#198. Study shows: debate training increases confidence

If you were part of the debate club in school, chances are you might be more confident or have stronger leadership skills than the average person. Corporate leadership training and workshops have long gone stale. Managers are wondering what motivates and increases both confidence and leadership skills? A group of researchers from MIT conducted a study in 2025 that measured the effectiveness of debate training. “Breaking Ceilings: Debate Training Promotes Leadership Emergence by Increasing Assertiveness” studies participants over the course of an intensive 9 week debate program and another larger group after 30 minute sessions. Mikey and Molly put their academic hats on to dig into these really cool experiments and understand how debate training could impact presentation skills and managers’ options for expanding team capacities. This is an episode for: debate nerds, non-confrontational people and managers looking for fresh leadership training. What’s in the Spice Cabinet? Get your own academic vibe going: Read the report highlights here You can see the full study with a Harvard Business Review subscription Story Camp has been announced! Claim your spot for November 3-6, 2026 and learn more here You think we wouldn’t give this research a walkout song? Think again. Demi Lovato’s Confident