Chairs’ Guide

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1
Content

3 Content
4 Group Development
7 Belbin’s Team Roles
9 Resolution Clauses
10 Teambuilding
12 Debriefing
14 Facilitation
16 Abigail
17 Committee work
18 Walt Disney method
20 Delegates, o delegates
22 Feedback
24 Resolutions
26 General Assembly

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 Group Development
A committee goes At an EYP session, strangers gather together and form a group that needs to work together
through the basic efficiently. The group goes through the different stages of the session until it eventually dis-
stages of group solves, never to work again in the same composition. A committee at an EYP session is built
development. very quickly, is together only for a very short period of time and dissolves as quickly as it was
formed. However, it essentially follows the same stages of group development all groups go
through – be it school classes, teams at work or groups of friends.

The FIRO model covers Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO) is a theory introduced by Wil-
the lifespan and devel- liam Schutz. The FIRO covers the entire lifespan of a group in a simplified form. The basic
opment of a group. idea is that all groups mature in a predictable way, moving on from stage to stage. In real-
ity, the border between the different stages naturally isn’t clear, and stages may be revisited.
At an EYP session, for instance, a crisis during committee work may take the group from
performing back to role definition.

In the FIRO model, Schutz’s model consists of three stages: inclusion, control and affection. In the beginning,
groups go through the members of a group are preoccupied with inclusion: they wonder whether the other
phases of inclusion, members of the group will accept them, and whether they themselves want to be members
control and affection. of the group. Next, they focus on control: the group tries to define its structure and may
fight for specific roles. Finally, the group members will start developing affection to each
other. The group thus develops in a linear fashion but may return to earlier stages.

The four stages of Another classic model of group development is by Bruce Tuckman. Tuckman’s model con-
Tuckman’s model are sists of four basic stages: forming, norming, storming and performing. In the first phase,
forming, norming, group members’ behaviour is driven by a desire to be accepted by others. They gather in-
storming and perform- formation and impressions of each other. Every group will then enter the storming stage in
ing.
which different ideas compete – conflict is likely. In the norming stage, the team manages
to find a common goal and come to a mutual plan. Performing teams are able to function
as a single unit as they find ways to get the job done without inappropriate conflict or the
need for external supervision. Tuckman later added a fifth stage to his model: adjourning.
Adjourning involves completing the task and breaking up the team.

Models help you organ- Thorough knowledge on group dynamics is in no way needed for chairing successfully.
ise teambuilding and However, as one of your primary tasks is to facilitate the development of your committee, it
the session as a whole. is useful to understand the basics. The following chart, used a lot in EYP, follows the ideas
of Schutz and Tuckman. It helps you to plan teambuilding and the session as a whole. There
are reasons for the methods we use.
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 Role definition

ss U
ne ni
tin
l ite Conflict g
Po

You We
ging

Wor
Belon

king
I Do
End

Departure

I – Belonging – Forming

In the beginning of the session, a group of delegates come together and form a committee. The beginning is about
They probably interact with each other only if the chair forces them to do so. In essence, fun and names.
they are preoccupied with themselves and belonging: do I belong here? Do I want to belong
here? As chair, your primary responsibility is to break this ice and pay attention to each
individual delegate, show him that his presence is noted. Key words are fun and names: it
is very assuring to hear your own name.

Typical teambuilding exercises: ice breakers, name games

You – Politeness – Norming

After the ice has been broken and you have showed your delegates that there is no need All interaction is
to be too worried, they slowly start getting interested in each other. They may even talk to marked by politeness –
each other without external pressure, even though it is still needed. However, all interaction fake politeness.
is marked by politeness – fake politeness. No one dares to go too deep with the others, as
they still are quite strange to each other. It is important to make sure everybody gets the
spotlight – the chance of revealing something new about himself.

Typical teambuilding exercises: further ice breakers, name games, biography games, trust games

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 Conflict – Role definition – Storming

The delegates need to Fake politeness is an obstacle for truly fruitful teamwork: the delegates need to have the
have the courage to courage to disagree. As a facilitator, you need to break this politeness by forcing the del-
disagree. egates do more challenging tasks. When the team faces pressure, different opinions emerge
and conflict is more or less inevitable. This stage is essentially about defining roles among
the group. Conflict is thus not always negative. It is necessary to a some extent.

