How to Prepare Your Best Opening Speech

How to Prepare Your Best Opening Speech

In Model UN, though there is always a lot of preparation to be done before a conference, a lot is also left up to fate. You don’t know exactly how many speeches you’ll give, who you’ll meet, or what the atmosphere of the committee will be like. But if there is one thing you can almost always be sure of in General Assembly-style committees, it’s that you will give a first speech. It is the only speech in Model UN you might be able to plan out, so it’s important that you make the most of it. Here is a guide on how to create the perfect first speech.


Time and Purpose

The first speech you give in a Model UN committee is a unique one because it has a unique purpose and it is given at a unique time. The purpose of a first speech is to tell the other delegates in the room what your country’s stance is and what direction you believe debate should go. It almost always happens in the speaker’s list and is usually 1 minute long. 


Structure

A first speech in Model UN is not too dissimilar from other speeches in Model UN in terms of structure except for the fact that it is far more vague in terms of solutions. This is the structure of a first speech:


  1. Fellow delegates, honorable chair… 

  2. Hook: A hook is the initial part of a speech where you must catch your audience's attention through use of a statistic/interesting fact, an anecdote/quote, or a rhetorical question. 

  3. Point: The point of your speech is the content and primary focus of your speech. It can be divided into two parts.

    1. Problem: Discuss the problem as it uniquely affects your country. It should be noted that when discussing the problem, this is a unique time in MUN when you will be able to show the chairs how much you understand the topic, the issues it causes, and how it affects your country and other countries. 

    2. Solution: Talk about the type of solution(s) that you have prepared, that you aim to be discussed, and/or that you want other delegates to discuss. It’s important that you do not get too in-depth with your solutions in this first speech, as there will be time for that later in future speeches. 

  4. Action: In many speeches in Model UN, the "action" is forgotten. However, the first speech is the only speech in Model UN where it can be considered critical! Action can be defined as what you want the audience to do. For example, to round off your speech you may say “If you agree with (your country) on solving these issues, send us a note and meet us during the unmod.” In this way, you are calling the audience to action. It is important to say this in MUN in your first speech because it shows that you are willing to work with other delegates.

  5. You should also recall that assuming your speech is given in the speaker's list, you must yield your time, ideally to the chair.


Things of note

It is possible for you to write the entire first speech out, not memorize it, and simply go up on stage and read it. But where is the fun in that? Where is the skill in that? Do you expect to get an award out of that? It is smarter to either memorize your entire speech or memorize the important points you want to cover in your speech. If you aren’t confident in your ability to do this, then I recommend writing important points of your speech on a sticky note and occasionally glancing down at it. 

It is also important for you to, throughout the speech, remain passionate. Do not monotonously state your speech, have some passion, some emotion, and maybe even some excitement. After all, if not, how will your speech stand out against the others?

A good opening speech is always preceded by even better research. Research that is focused, driven, and solution-oriented will always result in an opening speech that reflects that. Remember, a speech is one of the few times in Model UN where everyone in the room is basically forced to listen to you, so make the most out of your first one. A good first impression matters. Written by: Mikele Mancuso


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unmoderated Caucus Leadership

  Unmoderated Caucus Leadership Though widely regarded as critical to getting awards outside of Taiwan, leadership during unmoderated caucuses is seemingly undervalued in the current committee meta. In this article, I’m going to discuss WHY leadership should be valued, why it’s important in committee, and how to do it, that is, be a leader. Why bother valuing leadership? In the real UN, who the leader is when discussing a resolution paper doesn’t matter, so why should it matter here? The answer is quite clear. To start, Model UN is modeling the UN, but it is not the UN itself. It is supposed to be educational, a place where we can gain skills like public speaking or policy development, or leadership. In the end, the people who do Model UN and who really try at it, do it for a reason; because we want to be leaders just like how those who go to the UN are. So it makes perfect sense to use Model UN to practice leadership, not to mention the fact that leadership is a highly valued ...
Read more

Chair Guide: Motion Tracking, Note Taking, and Feedback

Chair Guide: Motion Tracking, Note Taking, and Feedback The role of a chair in a Model UN committee is naturally a critical one. Aside from moderating debate, they are essentially the judges of the committee. Therefore a chair and their fellow members of the dais hold a heavy burden and it is their responsibility to ensure that the delegates not only have a fun time, but also learn a lot during their time at the conference. For these reasons, tracking motions and speeches to ensure fairness, and great note-taking as well as feedback is essential. Motion Tracking Motion tracking refers to keeping track of the motions and speeches that delegates give to ensure that a delegate does not speak disproportionately more than others. In large committees especially, it can be difficult to count and remember exactly how many times a delegate has spoken or given a motion, this is exactly why they should be tracked. Every time a delegate gives a motion or gives a speech, the chair or a co-chair c...
Read more