Alright, so after a long time of researching for the issue of your Model United Nations conference along with the stance of country, and a bunch of other stuff (preparing for the way of transporting to the venue of the Model United Nations conference as well as money in case that place if far from your house; buy a new suit; etc.), finally, the day of the conferences has come.
Let me tell you about my personal experience in my first Model United Nations conference, which was when I was in 9th grade. I didn’t remember that much about what I ate that morning or when I left the house, but what I remembered very vividly was the feeling when I was there. So apparently, when I reached the gate of the school where that Model United Nations conference would be held, I was so scared - there were a bunch of people there, all of them were probably in 11th grade or 12th grade. And I was so damn scared! But then, my dad encouraged me to open the car door, and I got out and approached the gate of that school.
So the reason that I mentioned this thing is to tell you that the first Model United Nations conference of you guys can be very intimidating and scary! Therefore, it is absolutely fine if you are scared to go to your first Model United Nations conference! Just the thing of passing through that door, doing some requirements when you first get there, and getting to your room is a success already!
Chances are, from the time you get to the room (where you will be in the next few days) to when the Model United Nations conference actually starts, there will be a small chunk of time - let’s utilize this time in order to talk to people in that room! I know that talking to random people is not something many people find comfortable, but please remember 2 things: one, these people will be stuck with you for the next few days, so sooner or later you are going to have to talk to them; and two, that can also be their first ever conference, so by reaching out to them in a friendly way, not only them can benefit but that you can feel a bit calmer since you have finally found a person to talk to. Another benefit of this is that you can start lobbying with them even before the Model United Nations conference starts - prepare to ally with people, everyone!
The next milestone that will occur is the opening speech, where you have a certain amount of time (typically 90 seconds) to talk about the general problem as well as your country’s stance and possible solutions that you would like to propose. Please, use this 90 seconds wisely - you don’t have to talk too much here, but please create your first impression to others through this: speak loudly, clearly, and with power! There may be a lot of people in your committee, and you may not have much space to talk in the upcoming times, so the opening speech is one of those rare times where you can shine! It, of course, will not be a very easy task - but remember, you have prepared this speech before, so you should be able to speak this out loud without making too many mistakes (you are looking at the speech and speaking it out loud, that’s it!).
I will skip the moderated caucuses part, since honestly here there are always going to be some professional MUN-ers that will dominate the committee. And let’s move onto the next part: unmoderated caucuses, where you can lobby with other people. You don’t have to be the one who leads a bloc, but please be interactive in the bloc that you are intending to participate in! Chances are, on the first night of the Model United Nations conference, your bloc will start making the Draft Resolutions, therefore it’s very crucial for you to catch up with your bloc and actually know what is going on. The purpose of a Model United Nations conference is not for you to just rely on other countries: engage in the conversation! You can also be a sponsor of your bloc’s Draft Resolution and start on protecting it!
The last thing: please be friendly to other people! To tell the truth, you may not meet them any time soon in the future from when the Model United Nations conference occurs, but still, it’s worth it to leave a good impression on other delegates, right? Imagine getting a shoutout by two different delegates on their Facebook pages about you! (which is something that happened to me in my first conference lol)
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