Tips and Tricks for MUNs: How to have unarguably the best speeches out there?

Up until now, we’ve had different kinds of Tips and Tricks where we were talking about the documents, either that are written or read by you. But what about the practical part of all this variety of notions and news? Of course, in principle, you will know what you have to do at the conference but they might just be the Joker of the MUNs. If you think about it, speeches represent the main part of your activity. Compared to the research that might take you time and are present beneath the surface, speeches are done in the moment, so your dodges have to be there with you.

You might have even seen TED EDs that so many people seemingly enjoy or even Lawyers from TV series, if not a real one in court. They all use what we call “oratorical shortcuts” to keep the audience interested. Ideally, you go into the conference with the information and start speaking, while keeping the other delegates interested. But how, how on earth do you do that?

While one of the many benefits that MUNs bring to is communication, there is more to that than the eye meets. In this document, I have assembled observations, pieces of advice and tips from other people in the MUN community, in order to deliver you the most complete handbook of useful ideas that you can implement.

As step zero, it is important to establish what you want from these speeches. Speeches are considered to be the main ingredient of the MUN story because, during the committee days where you socialize with the delegates, you are basing yourself only on them. General Speaker's List? You have general speeches. Moderated Caucus? You’ve got specialized speeches on a sub-topic of your committee’s issue.

Ever wondered why certain delegates that might not always be the mainly affected country are being demanded more during the Unmods? Why is everyone going at them? It is because those speeches that made them be trustful, explicative with pragmatic solutions and probably catchy. Of course, you can state yours when discussing the resolution, but not everyone will pay attention, as they already think of the remarked delegates as the go-to solution. Therefore , what you want from these speeches is to make the others listen, with their own and whole heart, to later persuade them into trusting what you want to adopt.

1. Be precise

Nobody really wants a confusing speech, it will feel like background noise for you to continue working on your.

..speeches. Take a look at the point of the discussion and see if and with what you can intervene. It’s not always demanded, but when you have your ideas sorted out, go for it. If you happen to forget some of the ideas, don’t worry, either try to bring them by linking to an element from the speech that inspired you. For example: (“In the last speech Germany stated…, therefore..”). Just organize them in a logical manner for you. If it’s something important, keep it for the General’s Speaker List. Either way, try to write the main ideas and perhaps sub-ideas if the speech is compound. Do not worry about not completely writing it, you don’t really have the time and you might even panic if you lose the line. Understand your ideas logically so that you can link them with each other without having to read. Remember, you learn how to debate, not how to read, otherwise, the effect of the conferences would diminish significantly. It might be hard at first but it will certainly get you out of your comfort zone & help you in the future, as MUNs usually do in some way or another.

2. Start or end with a question

Even if the talks are formal, you might get bored with them, as the attention span of the brain lasts for about 25 minutes. It’s your choice when to add these questions, but they would probably work well after some time of debating, since you have material to talk about. Not only will you wake the other delegates up, since they are expected to be attentive and will feel like the questions are directed towards them, but you will earn their interest, which can be helpful later. If you want to have them focused on your whole speech, start with a question. If you wish to highlight an idea, attach a question to it. The same applies to conclusions, so that you can leave them with material to debate upon and food for thought. Try short sentences and save yourself a strong conclusion. They really matter.

3. Use the power of eye contact

Don’t be shy, scan the room with your eyes, empathise with them, show that you trust what you say, so that they can trust you. Eye contact not only gives the other person reassurance, but also makes them remember you. The eyes are the portal of the soul so after having your eyes dipped down in paper, meeting one’s look will be clearly remarked. Eye contact makes a person feel personally engaged in a speech, and engaged listeners are much more likely to be persuaded.

4. Play with the volume

By intentionally mixing it up in terms of your speech patterns, you will keep your audience away from another monotone and ordinary speech they might have heard before. When wanting to highlight the massive number of effects, consequences or just many items, go for a faster, more dynamic tempo. When trying to explain something, slow down. When trying to dramatize the outcome, start strongly and end softly, as the results are tragic. If you tend to speak slowly, harmonize with connectors. If you keep talking fast, use catchphrases such as “Now think about that for a moment” or “Let that sink in'' to prevent your instinct to take over you and your mind.

5. Try to wrap it up as a story

Either by using apposite examples, or just adding rhetorical questions, you want to make your audience feel like being taken care of. They want to relate, to be intrigued or to just be included in what you say. Short, yet powerful affirmations such as “Don’t you think?” ; “Didn’t…, did we?” will make them take their eyes off their tasks or at least raise an ear. Aside from using examples that will help them visualise the idea or concept from your mind, assembling inclusion with images will clarify things out.

6. Keep it authentic

Speak what you know and care about. Even if you think about your goal as impressing your audience, the ultimate step that completes the recipe is to think about yourself first. Aside from talking about a relevant matter for your country, if you try to transfer yourself fully in those shoes, you will both broaden your perspective and vergen your relationship with the topic, understanding it better. It is in the human nature to notice emotions, later making the other delegates resonate and recognise you for the ideas, in order to work for the resolution. Your brain will naturally connect with your words and will assemble it beautifully, with certain sub-tones of your voice that will show colour and vibrance In a room or atmosphere filled with blank documents and information, that little passion that will get out of your mouth will probably make the difference among the others’ thoughts, stamping itself to them.

7. Deliver a performance rather than a speech

Mix up posture, tone and gesture. Play with pauses. Dramatize if you want to explain the effects of an event. For example , play your: “Don’t believe me? Go see...” card. Stand up straight, and keep your shoulders back, so that you can project both confidence and your ideas in a clear manner. Craft your whole speech and just be in the spotlight, it’s your turn, your minutes to talk. If you think about it, even the system is thought of with a small number of minutes, so that you can give your best.

Remember that these are just suggestions and that if something else comes on the way better for you, use it! Even if speeches might leave the impression that all of the pressure is on them, they are still an empty canvas, waiting to be painted with your words. Remember, your words, your speeches. Experiment, play with it, see and take what you resonate with the most. There is no ideal recipe for anyone, perhaps just basic tips and motivation to always seek for better. Go there and have unarguably the best performance that you can!