Don't Panic--Speaking in MUN
All MUN simulations use rules of order, or what's called parliamentary procedure. These are specific guidelines for speaking and the order of debate to keep everything formal and diplomatic.
At GSIS, we use simplified, modified rules of order and are willing to negotiate a bit more than at some MUN simulations. The important principle is this--we never want the rules to become more important to delegates than the issues under discussion.
You'll find detailed information about points, motions, and speaking in the handouts. There are not other helpful sites listed here because any site you find online is likely to have far more information than will be really useful for our simulation.
A few key terms and issues:
Introducing yourself and finishing speaking
Things in MUN are formal (but there's room for error). When you speak, you should stand, state your name and country, and address the floor (the whole group) and the chair. Don't use first or second person--you are the name of your country and other delegates are the name of their country (e.g., "Nigeria agrees with the points made by Cuba, with one exception...").
When you finish, unless you're out of time, you need to yield your remaining time to the chair or to another delegate by saying, "I yield my time to the chair," or "I yield my time to South Africa."
If you want to ask a question during your time, you ask if a delegate will yield to a question ("Will the delegate from Botswana yield to a question?"). You may ask two questions. You may reserve your right to speak afterwards.
Points
Make a point when you have a question or wish to clarify something about procedure. A point of order tells the chair something is going wrong with the procedure ("I believe the chair skipped France on the speaker's list"). A point of personal privilege is used to ask someone to speak louder or a similar personal issue. A point of information, in the context of our MUN, is used to ask the chair a question.
Points come before motions in priority. You may interrupt the speaker if you need to for your point.
Motions
Motions change the order of procedure in some way. A motion, for instance, might be made to bring up an amendment to a resolution, to lengthen the time given to debate, to move from one kind of debate to another (more on that in the simulation), or to call for a vote. Many motions require votes, but some happen at the discretion of the chair.
At GSIS, we use simplified, modified rules of order and are willing to negotiate a bit more than at some MUN simulations. The important principle is this--we never want the rules to become more important to delegates than the issues under discussion.
You'll find detailed information about points, motions, and speaking in the handouts. There are not other helpful sites listed here because any site you find online is likely to have far more information than will be really useful for our simulation.
A few key terms and issues:
Introducing yourself and finishing speaking
Things in MUN are formal (but there's room for error). When you speak, you should stand, state your name and country, and address the floor (the whole group) and the chair. Don't use first or second person--you are the name of your country and other delegates are the name of their country (e.g., "Nigeria agrees with the points made by Cuba, with one exception...").
When you finish, unless you're out of time, you need to yield your remaining time to the chair or to another delegate by saying, "I yield my time to the chair," or "I yield my time to South Africa."
If you want to ask a question during your time, you ask if a delegate will yield to a question ("Will the delegate from Botswana yield to a question?"). You may ask two questions. You may reserve your right to speak afterwards.
Points
Make a point when you have a question or wish to clarify something about procedure. A point of order tells the chair something is going wrong with the procedure ("I believe the chair skipped France on the speaker's list"). A point of personal privilege is used to ask someone to speak louder or a similar personal issue. A point of information, in the context of our MUN, is used to ask the chair a question.
Points come before motions in priority. You may interrupt the speaker if you need to for your point.
Motions
Motions change the order of procedure in some way. A motion, for instance, might be made to bring up an amendment to a resolution, to lengthen the time given to debate, to move from one kind of debate to another (more on that in the simulation), or to call for a vote. Many motions require votes, but some happen at the discretion of the chair.