What are some tips for a first MUN?

MUN is something that incorporates attributes you can't exactly learn from the classroom. You'll need academic skills, as well as good interpersonal and communication skills. Because it's your first conference, I'll try to be brief: 1. Be hyped. Be excited for your conference, whether its at a local high school, a university campus, or the UN Headquarters in New York. Be excited to represent your country, and to attend in general-- your enthusiasm will help overcome any fears or doubt you have during the conference itself. 2. Don't panic. Roughly half of the attendees in any given conference have never attended before. If Rules of Procedure seem daunting, just observe for the first hour of committee-- everything will be self-explanatory once you see it in practice. 3. Have a plan. Know your topics, know your country, and have specific solutions in mind you want to push. Don't just fund X or create an organ to address Y, think of something innovative that the UN hasn't implemented yet. If you have a sound idea, assistance in writing that Resolution will surely come. 4. Be flexible. Maybe the topic you wanted didn't get picked, or your innovative solution isn't so hot. Being able to shift your focus abruptly is an important skill to recognize.The first group you work with might not be so great after all, or you might trip up on your first speech. Guess what-- nobody cares (that is, except you). Pick yourself back up, get involved, and make the most of this conference. 5. Have fun. MUN sounds incredibly academic and boring on paper, but in reality, this is the lifestyle of many high school and college students (seriously). Don't stress over preparation, don't fear over public speaking, don't cringe at hostility. You'll leave the conference with knowledge of international affairs, but more importantly, lifelong skills that you can apply anywhere in life. Whether the conference was a blast or sucked, be happy you went, not just content. I was in your shoes once. Now I'm headed to the world's largest conference in New York next week.

The MUN is a game. How do you win the game? By passing resolution that feet your country's policy the best. How to do that? 1. Know your country- and the rest of them. You should know your country's relevant positions, who shares them with you, which countries generally support your country, and which countries oppose it. You should be ready to face the arguments of countries with different positions, and convince the countries and delegates with not-as-strong opinions that you're right, and they should support you. 2. Take a main position. You want people to notice you, to think you're important, and to come to you to work on their resolutions. Talk a lot, be confident, look important, have a clear position, and make it look like the right one. Even if you're not sure your country cares so much about this topic and you don't know what your position is- if you know your country well, you can improvise, and no one will know if you make a mistake. Most of the time. Remember- you never want to be that guy who nobody notices and just happened to be signed on people's resolutions because they handed him a pen. 3. Be prepared. You know the topics, you should have resolutions, speeches and alliances ready in advance. You can make changes and improvise, of course, but you should be as ready as possible, so it will be easier for you to sprint forward with your resolutions. Last tiny point- don't annoy the chairs. If they dislike you, you are less likely to speak, win, get your resolution discussed, or anything they have a say in. Not saying you should kiss their asses- just don't get on their nerves.

I joined MUN awhile back and i can say completely without a doubt that it will be the weirdest experience of your life. When you'll try to explain it to people, no one will understand (trust me on it). You'll have stress which isn't needed before, during, and after the conference. Last you will definitely, if you are doing it right in conference, have multiple heart attacks. That being said you're first is liking popping your metaphysical cherry. it will be chaos, I assure you, but in the end there will be this moment. This moment can be during before after months, years later, but it will happen. the moment will be a basic sense of fulfillment. You will make friends who will understand what the hell you guys got yourself into. You will use terms like Member States and cooperation in outside language. All you have to remember for your first conference is to read the topic guide (first), understand your nation;s view, and have fun. try to make friends, be nice but assertive, and enjoy it. take a deep breath, be involved. Remember it won't be fun till you make it fun. (P.S don't forget to wear comfortable shoes and drink water)

Just out of curiosity, where is your MUN conference? The style and experience is as different as the countries in the UN, so just wondering. Some advice? Don't sit around, engage! At my first conference, I didn't take my Head Delegate's advice about just getting out of my seat and participating, and I simply sat around and watched things happen. It felt boring, so eventually I did get up and started talking to people. I found out I knew just as much as them and that the ones who always talked knew less. This made me feel a lot better and laughs with my group about the experience gave me the confidence to participate more. I tried and worked hard and really liked the experience. So much so that I stayed the semester, and the next, and the next, and the next! Before I knew it I had gone to more than 20 conferences and visited tons of cool places from Prague to Paris to New York! It's funny how something so small like a conference could change the entire direction of your life. lol As people have mentioned, be prepared for sure, but also engage. Participate in the discussion and have fun with it. You'll come out of the conference feeling more fulfilled and happy you did. :- )

