5 tips to prepare for your Debate

Whether you’re a seasoned candidate or this is your first time running. Most everyone dreads debating their opponent. Every level of candidate is nervous about them, and try to prepare their best. President Biden spent over $12,000 for debate preps between the primary and general election in 2020

We are confident you know your local issues, better than anyone and will knock your debate out of the park (without spending 12k too) Here are 5 tips to help you get ready for your debate.

1. Know your opponent’s platform.

You need to do homework on your opponent. Head to their campaign website, and take notes. Stalk their LinkedIn, and Instagram. Make sure you know as much as possible on them (without making it weird of course) Here are the few general things to know:

• Know your opponent’s platform. (what are they running on, and how are they different than you)
• Know your opponent’s weaknesses (e.g., the issues or past mistakes they won’t want to talk about).
• Know your opponent’s strengths (e.g., Everyone has them, be prepared to respond to them, or even compliment them).

2. Do your homework on what’s important to voters.

Do your homework on what issues are important to voters. I’m sure you have a good idea to the biggest issues affecting your community. Dig even deeper, and make sure you have talking points on every issue that could come up.

Memorize some facts or numbers around the main issues that will come up. Write down notes on each issue and memorize your ideas, responses, and possible directions a topic could go. This may sound like a lot of work, but it’s good practice for debating—you want everything you say about an issue or topic to be factually correct!

3. Don’t go off script.

We see politicians do this all the time in debates or on the news. They get asked a certain question, and they dodge it and start talking about something else. This may seem tempting with a hard question, but everyone (and I mean everyone) sees right through this tactic.

Not to mention the voters tuning in took time out of the day to hear you answer these tough questions. They do not want to listen to you pivot and monologue on your few main lines over and over again.

So, do the hard part. Face the tough questions head on. You’ll do better than you think, and votes will really appreciate your candor, and ability to talk about the hard issues.

4. Maintain confidence.

Confidence is a huge factor in winning debates. Confidence gives you the strength to deliver your arguments and rebut your opponent’s points with conviction. In order to maintain confidence, you should know the material well enough to feel prepared going into the debate. You can do this by learning both sides of the issue thoroughly (like we talked about above) so that you are able to respond quickly if your opponent brings up something unexpected. Also, don’t be afraid to admit that you’re unsure on a topic. Say it with confidence and don’t lie. that will go down much worse than saying you’re unsure.

Remember that everyone on stage is nervous as well! It might not seem that way, but the stakes are just as high for your opponents, and don’t forget… they’re facing the best candidate in the race (winky face). This point goes hand in hand with our final tip.

5. Have fun!

This might be the most important tip of all– HAVE FUN! This is an important event, but it should also be fun. You are the man (or woman) in the arena here! You put yourself out there to serve, and now you are putting your ideas to the test. Don’t take yourself too seriously and have a good time. You’ll find if you do this you’ll perform a 1000% times better than the timid/nervous version of yourself.

Now that you’ve read through these tips, you should be more confident in your ability to prepare for the upcoming debate. The key takeaway is that if you’re prepared, you’ll be more sure of yourself and calm, and cool confidence when you go head-to-head.

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