I am not writing this blog post to detract from debate clubs all over the country that are fostering this age-old form of “arguing” the right and wrongs of ideas, concepts, policies and more.

The word “debate” is often identified with terms like “heated” which speaks to me about escalated feelings and being adversarial.

Debating is about winning and there is an assumption that there is a right answer and one side has it. The foundation of debating is to listen for flaws and make counter arguments. It means criticizing the other side and being determined about being ‘right.’ It is a close-minded approach that involves defending your positions and points of view. It’s competitive.

Now … please take a moment to consider an entirely different approach:

DIALOGUE.

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