Public speaking is a flexible individual event in terms of what to talk about, while debate assigns team a topic and opinion.
Public speaking is an individual event where students prepare and present their speeches by themselves. The event emphasizes on the following skills:
- Delivery skills, how dynamic the speech presentation is;
- Content skills, how impactful and powerful the speech is;
- Organization skills, how well-structured and clear the speech is;
- Engagement skills, how students keep the audience's attention throughout the speech.
Debate is a team event where students exchange and discuss opinions. The event emphasizes on the following skills:
- Delivery skills, how students present their speeches;
- Content skills, how impactful and persuasive the speech is;
- Organization skills, how well-structured and clear the speech is,
- Engagement skills, how students compare with and rebut the other sides.
They are different on:
- Public speaking is an individual event, while a debate is a team event;
- Students can choose what to talk about in public speaking events while students will be assigned a topic and side in a debate.
- The core of the debate is about persuasiveness, while in public speaking, students can choose either to persuade or to inform the audience.
If the student likes to perform on the stage or they want to boost their confidence level, public speaking is a good way to achieve that. If a student likes to improve their teamwork skills, or they enjoy debating with others, then debate courses would be suitable for them.