דיבייט באקדמיה - בית הספר לדיבור מול קהל

What is debating (Debating)
Debating, as it is practiced in universities in Israel and around the world, is an intellectual sport that challenges rival groups to convince an audience to support or oppose a certain proposal (for example the establishment of a constitutional court or television broadcasts from courts). The "rules of the game" of the debate give each speaker a fixed period of time for the speech, usually five or seven minutes, within which he must convince the audience and the judges. He is followed by the representative of the opposing group, whose job it is to present counter-arguments and refute the opponent's arguments. The purpose of the activity is to build the students' ability to speak orally, supported by self-confidence and the ability to speak under time pressure. In addition, does the activity help in developing a distinction between main and secondary, analytical skills and critical thinking? Skills that are important to every academic and professional.

Today, almost all debate activity in Israel is focused on academia, when The only debate club open to the general public He is at the public speaking school in Ramat Gan.

The state of debating in the Israeli academy
As of today, there are 13 academic institutions in Israel that encourage and promote debating activities. From an academic and administrative point of view, it is possible to point to two main courses of action for this activity. One outline is institutions that grant academic recognition to the activity, by giving academic credit points to students (mainly the small ones, for example the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and Netanya College). A second outline is institutions where the activity is centralized and managed by the student union (mainly the big ones, for example the Hebrew University and the Technion). In those institutions where the course receives academic recognition, it is often studied as an elective course, when sometimes it is associated with one department (law at the University of Haifa, behavioral sciences at the College of Management), and sometimes students from all departments can study it (today it is associated with the student deanship in Haifa, and a general elective course at the Center interdisciplinary).
It is important to emphasize that there are institutions where there is both academic and non-academic activity at the same time, where one enriches and fertilizes the other. At the University of Haifa, for example, last year there were two courses in rhetoric (within the department of communication and within the framework of the outstanding program), and at the same time a club and a competitive team operated under the auspices of the dean of students. At Netanya College, a club is expected to be held next year at the same time as the course.

Conferences and inter-university activity
In recent years, the inter-university activity in the field of debating in Israel has greatly expanded, as well as the connections between the students active in the field in the various institutions. An increasing number of conferences and competitions are held throughout the school year, when in the last two years it is possible to notice the weakening of the hegemony of the big clubs (Haifa and Jerusalem), in favor of the smaller clubs (Herzliya, which today is already comparable to the big ones, and the Technion). The most prestigious and important competition is the Israel Student Championship, which traditionally takes place at the end of May, and which is hosted by a different university every year. In addition, a junior competition is held in February, intended for students who are in their first year of debate, and also includes a speech competition (?public speaking? ? individual and without the right to comment). In 2002, a new tradition began for the Israeli championship in the English language, which is expected to gain a very respectable status in the coming years. In addition, several inter-university conferences are held each year, mainly in preparation for major international competitions, and an online discussion forum also operates between the conferences.

The students' integration in international academic activity
At the same time as the activity in Israel, the Israeli institutions participate in international conferences and competitions against the best universities in the world. In 2002, the Hebrew University won the World Championship for ESL teams (teams where English is not their native language), held at the University of Toronto, with a Tel Aviv team also participating in the final. In the 2001 European Championship, three Haifa teams qualified for the semi-finals, and one team for the final. The highlight of Israel's integration into a place of honor in the world of debating was the hosting of the 2002 European Championships at the University of Haifa. As part of the competition, representatives of over 40 European universities, including some of the most prestigious (Cambridge and Oxford, for example), came to Israel for an event that was later defined in professional forums as one of the best organized competitions and whose professional level is considered the highest. In all the years from 2001 until today, Israeli teams were ranked first (Haifa in 2001, 2003, 2005, Jerusalem in 2002, and Herzliya in 2004).

The academic contribution of the debate to students
The real challenge in debate is the ability to express an opinion and bring arguments about a very wide range of topics? From religion and country, to allowing euthanasia or the death penalty, to joining the European Union. In order to succeed in this, the students in the workshop acquire effective rhetorical and logical tools, as well as develop interest and acquire knowledge in extensive fields. Perhaps because of this, experience in the world shows that debaters reach significant achievements in academia and politics (for example, 75% members of Congress were debaters, and so were the best Israeli explainers? Abba Ibn and Bibi Netanyahu). It is worth noting that debating greatly promotes women (who are often afraid to speak in front of an audience), and apparently, 50% of the women who served as heads of government in the world were debaters in the past.
Another possible reason for the success of debaters in politics is that this activity requires the speaker to argue for or against a certain position, regardless of his personal position. This necessity encourages openness to different opinions and creates an advanced discussion culture, of the kind that is very much needed in Israel. To this end, the laws used in debate require respect for the opponent, which is expressed, among other things, in the prohibition of interrupting speeches, with the exception of the right to present 2 interludes. These intermediate readings strengthen the students' ability to think "on their feet" and react quickly.
It is worth noting that even students who do not actually participate in the debate, take part in the activity, since they are assigned the task of judging the debate and evaluating it. As a result, the judges develop the ability to analyze and evaluate speeches and arguments, as well as the ability to listen critically, and identify "rhetorical manipulations" and demagoguery. As part of participating in the workshop, each student will play both roles, in order to develop all types of skills.