The Dutch Eloquentia Championship is the biggest eloquentia tournament of the year. Every June, both members of the Dutch debate associations and open challengers from politics or business come to test their eloquence against each other. Speakers of different levels practice or demonstrate their eloquence. This means not just well laid out arguments but the complete picture. Those who persuade, move, make you laugh or incite you to action get the judges' points. The motions are varied: current affairs, social issues, culture, ethics or simply fiction. Will you soon be the most eloquent speaker in the Netherlands? Or do you want to experience how others know how to convince?
What can you expect
The day starts with a course about the format. Experienced speakers explain how an eloquentia debate proceeds, what the judges look for, and they give practical tips on how best to translate your rhetoric to the competition. After this, four rounds begin in which all speakers participate. You are given a thesis statement, assigned a side to defend and 15 minutes to prepare (without digital assistance). After each round, the judges will tell you which spot in the race you secured and why. Afterwards, you can always ask the judges for feedback and tips to become even stronger rhetorically. After the four rounds, the 4 finalists are selected who show their speaking skills one more time in front of the whole audience. However, only one of them can be the winner! Both lunch and dinner will be offered on the day.
Practice Eloquentia
You can visit our debate evenings for free during our open period where you can see how the format plays out or dive right in yourself. Here you can also see traditional debating where content is the central focus. We can also give one of our workshops for your organisation on site. Through a mix of schemas and practical exercises our trainers help expand your presentation skills. Learn more about our workshops for organisations on the linked page.
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