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# MUN & debate

MUN and debate teach you to argue, present, and think on your feet. these aren't "builder" activities in the traditional sense, but the skills transfer directly to pitching at [[competitions-hackathons|hackathons]], [[giving-talks|giving talks]], [[mentorship-networking|networking conversations]], and eventually fundraising. the ability to construct an argument and deliver it convincingly is a force multiplier for everything else you do.

## my MUN experience

I did Model UN through 8th-10th grade. here's the honest account:

### conferences
- **BMUN** (Berkeley Model United Nations)
- **SFMUN** (San Francisco Model United Nations)
- **NHSMUN** (National High School Model United Nations) — the big one, held in NYC
- **NMUNC** (my school's MUN conference)

### position papers
- UNSC reform — how to restructure the Security Council for modern geopolitics
- nicotine regulation — balancing public health with personal freedom
- LGBT rights in Samoa — navigating cultural context and universal human rights

position papers are underrated as a writing exercise. you have to research a country's actual position on a complex issue, then argue from that perspective — even if you personally disagree. this develops intellectual flexibility that transfers to everything from [[publishing-research|research writing]] to [[giving-talks|technical presentations]].

## debate and related activities

### Ethics Bowl
- went 2-1
- Ethics Bowl is different from traditional debate: it's collaborative argumentation, not adversarial. teams present ethical analyses and judges evaluate depth of reasoning, not rhetorical tricks.
- the lesson: you can "win" by changing your mind when the other team makes a better argument. this is the most intellectually honest competition format I've found.

### Fed Challenge (NY Fed)
- economic policy analysis competition run by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- made a corn podcast with a teammate
- the lesson: presenting economic analysis to an audience teaches you to make complex systems legible. the same skill applies to pitching technical products to non-technical people.

## the debate-to-builder pipeline

this might seem like a stretch, but the connection is real. people who can argue well can also:

### sell and pitch
- every [[competitions-hackathons|hackathon demo]] is a pitch: problem → solution → demo → why it matters. the structure of a hackathon pitch is identical to the structure of a debate opening statement.
- [[funding-grants|grant applications]] and investor pitches require the same skills: framing, evidence, persuasion, handling objections.

### communicate technically
- explaining your [[publishing-research|research]] to a non-expert audience
- writing clear documentation for your [[shipping-products|products]]
- presenting at [[giving-talks|conferences]]
- [[mentorship-networking|cold emails]] — a good cold email is a micro-argument for why someone should respond

### think under pressure
- hackathon demos where your app breaks live and you need to pivot
- Q&A after [[giving-talks|talks]] where someone challenges your approach
- impromptu technical discussions where you need to reason on the spot

### negotiate
- scope discussions with [[work-experience|internship]] supervisors
- feature prioritization with co-founders or teammates
- defending your design decisions in code review

## should you do MUN/debate?

honest take: I stopped MUN after 10th grade because I wanted to spend that time building. MUN is time-intensive — conferences are full weekends, preparation is hours of research per committee.

if you're already doing MUN or debate, the skills are genuinely valuable. if you're choosing between starting MUN and starting to [[shipping-products|build products]] — build products. you'll develop communication skills through hackathon demos, [[giving-talks|talks]], and [[communities|community]] interactions anyway.

but if you've already done MUN or debate, recognize that you have a transferable skill set that most builders don't. the ability to structure an argument, read a room, and speak confidently under pressure is rare in technical circles. lean into it.

## practical skills from MUN/debate that builders should steal

even if you never do MUN, these techniques are worth learning:

1. **the signpost.** tell people what you're going to say before you say it. "I'll cover three things: the problem, our solution, and the results." this works in hackathon demos, talks, and even cold emails.

2. **the steel man.** argue against the strongest version of the opposing position, not the weakest. in product discussions, this means addressing the best objection to your approach, not dismissing the easy ones.

3. **evidence over assertion.** "our app is fast" is an assertion. "our app loads in 200ms, which is 3x faster than the industry average" is evidence. MUN teaches you to back every claim with a source. builders should do the same.

4. **the pivot.** when your argument isn't landing, pivot to a different framing. when your demo isn't resonating with judges, reframe the problem. same skill.

5. **controlled delivery.** speaking slowly, pausing for emphasis, making eye contact. these physical techniques transfer directly to [[giving-talks|any public speaking situation]].