The Public Speaking & Debating Club has started at HYS Enterprise in October 2020.

The work process in the IT industry includes a lot of communication with customers, daily standups, and retrospectives. Debating club helps our specialists to improve their communication skills and express themselves clearly. 

Debates in our club have a form of engaging intellectual game. We exchange thoughts and opinions and discuss the most tricky topics. This process helps us to be more objective and see things as they are. Also, we acquire the necessary skills for a successful person and learn how to persuade others, how to properly argue your point, what makes public speaking effective, and how to master the skills of critical and logical thinking.

Why We Started the Debating Club

Whether you’re a CEO or an entry-level employee, communication skills have a top-priority value. They determine how effective our working processes and most of all, how we can collaborate across various projects and teams. 

So our debating club has clear and simple goals: 

• Improving employees’ communication and public speaking skills.
• The opportunity to meet coworkers from different teams and talk in a friendly environment.

What We Learn

We have managed to create a friendly space for learning the secrets of effective argumentation. The club’s program provides the maximum outcome and includes 30% of theory and 70% of practice. The focus of the program is on the following topics: 

• The interplay between nonverbal and verbal interaction
• Practicing confident public speaking
• Improvisation workshops applicable to meetings, stand-ups, retrospectives, or demos
• Exercises for improving memory
• Tips to win an argument

First of all, I was excited to meet new people. It is always interesting to complete tasks playfully. The exercises helped me to boost my negotiation and presentation skills. Most importantly, I apply all learned techniques at work and see how they improve my work process.

Alexander Nikolskiy, Front-end developer, club participant

How It Goes

Let’s take a look at how we run the club’s workshops. 

• Acquaintance

In the beginning, there is a traditional acquaintance with the participants. This is a great opportunity to get to know your peers from other projects, meet newcomers, or find a debate partner.

• Warming up

Then we do exercises in diction, articulation, and practice tongue twisters.

• Topic Discussion

We learn new techniques for negotiation and debate. And then we apply theory to practice and get feedback.

• Debate

Also, we choose a topic for the next debate. The debates are organized in the following way: free speech on the topic, questions from the teacher, questions from a debate opponent, and the final word.

• Informal communication and networking

After the debate, the participants usually share their impressions, vote for the debater they liked the most (Audience Award), and then discuss controversial topics. 

Visiting the club resulted in positive changes not only at my work but also in everyday life. I learned to listen to people and understand their intentions. Everyone has a different perception of what was said and it’s crucial to clarify the details. I also learned how to improvise during the speech, practiced debating, and made friends with awesome people.

Alexander Mutiev, Front-end developer, club participant

 

Public Speaking & Debating Club is held every week and managed by Kristina Chemerskaya, People Partner at HYS Enterprise. Everyone from HYS Enterprise can join. We’ll be happy to meet new participants!