EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
English Debating
Are you interested in debating? Then this is the site for you. Here you will find everything you need to know to get started.

what debating is

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Your goal in a debate is to convince the other side of your arguments and present your ideas in a way that will sway everyone who is listening to you. 

However, since debating is closer to a sport than to an informal discussion, this is done by coming up with the most logically sound arguments, both on your side as well as within the entire debate, and presenting them to a panel of judges.
The topic the judges set can be from almost any topic, including philosophy, politics, ethics, international relations, economics and culture, to name a few.

In debating, two sides face off against one another on a given topic from politics, economics, science, ethics and culture, to name a few.

Sample Picture

why you should start

REASONS FOR DEBATING

Team Photo

Learn to think on your feet

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. You'll be surprised by how quickly that mindset will become natural to you, even outside of debating!

Practice public speaking

Even if rhetorical skills are focused on more explicitly in German training, speaking in front of a crowd will become significantly less daunting with all the practice you'll get in debating, and 7 minutes will feel very short very fast.

Become open-minded

Furthermore, debating exposes you to consider why certain people believe things that you don't agree with, because you may have to argue for it.

Improved communication

That, paired with having to listen to your opponents to effectively counter them, can make you a better and more compassionate communicator even outside of debating.

Friends for life

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 new friends along the way!

Convinced? Then join us!

the most important part

HOW TO GET STARTED

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 2023 winter term, you can find more info on the introductory course here.

Get in touch with us

You have a question? Join our Discord Server or send us an email.

Sign up for Fresher training

We will notify you when the next beginner training starts. Don’t worry, we won’t bother you with anything else.

our format of debating

BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY 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.