Finding the Soul of a Position Paper
At the lead delegate’s first conference, he sat next to a delegate who was much older than he was. Naturally, the lead delegate sought insight and wisdom from such a senior individual. After going through the usual introductory procedures for meeting new people, the lead delegate asked the older delegate a question: “I was wondering, perhaps I could see your position paper so I could see how the professionals write.” Hearing this, the older delegate smiled meekly, as most do when they are flattered. However, they also became more reserved and nervous. “Well… sure you may see it… I guess…” the older delegate said tenuously. They began to cautiously flip open their folder, peeling back the cover so slowly it seemed as if they were trying to impersonate a glacier. At last the position paper was presented to the lead delegate. At first glance, it was crisp and well-formatted. However, it was only when the lead delegate began to read the paper that he understood why the older delegate had been so nervous.
Imagine being forced to grind your teeth against stale bread for an hour. The lead delegate experienced something quite similar when he read that abomination of a position paper. For what seemed like an eternity, he ploughed through every single word of it. Nowhere could the lead delegate find anything remotely resembling figurative language or higher-level thinking. It was all a jumbled-up word soup of unnecessary facts, sleep-inducing jargon, and downright ugly word choices. Even then, when the lead delegate had just begun his Model United Nations journey, he could still feel the emptiness emanating from the page. The older delegate’s position paper lacked a soul!
The lead delegate’s experience with the soulless position paper was indeed saddening. However, what is even more saddening is that hundreds upon hundreds of soulless position papers are read by Committee Chairs each year! Just think about having to experience the same stale-bread-grinding sensation over and over again, to the point that you are desperate for any sort of innovative writing. Naturally, position paper awards are given to those delegates who have a passion for making their writing both informative and soulful. Knowing this, the lead delegate conjured up a set of four guidelines to aid his fellow delegates in their quests to achieve position paper prominence.
The Four Guidelines of the Lead Delegate:
Your writing must be in balance, one should never have an overly soulful or overly informative position paper. A position paper that is too informative is bland and indigestible, while a position paper that is too soulful is more like a poem than an essay. Use both fact and tact.
The perspective of your nation is important. Writing about a nation is not like writing about a type of bird or the telegraph, it is all about perspective. Accurately portray the opinions of your nation’s government.
Stay on topic. Even though the history of your nation is certainly laced with all sorts of compelling facts, the Chair is reviewing position papers for their relevance as well as their quality. Do not add the extra paragraph about why the Tsar’s beard is so long!
Get some sleep! The number one cause of soulless position papers? Writing last-minute position papers at midnight. Set aside some time at least five days before the conference to research and write. If you feel energy-drained or uninspired, try taking a brief walk or doing a puzzle of some kind. That way, you can rest easy the day before the conference!
Does something in the lead delegate’s guidelines strike you as odd? Nowhere does he mention the formatting of a position paper. Position paper formatting varies by committee, and in almost all cases the formatting is quite simple. Resolutions, meanwhile, are so infused with ceremony they require the lead delegate to post an entire article! Truly, the difficulty of position papers is not shaping the body of the paper, but giving your paper a soul.
“It is impossible to heal the body without healing the soul”
- Socrates
Questions, Comments, Concerns?
If you have any questions or comments about this article, make sure to leave a comment below. Or, if you are an Enloe student, drop by Model United Nations club so you can talk to the board directly. Good luck with all of your position paper endeavors!
