How BP debating changes lives — for crackheads

If you heard someone spends their weekends disagreeing with strangers, you’d assume they were something crazy; maybe a football fan, or worse, a lawyer. If that same person tried to convince you it was the best decision they had ever made, you’d wager they were a crackhead. You’d be correct as well - I am a crackhead, and here’s why you should be one too.

BP (/b:ip/) - Eight people pair up into teams of two and yell at each other about opinions formed in under fifteen minutes.

For those who don’t know, British Parliamentary (or BP) Debating is a niche academic extracurricular activity thousands of university students can engage in. It takes many of the formalities of classic Presidential debates and adds a format reminiscent of the UK’s highest law-making body, and speeches that are usually as chaotic.

The judging metric sticks out the most: BP debating focuses on content and logic rather than style or delivery. It’s about what you say, and not how you say it. You could stammer through your seven minutes, be stone-faced, or communicate with colloquialisms and slang - and you would still win as if your material was comparatively better than your opponents’ (pro tip: don’t say “fuck” when you’re being judged by a Gen Xer).

I’ve been debating for well over a decade now. I did it throughout high school but only caught the “BP bug” in 2020, in my second year of university. I like to think I’m skilled at it - and having three trophies and a judging break at the World Universities Debating Championships certainly helps. My first-ever trophy came against the odds at NDC 2022. Arguably, all my major milestones have. About a year later, I became UNN’s first-ever ANUDC (or Nationals, as we call it) Champion. A year later, I won my first-ever International Trophy - Accra Open, 2024.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I started ANYDC - a national debate open with friends, and its 3rd edition is in 3 months.

But this isn’t a brag about how good I am at sounding like the smartest person in the room (it is lmao). Instead, it’s an explanation of how the art has shaped my life so far, and why I think you should give it a shot too.

The greatest advantage of debating is that it has made me very agile in thought. The way BP debates are set up, you get all the information you will speak about a few minutes before you have to deliver your speech. This (usually 15-minute) period is called prep time. The only resources you can rely on are your brain, and your partner’s. You cannot do any additional research, or discuss with anyone else.

Now, this would be simple if motions (topics or subjects for debate) were as simple as “Farmers are better than Doctors” or “Which tribe has the best soup”. Motions can take many forms, and most of them are complex. They can originate from many fields; politics, international relations, philosophy, social justice, sports, and occasionally, which tribe has the best soup - some things are unavoidable.

One of my favorite debate motions is from the finals of the 1993 Oxford World Universities Debate Championships: “This House would use armed force to make peace.” It is such an excellent representation of how debate motions could be simple, yet complex.

An added feature that forces you to think fast on your feet is the “POI”. It’s short for “point of information” and it is a question or comment that any of your opponents can present during your speech. So, not only do you have to prepare within a limited time, with no aids, on a topic you probably only know a little about, but you also have to answer questions your opponents will throw at you during the speech.

Over time, the process sharpens your mind. You devise strategies to optimize your little time, and you adapt to forming strong logical positions within short periods. It exposes you to many topics and ideas, and you inevitably end up knowing a little about everything. This has already happened to me. I can process situations pretty quickly and come up with thoughts and solutions faster than most other people I’ve encountered in my personal and professional journey. It has made me super reliable because whatever the issue is, I’m grounded in subconscious mental exercises that lead me to a solution even without trying.

Everyone needs problem-solving skills, and we encourage people to acquire them, but in real life, there aren’t a lot of ways to practice a skill like that without failure being consequential. Debating might be the best (and relatively safest) way to develop these skills. It gamifies problem-solving in a way that nothing else does. With debating, you have a motion and a side, and you have to go through several mental exercises to defend a stance, to solve a problem, to advance a thought. There are quite literally no other opportunities to consistently practice problem-solving with zero risk. If you lose, nobody is starving or losing their job or any of that, but you will have learned. IRL if you fail, there are consequences.

A close second would be the exposure - to ideas, people, and opportunities. Debate tends to attract smart and industrious people. Being in and around people like that tends to improve you on a personal and professional level. I’ve told this story several times but I got my first major tech job from debate - sort of. The interview was made a lot better by the fact that we both checked one another’s LinkedIn and saw we did BP. In his case, like 6 years ago, while in college. His words after the interview: “I like you, you check a lot of boxes. you’re smart, you’re very passionate, you’re a debater.” In that moment, all that was going through my head was “you’ve met BO SEO????🤯🤯.” Many of the people I’ve worked with throughout my career also have a background in debate or similar activities.

I met my circle of friends through debate. We moved from being enthusiastic but confused “new takers” at NDC 2020 to colleagues at work, to creating solutions for debaters like ourselves through The Debaterverse and achieving special things in our respective fields. Debate has given me many unique connections to people; friends, acquaintances, rivals, and some I’d consider family.

Considering how I’ve described debating so far, it may sound off saying it is “fun.” As hectic as it may sound (and it does leave you exhausted on some days), debating is fun. There is the thrill of discovering a special argument or perfecting analysis, of challenging equally intellectual people, of winning and losing. Oh, and debaters know how to have a good time.

The “circuit”, the informal way we refer to the collective of debaters, is a cesspit of former gifted kids and class clowns providing what will probably be the most interesting and fun-filled experience you could have and brag about on LinkedIn. Socials, hangouts, and games turn tournaments into more than logical standoffs and mental dick-measuring contests. They are (or at least can be) opportunities to unwind, connect with your friends and peers, and do loads of interesting things. It is especially great for me since I work all the time. Debates end up as my getaway to a space that is as fun as it is stimulating.

I think everyone should try out BP debating at least once in their life, especially in college. It’ll be mentally tasking, and unfamiliar but if you’re a crackhead like me, you may just stick around for the good part. You will find the most interesting people, the wildest, and smartest - and oftentimes they will be the same. You might travel to places you’ve never been before to yell “panel” and “POI” for days. You may find your people and make wonderful memories. You may never win a trophy but the art and the experience will polish you into a more valuable person than you were before it. And you may just become a crackhead yourself.

PS: If you want to try your hands at debating, ANYDC is a perfect opportunity to start. This year’s event is in Benin and we have so much planned. If you need more info, or some more convincing, I’d be happy to do that! (Contact details on my blog page.)