10 Tips to Lead a Committee As a Chairperson Ece BİLİR

The absolute amount of Model United Nations conferences around the world has committee board members, these people are sometimes perfect for their job and sometimes just not enough to be the best leader. Committee board members are the most affectional participants for the delegates and delegates’ opinions are the most important thing for the organizers. As time passed by and more conferences were held MUNers created a perception “Good committee board members good conference.” So, even if the organizing is awesome everything was planned perfectly if the delegates are unhappy in the committee because of the committee board they will remember that MUN as a disappointment. In my article, I aimed to inspire the first-timer committee board members and help the experienced ones to gain a more comprehensive insight into leading a committee.

Be Prepared for Any Kind of Problems

It is almost impossible to have an absolutely perfect experience without facing any problems in an MUN conference and leading a committee means more problems to solve than usual. First of all, a committee board member is responsible for all the delegates on the house so this makes him or her the authority but also the guider. So, anything can happen in a committee and it sometimes seems impossible to solve, this is the exact reason that all qualified chairs have similar features. Committee board members should always be solution-oriented

Do Not Panic In Any Situation

Even if you feel prepared for problems, sometimes paranoia and anxiety are inevitable. In these situations, it is significant to use the previous experiences that you have about a similar situation, this emphasizes the importance of experiences as a committee board member. However, even if you are a first-timer committee board member still you can manage any problem if you keep calm and focus on the solution. Also, from the insight of the delegates, a board member that fixes any crisis without panicking in the process would definitely seem more professional.

Always Be Kind and Patient

Always keep in mind that, every committee board member has been a delegate before and remember that your behavior and attitude could affect delegates and outrage your reputation as a committee director. So, always be patient and remember that you are their guider and inspiration. Delegates will always prefer to listen to a more courteous board member, however, while being kind as the leader the committee, the board member should not overdo being friendly, this may cause the delegates to extenuate him or her.

Never Forget Your Responsibilities

Being a leader, a guider is an inspiration to the people that you are leading however, this situation brings responsibilities with it, things that a committee board member should never forget. First, board members must know that they have a huge responsibility against the executive board and the organizing team because they are probably chosen from dozens of people that have applied and evaluated with a complicated procedure. So, the organizers of the conference will always take this seriously and expect the best from the committee board members. On the one hand, board members must feel responsible for the delegates of their committee because it is their most significant task to help and direct the delegates to the right path.

Try to Listen to the Speeches

MUN conferences are usually only 3 or 4 days and being a good leader means knowing your team’s skills and capabilities. Listening to the speeches will help you with the award criteria and also ease the process to lead the delegates. It is hard to listen to every word that delegates say because committee board members have many tasks and they work intensively throughout the conference. However, if the committee has more than one board member division of labor is the easiest way to manage the process.

Do Not Directly Begin with the Formal Session on the First Day

Having fun sessions, reading gossips, playing icebreakers is up to the committee board members. However, on the first-day delegates, especially first-timers might be nervous and without knowing anyone in the committee they will feel even tenser. Sometimes due to time constraints sessions immediately begin, although, I think it is essential to at least give delegates a chance to introduce themselves also, committee board members must encourage delegates and explain that there is nothing to worry about. Some committees could be way too crowded to give every single delegate to have a chance to talk at the beginning even just a single round of a game will break the ice between delegates and the committee board.

Help the First-Timers

Being a good leader requires to also be a helpful guider to the delegates. Committee board members should always help the delegates especially, first-timers may act shy about their problems and hesitate to ask help from the committee board. However, an experienced committee member must be able to spot these delegates and offer them help. Please keep in mind that your behavior may deeply affect the delegates and inspire them to be just like you and encourage them to keep attending MUNs. Being someone’s first chair may not be important for you, although it can change the delegates’ entire MUN career.

Be Approachable

Every experienced MUN participant has probably seen a variety of committee board members throughout their MUN career and there were always the ones we felt inspired and others that we wanted to run away from. Being an inspiration is an amazing feeling that everyone would want but the magic of the authority sometimes makes people blind and they forget about the way the delegates would feel. So, instead of being a person that feared by everyone, just be approachable, this does not mean being flippant or way too humorous. Just allow delegates to ask questions to you, show them that you are their guider and helper. Nonetheless, committee board members must avoid directly giving the thing that the delegate asked help about, showing, and teaching the right way to fix the problem is the best way that board members could do.

Be a Team with Other Committee Board Members

Every single position in the MUN conferences requires great teamwork and if you are not the only board member in the committee that makes you responsible for your teammates and their behaviors. So, being a powerful team and making decisions together will be the most beneficial way to manage the debates and the committee in general. Thus, a bonded committee board will set a good example to the delegates about teamwork.

I have done my best to give the best tips to lead a committee in the right and most decent way possible. These tips are based on my own experiences as a committee board member and also as a delegate. Please do not underestimate anyone by focusing the number of their experiences, because if a person has all of these 10 skills, he or she will convey a vivid portrayal of an amazing committee board member but also a great leader. Thank you for reading my article, hope I have fulfilled your expectations.

Best regards,
Ece BİLİR