Motion to Set the Speaker's Time

A motion to set the speaker's time is a procedural motion used in Model UN committees to determine how long each delegate may speak when recognized on the floor, typically on the General Speakers List (GSL). It is most commonly raised at the start of substantive debate, immediately after the agenda has been set, but may also be reintroduced later if delegates want to lengthen or shorten speeches as debate evolves.

The motion requires a delegate to specify a duration, usually between 60 and 120 seconds, though some committees permit shorter or longer times. The chair generally entertains multiple proposals at once, ordering them from longest to shortest, and the committee votes on each in turn until one passes by a simple majority. Once adopted, the speaking time applies to every speaker on the GSL until another such motion successfully amends it.

In practice, longer speaking times (90-120 seconds) favor substantive policy elaboration and are common in larger committees like the General Assembly plenary, while shorter times (30-60 seconds) increase the number of speakers and are often preferred in crisis or specialized committees. Delegates strategically propose times that benefit their negotiating posture: a bloc leader may push for longer speeches to articulate a coalition platform, while delegates seeking to fragment opposition may prefer rapid rotation.

This motion is distinct from setting time within a moderated caucus, where the speaker's time is usually specified as part of the motion creating the caucus itself (e.g., "a 10-minute moderated caucus with 45-second speaking time"). It is also separate from procedural mechanisms like yielding time, which redistributes an already-allocated speech.

Rules vary by conference: THIMUN, Harvard WorldMUN, and NMUN each publish their own Rules of Procedure governing how this motion is introduced and voted upon.