Columbia Falls debater Aiden Rohn learned about speech and debate in junior high school when students from the high school speech and debate team visited his class to demonstrate what the program was all about. The articulate and eloquent students impressed Rohn.

Rohn learned about speech and debate in junior high school when students from the high school speech and debate team visited his class to demonstrate what the program was all about. The articulate and eloquent students impressed Rohn.

“I thought it was admirable,” he said.

Arguments in a formal debate typically involve a specific topic, are thoughtful versus a spontaneous heated argument, according to Rohn. Public Forum Debate, the event Rohn now competes in with partner Brayden Crawford, is based in arguments constructed by logic and evidence.

“It’s an argument over evidence and pure fact versus your opinion per se. You weigh the benefits versus the harms [of a topic],” he said.

What he appreciates about formal debates is that everyone takes turns speaking.

“No one else speaks at the same time. You have your time to be heard. To be listened to,” he said.

This is where he thinks the art of debate has been lost in current culture.

“I think a lot has been lost where people refuse to see others’ points, refuse to acknowledge them, or put up a wall of what they believe in and nothing can change that,” he said. “Debate helps being able to understand the other side and refute it in a way that is substantial instead of just saying it’s wrong. It also helps in a sense that you have to learn both sides.”

“You’re debating over current events or topics you see in the news,” Rohn said.

IN PUBLIC Forum Debate, teams either advocate or reject a position posed by a resolution. A coin toss determines which side a team will take. To be successful, a team must persuade the average person who does not specialize in the topic — the event judge.

An example topic area selected by the National Speech and Debate Association members is military based — “Resolved: The United States’ strategy of Great Power Competition produces more benefits than harms.” Rohn also provided an example topic he’s debated before, “Whether or not the United States should invest in high-speed rail.”

Since a flip of the coin determines whether a team will argue for or against, preparing for both is crucial. This is done during practices and Rohn estimates spending about 12 to 15 hours practicing during the week.

It was a matter of timing his freshman year when he joined the team selecting to compete in Public Forum Debate versus Policy Debate.

“The first tournament was a week after the football season ended and I really did not have enough time for the preparation needed in Policy Debate,” he said.

After teaching three different partners about the event, he became well-versed in what it required.

“I became proficient in it pretty quickly. I honed my skills and performed better,” he said. “So I stayed.”

Rohn said tournaments may encompass four to nine rounds about 45 to an hour long each. Do competitors lose their voices?

“Not very often,” Rohn said “We all hydrate.”

Sleep is also prioritized as long tournaments can be mentally taxing.

“The day after it’s not uncommon to sleep in to 1 to 2 p.m.,” he said.

Research students gather for their debate is accessible during the competition, however, important points or pieces of information the team wants to talk about are usually memorized since there is little time to look through research.

That research, Rohn said, “Stays with you.”

“I still remember stuff I researched my freshman year. We had three topics that year,” he said.

What are other benefits of practicing?

“You have to practice giving speeches to become more confident and fluent,” Rohn said. “A lot of it is bettering your research skills to find what you need easier.”

Practice also helps competitors formulate off-the-cuff speeches.

“A lot of speeches are off the top of your head and practice is sharpening up your mind to make connections quicker,” he said.

BY HIS junior year, Rohn joined Model United Nations through the encouragement of friends and a school counselor who worked for the United Nations. He said he would have joined his sophomore year, but that wasn’t possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Model UN is a program where students learn about diplomacy and international relations through research, public speaking, debating and writing, leadership and teamwork. With so many overlapping skill sets was a natural fit.

Recently, Rohn was one of two Columbia Falls students listed in the top five senior delegates at the Model UN Conference at the University of Montana, a simulation, where student delegates representing UN member states debated, negotiated, caucused and drafted papers that culminated in voting on resolutions to address world problems.

He also achieved Outstanding Delegate status (top 1% to 2%) for his work representing Venezuela on the General Assembly First Committee.

Many of the skills of debate and Model UN overlap, but the ultimate goal is different.

“In debate, you’re trying to outperform your opponent in argumentation, but in Model UN, you are drafting legislation with other people, talking about legislation, and trying to get it passed,” he said, which requires the cooperation of everyone involved.

With graduation closing in, Rohn is looking to the future.

“I’ve been interested in going into a field that would use debate and looking into foreign relations and being a foreign diplomat,” he said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.