Holding the Big Room: Building a Foundation for Model UN Success by Jack Ludtke

Author:Jack Ludtke [Ludtke, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: New Degree Press
Published: 2018-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

Identify a negotiating cohort and location

There is a very important reason why not every person should be involved in a merger—fewer people in the conversation makes the merging process more efficient. For example, imagine making a decision about where to eat a dinner between you and two friends. Now imagine making that same decision between ten people. Increasing the number of people in the discussion simply increases the level of communication entropy, the amount people can disagree, and the amount of time people will take to come to an agreement.

There are some arguments for having everyone in the conversation. For example, it limits the need to determine acceptable outcomes if they will be able to be set in the midst of a negotiation. However, since blocs can often include upwards of twenty delegates, having two entire blocs at the table can be unwieldy. Having more than two blocs renders the practice nigh impossible.

The kicker in the big negotiating group vs. small negotiating cohort argument is that the result (if both groups have clearly defined red lines and guidelines) is often similar. One just comes with fewer headaches.

When choosing a negotiating cohort, be sure to have representatives from all sections of the working paper defined as essential through setting red lines, acceptable outcomes, and goals. The ideal negotiating cohort roughly matches the size of its contemporary, is around three to seven people in size, and will have the ability to push for a creative, mutually beneficial solution. The negotiating cohort should be chosen democratically so everyone will have a buy-in for the success of the negotiating bloc as a whole. There is no point in sending a group that the bloc feels does not speak for them.

Once negotiating cohorts have been selected, pick a location where all people present can gather. Do not choose a table if not everyone present in the negotiation can stand around it. Equity in initial conditions is critical when entering the merging process.

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