Typical teambuilding exercises: communication games, problem solving games

We – Uniting – (Performing)

Committee chants have After the third stage, the committee has found the ways to co-operate efficiently. They know
their meaning even each other, and the roles are clear. At this point, they can start building true sense of unity
though they are mas- and “we-ness” – the committee gets an identity. This stage basically is the end of teambuild-
sively annoying. ing.

Typical teambuilding exercises: committee shouts and chants, competitions against other commit-
tees, wrapping up teambuilding

Do – Working – Performing

Next, the team only What follows – in short, committee work – is about following the norms, structures and
needs to perform. ways of working the committee has established during teambuilding. They are a team able
and committed to working towards a common goal. They perform.

Typical teambuilding games: focus exercises, energisers, competitions against other committees

End – Departure – Adjourning

The intense experience All groups get eventually dissolved. With a committee, the end is very clear. As chair, you
needs a proper conclu- need to give your committee a proper conclusion. It is important not to leave them puzzled
sion. or overwhelmed by their emotions, but give the experience meaning and connect it to the
future. In EYP, there are always next steps.

Typical teambuilding exercises: session debriefing, a look on the next steps

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Belbin’s Team Roles
The 9 Team Roles of Meredith Belbin is another rather useful model to evaluate the func- Belbin’s team roles
tionality of a given team and increase the team members’ self-awareness of their roles in the tell how an individual
team. In short, Belbin identified nine team roles that define how an individual behaves in a behaves in a team
team environment. According to Belbin, all roles must be covered in a team for it to work environment.

effectively – which naturally doesn’t mean that you would need to have a minimum of nine
members in all teams.

A good way to use Belbin’s group roles with your committee might be to conduct a difficult
problem-solving exercise, then introduce the model and ask them to reflect upon their roles
in the exercise – which of the Belbin roles they had.

The nine Team Roles may be divived into three categories: Thinking/Problem-Solving
Roles, Process Support Roles and Doing Roles.

Thinking/Problem-Solving Roles

1. Plant: A creative, imaginative, unorthodox team member who solves difficult problems.
Although they sometimes situate themselves far from the other team members, they always
come back to present their brilliant idea. They may however ignore details and be too preoc-
cupied to communicate effectively.

2. Monitor-Evaluator: A sober, strategic and discerning member, who tries to see all op-
tions and judge accurately. This member contributes a measured and dispassionate analysis
and, through objectivity, stops the team committing itself to a misguided task. They may
however lack drive and ability to inspire others and be overly critical.

3. Specialist: Brings knowledge or skills on a narrow field. They may dwell on technicalities
and overlook the big picture. In a committee, the specialist may be a delegate with strong
knowledge of one particular aspect of the topic.

Process Support Roles

4. Resource Investigator: The networker for the group. Whatever the team needs, the
Resource Investigator is likely to have someone in their address book who can either pro-
vide it or know someone else who can provide it. This may be physical, financial or human
resources, political support, information or ideas. Being highly driven to make connections
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 with people, the Resource Investigator may appear to be flighty and inconstant, but their
ability to call on their connections is highly useful to the team.

5. Coordinator: Ensures that all members of the team are able to contribute to discussions
and decisions of the team – a good chairperson. Their concern is for fairness and equity
among team members. Those who want to make decisions quickly, or unilaterally, may feel
frustrated by their insistence on consulting with all members, but this can often improve
the quality of decisions made by the team. They may however be seen as manipulative. In a
committee, the Coordinator delegate is the chairs’ “little helper”.

6. Team Worker: Concerned to ensure that interpersonal relationships within the team are
maintained. They are sensitive to atmospheres and may be the first to approach another
team member who feels slighted, excluded or otherwise attacked but has not expressed their
discomfort. The Team Worker’s concern with people factors can frustrate those who are
keen to move quickly – they may be indecisive in dire situations – but their skills ensure
long-term cohesion within the team.

Doing Roles

7. Shaper: A dynamic team member who loves a challenge and thrives on pressure. This
member possesses the drive and courage required to overcome obstacles. They can however
provoke others and hurt people’s feelings.

8. Implementer: A practical thinker who can create systems and processes that will produce
what the team wants. Taking a problem and working out how it can be practically addressed
is their strength. Being strongly rooted in the real world, they may frustrate other team
members by their perceived lack of enthusiasm for inspiring visions and radical thinking,
but their ability to turn those radical ideas into workable solutions is important.

