8 Characteristics of a Qualified Delegate by Ece BİLİR

 It is both easy and hard to determine a delegate as a qualified one, but there has always been someone in the committee that everyone admired and even felt jealous of. That person shares their ideas without any fear and leads the process of the debates. If you have carefully observed, all of those delegates have similar characteristics. Being a good delegate, achieving awards or other successes in MUN conferences are usually the main aim of the participants. Instead of just focusing on the awards, it will be more beneficial but also easier for the delegate to gain some specific skills that a qualified delegate has. This does not require having dozens of experiences, instead, learning and developing yourself according to it will be a faster and more effective solution to be a qualified delegate.

They Are Determined and Hardworking

 Giving up or losing motivation is the worst obstacle in the way of success and self-development. Especially in MUNs, a determination is an important instrument in many ways. On the other hand, the determination should not be confused with being stubborn or selfish. A determined delegate will mainly focus on working hard to achieve their best work in a MUN conference and putting a specific goal might help the beginners, however, instead of that, trying your best and putting your best work will be the best achievements. It is possible to spot the qualified delegates by this feature too, they have no limits for development.

They Are Patient and Responsible

 Patience is an important matter of life, but also in MUNs in order to be a successful delegate, patience is essential. While suggesting solutions, participating in debates, writing a draft resolution; a qualified delegate must be patient as the conference progresses. Also, patience comes with responsibility, so if the delegate feels responsible for their own actions but also other representatives’ opinions, this situation will lead that person to be a qualified delegate.

They Are Interested in Politics and Worldwide Issues

 Probably one of the most significant facts of the MUN conferences is that participants aim to find applicable solutions for real worldwide issues. So, this makes delegates with interest more successful in general. A delegate who already has knowledge about politics or the issue the committee has been discussing, most of the time that delegate will be successful and will be described as a qualified one.

They Are Leading

 There is quite a fine line between being a good leader and a manipulative delegate. Some participants may cross this line and become cruel bosses in the committee. This will not do any good, neither for that person nor other delegates. A qualified delegate will be able to lead the committee by their kind and reasonable actions. The solutions they suggest, the way they explain their opinions will lead the house to their path. Especially in General Assembly committees, there will always be a leading delegate who is the establisher of the general opinions of the committee, also they will be able to create a common ground and establish beneficial cooperation.

They Believe in the Power of Teamwork

 The United Nations itself is an organization that aims for unity and cooperation, so the Model United Nations should not be any different in that perspective. Committees that have more unity and teamwork are more likely to be successful and find beneficial solutions. Because with teamwork there will be less multi-tasking and each person will be able to participate in different positions and will be able to focus on their capabilities.

They Are Solution-Oriented

 We have seen many delegates that prolong their speeches by just giving useless information about the historical background etc. We have also seen people that focus on the main reasons and try to find solutions. The second type of delegate can be defined as a qualified one and they also will be successful in real life for being quick-thinking and solution-oriented. The main aim of the delegates in a MUN conference must be finding solutions at the end, and in the process of achieving these solutions, delegates should be able to indicate their intentions to find beneficial and applicable solutions.

They Are Focused but Also Multi-Tasking

 People usually end up being quite successful when they just focus on one thing. A qualified delegate in a MUN conference must be able to focus on one thing easily, on the other hand, they should also be thriving in multi-tasking. So, qualified delegates are usually capable of solving many problems at the same time and be able to focus on each and every one of them. This is not an easy skill to develop for a beginner, but it is definitely worth trying in order to achieve success in MUNs, but most significantly, in life.

They are Encouraging

 Being an encouraging person can mean many things, however, an encouraging delegate in a MUN conference is able to encourage the committee to contribute to the debates but also encourage him/herself to find new ideas and never give up sharing them. This can also be traced back to the determination level of that person, so if the delegate is determined he or she will encourage the other members of the house to contribute to the main issue.

 I tried my best to share my own point of view of being a qualified delegate by explaining their mutual skills. If you think that you have these skills, however, you still feel stuck in the process of the formal debates, then you must focus on your actions and behavior or reconsider the level of your effort. My personal suggestion for you is, do not to focus on having all of these skills or do not try to change your personality. Instead, try developing yourself by considering these 10 titles. I can assure you, there will be no regrets. Hope I have fulfilled your expectations.

Best Regards,

Ece Bilir