*The Debatewise Blog
Debating can make you rich! (Money for gassing away)
These last two weeks have been rather stressful outside of work – British Gas have tried to bankrupt my housemates and I, and we are having problems renting a room as one of us is moving out. Thankfully the gas saga is now sorted (a few calls to the press office from a freelance journalist, and a letter from my MP later, instead of us owing over £1,700 BG now owe us £270 – go figure!). But I have learned a lot, and not ony about laws regulating suppliers and Landlords obligations to tenants!The main thing is that i've learned the value of the skills debating has taught me - my skills at contesting things. If we hadn’t kicked up a fuss we would never have discovered that the ‘estimated readings’ our bills were based on were completely incorrect. Taken from the wrong meter in fact! It’s rare that I make any tangible financial gain from my debating skills, but this is a definite example of that. Through numerous letters and phone calls I argued my case calmly and politely and presented facts and figures in a clear, comprehensible fashion. British Gas saw sense in the end, changed their argument, and apologised.
It’s been a fantastic case study of why debating isn’t just middle aged politicians in an old fusty chamber, or swotty students in after-school clubs, but a real skill for dealing with day-to-day issues. If I hadn’t had the ability to articulate my argument I would have been considerably out of pocket. That’s not to say I’m recommending ‘contesting’ the price of milk at your local shop, but I think on some occasions you do need to stand up and voice your argument, and debating is a great way to get good at this.