Among MUN’ers, there is often a misconception that MUN is a sport practiced only by the greatest of extroverts. Think about it: when you imagine your typical MUN’er, who do you think about?
While extroverts may have an obvious path to success in MUN, a less obvious path also exists for introverts. In fact, being an introvert comes with many benefits.
The Introvert-Extrovert Partnership
A prime example is the extrovert-introvert partnership. I recall my first ever MUN conference, my partner, who was more introverted than me, could not stand the thought of speaking in front of hundreds of people. I, on the other hand, thrived in that thrill. And so, he would formulate our ideas into speeches, and I would present them. He was the brains, and I was the brawn. Regardless, the two energies thrived and built off of one another, creating a successful dynamic. One without the other would be ineffective, but the two balance one another proved powerful.
Introverts Do It Best
It is not just in teams that introverts succeed in; it is also on their own. Introverts by nature are more insightful and intuitive, deeply reflecting before acting. MUN is all about tackling the most significant issues the world faces through deriving and collaborating on innovative and insightful solutions. Thus, introverted MUN’ers often derive the most creative solutions by stepping back and collecting the thoughts of others while deeply reflecting upon their own.
Introverts are also known to be thoughtful networkers. They network with purpose and build bonds and interpersonal relationships that are of quality rather than quantity. For MUN, this can be highly beneficial as building these ties among delegations is a core aspect of curating resolutions.
Our introverts are what remind us of what MUN is all about through their compassionate leadership style. It’s easy for us extroverts who harness energy from the thrill of social interaction and competition to sometimes lose sight of what MUN is all about. Introverts help remind us of the overarching goal, the real issues, and the compassion which drove us to MUN in the first place.
Despite this, the recent switch to virtual delivery has made it increasingly difficult for MUN’ers who are more introverted to participate and feel connected to MUN as they once could. Online delivery enhances speaking anxieties for introverts without seeing their fellow delegates’ body language and facial expressions. This extra barrier also makes it even more difficult for introverts to step outside their comfort zone and build those quality relationships naturally. Ways, the MUN community, can work towards including more personality types and bring more introverted people into the conversation must be derived. Luckily, there are some solutions.
How to Bring Introverts In
For one, in a virtual setting, we must be giving MUN’ers the opportunity for in-depth and authentic research. After speaking to self-proclaimed introverted MUN’ers, the primary response to where they derive energy and passion from MUN was research. They explained how they not only thrive when given an issue and the task of understanding it, but this is where their passion lies. Some note that since the switch to virtual, they feel that the MUN community has forgotten the importance of research in MUN. The focus has been primarily on engaging students in interactive ways, but we have forgotten that not all students engage in the same way in this pursuit.
Chairs can also play a role in bringing in more quiet and introverted delegates into the conversations virtually. Chairs may choose to ask delegates to ensure that everyone in a bloc writes at least one clause within a resolution. Goals like these, that the chair can set, encourage delegates to involve everyone, making sure that even those who are more introverted are getting their voice heard.
In turn, by providing programs that equally support the learning styles of more personality types, as a MUN community, we can bring even more people into the world of MUN. While it may seem like there is a cookie-cutter idea of what a delegate should be, there isn’t. Delegates exist in all different forms, all with very different personalities. Finding a way to include all of these people will only produce more well-rounded delegates, with the ability to work with all types of people. While virtual programs do present barriers, they also present opportunities to challenge the MUN norms and build more inclusive MUN.
