Yet another last meeting before Christmas!

We had so much fun in today's meeting that we decided to meet one last time before Christmas. Next Tuesday, same place, same time.

It would be nice to know, though, how many people are coming, so please drop a comment on Facebook. See you all next week!

Last Debate Before Christmas

Next week, Tuesday 7th, will be our last debate meeting for this year. We will continue again on January and will post here when the first meeting will be.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

More Training Possibilities

In order to provide society members training possibilities that more match their personal debate goals, we will soon have more training options available. Firstly, there will be an additional meeting formed for those wishing to raise their debating skills to the next level. Secondly, in the Tuesday meetings there will be an option to have your speech recorded on video, and then later be able to download it for your viewing.

Second Meeting

In yesterday's meeting we discussed ways to provide additional training for those interested in either competing, or just improving their skills more and faster.

I suggested that a way to accomplish this is to have extra meetings in addition to the one on Tuesday. It turns out that there is sufficient interest in this and so we will go forth with it.

The plan is as follows:
The Tuesday meetings will remain the same, but additional meetings will be formed. The goal of these additional meetings will be to first determine what aspects people want to train, set goals, and then proceed in reaching them. That is, the approach will be a bit more rigorous than in Tuesday meetings in order to achieve heightened development for those who wish it. In addition for those wishing to compete, we can also arrange to have competitions between, for example, Tampere and Helsinki debating societies sometime during the spring, or whenever people feel they are ready for that. But I also want to emphasize that this is not only for those wishing to compete, just wanting to increase your skills more is enough.

The time and place for the additional meetings will, at least at the beginning, be decided based on what suits the participants best. That is, they can vary. But we can discuss this, and more, once we meet for the first time.

Now, you don't have to be great in debating to take part in this intensive training. The plan is to make you great, all you need is the willingness to put some extra effort in.

Think about it, and if you are interested send me a message either through email or Facebook. We can later decide what is the best venue for deciding meeting times etc. Also if you have any suggestions or comments they are most welcome!

Video Recording
One great way to improve is to see yourself speaking. You can spot what you could improve on and then work on those aspects. In future meetings we will provide everyone with the option to have their speech recorded and available for later downloading online. The video will be made with a webcam so it will not be HDTV quality or anything but sufficient for our purposes. The recording will of course  be behind a password, and as such not visible for the whole world. :) And again, this is totally optional, and recordings will only be made from speeches of people who so wish.

No meeting next Tuesday!

Just reminding everyone that next Tuesday, 19 October, we won't have a meeting due to the unofficial autumn break at the university.

See you all on Tuesday the 26th, in our usual room, E301! We'll have a nice, old-fashioned full debate!

Speech structure material & Feedback form

Our last meeting was a somewhat themed one, since we had our focus on the structure of the debate speech. Here's the material used. The figure is showing the structure that every speech should have. In other words, each of these four parts should be found in each one of the eight speeches in the debate.

I also prepared a form that was meant for my own use when I'm observing a debate and giving feedback. You can find that form here. As you can see, this is not a proper adjudication form, this is simply to keep track of what was in the speeches. So far most people have been lacking signposting, for example, so this is going to help me know exactly if any of the essential parts of the speech are missing.

I wasn't going to publish the feedback form at first, but someone pointed out that it could also work as a useful checklist for the prep time, so you can make sure you have prepared for the essentials. If you want to do this, you can now print one of these for yourself.

Role Fulfillment Material

For Aatemarkkinat (see previous post) I put together some material to hand out to people to introduce them to debating. This material included a very brief introduction to the World Universities Format we're using and a template for role fulfillment within said format. I also handed out the latter papers in the last couple of meetings. However, that template I wrote was made as easy and simple as possible, so I'm also going to share with you a template by prof. Snider, which is a lot more detailed and should provide more insight into the roles for those of you who already have some debate experience.

Based on the debates lately I’ve come to the conclusion that, although the basic rules of argumentation are quite well embraced in the debate speeches, what could need some improvement is the structure and understanding of the different roles in the debate. I hope this material will bring some more clarity to that! Feel free to contact me or Pekka (or comment in Facebook or here) if you have any questions whatsoever regarding the roles or indeed anything about debating or the Society.