9. Completer Finisher: The detail person within the team. They have a great eye for spot-
ting flaws and gaps and for knowing exactly where the team is in relation to its schedule.
Team members who have less preference for detail work may be frustrated by their analyti-
cal and meticulous approach, but the work of the Completer Finisher ensures the quality
and timeliness of the output of the team.

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Resolution Clauses
Introductory Clauses Operative Clauses These are in the wrong
section, but I had an
Affirming Accepts empty page here.
Alarmed by Affirms
Approving Approves
Aware of Authorises
Believing Calls for
Bearing in mind Calls upon
Confident Condemns
Contemplating Congratulates
Convinced Considers
Declaring Declares accordingly
Deeply concerned Deplores
Deeply conscious Draws attention to
Emphasising Designates
Expecting Emphasises
Expressing its appreciation Encourages
Fulfilling Endorses
Fully alarmed Expresses its appreciation
Fully aware Expresses its hope
Fully believing Further invites
Guided by Further recommends
Having considered/examined/studied Further requests
Keeping in mind Proclaims
Noting with regret/approval Reaffirms
Observing Recommends
Realising Regrets
Reaffirming Reminds
Recalling Requests
Recognising Solemnly confirms
Referring to Solemnly condemns
Seeking Supports
Taking into account Trusts
Taking into consideration Takes note of
Taking note of Transmits
Welcoming Urges
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 Teambuilding
“A certain man had several sons who were always quarrelling with one another, and, try as he
might, he could not get them live together in harmony. So he determined to concince them of their
folly by the following means. Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each other in turn
to break it across his knee. All tried and all failed: and then he undid the bundle, and handed
them the sticks one by one when they had no difficulty at all in breaking them. ‘There, my boys,’
said he, ‘united you will be more than a match for your enemies: but if you quarrel and separate,
your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you.’”

–Aesop, Fables

Teambuilding is easy. Teambuilding is the favorite session element for numerous alumni, and rightly so – one
could say that it distinguishes us from most other similar organisations. In the end, team-
building is rather easy. All you need to do is to follow the same practices used by thousands
of chairpersons before you, and the odds are that you will do just fine. Name and Action,
Magic Stick and Spider’s Web are popular for a reason: they work. It is of utmost impor-
tance that you personally believe in the power of teambuilding; if you don’t believe in it, the
delegates won’t either.

Within the loose framework we have, there are as many ways of doing teambuilding as there
are chairs. Thus, I will offer you a collection of tips rather than any sort of ultimate way of
structuring teambuilding.

Why do we teambuild?

Teambuilding appeals Basically, we are of two minds: the experimental and the rational. Teambuilding games
to our experimental directly appeal to our experimental mind that forgets slower than our rational mind. When
mind. you combine interactive exercises (experimental) with debriefings (rational), the results are
most profound. Interactive teambuilding also develops our creative intelligence that may be
even more important than analytical intelligence – especially at EYP sessions.

The Wikipedia article on teambuilding offers a solid list of reasons for doing teambuilding:
improving communication, making the workplace more enjoyable, motivating a team, get-
ting to know each other, getting everyone “onto the same page” (including goal setting),
teaching the team self-regulation strategies, helping participants to learn more about them-
selves (strengths and weaknesses), identifying and utilising the strengths of team members,
improving team productivity, and practicing effective collaboration with team members.
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Tips for teambuilding

– Some delegates may fundamentally disagree with the entire idea of teambuilding, as it Don’t be “ashamed” of
is not what they had expected of EYP. They are idiots. If you notice you have a delegate teambuilding.
like this, have a private chat with him and calmly explain the rationale behind the way we
teambuild. I usually like to have a “pre-emptive strike” in the beginning of teambuilding,
explaining the delegates the idea and goals of teambuilding before moving on to the “weird”
stuff.

– I personally always like to have a detailed plan for teambuilding – and then totally forget Plans are irrelevant.
about it. You must adjust your plan to the development of the group, their feelings, lack of Planning is essential.
facilities and so on. While plans always change and improvising is necessary, however, plan-
ning gives you confidence. As Churchill says: “Plans are irrelevant. Planning is essential.”
There is nothing worse than having to improvise a game out of nowhere.

