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what debating is
Generally, your goal in a debate is to convince a panel of judges (and maybe even your opponents) of your arguments and to present your ideas in a compelling way.
The debate is overseen by a panel of judges who start by announcing the topic of the debate. This can be anything, including topics of politics, philosophy, ethics, international relations, culture, just to name a few. Your position is random and cannot be chosen.
Then, you have 15 minute to prepare your arguments before the debate starts. Help from the internet or from someone outside of your team is not allowed. Sounds scary but you will soon find out that your brain is the only tool you need.
After the preparation phase the teams go back and forth with their speeches and in the end the judges decide the winner.
why you should start
For starters, because you can't choose which side you're on and have a short amount of time to prepare, debating helps you learn to think on your feet and strategically come up with the strongest arguments for your side in a very short time. You'll be surprised by how quickly that mindset will become natural to you, even outside of debating!
Even if rhetorical skills are focused on more explicitly in German training, speaking in front of a crowd will automatically become a significantly less daunting experience with all the practice you'll get in debating, and you will become a much better public speaker.
Because positions in a debate are randomly allocated and cannot be chosen, debating animates you to consider why certain people believe things that you don't agree with, as you may have to argue for it. This helps to understand different opinions and might change your own.
These perks, paired with listening to your opponents and really trying to understand them to effectively counter them, can make you a better and more compassionate communicator even outside of debating.
Finally, you will meet loads of people from all walks of life, be it in the club or at (inter-)national tournaments across the world and make new friends along the way!
Convinced? Then join us!
the most important part
Our trainings take place twice a week during lecture periods (October-January, March-June) at the Teaching Center of the WU Vienna:
English Training
Every Wednesday at 7 pm
German Training
Every Monday at 7 pm
English Training
Every Wednesday at 7 pm
German Training
Every Monday at 7 pm
You can come to one of our trainings at any time. For up to date info on specific dates, check out our Discord Server or send us a e-mail to info@dkwien.at.
Additionally, we have an introductory course into debating at the start of every semester. In those, we explain the rules and basic techniques of debating and ease new members into debating gradually.
For the 2024 winter term, you can find more info here.
our format of debating
If you want to learn more about how “British Parliamentary Debating” works, the format our debates most commonly follow, click here. For a more hands-on idea of what this looks like, here’s an example of a recorded debate:
Motion: This house believes that governments should abandon the strategy of “decapitation” in fighting terrorism.
(decapitation=strategy of targeting a leader of a criminal organisation for assassination or capture)