Click here to find my material

... and here for prof. Snider's.

See you next Tuesday!

Promoting Debate & Debate Meeting 28.9.10

Yesterday was really rich in debate, as we went to Aatemarkkinat, along with other student societies, to promote our hobby and to encourage people to join the Debate Society. We talked to a lot of people during the six hours we spent there and I'm sure we managed to evoke the interest of many of them. Quite a few people said they would join next week, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be an interesting meeting! A big thanks to Pyry, Olli and Tapani who spent time on our stand along with me and Pekka.

Almost right after Aatemarkkinat we had our third debate meeting for this semester. We kicked off the meeting with a drama drill, where everyone spoke for a minute and a half with as much emotion in their speech as they possibly could. According to the general feedback, the drill was much enjoyed, and I personally think it's very good practice for the actual debate. We will probably try the exercise again some time in the meetings to come. I could actually see the effects of the exercise right after it when we had our debate with the motion This House Would Make All Middle Schools and High Schools Single Gender. It was an interesting debate and I can see people getting better, speaking longer and in general embracing the debate principles more and more with every debate they attend. Good job!

If you're a newcomer, feel free to join us on any meeting! (Tuesdays on 17.00, Language Center's room E301)

See you all next week!

The Debate Workshop is Over - But Debating Goes On!

The workshop is wrapped up! A big thanks to everyone who participated and particularly to prof. Snider who provided the excellent coaching! And debate goes on... We're hoping to see everyone in the Society meeting this Tuesday - or indeed any Tuesday! (5 pm sharp in Language Centre room E301)

P.S. If you've never debated, you're still more than welcome to join us!

Debate Meeting on September 14th

Just a reminder that the weekly debate meetings are starting again on September 14th. Hope to see many old and new debaters there!

Workshop Registration Closed

We have reached our full capacity and the registration is now closed. Thank you all for your interest and see you at the workshop!

If you didn't get in, send me message and I'll inform you if there are any cancellations.

Debate Workshop on September 26th - 27th

Great news people! We have a new workshop coming up on September! This is something you don't want to miss if you're at all interested in debate.

Here's a link to the flier, feel free to pass it out and don't forget to register!

(The below text is from the flier)

This September you have a great opportunity to get an introduction to formal debate in a workshop brought to you by UTA Debate Society and the Language Center. Skills learned in debate, such as argumentation, persuasion and public speaking, are useful in a range of situations across career, studies and everyday life

The workshop will be hosted by Professor Alfred Snider from University of Vermont, an award-winning debate coach, who has over 30 years of experience teaching argumentation, persuasion and debate across the globe.

The workshop is open for everyone, both Finnish and foreign students, and the program is useful no matter if you’ve never debated before or if you already have some experience. You benefit the most if you attend the workshop on both days, but registration for only Sunday or Monday is also possible.

The registration fee is 3 € which is to be paid on arrival at the workshop. The fee includes lunch on Sunday at the Language Center kitchen.

The registration for the workshop will open on August 30th.
To register, fill out the form at:
http://www.utadebatesociety.org/p/debate-workshop-registration.html
The number of participants is limited and the spots will be filled in registration order.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Program

September 26th, Sunday

9.15-10.00 Introduction to debate and format

10.00-12.00 Exercises and mini debates

12.00-13.00 Lunch (at the LC kitchen)

14.00-15.00 Exercises with motions

September 27th, Monday

9.15-10.15 Creating your own training program

10.15-11.30 Points of Information drill demonstration

11.30-12.30 Speaking exercises

12.30-13.30 Lunch (at your own expense)

13.30-16.00 Final debate

Weekly Meetings Starting Again on September

The summer is nearing its end, and it's soon time to start debating again.
First meeting will be on Tuesday 14.9.2010. Hope to see many old and new faces there!

If you can't make it to the first meeting it's ok. You are free to start showing up throughout the year.

