Speak confidently and think logically. Year 13 schoolboy Arunabh Prakash can't agree more. Anmabh is one of the five students that will represent New Zealand at the 26th World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) to be held in Thailand from August 5 to l5 this year. "You've got to be persuasive, regardless of the fact that you believe in a topic or not," says the 17-year-old. "There are a lot of speakers who are eloquent   but find it difficult to think logically and then there are those who have a good argument but can't deliver." Endurance   is another quality he says one must have in the heated arena   of expressing opinions and ideas. "There are times when you have to debate for five hours at a go and are completely exhausted. It's quite intense. You must have the energy to debate for long hours," says Arunabh, who began debating in year 10. The WSDC is a debating competition in the world for high school students from different countries. It involves four prepared debates and four impromptu debates -- debates without specific preparations. To gain selection for the national team for the global final, Arunabh had to compete with regional teams. Despite the mounting pressure, he says he was confident of winning. "We didn't loose a debate in the first two days. And we had a very strong team. We were confident of our ability to win," he says. The WSDC is a debating competition   _  .
based in Thailand for young New Zealanders with prepared and unprepared debates lasting for five days