– Each teambuilding exercise needs to have a goal. What do you want to achieve by the
game? What is the key learning point you want the delegates to understand? After picking
the right exercise to suit your goal, you can always alter it to suit it even better.

– Remember to maintain a balance between fun and more serious exercises. No committee
can take too many serious games in a row, and singing all the songs from ponies to frogs is
just silly.

– Remember to make the teambuilding exercises inspiring and interesting. Create a story. Make the games inspir-
Be dramatic. Use humour and music. Give them motivation. I don’t know if the delegates ing and interesting.
will be more motivated to fulfill the task as monkeys running from hunters than a mere
group of delegates carrying each other, but at least you will have more fun.

– The question of how much to reveal of yourself to the delegates (in biography games, for
instance) is completely a matter of your chairing style. I personally like to be rather open to
my delegates, but on the other hand, I find it very difficult to find the motivation to mingle
with them outside formal situations.

– If you really want to make your delegates spend time together even when there is no of-
ficial programme, you can come up with additional tasks – a Mission Impossible – for them,
for example for the night between the teambuilding and committee work days.
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 Debriefing
“Action without reflection is nothing but activism. Reflection without action is nothing but ver-
balism.” –Paulo Freire

What is debriefing?

A teambuilding The aim of debriefing is to provide the necessary insight into a teambuilding exercise – it
exercise is completed gives meaning for the exercise. It is done to complete the learning experience: when you
by a debrief. combine action (the teambuilding exercise) – learning by doing – and reflection (debrief-
ing), the results are more lasting. Debriefing is done to gather different viewpoints to the
exercise, ventilate feelings and draw on the lessons for the future.

Debriefing is particularly important when the experience has been intense and there is a
clear need of ventilating feelings – through experience, you learn to notice when a commit-
tee needs a debrief. An intense experience needs to be properly concluded before the group
can move on. Otherwise, the delegates won’t be fully able to focus on the next task. If you
try avoid solving a problem, it may reoccur later.

Debriefing is equally Debriefing is equally important as the exercise itself – or even the most important part of
important as the team- the exercise. As chair, you need to plan the debriefing as carefully as you plan the exercise
building exercise itself. itself. You need to know what is the key learning point you want to achieve by the exercise
and the consequent debriefing.

There are several methods of debriefing. Probably the most classic one is the FFFF model:
facts, feelings, findings and future.

Facts: the objective description of what happened – who, what, when, where and how. It is
about reconstructing the exercise and sharing all the facts.

Feelings: the subjective experience of the participants. A chance to ventilate.

Findings: analysing the experience and finding the key learning points. Why did the things
happen the way they happened?

Future: how are the conclusions useful in real life? How can we develop as a group? What
is the next step for us?

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Tips for debriefing

– When speaking of debriefing, it is useful to remember that a teambuilding exercise never Teambuilding exercises
fails – it only provides data for debriefing. If a game produces unexpected results, you can never fail.
address them in the debriefing. For instance: “Usually in this game, it takes about 30 min-
utes for the group to find the solution. Why do you think you were different and did it in
30 seconds?” You can even make the group redesign the exercise.

– Especially with a silent group, it is always useful to make the participants first discuss the
experience in pairs or small groups. Thus, they all need to go through the reflection process
even if they didn’t all speak. Another simple way to make delegates think is it ask them to
write down something on a post-it note. After that, it is easier to go in a circle and ask an-
swers from everybody.

– Don’t be afraid of silence. When a delegate gives you an answer to your question, nod. Don’t be afraid
He continues – nod again. Usually, only the third answer is what you are really looking for. of silence.
“How did it go?” “Ok.” “Yes?” “Yeah, I felt OK most of the time.” “Yes?” “Well, towards
the end I got the feeling that the group didn’t value my contribution to the full extent and
--.” Take no bullshit!

– To really take something concrete out of the entire exercise – to make sure they remember
the lessons learned – it is useful to make them write their ideas down, draw or do something
similar. This is the idea of golden rules, for instance.

– Make sure the delegates are being sincere. At times, competitive delegates tend to give
you answers the chair “wants to hear”. For instance: “This name game clearly showed how
we should listen to everybody, respect each other’s opinions, value cultural differences, plan
ahead, and imagine there’s no countries.” Really? In situations like this, it is OK to tell the
delegate that what he said is bullshit and ask for what he really thinks.

