To Be a Successful MUNer
Here are a few tips that may be of help to you to become a successful MUNer
Position Paper Tips
Keep it simple: To communicate strongly and effectively, avoid flowery wording and stick to uncomplicated language and sentence structure.
Make it official: Try to use the seal of your country or create an “official” letterhead for your position paper. The more realistic it looks, the more others will want to read it.
Get organized: Give each separate idea or proposal its own paragraph. Make sure each paragraph starts with a topic sentence.
Cite your sources: Use footnotes or endnotes to show where you found your facts and statistics. If you are unfamiliar with bibliographic form, look up the Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines at your school's library.
Read and reread: Leave time to edit your position paper. Ask yourself if the organization of the paper makes sense and double-check your spelling and grammar.
Speech! Speech! Do you plan to make an opening statement at your conference? A good position paper makes a great introductory speech. During debate, a good position paper will also help you to stick to your country's policies.
Let the bullets fly: Try not to let your proposals become lost in a sea of information. For speechmaking, create a bulleted list of your proposals along with your most important facts and statistics so that you will not lose time looking for them during debate.
More questions? Looking for additional assistance with your position paper? Ask a Model UN Expert.
Do you have a favorite position paper writing tip that you want to share with other delegates? Discuss position papers with fellow Model UNers in UNA-USA's online discussion forums.
Tips for Effective Caucusing
Enter the caucus with a plan in mind: Formulate ideas on what your country would like to see included in a resolution. Decide which clauses you are willing to negotiate on and which you are not.
Find delegates in your regional bloc: This is the easiest way to seek out allies. However, if you find that the group you are working with is not meeting your needs, do not be afraid to switch groups.
Provide ideas: Tell others what your country is hoping to achieve. If you do not agree with an idea, do not hesitate to say that it is against your country's policy.
Negotiate: While it is often necessary to give up something that you want, make sure that you are not giving up anything too important.
Listen: By listening to what others are saying you will able to build on other people's ideas and add more to the discussion. Listening also shows respect for each delegate in your group.
Do not interrupt: Allow other delegates to finish their thoughts rather than interrupting others in the middle of a sentence. It sometimes helps to write down your idea so that you can bring it up when the delegate is finished speaking.
Record ideas: Start to formulate a resolution in writing. Rather than waiting until the last minute, begin recording fellow delegates' ideas right away.
Be resourceful: By providing fellow delegates with resolution text, maps or information as they need it, you will show that you are valuable to the group.
Have one-on-one conversations: Speaking with an individual or in a small group is the best way to find out a delegate's position on an issue. Larger groups are better suited to brainstorming.
Stay calm: In caucuses, delegates can sometimes “lose their cool.” Staying calm will not only help your group be more effective, but will be noticed by the conference staff. Always keep your voice at a normal level. If you see that you are becoming upset or raising your voice, excuse yourself from the group for a few minutes.
Use time effectively: Make sure you have enough time to hear everyone's ideas so that you can discuss them during formal debate. Try not to waste time arguing over small details that do not seriously affect the draft resolution.
Show respect: Never give orders or tell other delegates what they should or should not do. Be polite and treat all your fellow delegates with respect.
Provide constructive critique: Rather than negatively criticizing another delegate, focus on providing constructive critique. If you dislike an idea, try to offer an alternative. Critique ideas, not people.
Establish connections with other delegates: Although it can be tempting to call a fellow delegate “Pakistan,” “Brazil” or “Sweden”, you can form a better connection with a delegate by learning his or her name and where he or she comes from.
Ask the delegate about his or her ideas and impressions of the debate. Showing interest in your fellow delegates at the beginning of the conference will help you gain more support later on and can help you to form lasting friendships.
Tips for Resolution Writing
Be sure to follow the format for resolutions provided by the conference organizers. Each conference may have a slightly different format.
Create a detailed resolution. For example, if your resolution calls for a new program, think about how it will be funded and what body will manage it.
Try to cite facts whenever possible.
Be realistic. Do not create objectives for your resolution that cannot be met. Make sure your body can take the action suggested. For example, the General Assembly can't sanction another country – only the Security Council can do so.
Try to find multiple sponsors. Your committee will be more likely to approve the resolutions if many delegates contribute ideas.
Preambulatory clauses are historic justifications for action. Use them to cite past resolutions, precedents and statements about the purpose of action.
Operative clauses are policies that the resolution is designed to create. Use them to explain what the committee will do to address the issue.
(Source: http://www.unausa.org.)
