‘There’s no substitute for listening’: what being a champion debater taught Bo Seo about arguing over the dishes

‘Some of our hardest, most persistent disagreements are with those with whom we’re closest,’ says world champion debater and former coach of the Australian national debating team Bo Seo. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Bo Seo is a two-time world champion debater and a former coach of the Australian national debating team and the Harvard College Debating Union. In his book, Good Arguments: What the Art of Debating Can Teach Us About Listening Better and Disagreeing Well, he maintains the skills learned in academic sparring can lead to better public discourse and more respectful conversations in personal relationships.

Here he answers some questions about what debating can teach us about good – and bad – arguments in our personal lives.