The Exeter Debating Union is divided into two crucial sections: intervarsity debating (i.e., going to competitions), and ‘show’ debates on a Friday, where guest speakers debate a variety of issues for an audience.
Those who are interested in the intervarsity side of things are free to attend training sessions on both a Monday and/or a Wednesday. Mondays focus on standard training followed by a debate whilst Wednesdays are more advanced. The debaters most keen to compete then represent the university all around the country, including in Birmingham, London, Warwick, and Southampton!
In the Summer, the strongest two debaters then go on to compete at the European Championships in The Netherlands, one of many amazing opportunities that are accessible through the Debating Union. Those who are keen to improve their confidence and public speaking skills should be encouraged to participate as it is a great environment to let off some steam and many consider it a good thing to have on your CV, especially if you aim to go into law or politics as a career.
Those who are keen to improve their confidence and public speaking skills should be encouraged to participate […] a good thing to have on your CV, especially if you aim to go into law or politics
Friday show debates are open to both members and non-members, even though non-members have to pay a small price for the ticket. The show debates have included speakers from a range of backgrounds, such as researchers, journalists, diplomats (like H.E. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, ambassador of Brazil to the UK), and political advocates (like Tilly Middlehurst, a Cambridge Union debater who went viral after debating Charlie Kirk). These events often have a large turnout and are both entertaining and informative, collaborating with other societies to occasionally even develop students’ perspectives on their own areas of study. Often, audience members also have the opportunity to win a bottle of wine for asking the best question to the expert speakers, who debate everything from politics to philosophy.
Both of these debating (or observing debating) opportunities are also combined with a range of fun socials, such as Pub Golf, a Traitors-style social, both the Winter and Spring ball, as well as the Pimms social to end the year. These are perfect to balance out the mental exercise of debating by allowing you to meet a multitude of new people and have fun at creative and well-planned events!