– Don’t answer your own questions. You can point out observations you made during the Let your delegates
exercise, but it is up to the committee to draw the conclusions from them. Also, ask open answer the questions.
questions – not ones that can be answered with a simple yes or no.

– One method of keeping the amount of debriefing on a reasonable level is to debrief two
or more games at the same time, by making comparisons.
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 Facilitation
Facilitation is about the Chairs are essentially facilitators, not leaders. Facilitation, and thus chairing, is essentially
process. about the process – you help your delegates to realise their full potential. You are not respon-
sible for the content or the product as such, and you thus need to rely on the resources the
group itself has.

Tips for facilitation

– Make sure everyone has the chance to contribute to the work of the group, and encour-
age everyone to use that opportunity. The resources of the group are everything you have
– make the most out of them!

Everything is forgotten – Always remember the microstructure in addition to the macrostructure. EYP sessions are
during a break. divided into sections between wake-up calls, breaks and meals. Before every break, summa-
rise or ask someone to summarise what has been done. After every break, do it again – they
have forgotten it. Set clear, achievable goals. Telling the committee in the beginning of
committee work that “by the end of this day, I want a resolution” is useless; telling them “by
lunch, you need to have finished discussing the economic questions” helps them to know
where they are going.

– Maintain strong presence – but also know when to step back. Not taking part in the dis-
cussion doesn’t mean you can just fuck off or do your homework on your Macbook. If you
are not interested in the work of the delegates, they won’t be either.

– Chairing is essentially about listening. You first need to understand, only then you can
get understood. There are some very simple but effective tools of active listening, namely
paraphrasing and asking open questions. By using them you are reinforcing the message and
telling the delegate that his contribution is appreciated.

Delegates imitate your – Mind your body language. People tend imitate each other’s body language. If you are
body language. about to fall asleep, so will be your delegates. Maintaining eye contact is one the simplest
and most effective gestures.

– Use people’s first names. Your first name is the most beautiful word in the world.

– At all times, make sure everybody understands what you are saying. People are not keen
on asking questions, so it is better to make sure. Say what you are going to say, say it, sum-
14
marise it. You can also make the questions easier to answer. “Did I express myself clearly” Say what you are going
is better than “Did you all understand?”, as by giving a negative answer to the latter, the to say, say it, summa-
delegate is admitting his stupidity, whereas a negative answer to the former means you are rise it.
stupid.

– Pay attention to the energy level of the committee! Be ready to intervene with an energiser.
Make them drink water. Make them sit straight – to a certain extent, you can trick your
body to be more awake. During committee work, maintaining energy is one of your key
functions as a chair.

– Music is a powerful tool. With music, you can get rid of awkward silences, increase energy
and spread positive vibes very easily. Rememer, however, that music doesn’t fit all situations.
Music fits brainstorming excellently, but committee work discussions are a no-go.

– Humour is even more powerful than music. There are different kinds of people, and Humour affects all
they are influenced through various means, but humour affects them all. Don’t be afraid of kinds of people.
laughing at yourself: it doesn’t mean losing your authority.

– Pay equal attention to all the members of the group. If you spend all your time and energy
on the “problem delegates”, you might succeed with them but fail with all the rest. Find the
most cost-efficient solutions!

– You don’t need to know all the answers. If a delegate asks you a question, you can throw
it back to the group. “Well, would anyone be willing to answer?” You may not get a proper
answer, but you get some time to prepare one at least.

– Using flipcharts is a whole new form of art. In short: make it clear, make it simple, make
it big. The professional prepares the flipcharts in advance – it is boring to sit in silence and
watch your back while you are writing down something.

– Offer people roles, don’t force them upon them. Forcing a silent delegate to work as a Don’t force roles
secretary is not always the right thing to do. upon people.

– Last but not least: efficient time management is absolutely essential. No matter how much
freedom you give to your delegates, you need to be strict with time. This is especially impor-
tant at sessions with very limited time for committee work.
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 Abigail
This page has no I had to fill this page with something random due to artistic reasons. Abigail’s tale is a popu-
relevant content. lar teambuilding exercise with a story you never have printed when you need it. Well, let us
be luckier this time. For instructions on the actual exercise, ask Jari.

Abigail’s tale

Once upon a time there was a pretty girl called Abigail who lived in a house with her
mother. Every day she would walk across the town, over the only bridge crossing the river,
to see her boyfriend Tom. Abigail and Tom were deeply in love.

