Advanced Committee Dynamics: Notes and Bloc leadership

In Regular style committees, bloc management and the intricacies that guide them are essential to the committee process. They are established early on and establish a team of delegates that you will be working with over the course of the weekend.

Strong interpersonal skills will make or break your Model UN conference success. In this lesson, we’re going to go over some of the essentials of Committee dynamics and help you to navigate your way effectively through your next committee session.

The Essentials: Getting started with General Assembly (GA) Committees

Being a GA delegate, while quite different in practise to a crisis delegate, is an extremely useful experience. General Assemblies allow you to bring together research, speeches, bloc building and caucusing. The best way to get started with a GA committee is to understand who you’re representing. Unlike most crisis committees, in a General Assembly you are representing an entire nation.

Regular committees focus on current global issues and ask you to provide solutions for that problem. Your goal is try simulate the process that you would find at the actual UN. In these committees, you will be working with a bloc to write your resolution.

This lesson will teach you everything you need to know about:

·        Bloc Building

·        Caucusing

·        Delegate management

We will help you through the foundational skills of tackling a General Assembly committee and all of the aspects that you need to know for your next committee experience. 

Let’s get started.

Why You Should Pick a GA Committee

 While Crisis committees provide a great platform to research historic events and people. GA committees are perfect for you if you’re interested in current global issues the UN is currently trying to solve. They can also provide you with a glimpse into the complex world of international affairs. 

The main two areas of research that GA committees allow you to explore are:

• The country you’re representing and its culture

• The current issue discussed in the committee. 

Beyond the research, you should think about exploring GA committees if you want to actually simulate the UN. You can practice your diplomacy skills and leadership, especially as you’re working with many others and your solutions cannot be proposed alone.

Leading a GA bloc can be challenging to get a hang of, up next we will show you how to be a committee leader without getting a bad reputation.

Model UN Bloc Building

What is a Bloc in Model UN

A Bloc is a group of delegates who are all working together on the same resolution. They have similar ideas and believe that they can make a coherent working document together.

How to Make a Bloc

Entering your first committee session can be overwhelming due to the number of people you need to meet. Today, we’ll guide you through this process to ensure you have the best start possible.

When building a bloc, assess three major factors:

1. Countries

2. People

3. Objectives

While it's important to collaborate with countries that naturally align with the nation you are representing and to find people whose core objectives match yours, prioritizing a strong relationship is key.

You will be spending the entire weekend intensively working with your bloc on a resolution, so it's crucial to ensure you enjoy and trust the people you are collaborating with. Building a bloc with individuals you like and enjoy working with will lead to a more productive and pleasant experience.

By considering these factors, you can effectively navigate your first committee session and form a strong, cohesive bloc.

First Impressions matter

First impressions are everything in Model UN because they can affect your success throughout the conference. If you start off well, it can lead to good teamwork and strong alliances. But if you get a bad reputation at the start, it's hard to change that in just three days. So, make sure your first interactions are positive. Be polite, listen carefully, and show that you understand your country's position. By being prepared and friendly, you can build a strong foundation for your bloc right from the beginning.

To build a good reputation the most important thing is to show that you are a team player. You want delegates to know that if they cooperate with you:

·       They will be supported

·       Their ideas will be included in your resolution

For this reason, at the start of your conference – your goal is to show delegates how well their ideas work with your own.

Notes and Bloc Building

Note-passing is a vital communication tool at Model UN conferences, enabling delegates to engage in private discussions and strategize effectively without interrupting the flow of formal debate.

Building a strong bloc begins during the first session of your conference, where you identify delegates with similar ideas and values.

Notes are your key bloc-building tools. From the very start of the conference, send out as many notes as possible to establish connections. This proactive approach ensures that when the first Unmoderated Caucus begins, you will know exactly who to seek out and have delegates looking for you as well.

Both when introducing yourself to other delegates and while listening to their opening speeches, utilize notes to communicate your intentions. If you agree with a delegate's opening speech, send them a note to express your interest in collaborating. Here’s an example of a note you could send:

 The above notes are ways to let a delegate know you’re interested in talking more and how to contact you. Also, once you have finished your opening speech you will receive some notes similar to this one, and you can either respond with another note or text them if they have given you their number. 

After you’ve created your bloc, you’ll want to make a group chat with everyone in the bloc so you can communicate. Keep in mind, that you should always try to avoid switching blocs after Thursday evening because it becomes very challenging to lead a bloc you joined late.

Other Uses of Note-Passing

1. Asking Questions: Notes can be used to seek clarifications on points made during speeches. For example, you might write to a delegate to ask them to elaborate on a specific policy or argument they presented.

2. Discussing Policy Objectives: Engage in policy discussions to align strategies with other delegates. This can include proposing joint actions or seeking support for your resolution.