New Domain

As you've probably noticed, we have a new domain for the society. I was planning on changing the blog software too, but decided to stay with Blogger for now. So, the new home of UTA Debate Society is http://www.utadebatesociety.org/. Update your bookmarks and links. :)

There's also About page now that has information about the society and debate in general.

Society News

The society is on break for the summer, but weekly debates will continue again next fall. The time is most likely going to be the same, i.e. at Tuesdays around 17 pm. There might be other events during the fall too, but more about these later.

In addition a new website/blog is being planned and we should have it up and running before September. An announcement will be made here when the new site is available.

Have a great summer and see you all next fall!

Debate Workshop

On 25th-26th April the society held a Debate Workshop. Even though Professor Alfred Snider couldn't get there personally, the workshop was a great success. Prof. Snider and Dr. Steve Llano held video-conference sessions and coached workshop participants on debating. Special thanks to them for getting up at odd hours and sharing their expertise! Also thanks to Karen and Mirja for organizing the event, and to everyone who participated. Hope to see you all in the upcoming UTA Debate Society meetings and events!

Karen Leaving Finland

UTA Debate Society was established on January 2010 with Karen Nelson as the founding member. Before this there was no formal debate in Tampere. During the last few months everyone involved has learned a lot, not only in the weekly meetings but also in the Debate Workshop organized and hosted by Karen in association with the language center. Karen has provided us with the tools to continue learning and practicing debate, and to make the society grow and prosper after her returning to the United States.

That said, Karen has been a pioneer in establishing a debate scene in this part of Finland and the society wishes to thank her for her efforts, in hopes that in the future the cooperation will continue!

- Pekka & Jenni on behalf of the UTA Debate Society

THBT international aid should be tied to Women's Rights

Here is a link http://debatevideoblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/debate-public-tie-development-aid-to.html to a debate between the Irish National Champions and St. John's University. This is the same motion that we had a debate about in our last meeting (4/20/10). For those that participated this is a great resource to use to see where improvements can be made.

If you have questions email me directly or start a discussion on the Moodle page!

-Karen

Volcano takes us online

Here's a quote from yesterday's Newsletter of the Edwin Lawrence Debate Union at the University of Vermont:

"Finally, there is always room for a first. Just when you think you have seen it all, something new comes up. This weekend the Finnish organization LAAKEA had planned a debate workshop for professors of English in Tampere, Finland and had invited Alfred Snider, LDU director, to hold the workshop. After that there was to be a two-day workshop for student debaters planned. However, the eruption of the Iceland volcano has caused this program to be cancelled because Snider simply cannot get there. “I have never had an event cancelled because of volcanic activity,” said Snider, “but we are working on using Skype to hold the debater workshop. I hope that I can go back in the fall for the teacher workshop.” "

Debate Workshop from April 25th to 26th

Important: Small number of the workshop ads had a wrong registration deadline. The correct deadline is April 19th.

The workshop is getting closer, but there's still time to register! It's going to be a great opportunity for everyone to improve their debating, argumentation and public speaking skills. You don't need any previous experience in debating to participate. The workshop is hosted by Prof. Snider, an experienced teacher of argumentation, persuasion, and debate.

To register, send an email to: kgnelson@uvm.edu
The program: http://www.uta.fi/~kkmiha/studentWorkshop.pdf

More about Prof. Snider:
http://www.blogger.com/profile/16478595639198105911
http://debate.uvm.edu/tuna.html

Comprehensive description of BP style debate:
http://www.britishdebate.com/universities/resources/guide_deane.pdf

Quick description of BP format on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Parliamentary_Style

Media from IDEA Exchange 2010 now available

If you missed out on all the action at this year's IDEA Exchange in Vilnius, Lithuania, you can still experience it! Many videos and pictures are now posted from the IDEA Exchange 2010. Check out the more than 250 pictures of the event on the IDEA Flickr page. In addition, go to IDEA's channel on BlipTV.com to view a playlist of seventeen videos of presentations, debates, and the keynote speaker. For more information on the IDEA Exchange, and to easily access this media, visit the IDEA Exchange website.

Check the videos on BlipTV.com!

