Debating for Professionals
Argue concisely and clearly
Critical listening
Think faster
Convincing presentation
1350 ex BTW
6 to 12 participants
2 days
Utrecht
27 november
11 december
Can also be done in-company
Core of the training
Strategic and effective communication is crucial in the workplace. Whether you want to enthuse your team, get stakeholders on board, or simply not let anyone steal your bacon during a meeting, effective communication isn't a single skill. It's a combination of speaking, thinking, and listening skills. You have to be able to structure your ideas clearly, express them concisely, connect with the interests of others, and all of this under time pressure (you can hardly pause a meeting every five minutes to do some deep thinking). In short, it's quite a challenge.
In the Debating for Professionals training you will therefore learn:
Analyze topics and structure your thoughts in no time
To thoroughly substantiate your ideas and critically question those of others
Not getting bogged down in the details, but being able to zoom out to see the bigger picture
Deviate from your preparation when the moment calls for it
Convincing and inspiring presentation
Why debate as a method?
No opinions but positions
In debates, you defend a position, not your own opinion. This way, you learn to understand other perspectives, look at ideas with more distance, and are forced to thoroughly analyze points you might otherwise have dismissed cursorily.
Don't convince a jury of an opponent
Because you have to convince a third party, you can't get away with fallacies, hierarchy, or invoking experience. You're addressing someone further removed from the discussion, forcing you to zoom out, giving you more control in everyday conversations.
A real pressure cooker
In education, you practice arguing and presenting with lengthy preparation and delayed feedback. In the workplace, you don't have that preparation time; you get immediate feedback in meetings and have to adapt quickly. Debating trains you to do just that: adapt quickly while remaining persuasive.
The most fun way to deepen skills
Nobody said developing serious skills can't be fun. Debating is an interactive, energetic, and intense learning experience, allowing you to learn, apply, and repeat a tremendous amount in a short time, all while having a blast.
Sounds good, but...
Isn't there enough polarization already? Shouldn't we focus on dialogue?
Yes, public debate is becoming increasingly hardened and often anything but constructive. Not only in political debates, but also in societal debates, the ability to truly listen to each other and thus arrive at better conclusions is sometimes hard to come by.
This isn't due to a surplus, but rather a shortage of debating skills. We're not interested in tricks or always being right, but in developing skills that help you think critically, listen with understanding, and speak persuasively.
Once you have mastered these skills, we strongly recommend that you do not turn life into a debate, but instead use these improved skills in a proper way.
I don't want to get into politics, do I?
Clearly. Just as not everyone who studies philosophy or political science becomes a philosopher or political scientist, debating doesn't just prepare you for a career in politics.
As with university courses, it is much more about the skills you learn, which you can then use in a variety of contexts.
That's also why this is specifically a skills training. Many training courses focus on specific contexts, such as meeting training. But because you're always limited by the format, there's a limit to how much you can work on the underlying skills. Here, it's the other way around: the skills are central, and then we translate them together to specific contexts.
Does this fit in with my work context?
Yes!
How do you know that?
Because the skills are transferable across different contexts. If you need to lead a team, convince a management team, or manage relationships, this will be very useful to you.
It doesn't matter whether you do this as a consultant, civil servant or financial director.
This training is designed for people who have been working for a while (we recommend 5+ years of experience), as you'll have a thorough understanding of the context in which you work. This allows us to focus 80% of the time on skills development and 20% on translation.
This doesn't mean these are abstract lectures that ultimately won't be useful in everyday life. It means you'll truly master the skills and can experiment with which components best suit your work context.
Is this just a fun pastime or is it serious skills training?
Debate training is often thought of as a fun activity where you also happen to learn something. A kind of escape room with a slightly higher learning impact.
We see it differently. We believe that mastering these skills can fundamentally change your working life.
That is why we do not offer training courses that last just half a day, because they are simply too short to achieve lasting improvement.
This training has as much, if not more, impact than programs like personal leadership or persuasive communication for technicians.
Plan
Our Story
For whom?
