Lesson 3 - MUN Committees - the different styles
Now that you know about some of the common MUN committees, let’s look at the different committee styles that you might want to try at a Conference, some of these styles will suit certain delegates more.
MUN Committees
In MUN, all committees are not created equal. Some might have only 10 delegates and will force you to speak frequently. Others will have hundreds of members and will make you rely on your negotiating skills outside of the committee room.
Fortunately, since each committee style is different, it’s likely that you’ll find something that’s right for you. At MUNprep, we break committees down into the following 3 categories:
Regular Committees – Are for delegates trying to learn about international politics and the UN problem-solving process. In these committees, you’ll be representing a State and will deal with real-world issues. You’ll also be participating in a committee with more delegates.
Crisis Committees – These are more dynamic committees and you can discuss any topic imaginable. For example, you could be one of the Knights of the Round Table on a mission to save King Arthur; or in a futuristic committee trying to organize an expedition to another galaxy.
Crisis Committees also have a special feature – the personal directive, these are secret notes that you can write to a team (called a Crisis Staff) who will help facilitate your private schemes.
Fusion Committees – These committees include everything that would not be a Regular or Crisis committee - If you’ve attended a few conferences, you might want to give these a try. This style of committee can include unusual concepts like an Ad-Hoc General Assembly.
Your Goals as a Model UN delegate
Each Model UN delegate will have their own goals for a conference - that can range anywhere between stepping in front of a committee to make your first speech to winning an award. Achieving your goals from a Model UN conference starts with the committee style that you choose. Lets look at a few of common objectives that a delegate interested in Model UN might have.
Gaining confidence with Public speaking/Communicating - Some delegates might not really be interested in International Politics, but they want to become better communicators. With the MUN committee styles, you don’t need to be interested in politics to find something fun to debate!
Learning about the UN - Other delegates might be joining because they’ve heard about the UN in the news, and they want to learn more! MUN can help delegates learn all about the structure of the UN and the problem-solving approach. It can even get them prepared for a career at the UN.
Meeting new people - Model UN is a very social activity where you can meet people from all around the world. If you’re interested in travelling, and meeting people from different schools, then MUN can be a great place to start!
Winning awards - While winning awards shouldn’t be the sole focus of a student participating in Model UN, it can certainly make any conference feel like a far more rewarding experience! Make sure that you have another means of determining success beyond just awards when you participate though.
MUNprep Goal Setting
Before you keep reading, take a minute to write down your objective for your next Model UN conference. Not only will this help with your prep-process, it should also help you pick a committee that is better suited to accomplishing your goals!
1 – Regular committees
This committee style is a Model UN staple. Regular committees mimic what would happen in the UN - Delegates discuss a problem and they work to develop Working papers that turn into Resolutions. This style will force delegates to reach a consensus with other committee members. As a delegate, you should form blocs with people who can complement your ideas. Solutions that pass will use opinions from multiple delegates in order to create a comprehensive resolution.
Regular committees can have hundreds of delegates that form numerous blocs. To succeed, you must cooperate and make compromises. You will also need to merge working papers to get the necessary votes for your work to pass. This process can take time, over the course of a conference, delegates will only pass resolutions on 1-2 topics.
Speeches
Due to the size of Regular committees, you will not have many chances to speak. This means that every speech counts. It may be useful to make notes for important talking points and you can mention them when you get the chance. Coming up with motions that other delegates want to discuss can also give you a free opportunity to speak. This is because if you make a motion that passes, you are automatically able to speak for that topic. If you are a core member of your bloc, other delegates may also yield time to you. Allowing you to speak more about the important aspects of your work.
The most significant progress you make in Regular committees will be in Unmoderated caucuses and outside of committee sessions. These periods let you meet face-to-face with other delegates and quickly figure out how you will work together.
Double-delegate
In some Regular committees, delegates will work with a partner. While this requires a bit more coordination, it can make it easier for delegates to divide work and get more done. For example, one delegate can be in the committee room making speeches while the other is outside working with other teams.
2 – Crisis Committees
While Regular committees accommodate a steady process that methodically approaches a consensus, Crisis committees are much more dynamic. The goal of this style is to make decisions quickly and adjust to a situation that is constantly evolving. Because of this, Crisis committees have a different process that can accommodate this dynamism.