One night a great storm flooded the river and swept away the bridge. The next morning,
they could only stand on opposite banks of the river and wave to each other. Abigail cried.
She cried and cried and wanted to see Tom, but it would be months before a new bridge
would be built, and there was no other way to cross the river.

The tale has Then after a few days, Abigail saw a little rowing boat tied up on the river, and went to speak
a sex scene. to the man who owned it. The man who owned the boat was called Sinbad. Not many
people spoke to him, and very little was known about him. Sinbad thought about Abigail’s
problem and offered his help. “I will row you across the river”, Sinbad said, and Abigail
smiled – but she was happy too quickly. “I will row you across the river,” Sinbad continued,
“if you sleep with me.”

Abigail’s smile turned into a frightful scream and she ran off crying. She couldn’t decide
what to do. She felt torn between seeing her boyfriend and cheating on him with Sinbad,
and she felt she needed to ask someone for advice. She explained the story for her mother.
Mother listened to her story and then replied: “Well, you need to sort this one out by your-
self ”. She wanted Abigail to make the decision by herself and offered no advice.

The characters: Abigail, Abigail was now more confused than ever. Eventually, she decided she had to meet Tom and
Tom, Abigail’s mother, went to see Sinbad. After Abigail had slept with Sinbad, the man kept his word and took her
Sinbad, Bob across the river. Abigail ran to Tom and explained everything that had happened. Tom went
crazy. Abigail tried to explain her motives, but Tom slammed the door shut. Abigail cried
again and went to Tom’s best friend Bob for advice. Bob was disgusted by Tom’s actions so
badly that he went Tom’s house and beat him up for treating Abigail so badly.

And this is where our story ends.

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Committee Work
GA preparation

Phrasing
Grouping Typing
Brainstorming

Planning committee work Discussion

Research
Golden rules Understanding the topic

Wrapping up teambuilding

Making the room yours

Experienced chairs like to talk about all the cool new ways of doing committee work they We always modify
have come up with. Usually, this is more to do with bragging than actually coming up with the ways of doing
something truly innovative. I can happily admit that I have never modified the basic com- committee work.
mittee work structure in a truly innovative way. Even though you might have usually fol-
lowed the traditional, rather straightforward brainstorming–grouping–discussion–phrasing
model, you always modify it in certain ways. At smaller session, it is usually not too wise
to go for anything revolutionary – the risk of fucking up everything is rather high. For ex-
ample, I would discourage you to use the Walt Disney method in all its glory at a Regional
Session with just one day of committee work. On the other hand, you shouldn’t be too
afraid of trying out different stuff – all these fancy “models” and “methods” are usually not
that fancy in the end.

There are very simple ways to modify the structure of committee work. For example, brain- Being creative doesn’t
storming can be done in a gazillion ways. As grouping basically forms the basis of the dis- mean revolutionising
cussion, you can change the entire structure of committee work by using a different way of committee work.
grouping. Problems–aims–solutions works well, but you could also try SPERM (social–po-
litical–economic–religious–moral) or the Fucking model (what the fuck, why the fuck and
how the fuck).

For more tips for committee work, check the Committee Work Guide of EYP Academy.
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 Walt Disney Method
The Walt Disney meth- To give you an example of a famous alternative way of organising committee work, I will
od is an example of a now briefly explain the so called Walt Disney committee work method – as requested by
specific way of organis- some of you. It was designed by Jonas Dreger and Eric Katskowski for the Bliss Interna-
ing committee work. tional Session. It has gained reputation among international chairs, partly because of its very
interesting name. Some of you have definitely used certain parts of the method even though
you haven’t known they are actually parts of a specific method. As stated in the Knowledge
Bank article about the method:

“The Walt-Disney method under discussion is a way to organise CW from the beginning
to the end. It is therefore a bunch of methods building on each other. (warning: long text)
For the full method to work, you have to depart from the traditional way of organising CW.
Obviously, you can also just pick parts of it if you deem it suit. Walt Disney-CW is split into
two parts: A) introductory clauses, B) operative clauses.”

The Walt Disney method gives the committee work very structured a programme, and the
committee thus needs careful guidance by the chair, at least in the beginning of committee
work.