***********IMPORTANT***************

REMINDER: We will be having a meeting THIS THURSDAY to discuss recruitment for the UTA Debate Society and promotion of the debate workshop on April 25th. We will be meeting at the Cafe next to the Language Center at 4 pm (16.00)

DECISIONS: At the meeting tonight we decided that we will be meeting LONGER to prepare for the debate workshop. The meeting will begin promptly at 5 and will conclude at 8.

*Anyone, that has not registered for the debate workshop there is still time. Send me an email with your contact information! - kgnelson@uvm.edu

Thanks
Karen

News Sources

There has been some discussion and questions in past meetings regarding good news sources. This is a link from Debate Central. This is a list formulated by Prof. Alfred Snider. Reading articles, journals etc. everday and staying up to date on current events and world issues will allow for more quality debates and personal development in the debate workshop.
http://debate.uvm.edu/news.html

Updates & Workshop Registration

Notes from the Last Meeting:
*We began the meeting with an open discussion on role fulfillment. For any further clarifications or concerns email me directly - kgnelson@uvm.edu
*The motion of the debate was: THBT President Obama's Healthcare Plan is UnAmerican. The debate was a learning experience for all participants, and was evident of the need to begin writing Briefs.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the break, we will be meeting tomorrow at the same time and place. Tomorrow I will be bringing a sheet with the names of people that have already registered for the debate workshop. So if you have not yet registered you will be able to do so tomorrow!

Thanks
Karen

Dr. Steve Llano

On Tuesday March 23rd Dr. Steve Llano from The University of St. Johns lectured on Argumentation. Steve delivered his lecture from his office in New York City. The lecture focused on the Toulmin model of argumentation (see image to the left). There was also interactive discussion between the members of UTA and Steve. Using the Toulmin model they discussed and developed arguments for the motion: THW Ban Boxing.

Following the lecture the members of UTA Debate held a practice debate. The motion was THW Ban Gambling. Steve adjudicated and gave great feedback to all of the participants. Thank you Steve for all of your help and we look forward to working with you again!

Flyer for the Debate Workshop and notes from our last meeting

The programme and the time are now set for the Debate Workshop. See the link for more specifics and don't forget to reserve your spot with Karen as soon as possible.
http://www.uta.fi/~kkmiha/studentWorkshop.pdf

Last Tuesday's motion was "THB that positive discrimination should be enforced by the government to have a more equal society." Everybody participated and there was a lot of engaging dialogue and arguments. So much so that the discussion was able to continue after the meeting in another venue :)

See you all next Tuesday, same place, same time. This time Karen will be there!

NO MEETING NEXT WEEK

As all of the UTA students know next week is the break. So there will be no meeting on Tuesday. So have a great week and enjoy the time off!
Both Mirja and I will not be in the city but if you need to contact me I should be available via email!
Thanks
Karen

Announcement & Congratulations!

Mirja Hamalainen lecturer in the Language Center and advisor to the UTA Debate Society has received a Fullbright Scholarship for the Fall. Mirja will be lecturing in the Speech Department and coaching at The University of Vermont. She will be working closely with Prof. Alfred Snider and members of the Lawrence Debate Union to advance her knowledge and skills in British Parliamentary.
Congratulations Mirja!
-K

Notes/ Thoughts on the Guest Lecture by David Arter

On 2.23.10 the UTA Debate Society had a guest lecture by David Arter. David Arter is a lecturer in the Political Science and International Relations Department. Prof. Arter used his dynamic speaking style to engage a large group of students and lecturers. With an array of humor, Finnish Language and engaging analysis Arter had the group compelled. I personally learned alot of information about Finnish political and culture that I had never previously considered.

Following the lecture we had a debate with a few new BRAVE students that were willing to participate. The motion of the debate was:
* THB that Finnish should be the only official language in Finland.
The debate was successful and I was impressed by the new students that participated. It was also nice to see that I was the only non-Finn in the debate. This made for a better quality debate and it was interesting to see the different perspectives.

