Author: dga
Name: Lucas Kyriacou and Christine Kienzle
Occupation: Chairs
Delegation: Economic and Finance Committee
Is it the first MUN you are chairing?
Lucas: Apart from chairing at weekly sessions for MUN Bern, it is about my tenth conference.
Christine: It is the first actual conference I am chairing, but I have already collaborated with Lucas during the Seminar of MUN Bern where we chaired many weekly sessions together.
On the challenge of being the chair:
Lucas: It is absolutely crucial to support and guide delegates to bring their ideas into the solution process and at the same time ensure an efficient process. If delegates are stuck on certain topics or do not proceed on a certain matter, the chair should be able steer the committee towards finding a resolution nevertheless.
Christine: It is important to establish the feeling on how much you would like to give the delegates the freedom to drive the discussion into a certain direction and how much you steer the committee in order to guarantee an efficient process.
A tip on how to go through the chairing challenges:
Christine and Lucas: It is important to be in constant communication with the committee and delegates. Also chairs have to understand the topic well and also know the countries in the committee well. Moreover, chairs have to keep track of the progress delegates make, meaning that chairs have to know when delegates need more time and (depending on the level of experience of the delegates) make sure to provide them with the assistance they need in order to keep them on track.
Advice for the new delegates from the chairs:
Lucas: Read the study guide well. Know your topic, especially the questions a resolution must answer and try to figure out solutions already in the position paper. Delegates should already have some proposals and ideas in mind before the conference starts. Also, especially in smaller committees, delegates should not be shy to talk out. At MUN Conferences, delegates can always learn from their mistakes, so they can constantly improve, gain experience and get used to the complexity and dynamics of international negotiations.
The advantage of small committees:
Lucas: Beginners profit the most from smaller committees. At bigger conferences with bigger committees, the competition is much more fierce, and it is more challenging to speak up and have an influence. New delegates should therefore use their experience gained at smaller conferences in order to get used to the negotiation process, so once participating at bigger conference, they can rely on their previously gained experience and skills.
Advice for the chairs:
Christine: Make the delegates feel comfortable. Show them that it is important that they need to know the rules of procedure well, as this will give them courage to really step up and get involved in the discussions. For the chairs it is easier to give feedback when the committees are small, so chairs should use this opportunity to give some advice to delegates. It is important that you highlight the mistakes made regarding the rules of procedure, so delegates can improve their knowledge of the rules. However, one has to be careful to provide delegates with constructive critique without intimidating them.
Note:
Lucas: Be hard on the problem but soft on the people. Also, always have a goal in mind (i.e submit a working paper, get certain points in the resolution etc.) prior to the conference and try to achieve it.
Christine: It is important to think outside the box and step outside of your comfort zone, because there the real life happens.
