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Aha!
In my attempts to persuade people to support us I usually mention the value of debating and the wonders it brings to individuals and society. Until recently I've meant these benefits to be those of an informed society. However, I've just started to realise how useful debating skills are.Insight occurred during a discussion with a client about their bill (I have a small web design business which funds Debatewise). This was one of those nightmare jobs where just about everything that could go wrong did. We accept some of the responsibility but feel they were most at fault. Unsurprisingly, they don't agree.
This isn't the first serious disagreement I've had with a client. What's new is viewing it through the lens of Debatewise, seeing it as a debate and realising the value of being able to put our point across, which in this case is quite literal: the better we present our arguments the more of our bill they pay.
It strikes me that perhaps I shouldn't be admitting this. After all, I run a debating web site, surely I should know how valuable debating is? Truth is I come from a slightly different angle. I have an instinctive understanding of the value of debate but from the perspective of the audience. I can be an argumentative sod, but always thought debating was something only students and politicians did.
Clearly I'm wrong. If you want to convince everyone Arsenal are the greatest football team the world has ever seen (and believe me I do) you'll need debating skills. If you want to convince other people they're wrong (and let's face it, who doesn't want to do that occasionally), you'll need debating skills. In fact, if you want to convince anyone of anything you'll need debating skills
This is one of those things which seem so blindingly obvious now I can't see how I missed it before.