Strat Sheet

A strat sheet (short for "strategy sheet") is an informal but widely used preparation tool in Model UN. It is a private document a delegate writes before committee to organize how they intend to play their country or character across the conference. Unlike a position paper, which is formal, public-facing, and usually submitted to the dais, a strat sheet is internal — it is not graded, not shared with other delegates, and not bound by diplomatic tone.

Most strat sheets cover several recurring elements:

• Policy anchors: the non-negotiable positions of the assigned country or character, with sourced talking points.
• Bloc map: probable allies, swing delegates, and adversaries, often grouped by topic rather than region.
• Clause bank: pre-drafted operative and preambulatory clauses the delegate hopes to land in a working paper or directive.
• Speech hooks: opening speech, moderated caucus soundbites, and rebuttals to predictable counter-arguments.
• Crisis contingencies (in crisis committees): personal portfolio powers, secret backroom plans, and triggers for joint crisis arcs.
• Award strategy: which signatories to court, when to merge papers, and when to whip votes.

Strat sheets became more standardized as competitive circuits — North American collegiate, WorldMUN, THIMUN, Harvard-style crisis — developed distinct meta-games. Experienced delegates often iterate the sheet during committee, updating it between sessions as the room's actual power dynamics diverge from pre-conference assumptions.

The document has no official status under any rules of procedure (Robert's Rules, THIMUN procedure, or Harvard-style crisis rules). Some training programs discourage over-reliance on strat sheets because rigid scripts can blind delegates to in-room opportunities; others treat the sheet as a living checklist that disciplines an otherwise chaotic committee. In either case, it is a planning artifact, not a deliverable.