Very few schools teach the art of debating, which is strange, because it is one of the more useful skills you can learn for use later in your professional life. Below is a list of what we feel are the positive aspects, and some of the FAQ we receive.
Argumentative skills
Argumentation is not only core part of debating, but a fundamental pillar in society. Within debating, you will be able to hash out a dozen arguments on a subject in minutes but, more importantly, you will gain a feel for the most important ones. Outside of debating, debating will not only help you become a more convincing person, but also help you in understanding opposing points of view.
Presentation skills
Walking up to a podium will become second nature to you. Being afraid of presenting in front of an audience will be a thing of a past. Debating is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of stage fright in a safe environment and you will not regret it. You will be able to fine tune your presentation to apply appropriate pauses in sentences for effect, or know where in an argument to stress a critical point. Your Presentation skills will be tested in University, your future job and the rest of your life, so why not better it with us?
Structuring skills
The main goal of debating is to convince a judge, who are themselves typically just human. Therefore, if you want to get your point across, you will learn to how to structure your arguments in a simple and informative manner to minimize confusion or misinterpretation.
Social skills
Debating will have the side effect that you will be, at the very least, more assured in social interactions. If a typical nerd is portrayed as being shy and introverted, a debating nerd is outgoing and talkative. Next to that, you’ll be hanging it with the legendary UDS crew!
Confidence boost
Through a combination of all the previous points, you will become a more confident person. Feeling assured that you can easily hold your own in any type of presentation, debate or conversation with style tends to have a positive effect on you.
Travel opportunities
There are upcoming tournaments all across Europe which you will be able to join. Next to tournaments reaching all over the Netherlands, UDS members will be debating in upcoming tournaments all over Europe, such as Trinity College, Athens and Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
Career opportunities
UDS receives numerous requests from societies and companies for debating and judging consulting and supervision. You can become a trainer, for which you will be specially trained for, and not only help UDS financially but yourself. UDS is also sponsored and has close ties to Debat.NL – a firm that coaches politicians and businesses in a variety of rhetorical skills. They specifically hire UDS members.
Splendid resumé addition
It goes without saying that having debating as an activity on your resumé helps you stand out more than being in a fraternity (although fraternities can be awesome). Even more so if you get yourself into a board position.