Whining may have worked when you were a child, but not any more. If teenagers want to get what they want, they need to learn the art of persuasion, and debating can help them develop this skill.
According to Nesta-SCMP Inter-School Debating Competition co-ordinator Stan Dyer, the trick to getting your allowance raised or negotiating your 'curfew' is to make your parents see the merits of your argument.
In the real world, most parents are unlikely to double your pocket money or allow you to go out every night.
But you can strengthen your position and enhance your benefits by discussing the pros and cons of an issue in a rational way.
'Debating is about looking at different facets of an argument and trying to persuade and appeal to different feelings [and] what's right and wrong. Its part logic and [part] appeal,' Dyer said.
Usually, businessmen, government officials, lawyers and hostage negotiators have good communication skills, which are a vital aspect of debating.
Some debaters can be so persuasive they can make the impossible seem possible.