to contribute their ideas in front of others, engage in public speaking and deliver PEEL speeches to their peers with lots of great speaker style.
  • They're also taught how to thoughtfully and strategically respond to the arguments of others. They do this through...
    • Rebuttal
    • Points of Information
  • Both of these techniques require students to re-assert their stance and challenge the argument of someone else in a safe and supportive digital environment. It's a great way for them to get practice constructively challenging those they disagree with and speaking up when they think they have a better answer.
  • Overall, our clubs helps foster the confidence that comes with public speaking, quick thinking and a love for debating.Β 

Leadership and Team Building Activities:


  • Our courses are also designed to develop students' leadership and teamwork skills, including the confidence that comes with each of these!
  • Students are all encouraged to take a leading role during their team's prep time at some point during the course and in the process, gain valuable insight into the self-confidence required to manage a group.
  • They are regularly required to work within their debate squads to develop a strong team line and ultimately win a debate! This requires them to confidently engage with a range of other people, from a range of backgrounds, and pool their ideas and skillsets.
  • Students learn the value of planning and the confidence that comes with being well prepared.Β 

Overall, confidence is the cornerstone of being a successful debater and as a result, debating is a great way for students to gain more self-confidence!

πŸš€ Check out our Spring Term courses by clicking here! Interested? Then sign your child up to one of our FREE 30-minute taster sessions running in the new year by clicking here.