Whether you're negotiating with your parents about your next night out or trying to knock off 40 per cent on a Temple Street purchase, arguments and debates abound in free, democratic societies like Hong Kong.
According to three adjudicators who have supervised more than 800 debates between them, the key to winning a debate is a good grasp of the facts, delivering your arguments strongly and being able to deal with unexpected difficulties that come up.
This is true whether you're on the street or in front of a panel of judges, they said.
For Calvin Foo, debate adjudicator and native English teacher at SKH Lam Kau Mow Secondary, getting your facts wrong will destroy your credibility.
'Good debaters do their research and aren't careless with facts and numbers because this could work against them,' Foo said.
Some debaters cite Wikipedia as a credible source, he said. This is a common mistake because the website could be edited by people who are not experts in their field.