3. Positive Support: Sometimes its useful to send someone a complimentary note telling them that you agree with an idea they have or something they are doing.

4. Strategic Planning: Coordinate tactics and negotiate amendments to resolutions. This helps in ensuring that your contributions are integrated into the final draft.

Protocol and Etiquette

• Relevance: Ensure that the content of your notes is relevant to the committee's discussions. Off-topic messages can disrupt the flow of debate and are generally discouraged.

• Confidentiality and Respect: Respect the confidentiality of the communication, but also be mindful that notes may be read by Pages. Avoid sharing sensitive or controversial content that could lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. 

Staying efficient during the Bloc Formation stage

It’s not easy to take notes on everybody’s opening speeches and generally that doesn’t really matter - you’re only looking for delegates who might want to be a part of your Bloc.

What you want to be doing while listening to other delegates opening speeches is taking note of the countries who you could see yourself working with and drafting a quick note.

Unless you have a partner in your committee who can take more detailed notes, trying to write down actual content from people’s speeches is going to be pointless and waste your time in the long run.

Quantity is actually more valuable than quality at the start of a MUN conference. When the unmoderated caucus starts, its more important that you have simply introduced yourself to a number of delegates rather than having sent detailed notes to half as many. More introductions make it more likely that a group of delegates will form around you and you can start managing discussion much more easily.

Getting a group established early in your first unmod will also attract other delegates to drift towards your group as it might seem like something important is happening there.

Leading a Bloc

There are many ways to lead a bloc and be diplomatic. However, there are many more ways not to lead a bloc. To lead a bloc you need to understand the balance of being a good leader, delegate, and friend.

To find the balance when leading a bloc is knowing when to switch into which role.

1. Leadership when the Chair is around:

   • At the start of the bloc formation stage and when the chair is present, try to be the person who is managing the conversation - this does not mean you have to be the person doing all the talking. In fact, you should try to include as many people as possible in the conversation. After presenting your points, involve other delegates by directing the conversation to them. This shows leadership while fostering a collaborative atmosphere.

   • Example phrases:

     • "I think you, Ghana, had an interesting point to add as well."

     • "I really thought it was important to talk more about the construction of refugee camps. Nigeria made a great point about that in their opening speech."

2. Positivity and Relationship Building:

   • Use positive language and encouragement when interacting with bloc members to build relationships and trust. This creates a supportive environment conducive to cooperation.

3. Delegation and Integration:

   • Delegate tasks and sections of the working paper to other delegates, and offer to help with their clauses. Incorporate others' ideas into your clauses to ensure your work is well-integrated into the final resolution.

   • Effective leaders understand that controlling the conversation doesn’t mean always speaking but rather ensuring productive discourse.

   • Once your work is part of the resolution, it solidifies your position within the bloc, as removing you would mean losing your contributions.

4. Balancing Leadership and Friendship:

   • When the chair is not present, take a more casual approach. Mix up conversation and build friendships by engaging in personal conversations about delegates' experiences in Model UN or school. This fosters a sense of camaraderie and strengthens the bloc.

5. Being a Well-Informed Delegate:

   • Beyond leadership and relationship-building, ensure you are a well-informed delegate. Thorough knowledge of your country's stance, the topic at hand, and your proposed solutions is essential for effective bloc leadership.

   • Solid research underpins your ability to lead discussions and negotiate effectively.

By mastering the balance between these roles, you can lead your bloc diplomatically, creating a cohesive and effective team that works well together throughout the conference.

Finding your key partner

The most important part of leading a bloc is finding your Key Partner. They’re someone who will have your back throughout the weekend and you will have theirs. Whether you are in a double delegate pairing or a single delegate, finding a partner, or pair of partners for the weekend is essential. You work together and make sure you’re leading the bloc as a team. A good leader does not work alone. 

What to look for in a Teammate

After the first session is really when you solidify your team. You won't be able to work with everyone you want to so you have to decide who you are most interested in working with and who are the most logical choices. Make sure you prioritize collaborating with delegates who:

• Will be a strong teammate and

• Who you trust.

More importantly, you don’t want to choose someone who runs the risk of undermining you later on in the conference. Here are a few ways someone can undermine you in Model UN:

• Removing You from the Sponsors List: A teammate could push you off the sponsors list, taking credit for your work and reducing your influence.

• Changing Agreed-Upon Clauses: They might alter or remove key clauses you worked on without your consent.

• Not Supporting Your Proposals: They might not support your proposals during voting or discussions, weakening your position.