Things to think about:
RECRUITMENT! RECRUITMENT! RECRUITMENT!
*Announcements in your lectures, it will take a minute and could attract alot of potential debaters!
*Flyers!! We still have the flyer that was designed by Chris. If you would like copies to disperse through the city and campus send me an email and I will take care of it!
*Advertisement: Avisi etc.

NEXT MEETING:
*I will be giving a short lecture on structuring speeches and specifics of role fulfillment. I believe that the members of the debate society are really improving and we are ready to step up our skills and focus on the fundamentals of debate!!!
*Following the lecture we will have a debate! I will be bringing a list of motions and I will select one, and then we will draw positions in the debate. It will be a bit more challenging but I think participants will find that it is more simple than it appears!

Any questions, concerns or comments feel free to either email me or post them on the blog!

Thanks
Karen
Kgnelson@uvm.edu

Meeting Notes 2.16.10

Update: What happend at the last meeting?

DECISIONS:
Recruitment- We need to be constantly recruiting people!! This includes both Finnish and International Students.
So how do we recruit people????
-Flyers: Chris has designed a flyer which has had some distribution through the City and Campus. We discussed the idea of organizing a large group of people to meet on Campus and distribute flyers. We can set this up prior to the next meeting by using the mailing list. And we can include a note about the guest lecture by David Arter.
-Show Debate: The idea of having another show debate was mentioned. Except this time we would have it in more of a public venue and it would include members of the UTA Debate Society.

Meeting Time- We have decided that the meetings will be starting promptly at 17 (5 pm) every Tuesday!

What was next......VIDEO!!!
We watched a video from The International Debate Academy in Slovenia '07. The Motion of the debate was about apologizing for colonialism. The Link to the video is still available on the Blog.

DEBATE>>>DEBATE>>>>
We had a full debate in the BP Format. The motion of the debate was This House Believes that GMF (Genetically Modified Food) is the solution to World Hunger. The debate was very successful and it showed alot of improvement!

ANNOUNCEMENT!

Prof. David Arter from the International Relations and Political Science Dept. is coming to our next meeting on Tuesday Febr. 23rd. Prof. Arter will be giving a lecture on Finnish Culture and Politics. We will then have a debate on a topic discussed in the lecture. And following the debate we will have an open discussion with Prof. Arter. This is going to be a great event for the society! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns feel free to let me know!
Thanks
Karen
Karen.Nelson@uta.fi

BP Debate: Apologize for Colonialism

In our last meeting members voiced a desire to see an experienced British Parliamentary Debate. This is a debate that took place at the International Debate Academy in Slovenia. The motion: This House Would Apologize for Colonialism.

http://debatevideoblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/debate-bp-apologize-for-colonialism.html

If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to let me know!

Updates from Meeting on 10/2/10

The third meeting of the UTA Debate Society was very succesful!!! So.... what was achieved:
Recruitment- Flyer Disbursement
Kija will be designing and disbursing flyers throughout the Campus and City
Pekka and I will be meeting on Friday (12/2/10) at 11:45 in the front of Linna to hand out flyers, anyone and everyone is welcome!

Possible recruitment ideas:
*In Lectures make an announcement about our debate society, it can brief and should include the meeting location and date.
*Contacting ESNT FINT and the Student Union about advertisement/recognition of our debate society (I will be taking care of this)
*Jenni is putting together a mailing list, so if you know of any friends/collegues that are interested in the debate society email their contact information to Jenni and she can add their name to the list

BIG NEWS!!!! The UTA Debate Society is know on facebook so spread the word. The Group name is simply UTA Debate Society so join and send the link to all of your friends.

Following discussion we had our first debate in the British Parliamentary format. The Motion (Topic) was THBT every child deserves a mother and a father in their home. The debate went well and participants were able to practice their public speaking skills, role fulfillment in the BP Format and speaking for 7 minutes.

PLANS for the next meeting:
Continuing to discuss and brainstorm ideas for recruitment!
We will be watching a video of an experienced debate in the BP Format!
And will continue by discussing the importance of role fulfillment and how it was used in the speeches in the debate.

