The Most Important Skill In Debate - Part 3

The Most Important Skill in All Debate, Part 3

“…Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:17 [NASB]). How relevant to an activity like debate, which is one of the few competitive activities in which your success depends entirely on someone else’s opinion of you. 

Think about that. 

Winning a game of chess, winning a ping-pong match, and—usually—even winning a war have little to do with what other people think about you. You objectively win or you objectively lose. (Very rarely do we hear a chess player walk away from a checkmate, grumbling “I totally won that one… the audience just didn’t see my brilliant moves.” We’ve all heard something to that effect within our first two tournaments!)

Thus, when we study debate, we spend a lot of time thinking about our judges’ perception of us. We talk about what judges want to see—good arguments, persuasive speaking, professional demeanor—and we try to embody those things ourselves. However, one thing that we can be tempted to overlook is thinking about our Judge’s perception of us. This leads us to the contrast between winning and glorifying God.

A while ago I was looking back through the results from some of the first tournaments that I ever competed in. It was surprising how far away they seemed. I remember when I was watching the awards ceremonies and really looking up to the competitors that won, but years later I’m sure hardly anyone remembers the awards that other people earned at X particular tournament, and sometimes not even the awards they themselves earned at X tournament. This is because, as 1 Peter 1:24–25 puts it, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off...” (1 Pet. 1:24–25 [NASB]). Winning is amazing in the moment, but the moment is gone before you realize it. 

One of my favorite quotes from the movie Cars is the lesson Lightning McQueen learned about the most celebrated racing trophy from a former racer who had won three of them: “It’s just an empty cup.” Even the most spectacular trophies will eventually be recycled and turned into playground equipment or food packaging. This doesn’t mean winning isn’t important—far from it—but it does mean that it’s less important than success that does last. I see three main aspects to this.

Aspect #1: Treating your fellow competitors well

You might be surprised at who remembers the encouraging comment you gave them, the tiny bit of feedback on a round you just had, or even the quick prayer you both had before you walked into the room together. I still remember encouragement and tips for how to improve that some “good” debaters gave me as a novice. It meant so much to me that someone who was one of the “really good” people was interested in how I was doing or was willing to compliment me on something. As we get older and more advanced, we eventually turn into “those people.” The conversations that we have with our opponents before rounds, the prayers that we have with them right before we go in, the feedback or compliments that we give our opponents afterwards, and the follow-up conversations we have with them the next morning are all wonderful ways to bring God glory in the way you treat your fellow competitors, and the reward for that lasts a lifetime. 

It wasn’t always easy to live this out. I had to remind myself that when I went to a tournament, I was walking into a noisy room filled with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and that fact didn’t change once postings went up. When you interact with your opponents, remember that the fact that they’re on the other side of the table from you does not make them your enemies, the fact that you beat them does not mean you can snub them, and the fact that they beat you does not mean you can hold a grudge against them. If there’s something amiss, make it right quickly. Then keep on with the wonderful process of sharpening each other’s skills and making each other more fearsome ambassadors for Christ. Scoring high on that front is so much more important than scoring high on the rankings. The opinion of your human judges lasts for a moment; the opinion of the Lord lasts forever. 

Aspect #2: Treating your judges well

God’s opinion of you doesn’t just cover how you treat your competitors; it covers how you treat your judges, as well. When my mom was first getting involved in speech and debate, she was disappointed that some competitors, who would fall all over the judges with a very exuberant “thankyousomuchforjudgingwereallyappreciateyourtimetoday,” would later pass those same adults in the hallway with not even so much as a smile. With the magical brightly colored piece of paper, my mom was basically a celebrity, but without it, my mom was just, well, “some little kid’s mom.” 

I’m not trying to blame those competitors, per se; I can speak from personal experience that it’s hard to avoid being superficially and exuberantly respectful when you know someone’s holding your ballot. It’s really easy to edit your personality and put on a fake layer of politeness. I had to remind myself that God is the only Judge in the room that truly matters, and He doesn’t change. So why should I, when I walk in the door? Doing so is basically hypocrisy in the name of competitive success—a direct clash between the top and bottom of the pyramid. I realized I should have the same level of respectfulness and politeness all the time, and treat everyone as better than myself, whether or not they are tasked with deciding how I place. 

The third aspect of glorifying God is coming soon!

Cars, Directed by John Lasseter and Joe Ranft, featuring Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, and Paul Newman (Disney/Pixar, 2006), DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 2006).