Introduction to debating from Joensuu Debate Society http://joensuudebate.fi

2. Why debate?
• Argumentation and persuasion
• Public speaking
• Language skills
• Critical thinking
• Teamwork, leadership and teaching skills
• Stress-resistance and building self-confidence
• Making amazing friends and contacts all around
Finland and outside of Finland!

3. Debate on…
• Human rights
• Politics
• Economics
• Law
• Philosophy
• Religion
• Environment, etc ….
P.S. Everything
is debatable

4. Debates in Finland
• The Tampere Debate Society
• The Jyväskylä Debate Society
• The Turku Debate Society
• The Aalto Debate Society
• The Helsinki Debate Society

5. Basic concepts
Opening Government
Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
Closing Government
Member for the
Government
(extension)
Government Whip
(summing up debate)
Opening Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
Deputy Leader of the
Opposition
Closing Opposition
Member for the
Opposition
(extension)
Opposition Whip
(summing up debate)

6. Opening factions
•Define the motion of the debate
•Present their case.
•Respond to arguments of the opposing first faction.
•Maintain their relevance during the debate.
Closing factions
•Introduce a case extension.
•Establish and maintain their relevance early in the debate.
•Respond to the arguments of the first factions.
•Respond to the case extension of the opposing second
faction.

8. What do we debate?
1. Motion of value/comparison motion
THBT (This House Believes That) harmony is
more important than diversity
2. Motion of fact
THBT the United Nations have failed
3.Policy motion
THW (This House Will) ban criminals from voting

9. Your model (if you are PM or LO)
Сlarify the motion
Who? What? Where? Why?
What rights are being affected?
Who are stakeholders?
How their balance of rights are changing?

10. Your argument
• Label (main idea in one sentence)
• Explanation (theoretical resoning)
• Example (hypothetical/real situation)
• Tie-back (how what you have said leads to the
main idea you stated)
SEXI
(Statetement-Explanation-Illustratrion)

11. Weekly sessions

12. Outdoor educational activities

13. Show debates
…Coming soon!

14. Workshops
Tampere, December 2013

15. Tournaments
Tournaments records:
•Nordic Debating
Championship 2013
•Turku Open 2013
•Estonian Open 2014
•Helsinki Open 2014
•Turku Open 2014

16. More on debate
• http://debatemotioncentral.blogspot.com/
• http://debate.uvm.edu/quicklinks.html
• http://idebate.org/
• http://howtodebate.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://monashdebaters.com/training-resources/
training-handbooks/

17. joensuudebate.fi
facebook.com/joensuudebate
amoisseev@gmail.com
044-5480215