PARENTS ASSOCIATION SPEAKER SERIES

GUEST SPEAKER: BO SEO How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and Be Heard

When two-time world champion debater Bo Seo was 8 years-old, his family immigrated from South Korea to Australia. Knowing no English, Seo struggled with school before he discovered competitive debate, a passion that helped him excel both socially and academically.

Seo went on to become a two-time world champion debater, journalist, and aspiring lawyer. One of the most recognized figures in the global debate community, he has won both the World Schools Debating Championship and the World Universities Debating Championship.

On Jan. 18, the GCDS Parents Association hosted Seo for an interactive discussion with parents and students on how to view a debate from the opposing perspective, to listen actively, and to disagree with respect.

“Every disagreement should start with some agreement,” said Seo to the audience. “What is it that you are disagreeing about? Answering this question helps us to make more progress than we otherwise might.”

In his memoir, Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and Be Heard, Seo explained how the central pillars in the art of debate—fact-finding, reason, persuasion, and listening to opponents—are important across all aspects of life, from ensuring a healthy democracy to everyday conversations. Seo shared vital lessons on how to build a community with empathetic disagreement.

In any argument, Seo says that one has to show that the main claim is both true and important. He noted that good debat- ers also engage in “side switching,” which requires one to think about the other side’s arguments and the holes in their own. “A break from certainty unsettles us in ways that create a window for empathy to enter in.”

“A good argument is one in which both sides walk away and say ‘I would do that again,’” said Seo in closing. “That is what it takes to keep the conversation going.”

Aside from his passion for debating, Seo is a human rights activist who has previously held positions with the Human Rights Commission in Australia and volunteered with Harvard Human Rights in North Korea. Seo is currently a Juris Doctor candidate at Harvard Law School.

Special thanks to PA Speaker Series Co-Chairs Antonia Thompson and Ron Zate for organizing the event.