Setting the Speaking Time is one of the most common procedural motions in Model UN. After the speakers list opens, any delegate may move to set or change the speaking time, proposing a fixed number of seconds (typically 45, 60, 90, or 120) that each speaker will have when recognized for a formal speech.
The motion is procedural, meaning it requires a vote (usually a simple majority) and is not debated. In most rulebooks based on THIMUN or Harvard/NMUN conventions, the chair will call for the motion early in committee so substantive debate can begin. If multiple delegates propose different speaking times, the chair typically votes on them in order from longest to shortest, or from the most disruptive (longest deviation from current time) to least.
Speaking time governs only formal debate on the General Speakers List and on substantive motions. It does not apply to moderated caucuses, which have their own speaking time set as part of the motion to open the caucus, nor to unmoderated caucuses, which are unstructured.
Strategically, the choice of speaking time matters:
- Shorter times (30–45 seconds) favor delegates who want to cycle through many speakers, surface more positions quickly, and keep the room dynamic. They reward concise, punchy rhetoric.
- Longer times (90–120 seconds) favor delegates with detailed policy positions, complex proposals, or those wishing to thank yielders and develop arguments. They tend to advantage prepared delegates over reactive ones.
Unused time can typically be handled in three ways at the speaker's discretion: yield to the chair (time lapses), yield to another delegate, or yield to questions from the floor. Rules on yields vary by conference — NMUN, for instance, restricts yields more tightly than collegiate North American circuits.
Changing the speaking time mid-committee is common when debate stalls or when a working paper requires more detailed floor advocacy. A delegate simply raises a motion to change the speaking time, which follows the same procedural voting rules.
Example
At HMUN 2023, the DISEC chair entertained a motion from the delegate of Brazil to set the speaking time to 90 seconds, which passed by simple majority before the General Speakers List opened.