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All information at a glance
27 november 11 december
€1350 ex BTW
6 to 12 participants
The Hague
2 days
Wondering if this training is right for you?
Devin van den Berg
Winner of the Dutch National Debating Championship 4x
Bel direct
Send a WhatsApp message
Schedule a video call
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Debating for Professionals
1350 ex BTW
6 to 12 participants
2 days
Utrecht
27 november
11 december
Debating for Professionals
After this training you will be able to:
Better assess and manage conversation dynamics
Share your ideas more concisely during meetings and presentations
Make your message more relevant to the experiences of your conversation partners
The core of the training
How many times have you found yourself in a meeting where your ideas didn't get the attention they deserve? In this training, you'll learn not only how to convey your message convincingly but also how to better understand the dynamics of business conversations. No tricks, just skills and insights that we'll apply directly to situations you'll recognize: from presenting plans to your team to convincing stakeholders in a crucial meeting. With practical case studies, we'll prepare you for the realities of the workplace.
All practical matters in a row
for individuals
Maximum 8 participants
Two days (9:30-17:00)
Including course material
June 24 and July 8 in The Hague (two-day training)
1395 pp (excluding VAT)
For organizations:
From €1250 per trainer per half day (EX VAT)
From 1 half day to 2 days (in consultation)
Advice: Maximum 12 participants per trainer
Contact us for a customized program and quote!
This training is for you if you:
Want to learn to assess and influence group dynamics to control conversations or decision-making processes
During discussions, you want to convey complex arguments clearly and concisely to managers, colleagues or customers.
Want to respond faster and more purposefully to critical questions or unexpected points of view during conversations
Want to learn how to use constructive questions to guide a conversation in a sympathetic way
Working in an environment with many different personalities, each requiring a different approach
Het To the Point Overtuigmodel
The most common mistake we make when trying to convince someone is focusing on ourselves and not on the other person's needs. Identifying this and adapting your message accordingly is one of the core components of this training.
To help you learn to assess your conversation partner, we've developed our own Persuasion Model. This model teaches you exactly which strategy to apply and when. For example, you'll discover how to effectively handle a dominant conversation partner, when it's helpful to give them more space, and how to transform someone from a silent yes-man into an outspoken ambassador.
If you would like to know more about how this model works and apply the lessons right away, you can find more information here.
Plan
Throughout the program, we rapidly alternate between theory and practice. Since the focus is on improving skills, it's important to apply the acquired knowledge as much as possible and to receive feedback from both our coaches and your fellow participants. The program below is intended to give you an idea of what to expect. In practice, coaches often deviate from this if it becomes clear that it better suits individual learning goals. To ensure the program is as well-suited as possible, we ask you to complete a short intake two weeks in advance. There's usually about two weeks between day 1 and day 2. This allows you to apply the acquired knowledge and skills to your work, and we can incorporate the insights you gain during the second training day.
Day 1
Start training (9.30)
- What is persuasiveness?
- Learning to assess the interests and needs of others using our persuasion model
Luxe Lunch
- Choose strategic arguments
- Substantiate arguments convincingly
- Present arguments concisely during a meeting
End of training (5:00 PM)
Tussen de eerste en tweede training zit een periode van minimaal 2 weken.
Day 2
Start training (9.30)
- Asking instead of sending: a new perspective on persuasion
- Improving critical listening skills
- Dealing with critical questions
Luxe Lunch
- From critical to constructive: learning to ask constructive questions that help your contributions better connect with the other person's world.
- Persuasive techniques that give your story that little bit extra.
End of training (5:00 PM)
What others say
An interesting look at how to communicate with stakeholders during decision-making processes!
Marco Den Heijer
Strategic advisor @Municipality of Rotterdam
A well-structured workshop. There was plenty of time for exercises and feedback. The trainers covered theory that resonated with our practice. It was fun, energetic, and stimulating!
Patrick de Rooij
Former Operations Finance Manager @Rabobank
Very interesting and very educational. Very practical too!
Leontien van der Vilst
Team Leader Digital Development @Blink
Interesse in de training
Persuasiveness in the workplace?