How Leana Deeb Won Her First Oxford Union Debate
In 2025, Leana Deeb walked into the Oxford Union chamber to take part in her first ever formal debate.
She walked out having won the motion and delivered what she would later describe as:
“Probably the best speech I’ve ever done in my life.”
For someone with more than 4.7 million followers on Instagram, speaking to audiences wasn’t new.
Debating was.
And there are few bigger stages to learn on than the Oxford Union.
Widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious debating society, the chamber has hosted prime ministers, presidents and some of history’s most influential public figures.
For Leana, it represented one of the biggest speaking opportunities of her career.
And she wanted to give herself the best possible chance of success.
So, eight weeks before debate day, she turned to Speak-Well.
Results at a Glance
Timeframe: 8 weeks
Outcomes
✓ Won the motion.
✓ Delivered what she later described as “the best speech I’ve ever done in my life”.
✓ Successfully handled her first formal debate.
✓ Felt calm and authentic under pressure.
✓ Received what her manager described as a career-defining response.
✓ Left with greater confidence and presence for future opportunities.
The Challenge
Although experienced in front of cameras and audiences, Leana had never taken part in a formal debate.
This was unfamiliar territory.
There would be interruptions.
Questions from the floor.
Challenges to her arguments.
And everything would happen live.
She wanted support with:
Refining her opening speech.
Understanding the mechanics of debate.
Responding confidently to questions.
Maintaining authenticity.
Arriving on the day feeling calm and prepared.
Like many accomplished communicators, she didn’t want to disappear beneath layers of complicated language.
She didn’t want to sound academic.
She wanted to sound like herself.
Only at her best.
Inside the 8 Week Preparation Process
The goal wasn’t to turn Leana into a professional debater.
It was to prepare her for one important opportunity.
Together, Speak-Well and Leana refined her opening speech and strengthened the logic underpinning her arguments.
Attention was given not just to the words themselves, but to pace, presence, vocal control and emphasis.
Mock debate scenarios introduced the unpredictability she would face inside the chamber.
Challenges were rehearsed.
Counterarguments explored.
Questions fired at her from every angle.
Not because every question could be predicted.
But because familiarity reduces fear.
An intensive in-person session in London brought everything together before Speak-Well provided on-the-day support, vocal warm-ups and final preparation immediately before entering the chamber.
By the time she stepped inside the Oxford Union, the goal wasn’t perfection.
It was trust.
Trust in the preparation.
Trust in the process.
And trust in herself.
She Won
Leana successfully navigated her first formal debate.
And she won the motion.
Afterwards, she reflected:
“Probably the best speech I’ve ever done in my life.”
“The Only Time I’ve Been Left Speechless”
Perhaps the most remarkable reaction came from her manager.
After years of working together, he described the performance as the only time in his career that she had left him speechless.
He called it:
“Career-defining.”
And afterwards, Leana told Myles:
“Couldn’t have done this without you, Myles. Thank you for everything.”
Staying Leana
Leana wasn’t trying to sound like an Oxford academic.
Nor did she need to.
The audience wasn’t there to hear somebody else’s voice.
They were there to hear hers.
Throughout the preparation process, the aim was never to make her sound more impressive.
It was to help her communicate with greater clarity, confidence and intention.
Because authority doesn’t come from pretending to be someone else.
It comes from becoming more fully yourself.
Why Preparation Creates Freedom
Debates are unpredictable.
You can’t rehearse every question.
You can’t predict every challenge.
You can’t control every moment.
But you can prepare so thoroughly that whatever comes, you’re able to meet it.
Because preparation doesn’t make you rigid.
It makes you free.
And freedom is what allows great communicators to think clearly, respond calmly and remain themselves under pressure.
Leana came to Speak-Well to prepare for one important evening.
But the confidence and presence developed during those eight weeks will continue to serve her long after the applause faded inside the Oxford Union chamber.
Because preparation doesn’t limit you.
It liberates you.