TMF Guides · Model UN
How to Chair a MUN Committee
Chairing is a different job from delegating. Your success is measured by whether the committee produced good debate and fair outcomes, not by anything you said. Most first-time chairs over-talk and under-manage.
Opening the committee
Run roll call, explain the rules of procedure your committee will use, state your expectations on documentation, and open the speakers' list. Fifteen minutes maximum.
Set the standard early: correct the first procedural error clearly and gently, and the room self-corrects thereafter.
Managing the session
Control pace by controlling motions. If the committee stalls, direct it — suggest a caucus topic or ask for working papers.
Rule dilatory motions promptly. A chair who lets the room waste an hour has failed regardless of how pleasant the session felt.
- Keep a visible speakers' list and stick to it.
- Time speeches strictly and identically for everyone.
- Push for documentation by the end of session two.
- Circulate the room during unmoderated caucuses.
Scoring fairly
Score continuously on a rubric — research, diplomacy, documentation, procedure — rather than reconstructing impressions at the end.
Watch unmoderated caucuses closely; the strongest contributors are frequently invisible in formal debate.
Frequently asked questions
What does a MUN chair do?
Runs the committee — moderates debate, rules on motions, manages the speakers' list, guides documentation and decides awards.
How do chairs score delegates?
Against a rubric covering research accuracy, diplomacy, contribution to documentation and procedural discipline, tracked throughout the conference.
How do I become a MUN chair?
Build delegate experience with awards, then apply through conferences' executive board applications.
Keep reading
MUN Secretariat Roles Explained
Every MUN secretariat role explained — Secretary-General, Director-General, USGs, executive board, chairs and organising committee — plus how to get one.
MUN Awards: What Chairs Are Actually Scoring
Best Delegate, High Commendation, Special Mention and Verbal Mention explained — what chairs score, how marking works, and how to position yourself for an award.
MUN Rules of Procedure, In the Order You'll Use Them
The complete MUN rules of procedure in order of use — roll call, speakers' list, motions, points of order and inquiry, yields, and voting procedure.
Put it into practice
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