The Belarusian National Technical University has a thriving debate club. As a reminder, the city stage of the All-Belarusian Debate League took place on March 31st, resulting in our students reaching the national level for the first time. Taisiya Sheremeta, a student of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and Ivan Shor, a student of the Faculty of Power Engineering, will defend BNTU's honor in this intellectual arena.
We previously spoke with the students, and on Friday, May 29th, we met again. We learned how they are preparing for the national stage, which will take place in mid-June.
It's worth noting that their preparation for the decisive battle coincided with one of the most challenging periods – the summer exam session. Taisiya shared her thoughts on the upcoming tournament:
"There's not much time left for preparation, and combining it with exams will be a real challenge. We want to perform well and showcase our strengths. However, despite all the difficulties, the team's spirit is exceptionally high."
Discussing the secrets of constructing a strong argument and choosing topics, Taisiya emphasized the importance of structure and facts.
"First and foremost, I try to rely on key facts and maintain a logical structure in my statements to ensure my answers are as complete as possible. Social issues are the most interesting topics for me. There is a huge diversity of opinions in this area, which sometimes allows me to find completely unpredictable arguments," Taisiya shared her experience.
During the conversation, Ivan drew attention to the high level of competition at the upcoming stage. The students recently attended a multi-day training camp, where they met with strong opponents from across the country and met with Andrei Ivanets, Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus.
"I can confidently say that all the participants possess deep knowledge in a wide range of fields and will pose serious competition to us. There's always a bit of excitement, but it's entirely appropriate and doesn't escalate into panic. The project has a friendly atmosphere, so we're going to the finals not only to win, but also to gain valuable experience interacting with like-minded people," Ivan shared.
When asked about his personal strengths and the most advantageous areas for discussion, the young man said he relied on his analytical mind:
"My strengths in the game are critical thinking, the ability to question everything my opponent says, and a good erudition. My winning areas are definitely energy and legislative restrictions, where I can always build a strong logical advantage."
Training sessions for the participants are led by Nadezhda Popkova, Secretary of the BNTU Public Organization "Belaya Rus" and Deputy Director General for Ideological Work of the BNTU Polytechnic Scientific and Technological Park.
"The Debate League is a true strategic game. Dry knowledge takes a back seat, and the key is the ability to develop the right tactics and identify weaknesses in your opponent's arguments. We specifically simulated similar stressful situations during training. Now, to avoid overloading the students during the session, the main emphasis is on confident presentation on stage and microphone skills," Nadezhda Alekseyevna emphasized.
The club director is especially proud of the well-coordinated teamwork and synergy of the future engineers:
"The most interesting thing is that the participants are completely different in character, temperament, and worldview, but they complement each other perfectly in the game. Where one is overwhelmed by emotion, the other helps maintain balance. It is this powerful tandem that we are especially proud of."
Reaching the national level is a social boost and a significant achievement for representatives of a technical university. We wish the students success in the finals and sincerely believe in the strength of Polytechnic University!
