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what debating is
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.
In debating, two sides face off against one another on a given topic from politics, economics, science, ethics and culture, to name a few.
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. 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 become significantly less daunting with all the practice you'll get in debating, and 7 minutes will feel very short very fast.
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.
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.
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
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 summer term, you can find more info on the introductory course 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:
