<div class="fr-view"><p>Welcome Week is bringing some welcome changes for our little community, and we at the Debate Club would like to invite you to be a part of that change. But first, it might be a good idea to explain who we are and what we do for those who might not be familiar with formalised debating.</p>
<p>We meet weekly, between 7pm and 8pm on a Monday, to debate a motion (the topic of the debate). This follows a simple moderated structure where the proposition (the people who agree with the motion) debates the opposition (the people who disagree with the motion). Each side gets four 5-minute speeches, one 3-minute closing statement, and then both the participants and the audience vote on which team was the most convincing. As a participant in the debate, you are developing your reasoning, public speaking, research, and problem-solving skills. The audience also provides two incredibly important roles: one, fact-checkers on what the speaker is saying, and two, deciding via popular vote who wins. Meaning that all levels of participation are vital for the running of our club.</p>
<p>Now that we have you all caught up on what debating is and how we do it, here’s why we think it would be good for you to come along.</p>
<p>First, the sense of community. We have built a diverse and passionate group of people all looking for that one thing distance learning struggles with the most: interpersonal connection. Something that will come so much easier to our brick-and-mortar university peers is something that can feel a little more distant for us at the OU. We pride ourselves on the welcoming nature of all our events, the vibrant conversation in our group chat, and the time we dedicate to socialising after each Zoom call.</p>
<p>Second, the exciting news is that we have just become a society and will be holding our first-ever round of elections this coming semester (date TBC). As a society member, you have the power to help decide the future of our club, whether that be as a volunteer helping run our events or as the president, setting the agenda. Formalising the organisation as a society gives us the ability to raise funds and invest back into the club as a means of improving the offerings for our members.</p>
<p>Third, the events we have planned. On <strong>28 September 2026</strong>, we have a current sitting member of the UK Parliament (John Lamont) coming along to give a presentation on political communication, with a Q&;A at the end. This is only the beginning, as we are finalising a speech by a care experience solicitor, and we are keen to build partnerships with other OU societies. We would welcome any and all in the OU to come along to our events, and if you feel like it, send recommendations for future speakers to our admin email.</p>
<p>I hope we have given a view into what we’re all about in the Debate Club. Now the only question left is: how do you get involved? We have left you our email, website, and Lumo event page links at the bottom of this article. All of us at the Debate Club cannot wait to see you at our Monday meetings, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about our Society.</p>
<p><strong><u>Contact List</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="mailto:oudebateclub@gmail.com">oudebateclub@gmail.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.oudebateclub.com/">https://www.oudebateclub.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://luma.com/oudebateclub">https://luma.com/oudebateclub</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><u>Special guest event </u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://luma.com/2puqzphf">https://luma.com/2puqzphf</a></li>
</ul>
<p> ;</p>
<div id="zfWrap">
		
 </div>



</div>
Share
Read more