How to work with (and lead) fellow delegates Ben Monticello Bloc Building! How to work with (and lead) fellow delegates Ben Monticello

Overview Preparing for the Conference Important Phases of Committee: Before the first session Primary/secondary speakers lists First unmoderated caucus Power Delegate vs Best Delegate General Tips

Conference Prep Research is key! Know your country’s stance on every aspect of the topics. Come prepared with specific ideas for clauses (not entire resolutions) Research your country’s relations with other nations, history of joint cooperation, etc. Come in with ‘buzz words’ for your ideas- specific areas you plan to focus on, that people can identify you for as the ultimate source of clauses and information.

Before the First Session- Meet & Greet Introduce yourself and talk to other delegates before committee starts. Useful for: Finding potential allies who might agree with your policies Finding out who the ‘power delegates’ might be Figuring out what the popular topic is. Don’t talk a lot of shop- At most, talk about what topic you want to address and why, and maybe some solutions you have in mind. DO NOT begin giving speeches on everything Keep it casual- have a genuine conversation and make friends!

Primary/Secondary Speakers Lists Speak! – show that you’re the delegate to work with Ok to come in with speech prepared for Primary speakers list Notes, notes, and more notes. If someone makes a speech you agree with, tell them. Stay on position! Make sure to include that you should speak during the first unmoderated caucus. Doesn’t need to be complicated. Example: China- I agree with what you said on the use of microfinance in African rural development. We should talk in the first unmod. -Brazil

First Unmoderated Caucus Most hectic part of the conference- for new and experienced alike Hopefully all those speeches and notes means that all your potential allies want to talk to you right away. Likely not the case. Don’t worry! What you’ll normally see: half the committee in one big circle, the other half in another, with three or four delegates shouting over everyone. Try to avoid working these delegates early on (also try to avoid making their mistakes).

Power Delegate vs Best Delegate Power delegate tries to dominate all conversations with their ideas Best delegate asks questions and listens Ask probing questions into positions, specific clause ideas, desired area of focus, etc. Directly involve as many delegates as you can. “Russia, what kind of education program did you have in mind? … Ghana, didn’t you have a similar idea about an education program? … India, I think you have this particular education program in your country, don’t you?” After you’ve included several delegates and people have answered your questions, then it’s your turn. Good to give your country’s position, then to start writing a resolution. “Well, I think we all agree that education should be part of the resolution. I think everyone likes this part of India’s program, and this part of Ghana’s, idea. Let’s write them down”

General Tips- (My personal experience, not necessarily true for everyone) I generally try to avoid working with ‘power delegations’. They tend to be countries like the US, UK, Germany, China and often are ‘power delegates’ Even if you are the undisputed leader, they will often get unearned credit based solely on their school/country position (depends on the conference/chair) A vote from Burundi is worth the same as a vote from the USA when passing resolutions. Many other very useful and competent countries/schools to align with that will allow you to better lead and stand out. At the same time, don’t burn bridges. These delegates can be useful later in committee for things like vote procurement and potential mergers. (Some of my closest MUN friends are these kind of delegates)

General Tips Cont. Don’t assign people clauses to write overnight, or try to have a working meal. Instead, have everyone go out to eat together with the expressed intent to NOT work, then come back to the hotel and work together outside the committee room. Great way to make friends and bond as a bloc. If your bloc begins writing a working paper, try to be the one to start and send out the google doc. When you turn it in, try to be the one to send the email/hand in the flash drive. Within all of this, subtlety is key- delegates will resent anyone who tries to overtly take control of a bloc. The trick is to be the leader, not act like it.