Thanks
-Karen

Examples of training topics for the Spring

Mirja and I have formulated a list of basic topics for the study and practice of public speaking and debate. The purpose is to allow members of the UTA Debate Society to develop their skills both in the meetings and independently. We are planning on discussing these at the meeting and are interested in feed back.
How to structure an argumentation

The use of data and analysis in argumentation
Structure in the BP format
Role fulfillment in BP
Prep time
Public Speaking 101
Practicing English for clarity
Adjudication and Feedback
Continual Recruitment

Thanks
Karen and Mirja

Second meeting

Six students came to the second UTA Debate Society meeting. We started getting organised. There will be a mailing list for the participants. If you want to join it, please contact Jenni Juvonen (jenni.juvonen(at)uta.fi). We practised public speaking by giving 4-minute impromptu speeches and ended up in debating the interesting topics. Next time we are hoping to start debating in a more formal format and planning social events (any suggestions?).

We hope to see more members next time!

Next meeting: 9 February 5 pm in E301 at the Language Centre

Meeting on the 2nd of February

Our second meeting will be held in E301 at the Language Centre. Last time we decided to start at 17.00. The room and the time for our Tuesday meetings will be the same all spring.

Welcome all and bring your friends with you!

Show Debate from Helsinki Debate Society

This is a group photo of the members of the UTA and Helskini Debate Society. The motion of the debate was: This House Believes that Bigger is Better in Higher Education. The show debate was a great introduction for newcomers to the BP Format.

Notes from the First Meeting!

The First meeting of the UTA Debate Society was very successful! Individuals from all backgrounds and interests came together to discuss this new and exciting program. We were able to become acquainted with each other and do an introduction to the British Parliamentary format. After our discussion we were able to decide about the structure and progression of the program. So what was decided!
I. We are going to progress into the BP Format. A good resource for anyone that is interested in researching the format is the link to the BP Guide on the Blog.
II. For the next meeting anyone that would like can prepare a 2 minute speech on any topic.
III. This is going to be a fun and active organization! Sauna parties and potlucks will be planned A.S.A.P!
IV. We need to be active when not meeting. Become a follower of the blog. Use the resource links. Ask me questions!
V. The next meeting will be in the Language Center on February 2nd in room E301. Bring your friends or people in your courses that could be interested in the society! Recruitment is what is going to help this society grow!

REMINDER!!!!!

There will be a show debate given by the Helskini Debate Society. It is going to be held at Tampere University in Pinni LS B1096 at 16.00. Everyone that is able should come and see the BP Format in action! Bring your friends and I will see you there!

If anyone has any questions/concerns feel free to post a comment on the blog or contact me via email- karen.nelson@uta.fi

Thanks
Karen

Helsinki Debating Society giving a show debate on the 29th of January

Helsinki University Debating Society is coming to show us how to debate!On Friday the 29th of January, we will be visited by debaters from theHelsinki University Debating Society. They will be putting on a showdebate, with two teams of speakers debating about the topic: "This House Believes that Bigger is Better in Higher Education". Theywill also explain to us some basic rules for debates, some ideas onhow to keep things interesting and some tips for people new todebating. The Helsinki Debate Club has around 30 members, both Finnish and international, who have been working with new debaters in Finland and taking part in international competitions for around 5 years. More information about debating and their activities can befound here: http://www.helsinkidebating.org/

Come and see the show debate in PINNI LS B1096 at 16.00 next Friday!

More information: Mirja Hämäläinen
Language Centre

The first meeting

The first meeting of the UTA Debate Society will be held on Tuesday January 26th in the Language Center. This is an exciting and historical time on campus. This will be the first time that Tampere University will have a debate society. This is going to be a great organization for students and staff to come together and discuss world issues. This is an intercultural organization where you will meet students and staff from all disciplines with different international backgrounds.

My name is Karen Nelson. I am an exchange student from The University of Vermont. I have debated for four years in different formats both in the U.S. and in Europe. At the first meeting I will discuss my background more and my experience with the Lawrence Debate Union at my home university. We will discuss how we would like the UTA Debate Society to function. I will be here until the end of May to support you and get the society started!

Thanks
Karen