In a Crisis committee, delegates don’t normally represent a state. Instead, they embody a character and they use the first-person in debate. As a delegate, you will have 2 jobs: You must first work in committee to pass directives, but also work in the background through crisis notes in order to reach your own secret objectives.
Crisis Updates
Crisis updates are designed to put you on the spot and test your ability to adjust to a constantly changing situation. During debate, you will receive regular crisis updates. Some developments will be predetermined by the Crisis director and will be used to regulate the pace of discussion. But many updates will also be influenced by the actions taken by individual delegates and by which directives have passed.
Imagine your committee was the executive board for an Oil company and your committee voted against new environmental protection protocols. Your board might receive a crisis update telling you that you are now on the verge of losing valuable contracts as it is no longer that you would conscientiously manage a project. This would force your committee to deal with these new problems by passing directives.
In Crisis committees you may also receive a Timed-Crisis. This could involve a similar set of circumstances. However, your committee would be on the clock to deal with the issue. Regular debate would be suspended and delegates would not be able to pass Crisis notes until they solved the problem.
Speeches
Crisis committees don’t have many delegates – you may only be working with 20 other committee members. This means that you will speak far more frequently. Detailed plans and speech notes will not be as useful – the committee moves quickly so you risk falling behind. To accommodate this, you should understand your character’s role in the committee. This will give you an angle that you are always able to speak on. Whenever there is an update, consider the role of your character and try to find a way to get involved.
Directives
In Crisis committees, you don’t write Resolutions, you pass Directives. Over the course of a conference, you might pass as many as 10-15 different sets. This can be a good thing, as you will work with nearly every committee member by the end of the conference. However, this also means that Blocs will be more flexible. With every new set of Directives to submit, you will need to find a new group of people to work with. However, if you find people that you enjoy working with, there are ways to keep cooperating. You could write Directives together or make Joint Crisis notes.
3 – Fusion committees
These are committees that are in-between the Regular and Crisis styles. It can be something like a double-delegate Crisis committee. You could also have a committee that uses the Resolution crafting format of the Regular style, but with Crisis notes and a back-room dynamic.
Other Fusion committees may not have Crisis notes, but they will have Crisis updates based on resolutions that get passed. There are even committees that will have a back-room for the first day, and the second day as a regular debate. MUN conferences will use all of these styles to keep delegates adjusting!
Choosing your MUN committee
MUN gives you a range of different experiences that you can explore as a delegate. So if you’re the type delegate who wants to learn about proper MUN protocols and likes speaking to a large audience, then you should consider Regular committees. But if you prefer something more fast-paced that gives you room for creativity, then Crisis committees are the style for you! Of course, if you feel like something different, then try out a Fusion committee.
Over the course of your MUN career you should stay open to trying every style at least once. This will let you experience everything that MUN has to offer!
Double Delegate Committees
In some committees, delegates will work with a partner. Double-delegate teams can prepare for their conference together and share ideas. It can also make it easier for you in-committee, your team can split up and accomplish more. For example, one delegate can be busy making speeches in-committee while their partner is outside working with other teams.
These committees require an extra level of teamwork that can be appealing for certain students.
Double delegate committees can occur with both the Crisis and Regular committee styles. It can totally change the dynamic of a Model UN conference as updates can happen more regularly and more comprehensive resolutions can be submitted.
Variations between MUN conferences
Not all conferences will label their committees same way, so its important to remember a few things:
Committees in MUN are not always labelled according to their position in the UN structure - For example, the WHO can be categorized as a GA, and the Security Council can be labelled as a specialized agency or Crisis committee.
Check the conference website to know what style of committee you’re in for - It’s not always possible to know your style of committee by looking at the topics. Fortunately, conference sites will generally label conferences under certain genres to make it easy for delegates to understand what they’re in for. If a committee is labelled as a General Assembly or ECOSOC, it will normally be a Regular style committee.
Specialized Agencies can be a mix - For Specialized agencies, look at the topic that’s outlined. If the committee is a UN body, then you will probably have a regular style committee, if not, it will likely be Crisis. But just to be sure, feel free to reach out to a committee chair and ask them if you will be passing Resolutions or Directives.
