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Practice Guides for High-Stakes Conversations

Research-backed techniques for sales, negotiations, and debate

Featured

Behind the Brand

The Crossed Quills: A Symbol for the Art of Argument

Every symbol tells a story. Discover the meaning behind the DebateClub logo and its connection to 2,500 years of rhetoric.

New Series

16 Chapters, 1 Platform

The DebateClub Blueprint

How we turned every chapter of Mehdi Hasan's "Win Every Argument" into an AI-powered debate coach. A 3-part deep dive into the system.

Part 1

Before You Speak

Research, preparation, and the Strategic Brief pattern

Part 2

In the Arena

Live debate, technique detection, and composure testing

Part 3

After the Dust Settles

Mehdi Hasan Scores, analysis, and continuous improvement

Practice Guides

Real-World Scenarios

Deep dives into the high-stakes conversations you actually face. Research-backed techniques you can practice today.

Healthcare Practice

How to Navigate Treatment Refusal Without Lecturing or Giving Up

Patient refuses your recommendation. You either lecture about risks or give up. Neither works. Learn the motivational interviewing techniques that help you understand why they're refusing, honor autonomy, and partner on solutions they can accept.

• Reflective Listening• Open Questions• Evoking Motivation• Respecting Autonomy• 12 min read

Entrepreneur Practice

How to Learn What Customers Actually Need Before You Build

Stop pitching your solution in discovery interviews. Learn how to uncover real customer needs by asking about the past, not hypothetical futures. Avoid building what nobody wants.

• Past-Focused Questions• Problem Focus• Discovery Depth• Validation Quality• 14 min read

Entrepreneur Practice

How to Land Your First 10 Customers Without Case Studies

No logos. No references. No social proof. Learn the research-backed techniques for selling to early customers when conviction is all you have.

• Problem Amplification• Vision Selling• Objection Reframing• Commitment Extraction• 12 min read

Use Cases

Who It's For

Real-world scenarios where DebateClub helps you prepare, practice, and perform.

Job Interviews

Behavioral questions and salary negotiation

Sales

Handle objections, close more deals

Presentations

Own the Q&A, command the room

Tough Talks

Performance reviews, conflict resolution

Fundraising

Investor pitches, VC meetings

Legal

Courtroom, depositions, cross-examination

Technique Library

Deep dives into the 12 debate techniques from Mehdi Hasan's "Win Every Argument" and how DebateClub helps you master each one.

Audience Adaptation

Read Any Room

Practice against opponents that push back. Your sparring partner shifts between skeptical investor, supportive colleague, and hostile critic so you learn to adjust on the fly.

Pathos Training

Strike an Emotional Chord

Develop your storytelling instinct through live feedback. Moments where your delivery lands emotionally get highlighted, and you'll know when you're losing the room to dry logic.

Evidence Mastery

Back It Up

Learn when to deploy your receipts. Practice timing your evidence drops in live debate, and get scored on whether you landed the knockout or buried the lead.

Critical Analysis

Spot the Weakness

Train your ear to catch fallacies in real-time. Your opponent deliberately uses weak arguments, logical gaps, and misdirection. Your job is to call them out before they move on.

Flip Their Momentum

Master the art of strategic concession. Practice yielding ground that costs you nothing, then use their own momentum to flip the argument in your favor.

Land the Closer

Craft and deploy mic-drop moments. Your opponent sets up opportunities for sharp one-liners, then you get scored on timing, delivery, and whether you actually landed the blow.