Proving factual claims with evidence is what great science is all about. Yet, we may get difficult questions at conferences and we all have to defend our thesis. It can be a nerve-wrecking experience and scientists can benefit from learning about debating and argumentation skills.
In the 8-hour on-campus workshop on “Debating: you know you are right – but can you prove it?”, Daniël Schut from BHertz gave us very useful tips about structuring your argumentation on a sentence, paragraph, and article level. He gave us tools for answering (difficult) questions during your PhD defense, or after a conference presentation. There were a lot of interactive exercises in the form of smaller groups, as well as with the whole group, leading to plenty of opportunities to practice. In the afternoon, the debating form was introduced and it was refreshing to experience how discussions can be held by solely focussing on the content instead on the person!
You can read more about Daniël Schut at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schutdaniel/
“Great opportunity for developing and practicing our skills.”
Anonymous participant
“ I am super greatful for how much I learned and also had fun”
Anonymous participant
