Roadmap

In Model UN and competitive debate, a roadmap is the first sentence or two of a speech in which the delegate tells the audience exactly what they are about to hear. A typical roadmap takes the form: "Today I will address three points: first, the humanitarian situation; second, the funding gap; and third, our proposed bloc solution." The roadmap is delivered before the substance begins and is not counted against the speaker's argument time in any formal sense, though it does consume seconds from the speaking slot.

Roadmaps serve several practical functions. They help the chair and fellow delegates follow a dense speech under time pressure (often 60–90 seconds in a moderated caucus, or longer in a General Speakers' List). They signal preparation and discipline, which influences how chairs score delegates on rubrics that reward clarity and structure. They also let listeners decide which portion of the speech to engage with during a follow-up point of information or comment.

Good roadmaps are short, numbered, and parallel. Three points is the conventional maximum; more than that and listeners lose track. Delegates should avoid roadmapping every minor sub-point, restating the roadmap mid-speech, or using a roadmap when the speech is too short (under about 30 seconds) to need one.

Roadmaps are distinct from a signposting — the verbal cues ("moving to my second point…") used throughout the body of the speech to mark transitions. The roadmap announces the structure; signposts execute it. The two work together: a speech that roadmaps but never signposts feels disorganized, while one that signposts without a roadmap forces the audience to guess where the argument is heading.

In parliamentary and policy debate formats outside MUN, the same technique is sometimes called a preview, overview, or off-the-top, though conventions vary by circuit.