When Your Bloc Meets

The following are a list of times that your bloc may meet depending on your dais’ rules:

• During an Un-Moderated Caucus

• Before the first session of the day

• At night after the last session of the day is done

• During lunch break

The following is a list of things you may be doing during your bloc meetings:

• Working on the working paper/resolution paper

• Discussing committee dynamics

• Planning the mergers

• Merging with other blocs

• Voting on Q&A and Presentation spots

Meeting with your bloc depends on your chair’s rules. Some chairs do not allow blocs to meet or work on their papers outside of committee sessions. However, some chairs will. If your chair does allow work outside of committee sessions, the times your bloc meets will drastically increase.

During the majority of the weekend when your bloc meets they will be busy drafting the the working paper and discussing what needs to be included. However, you will also be networking with other blocs and seeing what they are working on.

If you are meeting outside of a committee session, you will need to make sure you are meeting with your key partner before the whole bloc meets together. During that time you will make sure you have a game plan on who will be working on what and how you will lead as a pair. 

Resolution Merges - How to stay a sponsor

In most conferences, Chairs will force delegates to merge resolutions with one from another group. This is because too many blocs will normally emerge at the start of the committee, but it also helps the Dais to really identify who is leading their respective Blocs.

being a leader of your bloc is not only important in helping you get the best chance of winning an award, but it also means that you can more likely preserve your spot

Towards the end of the weekend when your bloc is meeting, you will have to start focusing on planning your merge. This means both merging your work and cutting out clauses and combining solutions, but also now working with twice as many people. While this may sound stressful, the way to ensure you’re still leading is to make sure you decide who you are merging with. 

To decide who you are going to merge with, you need to find people you want to work with in other blocs that have similar ideas. However, you need them to be different enough so you don’t have to cut out your own clauses. 

Different ways to bring value to your bloc

The most important way you can remain as a sponsor on a resolution is by bringing value to your team. Here are a few techniques that you can use.

1. The Framework Approach:

   • Develop a comprehensive framework that accommodates that serves as the overall skeleton for the resolution. Have other delegates integrate their proposals within this framework.

2. The Cornerstone Approach:

   • Take charge of critical aspects of the resolution, such as funding or logistics, to maintain influence over its direction.

3. The Coalition Approach:

   • Act as a bridge between two blocs and manage the merge process. Facilitate communication and collaboration to ensure a smooth integration of ideas.

4. Detail-Oriented Approach:

   • Provide thorough, in-depth clauses that enhance the resolution's credibility and completeness.

5. Strategic Planner:

   • Proactively gather necessary signatories for your resolution. Prepare an elevator pitch and effectively communicate the benefits of your proposal to garner support.

By adopting these approaches, you can ensure your contributions remain central to the merged resolution while demonstrating effective leadership and collaboration skills.

Some key factors to remember about bloc building

Unlike in Crisis Committees, a General Assembly will always require teamwork in order for you to succeed. There is no way to lone-wolf a GA committee. Here are a few tips for better teamwork and etiquette in your next committee!

• Sit with your bloc during mods

• Do not talk while others are giving speeches

• Get bloc members to mention your country/clause in a speech and you do the same

• Clap/snap when your bloc members give speeches

• Send notes to other bloc leaders you want to merge with

• Always remain respectful and diplomatic with other blocs, you never know when you might need to merge with them

The Unmoderated caucus is key

An Un-Moderated caucus is a time where debate is not structured by the chair and provides a more open conversation. It’s a particularly valuable time to work with your bloc on your working paper.

The nature of your Un-Moderated Caucuses will change throughout the weekend. At the start, there will be a lot of bloc building and working on your paper. However, towards the end, it will be more focused on merging and fine-tuning your paper for presentation and Q&A. 

In your committee there are a few different activities done in the out-room or in Un-Moderated Caucuses.

• Bloc building

• Bloc merging

• Resolution writing

• Networking and managing bloc dynamics

• Discussions and voting on Q&A and Presentation

 The dynamic of your bloc will change throughout the weekend as people get to know each other better. You want to make sure that you are still leading the bloc at the end of the weekend and that your continued effort is recognized through your Resolution document and your speeches.

During an Un-Moderated Caucus you want to make sure you and your key partner are working to support each other during voting and merges. 

The value of the Q&A Period

If you are wanting show you are leading a bloc you need to try and get into the Q&A panel as someone who is answering questions on your paper. It is essential to demonstrate you were a key player and know the paper well. During Q&A the speeches are shorter and you are trying to succinctly answer questions on areas of the paper you worked on. If it is not your bloc you want to make sure you are asking pointed and thoughtful questions on the paper presented.

Final reminders

General Assembly out-room is quite different from Crisis, as you do need to remain diplomatic with all nations; it is challenging, if not impossible, to play the antagonist in a GA committee and succeed.

Here are a few key takeaways for your next Un-Moderated Caucus.

• Remain friendly

• Do not steamroll people when they are talking – actually, listen and collaborate

• Chat to other bloc leaders throughout the weekend and know who you want to work with

• Make sure you’re on the same page as your key partner

• Know when to lead and when to be a friend.