Everyone has had a debate in
their lives – be it within the confines of a company boardroom, in the process of
being recruited for an organization, in their childhood for a school
competition, or on a hot summer day with the local auto-rickshaw driver – arguments
abound all over and everyone will have one in the future, whether they like it
or not.
The general feedback one gets when
the effects of an argument or a debate are discussed, is usually negative –
they're viewed as disruptive influences, energy-sappers, counter-productive
mechanisms to be avoided at all costs (My grandmother had
a very interesting way of making us understand why we must avoid arguments whenever
you can - I still remember her words, “If you throw a stone at a ditch, it only
results in throwing filth back at you.”). But, debates and arguments, per se,
are not bad and can be useful if they are done right.
Why does one debate? There may be
a variety of causes but the fundamental reason remains: a difference of
opinion. When the manager and the top brass differ on the amount to be
allocated to trade promotions on the corporate budget, it results in a debate.
A similar case can be made when a structured debate takes place, with teams
taking different sides of the argument based on what they opine. Even the
everyday arguments we have with our local milkman or auto-driver boils down to
this element – a mere difference of opinion about the price of the
product/service.
And this is why argument is good –
it brings opinions out in the open. With a clash of interests and a difference
in opinion comes the necessity to debate, and only with debate can there be holistic
learning. Debates open up new schools of thought, new ways of looking at old
things and newer perspectives. If done right, debates can invigorate and inspire.
However, more often than not, debates devolve into petty personal grudge fights
or slander matches resulting in “tension” for all parties involved.
The central premise in any debate
must be to learn – not to prove he/she is right in what they have to say. If
one keeps arguing for the sake of having the last word, the argument will never
end – or, even worse, end in terms which are detrimental to all parties
concerned. This is one of the major reasons why most people feel uncomfortable
entering into a debate – and why most classroom debates devolve into that
oft-repeated term, “fish-markets”. In the process of one-upmanship, the
original purpose of indulging in the debate is lost – to find a solution to a
common problem.
An ideal debate must be done with
a clear objective in mind and, more importantly, a willingness to listen to what
the other party has to say (A classic example of a well-structured and
moderated debate is the Presidential Debates conducted as part of the election
process in the United States of America).
Well, I’ve had my two cents
worth. Let the debates now begin!
