How I Became More Convincing in My First Competitive Debate



My name is Alex, and I’ve always dreamed of getting into Harvard, particularly joining their world-class debate team. Ever since I watched my first debate competition, I knew I wanted to be one of those people confidently presenting arguments, swaying the crowd, and winning. But standing on the stage in my high school gym for my very first debate competition was terrifying. How could I be convincing enough to win, let alone make my dream of Harvard a reality?



If you’re anything like me—full of nerves, excitement and ambition—you’re probably wondering how you can become more persuasive in a competitive debate.



I'm writing this article in hopes that my story inspires others to take the first step to becoming more confident and overall more persuasive. Debate can really bring you far in life, in academics, professional and personal life.



Let me walk you through how I made it through my first competition and how I learned to be more convincing, step by step.



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1. Structure Is Everything So Keep It Clear

In the weeks leading up to my first debate, I spent hours practicing how to make my points. But here’s the thing I learned: it’s not just about what you say, it’s about how you say it. During my first practice rounds, I realized that my arguments were all over the place, and it was hard for anyone to follow my train of thought. That’s when my coach hammered the importance of structure into me. And wow, was he right.



You can also learn more about practicing debate in our article dedicated to that topic!



I started by making sure every argument I had was built around a clear roadmap:



Introduction: I had to make my position crystal clear from the start.



Body: I broke my argument into easy-to-follow sections, making sure to support every point with evidence (more on that later).



Conclusion: I wrapped everything up with a powerful statement that reinforced why my position was right.

I remember during my first debate, I was talking about renewable energy policies. Instead of diving into complicated data right away, I laid out my position clearly: "We must focus on renewable energy to reduce our carbon footprint." This helped the judges—and even the audience—understand exactly what I was going to talk about. Then, I tackled each point one by one, so nothing felt jumbled or confusing. This simple structure not only gave me confidence, but I could tell it made me sound more convincing, too.



2. Bring Out the Big Guns—Evidence Is Your Best Friend

Before I even stepped foot into the competition, I knew I couldn’t win on opinions alone. I needed cold, hard evidence to back me up. My opponents weren’t going to hold back, and I knew they’d be bringing their own data and facts to the table. So I prepared like my life depended on it—because, let’s be real, when you dream of going to Harvard, it kinda does.



In my first debate, I knew my topic—renewable energy—was going to have a lot of back-and-forth, so I needed solid evidence. I didn’t just throw random stats at my audience, though. I picked evidence that was directly relevant and easy to explain. I remember using a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to show how solar energy costs had dropped by 89% over the past decade. Not only did this help me make my point, but it also gave me a leg up when my opponent tried to argue that renewable energy was too expensive.



But here’s the kicker: I didn’t just spit out numbers. I explained why they mattered. For example, I said, “This drop in costs means that renewable energy is not only environmentally friendly but also economically viable, making it the best choice for our future.” This way, the judges could see that I wasn’t just knowledgeable—I knew how to make my evidence count.



3. Make Them Feel Something—Emotional Appeal Works Wonders

If there’s one thing I learned after my first debate, it’s that facts alone won’t win you the argument. Sure, having the right data is important, but if you really want to convince people, you need to make them feel something. This is something I struggled with at first. I mean, how do you mix emotions into a topic like renewable energy?



But then I realized the power of storytelling. My coach suggested I use a personal story or a vivid example to get my audience emotionally invested in what I was saying. So, during my debate, I started one of my points with a story about a family living in a coastal town facing rising sea levels. I said, “Imagine you’re a kid watching the ocean creep closer to your home every year, knowing that one day, it’ll be gone.” Suddenly, the debate wasn’t just about numbers and policies—it was about real people facing real consequences.



By making it personal, I saw how I grabbed the attention of both the judges and the audience. They weren’t just hearing facts—they were feeling the impact of the issue. And that made my argument a lot more convincing. Trust me, if you can get the audience to care about what you’re saying on a deeper level, you’ll stand out in any debate.



Emotional appeal is a fascinating topic that debaters love to debate! (Pun intended) Find out its role in debate!



So, did I win that first debate? You bet I did. Was it enough to get into Harvard? Not yet, but it was the first step in a long journey, and I learned so much about how to be more convincing in a debate. You could dreaming of going to Harvard like me or just want to win your first competition, remember: it’s all about structure, evidence, and emotion. If you nail those three things, you’ll have the audience in the palm of your hand, just like I did.