Lessons from MUNI: How to Write a Crisis Directive

How to Write Crisis Notes (Personal Directives)

Crisis Notes are the dominant medium for taking individual action in committee by using your portfolio powers. Delegates will continually sending Crisis Notes to shape the crisis at hand, to both fix the issue and bring more power or prestige to themselves.

Main Components of a Solid Crisis Note

• Memorable Title (can be funny or serious, but needs a name)
• Addressee (Somebody under your command, or just their title)
• Specific orders or actions that you would like to see undertaken
• What you expect/hope will be the result (So the Crisis Staff can figure out what the result will be if they don’t understand your goal)
• Signature, with your title

Goals

• Demonstrate expertise and thorough planning to impress Crisis Staff
• Clearly state what you want, and why, so they can decide to grant or deny it
• Do it so well that the crisis staff is afraid to shoot you down without good reason

*Branding Tip- Write your notes on colored paper so the crisis staff always knows its you, and you can keep track of your notes as they circulate through the room!*

How to Write Committee Directives (Public Directives)

While Crisis Notes are how you take individual action, Directives are how you take committee action, instead of long-form resolutions. Just like in any Model UN Committee, the goal is to sponsor (write) as many strong directives as possible.

Main Components of a Solid Committee Directive

• Memorable Title (can be funny or serious, but needs a name)
• Specific orders or actions that you would like to see undertaken
• What you expect/hope will be the result (So the Crisis Staff can figure out what the result will be if they don’t understand your goal)
• Signatures, with portfolios of all signatories (Note: In different committees, the Chair may require different numbers of signatories, anywhere from three to half the committee)

Goals

• Demonstrate innovative ideas that the rest of the committee isn’t thinking of
• Position yourself as the leader of the idea, and defend it against opposition
• Pass it as a committee to positively impact the crisis with your ideas

Want to learn how to lead your committee and have the more creative plans in any crisis? Check out the Model United Nations Institute Crisis Program– hosted across the United States every summer!