DEVELOPING COMMUNICATION SKILLS THROUGH DEBATES
In the 21st century such skills as teamwork, collaboration and sharing ideas have risen in importance. Their development involves first and foremost the development of communication skills, which are considered to be an indispensable constituent of social skills. Debates are one of the methods used to hone students' communication skills in a foreign-language classroom. In September 2016, the authors began the research aimed at determining what influence debates have on the development of social skills among the students who major in Science and Technology. The paper gives a brief overview of the first stage of the research project and presents the second stage, the objective of which was the development of communication skills as a constituent of social skills by using debates. The results of this stage demonstrate a positive shift in improving such skills as clear and concise expression of ideas and opinions, persuasion, and effective listening.