Speech Doc

A speech doc (short for "speech document") is a working file—usually a Google Doc, Word document, or notes app entry—that a Model UN delegate brings into committee to draw from when speaking on the General Speakers' List, in moderated caucuses, or during rebuttals. It is one of the most common preparation artifacts in competitive MUN, alongside the position paper and the bloc-building cheat sheet.

A typical speech doc contains:

• An opening speech (often 60–90 seconds) introducing the delegation's overall stance on the topic.
• Topic-specific talking points organized by likely moderated caucus subtopics—e.g., financing, enforcement, regional impact, humanitarian dimensions.
• Quotes, statistics, and citations from sources the delegate can name aloud (UN reports, treaty text, news outlets).
• Rebuttal lines anticipating opposing blocs' arguments.
• Transition phrases and closing calls to action ("This delegation urges…", "We invite cosponsors on…").

Unlike a position paper, which is submitted to the dais before the conference and follows a formal structure, the speech doc is a private tool optimized for speed of reference. Strong delegates keep speeches short, modular, and skimmable—bullet points rather than paragraphs—so they can adapt on the fly when the moderated caucus topic shifts.

Coaches and training programs (such as Best Delegate's resources and many university travel-team curricula) often recommend writing speeches in spoken cadence rather than essay prose, marking pauses, and rehearsing aloud to fit time limits set by the chair, which commonly range from 30 seconds to two minutes.

A common pitfall is over-reliance: reading verbatim from a speech doc tends to lower scores from judges who reward eye contact, responsiveness to the room, and engagement with prior speakers. The doc is best treated as scaffolding, not a script.