On Tuesday, March 31, the city stage of the Nationwide Debate League took place. Students of the Belarusian National Technical University showed themselves from the best side — Alina Falkovich, a student of the Faculty of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship, and Ilya Koroletsky, a student of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, took a place in the first round game, while Taisiya Sheremeta, a student of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, and Ivan Shon, a student of the Power Engineering Faculty, advanced to the finals of the competition. We spoke with the students to find out how an engineer can learn to argue eloquently and why debates are not a strange hobby but a springboard for a future career.
For reference: The competition, organized by the Ministry of Education, the Academy of Management, the public association "Belaya Rus", and the PO of the public association "BRSM", is held annually in three stages: university, regional, and republican. The winners enter the republican database of gifted youth and receive recommendations for the President's special fund. The best ones form the national team of Belarus for international tournaments.
According to the students, the BNTU debate team was formed out of a sincere desire of students to try themselves not only in drawings but also to demonstrate their own oratory skills. As Alina said, her personal interest in public discussions had been growing for a long time:
— I already had some experience in public speaking, and I wanted to move to a new level. When I received an offer to join the club, I, of course, agreed because I wanted to find people with whom I would develop in the same direction.
Ilya added that he was brought to the club by a desire for self-development and a search for like-minded people:
— Here I found wonderful people with whom you can talk on any topic — both within debates and outside of them.
The initiative of the students themselves proved stronger than any administrative resources. Taisiya explained this success as follows:
— The best results are achieved when a person wants to do it themselves.
Taisiya is confident that debates for a technical university student are both a passion and a conscious effort to work on their skills:
— Entering a technical university, we all already possessed certain abilities. A technician doesn’t necessarily have to be purely a technician without humanitarian skills. Debates became a way to upgrade existing soft skills — we are all well-read enough, and we came out of personal interest.
— What is harder: proving a theorem in strength of materials or convincing the judges that your position on a controversial issue is correct?
— From personal experience, I will say that it is harder to prove things to the judges. You memorize a theorem on strength of materials while sitting at home, but here you get a topic — in 15 minutes you prepare a line of defense. If you prepared incorrectly, in a couple of seconds you restructure to a different attack vector, — Ivan shared.
In society, as is known, there is a stereotype: "technicians" cannot speak beautifully, and "humanitarians" cannot think logically. Ilya categorically disagreed with this statement. The student noted that debates are precisely what allow you to improve your public speaking skills:
— Yes, of course, such a stereotype exists, and perhaps it is true — humanitarians think beautifully, present a thought in a beautiful package, while technicians are inarticulate. Debates help overcome this barrier, develop eloquence and coherence of thought. This is a great opportunity for self-development.
Moreover, a technical mindset gives an unexpected advantage, as Taisiya noticed:
— A technical mindset allows you to structure your speech more clearly. Very often our opponents lacked that. And in matters of technology and societal development, a technical specialty provides knowledge that allows you to argue more convincingly.
— How does the "Republican League" differ from student clubs? Does Belarus have its own "recognizable" style of debate?
— The League differs in the level of opponents, preparation, and strict adherence to the rules. If in a club minor errors, such as going over time, may be forgiven, at the republican level everything is stricter: clear boundaries and requirements. And the topics are more unexpected and complex," Ivan explained.
However, the general principle remains the same: to properly structure your argumentation and prove your point of view from a given side.
Many are afraid of a difficult topic for which they lack personal knowledge. Alina said that they work through the most tricky moments within the BNTU club itself.
— We worked a lot with our teacher, who pointed out our mistakes, showed us how to get out of awkward situations correctly and how not to lose face, how to show that a topic turned out to be difficult for you.
— Debates are called "chess for the mouth." Do you agree? What would you add to this metaphor from an engineer's perspective?
— If in chess you have a board beyond which you cannot go, then in debates the boundaries are much wider. You can apply all your knowledge, skills, and abilities. If we return to engineering, it is like an engineering problem with constantly changing conditions, — Alina shared.
In the BNTU team, which is just being formed, there is their own "critical mirror" — a person who, after a brilliant speech, will say: "No, that was weak." Ivan admits that this role is often performed by the club members themselves:
— When we play games, our position in real life may coincide, but because we are on opposite sides, we oppose each other. Our mentor also doesn't let us relax — after a seemingly successful performance, there is always something that needs work. And that is actually good because it develops critical thinking.
The support of the university was also indispensable. The students thank the university administration for the opportunity to find a place where they can realize themselves, for help with academic issues, as well as the BNTU Scientific and Technological Park "Polytechnic" for the excellent venue where the club's training sessions take place. Separately, the students noted the role of the PO of the public association "Belaya Rus" of BNTU, which, according to Ivan, "created a platform, legitimized the movement, and established clear rules."
— What is your main goal now: to win the league cup or simply to hone the skill of 'resolving any disputes'?
— Our main goal is to get pleasure from the event, gain valuable experience, as well as break the stereotype that technicians cannot speak, to bring BNTU to a new level. This will be useful for our comprehensive development, and also not to let down those who support us. Therefore, our goal is not only to win the cup but also to enjoy ourselves, — Ivan noted.
Taisiya advises first-year students of Polytechnic who are embarrassed by their own voice and afraid to debate the following:
— Being afraid of something is normal, but you need to be honest with yourself and answer: do you really need it? If you realize that it's interesting, then fears can easily be worked out here, in the club. We don't send an insecure student straight to competitions. We have a fairly close-knit team, everyone supports each other. So come and discover your talents.
We congratulate the students on such a high achievement and wish them further success, both in debates and in their studies.
To become part of the BNTU debate team, just one step is enough — contact the dean's office of your faculty. They will tell you where to start. Remember: technicians don't just count and draw. Technicians debate — and they do it brilliantly!