My MUN Golden Rule: Be bold and outspoken. I have been an intern, a delegate and now president to a council for MUN. Take advantage of MUN experience and polish your capabilities of voicing your thoughts and increasing the impact of your arguments. Do not stress out and always remember that although it's competitive, it's a student-activity at the end of the day (you may even make some lifetime friends!). Research well about your country's Foreign Policy, relevant treaties or conventions and refer to your council's chair team if you have any questions (technical- or material-wise). I recommend you skim through these answers from MUNPlanet: Common mistakes First-timers make http://www.munplanet.com/questions/model-united-nations/what-are-the-most-common-mistakes-first-time-muners-make?t=7sjvmkszwk

I participated in my very first Model UN conference almost 5 years ago now, and since then it has been a wonderful journey full of new knowledge, new experiences, new cultures,and most importantly, new friends. After first attending a local MUN conference in my city, I went on to be a part of, and eventually lead, one of the most successful high school MUN teams in the world – Karachi Grammar School.Participating in your first MUN conference can indeed be a daunting experience. I distinctly remember my very first committee session – since I had absolutely no idea what was happening! Here are a few things that I feel you should focus on when participating in your very first MUN conference:1. Rules of Procedure: Any MUN conference follows certain Rules of Procedure that describe how and when debate on the topic will happen. These Rules of Procedure are important to understand, as without them you will feel confused and lost. It is always a good idea to read and understand the Rules of Procedure before attending the conference, but do not be alarmed if you do not understand all of them immediately! Over the course of the committee sessions, it will become much easier to follow and understand.2. Research: At any MUN conference you will be generally be assigned to represent a certain country in a specific committee to discuss the topic at hand. You should read up on the topic that is to be discussed, and what role your country has to play in the situation. You should also try and know a bit about the committee that you are going to be debating in. For example, if you are representing the USA in the First Committee of the UN (which I have had the opportunity to do) and the topic to be discussed is nuclear disarmament, you should know the official policy of USA on nuclear politics and matters of disarmament.3. Speaking: The very first time I got up to deliver a MUN speech, my knees refused to stop shaking and I stumbled through for barely 10 seconds before sitting back down.The moral of the story – do not worry! No one has the ability to be a fluent and wonderful speaker from the beginning. If you want to improve your speaking skills you have to make sure that you force yourself to give as many speeches as possible, even when you feel shy or embarrassed.This is the best way to get over one’s initial fear of or aversion to public speaking.4. Social Skills:Model UN conferences force you to develop effective leadership and social skills through the different forms of debate available to those who participate in them. While lobbying during informal debate sessions, remember to always be kind and courteous, and always remember to treat other delegates as human beings rather than just countries. I have personally found that learning the real names of the representatives of China or South Africa or Djibouti in my committee has always helped me in my lobbying efforts – as well as paving the way for new friendships to develop!Finally, the most important thing is to have fun! MUN conferences can be wonderfully beneficial for you. The can help you improve your social and leadership skills, they can help you meet new people and make new friends (I met two of my current closest friends during MUN conferences),and they can also help you develop your reading, writing, and analytical thinking skills. It seems unrealistic that one humble extracurricular could do so much for you, but it is true. I can very confidently say that I would not have half the confidence or skills that I currently possess were it not for Model UN conferences, and I hope the same will become true for you in the years to come!Good Luck!

I got a best delegate on my first MUN, so I think I'll be the right person to answer this.The most important thing, never get intimidated by anyone. Everyone sucks, you rock.I'll keep it short, like you should in n MUN, just kill it.Dramatics make an impact at times, how you have to use them, is up to you. xDA MUN Conference is one of the most amazing experiences you'll have in your life.Here's what will help you in being a good MUNner: Be thorough with the rules of procedure. How this helps is that it boosts your confidence and as you know what to do and when. But remember, ROPs are always to guide you and will never be your debate. Have a good understanding of your country. As a representative at the UN, you should feel what your fellow country members must be feeling. Understand the mandate of your council. You should know what your committee can and cannot do. Be thorough with global polity and international relations. You should know basic foreign policy of your country and of other prominent countries, especially with respect to your agenda. Agenda and research. You should know everything there is in your agenda. Be thorough with it and like one of my executive board members said, dissect the agenda completely. Be comfortable with speaking a lot, whenever you should and whenever you can. Lobby a lot, make a lot of contacts and talk out to people. This is one aspect where I have personally lacked, and hence you should definitely do this. Emotion is okay, dramatics is not. Don't over show and exaggerate. Think about practical real life solutions to your agenda at hand. Be confident and you're ready to roll. Paper reading is okay in your initial conferences but you will soon realize that you make more sense and have a greater appeal when you talk impromptu. All the best.

I think that the best tip I can give you when attending your first MUN is do not hesitate to ask for help if you get stuck. Usually, you will get stuck somewhere in between researching and writing your resolution paper. This is when you can lean on your co-delegate or your chair for help.Here is what some other people had to say about preparing for your first MUNhttps://www.munplanet.com/questions/model-united-nations/how-do-i-prepare-for-my-first-mun-conference-1