Points and Motions –
Points and motions outline how topics are prioritized, how resolutions are voted on and they facilitate the general flow of debate. They are a core aspect of MUN and without them, every committee session would be in complete disarray. Today, we’ll teach you some basics of points and motions, what each one does and how to use them properly.
Placards –
The first thing to know is that in a committee all delegates will have a placard. In order to say anything, you should raise your placard and get called on by the Chair (if you’re in an online conference you might not have one but the system will be the same). You should raise your placard both to make a point or a motion and if you want to speak on a particular topic.
Points –
Points are used to ask discuss something outside of substantive debate. They are more personal and don’t require a vote. A Point of Order and a Point of Personal Privilege have a special level of priority, this means that a delegate may interrupt the Speaker or Chair in order to express their concern. Delegates should only take advantage of this level of priority when necessary.
Points used in MUN –
| Point of Order | these are used to correct a procedural error E.g. The chair forgot Roll Call |
| Point of Inquiry | Used to ask the Dais a question regarding Parliamentary Procedure |
| Point of Personal Privilege | Used with to express a personal concern E.g. The room is too warm, your placard broke, or you cannot hear the speaker |
| Point of Information | Used to ask a delegate a question so they may clarify a speech Not always permitted and used only during the speakers list |
How to raise a Point in Committee
1 – Raise your placard and get called, if it is a point of Personal Privilege or a Point of Order, you may interrupt the flow of debate within reason.
2 – State the point that you are going to raise and what you would like to say
E.g. – “Point of Order, we forgot roll call at the start of debate”
Motions –
Motions are used to discuss procedural matters and they help to further the discussion on your committee topic. Most motions will require a vote in order to pass. This voting procedure will vary depending on your conference, so you should always consult your background guide or committee handbook to be sure.
There are different stages of an MUN conference and you will need to use a different set of Motions for each step.
The Flow of debate –
In MUN, the flow of debate is the term used to break down the stages of a MUN conference. A committee session normally moves progessively along a 4 step process. The diagram below shows how this system works.
Next, we will show you which Motions to use at each stage and how to use them properly.
Open Debate –
Opening debate is simple; all you do is get there on time, be ready for roll call and motion to open debate (E.g – “Motion to open debate”) if the Chair calls on you.
Regular & Crisis Committees –
| Motion to Open Debate | Requires a simple majority to pass |
After a motion to Open Debate is passed, the next step depends on where you are at in your committee. If you have already Organized priorities you can move directly to Formal/Informal debate.
Organizing Priorities –
The speakers list is the core part of the organizing priorities stage. In Regular committee styles there are two speakers lists. This happens because there are normally multiple topics on the agenda. The Primary Speakers list is used to determine which one to discuss first. Once this has been ascertained it is time to begin discussing solutions, this is when the committee moves to the Secondary speakers list and eventually Formal/Informal debate. The delegate who makes the motion to open a Speakers list is automatically added and may choose to speak first or last.
Regular Committees –
| Motion to open the Primary speakers list | Used to discuss which topic should be considered first. Mention – Proposed speaking time |
| Motion to set the Agenda | Delegates vote on which topic to resolve first. Mention – The topic you would like to set the agenda to |
| Motion to open the Secondary speakers list | Used after the agenda has been set If all motions fail to pass during Formal/Informal debate, discussion returns here. Mention – Speaking time |
| Motion to set the Speaker time | If the allowed time for the Speakers list is too long/short. Mention – The revised speaking time |
Crisis Committees –
In Crisis committees, it is not common to see a Primary and Secondary speakers list. The crisis at hand is the topic to address and it is important to quickly begin discussing solutions. A Round Robin is an efficient way of hearing everyones opinion. Here, delegates speak in a clockwise rotation around the table starting with the person who made the motion.
| Motion to Open the Speakers list | Normally there is only one topic for Crisis committees. So only one Speakers list is needed. |
| Motion to Set the Speaker time | If the allowed time for the Speakers list is too long/short. Mention – The revised speaking time |
| Motion for a Round Robin | Can also be used during Formal/Informal debate. Mention – Topic, Speaking time |
How to motion to open the speakers list – “Motion to open the Primary/Secondary Speakers list with a 1 minute speaking time”
How to motion to set the agenda – “Motion to set the Agenda to topic A”
How to motion to set the speaker time – “Motion to set the speaker time to 1 minute”
How to motion for a Round Robin – “Motion for a Round Robin to discuss preliminary solutions with a speaking time of 30 seconds”
Formal/Informal Debate –
Delegates will spend most of their time discussing their topic with Formal/Informal Debate. There are many different aspects of this category. This includes Caucuses, Introduction of Resolutions and Amendments.
Caucuses –
A Caucus is an opportunity to discuss policy ideas. A Moderated Caucus is more formal and is run by the committee Chair, an Unmoderated caucus is a time where delegates move around the room and have a more informal discussion on the topic, it is also a useful time to start writing resolutions. A delegate who makes the motion for a Moderated Caucus has the option of speaking first or last if the motion passes. It is also possible to extend a motion by up to half of original time for both Moderated and Unmoderated Caucuses.
Introduction of Draft Resolutions –
After you have written your Working papers, you must submit them to the Dais and subsequently introduce them. An introduction involves reading the Working paper to the committee, in Regular committees there may also be a Question and Answer period. Once a copy has been introduced and is open for debate the Working paper becomes a Draft resolution. For more information on Draft Resolutions click here (Coming Soon!)
