Why is debating important?

• Because democracy depends on an informed public (because, in principle, the public are needed to make decisions directly or indirectly);
• Because an unquestioning individual can be hookwinked and manipulated;
• Because our society is constructed of a set of assumptions built on each other and on shifting conditions, and only by constant inspection can this framework of assumptions and beliefs be maintained in a sufficiently consistent state for us to stay out of serious trouble;
• Because without curiosity and questioning we would not have discovery and progress.

Employment Benefits

A glance at the recruitment pages confirms the truth of this. A recent survey of job adverts showed that on top of technical skills, just over half were looking for good communication or interpersonal skills from prospective managers.

And in a rcent poll of top business leaders in the service sector, people skills - such as inspiring trust, motivating people, and listening - came out top of the list, replacing strategic thinking and entrepeneurial skills which headed the list in a similar survey taken in the 1980's. The reason is that coordinating management strategies with employees needs consistent and sustained communication.

"One manager I worked with didn't engage at the emotional level but he attended very carefully to what people said. The combination of these two things - being slightly distanced but really listening - produced some excellent results. In essence his ego wasn't standing in the way of the communication process."

The Importance of Talking, Hearing and Understanding

However, conversation is much more than an exchange of words. We are not logic machines but are influenced by our emotions. Consequently, how something is said can be just as influential as what is said. What a listener hears and understands is influenced by prior knowledge, situation, timing and the speaker's choice of vocabulary, intonation and body language.

Although the importance of "oral communication skills" in the workplace is widely publicised, this phrase suggests that it it talking rather than listening that is important. However, most people want a genuine two-way exchange in which both feel they are being heard and undersatood. So it is perhaps better to think of "conversation skills".

If a conversation is to work each person must have the opportunity to express their opinions, make their thoughts and feelings clear, and to be listened to seriously. None of us likes to be lectured to, patronised, put down, not given proper attention, denied a chance to finish, or having our opinions ignored or trivialised.

The person initiating the conversation also needs to engage the attention of the other. The most effective way is to start with the main point one wishes to make or to state the reason for the conversation. It is easier for the listener to focus their mind if they know roughly what's coming.

If you have lots of ideas to put over, it helps to list them and organise them into a logical sequence beforehand. People generally grasp facts and specific information more easily than generalisations. However, the facts and information must be relevant to the main argument. Do not overload the listener. Moreover, because the listener is having to absorb each statement while listening to the next, brief but regular pauses can help comprehension.

There are a number of signals which will tell you that you have gone on too long and are losing attention - such as surreptitious glances at a wall clock or wrist watch, eyes wandering, slumped posture and fidgeting.

If an inerruption is relatively trivial, or they have anticipated something you were going to say, you can quickly get back to your main thread by saying "that's a good point which I'll be coming to in a moment". How you handle a potential interruption can weaken or strengthen the value of a conversation.