Bringing the Courtroom into Model UN: Tactical Repetition
Before you ask, no, this article is not about doing International Court of Justice specialized committees. Rather, the Lead Delegate wants to highlight how techniques used by lawyers can be applied to Model United Nations — to great effect. Case in point, tactical repetition.
Backing up Billy
If you are a lawyer, you will want to make sure the jury is fully cognizant of the argument you are trying to communicate to them. Imagine you are the defendant of Little Billy, a kid who shoplifted seventy pencils from a school supply store. Throwing the evidence you have at the Jury willy-nilly does nothing to help Billy; instead, you must create a specific narrative that your evidence confirms. For example: “Billy’s mental health issues caused him to be a compulsive kleptomaniac, therefore, he should have a shorter sentence because of this.” This is where tactical repetition comes in. Throughout your lengthy speech to the Jury, it is imperative that you keep reminding the Jury of your narrative statement. Reword and rephrase it however you like, but ensure you are still communicating the same basic idea. This will make the Jury cognitively attach your evidence to your narrative. Now, the Lead Delegate would like to introduce a phenomenon that psychology-loving delegates may already be familiar with: the Mere-exposure effect. The more us humans are exposed to something, the more we like that thing. It’s true: we prefer the familiar to the mysterious and foreign. This effect essentially gives tactical repetition its potency. The more the Jury hears your narrative, the more they will like it. Needless to say, don’t be a broken record: make sure you space out your repetitions and make them slightly different each time.
Applying this Strategy
Once we take tactical repetition out of the courtroom and into the Model United Nations conference chamber, things shift a little. Unless you are in a highly specialized committee, you won’t be delivering a full-length courtroom-style speech. Most moderated caucus speeches are a minute or less in length, which means delegates must repeat their narrative across multiple speeches. Once upon a time at a conference, the Lead Delegate had to communicate a complex narrative: “Because Chile fairly conquered the Atacama Corridor from Bolivia during the War of the Pacific, Bolivia has no right to dispute our claim to that territory.” In every one of their moderated caucus speeches, the Lead Delegate tactically repeated this claim after stating correlating evidence. The result? The resolution that supported the Lead Delegate’s narrative passed. That is the power of tactical repetition. With a clear, bold, centralized message, there is no stopping your ascension.
Questions, Comments, Concerns?
The comments section is always open for those with questions. Furthermore, the lead delegate and the Enloe Model United Nations board are available most Thursdays for insight and discussion.