Amendments –
After listening to each Draft Resolution, it is possible to make adjustments to them before you move in to voting procedure on them. In MUN there are both Friendly and Unfriendly amendments. Friendly amendments mean that all Sponsors for a Draft Resolution accept the change. An Unfriendly amendment is not approved by one or more of the Sponsors, in order to get your amendment to pass, a simple majority must vote for it. For more information on Amendments click here (Coming Soon!).
Regular Committees –
| Motion for a Moderated Caucus | Structured debate on more specific aspects of a topic. Mention – Subject, Time, Speaking Time |
| Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus | Informal debate and discussion. Mention – Subject, Time |
| Motion to Introduce Working Paper | Present a Working paper to the committee, usually followed by a Q&A period. |
| Motion to Table the Debate | Ends the debate on a certain topic to discuss another subject. |
| Motion to Reintroduce/Reconsider | Resume discussion on a topic that had been tabled. |
| Motion to Introduce Amendment | Friendly Amendment – has been accepted by all sponsors, after introduction it is added to Draft Resolution. Unfriendly Amendment – Not accepted by all sponsors, Introduction is followed by For & Against speakers and a vote. |
Crisis Committees –
| Motion for a Moderated Caucus | Structured debate on more specific aspects of a topic. Mention – Subject, Time, Speaking Time |
| Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus | Informal debate and discussion. Gentleman’s Unmod – an Unmoderated Caucus where all delegates stay seated. Mention – Subject, Time |
| Motion to Introduce Directives | Present a Directive or collection of directives to the Committee. Not followed by a Q&A period. |
| Motion to Table the Debate | Ends the debate on a certain topic to discuss another subject. Normally happens after a Crisis update |
| Motion to Reintroduce/Reconsider | Resume discussion on a topic that had been tabled. |
| Motion to Introduce Amendment | Friendly Amendment – has been accepted by all sponsors, after introduction it is added to Draft Resolution Unfriendly Amendment – Not accepted by all sponsors, Introduction is followed by For & Against speakers and a vote. |
Note – For a Moderated Caucus – make sure that the total Caucus time is divided equally by the number of Speakers. Common Moderated Caucus times: 10 Minutes with 30 Second speaking time, 9 Minutes with 45 Second speaking time, 6 Minutes with 30 Second speaking time.
How to Motion for a Moderated Caucus – “Motion for a 9 minute Moderated Caucus with 45 second speaking time on the topic of Renewable Energy sources”
How to Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus – “Motion for a 15 minute Unmoderated Caucus on the topic of writing Resolutions”
How to Motion for a Gentleman’s Unmod – “Motion for a 12 minute Gentleman’s Unmod on the topic of discussing the recent Crisis update”
How to Introduce a Friendly amendment – “Motion to Introduce the friendly amendment added to Draft Resolution X”
How to Introduce an Unfriendly amendment – “Motion to Introduce the Unfriendly amendment for Draft Resolution Gamma with one for and one against speaker” Note – Sometimes there will be a pre-set number of for and against speakers so you can confirm with your committee chair.
How to Introduce Directives/Working papers – “Motion to introduce all Working papers currently submitted to the Dais/Motion to Introduce Working paper X submitted to the Dais”
Voting procedure –
Voting procedure occurs after Draft resolutions are introduced and amendments hae been proposed. You have worked with a number of Delegates to incorporate a variety of different ideas and now you hope that you can get enough votes!
You will have worked your way through much discussion regarding the merits of your Draft. However, the process is never perfect and there will always be disagreement. If some parts of your Resolution is controversial there are ways to increase your chances of it passing.
The Voting procedure in MUN is the same for both Crisis and Regular committees.
Regular & Crisis Committees –
| Motion to move into Voting Procedure | Closes debate on a certain topic and begins voting procedure either for a specific Draft Resolution or for all Drafts that have been introduced. Delegates are not allowed to pass notes or leave the committee room during this time. Mention – Resolution to vote on, For and Against Speakers |
| Motion to vote Clause by Clause | The committee votes on each individual clause of a certain Draft Resolution. Happens after voting procedure has been entered. |
| Motion for a Roll Call Vote | Repeats the Roll Call process and each delegate must state their vote for a particular Draft Resolution Should only be done after the first vote fails and if the vote was very close. |
| Motion to Divide the Question | Takes out one particular portion of a Draft Resolution in order to vote on it separately. Mention – The Clause to divide the Question on |
How to Motion to move into Voting procedure – “Motion to move into Voting procedure on all submitted Draft Resolutions with 2 for and 2 against speakers”
How to Motion to vote Clause by Clause – “Motion to vote Clause by Clause on Resolution Alpha”
How to Motion for a Roll Call Vote – “Motion for a Roll Call Vote on Resolution Z”
How to Motion to divide the Question – “Motion to Divide the Question on Clause 4 in Resolution Y”
Bonus!
End of Debate –
| Motion to Suspend Debate | Use it in between committee sessions |
| Motion to Adjourn Debate | Use it at the end of the day and for the final committee session |
Learning more about Points and Motions –
Hopefully, this guide helps you to understand some of the basics of Points and Motions in Model UN. Knowing how to use them properly can make you a more proactive delegate and will give you the ability to talk about the issues that you deem important.
Make sure to download our MUNprep Points and Motions Cheat Sheet and bring it to your next conference. In the next few weeks we will be posting even more in-depth guides to help you through the MUN process!