The following extract is from the Knowledge Bank of the EYP Alumni Portal.

Introductory clauses

Committee work is Walt Disney-CW for the introductory clauses follows this structure:
divided into two parts:
introductory and opera- 1. brainstorming on all possible problems (quality brainstorming)
tive clauses. 2. discussion of all possible problems
3. phrasing of all possible problems

Quality brainstorm: You can force all delegates to participate with a quality brainstorming:
Each delegate has 5 minutes to write down all problems of the topic which occur to him/
her and to select the most important problem. This problem will be discussed, phrased and
solved - by guaranteeing it, you give each delegate the responsibility for the resolution. If
there are two delegates coming up with the same problem, you have one problem less to
discuss. But with 15 delegates, you will end up with ~10 problems. They constitute the
introductory clauses.

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Operative Clauses

Walt Disney-CW for the operative clauses follows this structure:

1. brainstorm on the solutions to one problem only (quantity brainstorming)

2. select the best 3 solutions
3. discuss the best 3 solutions
4. phrase the results of the discussion on the very problem
5. go back to step 1) and follow the procedure for the next problem - until you have done
so for every problem.

Quantity brainstorm: Use a method where delegates have to come up with as many ideas The method uses both
as possible, no matter how weird or obscene. Method2520 is a good way for it: 2 delegates quality and quantity
have 5 minutes to develop 20 ideas (meaning: they work in pairs). All these ideas are written brainstorming.
on post-its (one idea per post-it). In step 2, they put them on a blackboard, by putting them
on, they read them out. For selecting the best ideas, every delegate can distribute 3 points
to one or several ideas (marking with their pens). The 3-5 ideas with the most points make
it to the discussion phase. The rest is dropped. Cruel but effective.

For all this to work, you need a rigid working structure which forbids delegates to go off
track (but we want that anyhow, don’t we...)

Walt Disney used 4 rooms for his creative process: 1st room for brainstorming, 2nd room Walt Disney used four
for selecting his ideas, 3rd room for developing the best idea, 4th room for implementing rooms for his creative
it. For the committee work, this means that we use 4 corners of our room. Each corner process.
stands for one aspect of committee work. Each corner is equipped with a circle of chairs
(or you move them around). The movement, the changing of places is important to change
the mindset. 1st corner: brainstorming (10min) 2nd corner: selecting best ideas (5min) 3rd
corner: discussing the best 3 ideas (20min) 4th corner: phrasing. (10min)

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 Delegates, o Delegates
Labeling delegates as I find it somewhat dangerous to focus too much on “problem delegates”. There is something
“problems” may be good in (nearly) all delegates, and labeling someone as a “problem” in the very beginning
dangerous. of the session may make you think of him in a too narrow way. Also, extensive training
modules on problem delegates may only make you afraid of different worst-case scenarios.
However, there are different types of challenging delegates, and it may be worth it to prepare
for certain situations. In the end, though, all delegates are more or less challenging and need
different approachs when it comes to chairing. I will now briefly discuss a few common
types of challenging delegates.

The Cunt

EYP is not for everyone. EYP is not for everyone. Some delegates come to the session, realise their expectations have
Don’t let it bother you been completely wrong and immediately decide EYP is utter bullshit – and then do their
too much. very best to spread this attitude. Don’t panic. Usually, this kind of people crave for atten-
tion, and it is no use giving it to them. First of all, don’t start arguing with them in public.
It is better to have a private chat and try to find out what is the thing they are so annoyed
about. Second, you don’t need to justify anything you are doing. EYP and EYP methodol-
ogy have survived for over 20 years – there must be some ideas behind it. Third, trust your
own authority. You are still the chair.

Three days is too little to change anyone fundamentally. If someone has a problem with the
entire concept of EYP, it’s his problem – don’t make it a problem of the entire committee. I
rather have nine happy delegates and one annoyed one than ten annoyed delegates.

The Silent Delegate

Some delegates are There is not just one stereotypical silent delegate. There is a fine yet important line between
silent by choice. delegates who are OK with staying silent most of the time, and delegates who would like to
speak but are overwhelmed by more dominant delegates. Some people only like to speak if
they feel they have something extremely relevant to say, and you can still see that they are
paying close attention to the discussion – this is usually my personal approach in group set-
tings. This kind of people may find it very patronising if you are constantly trying to make
them speak and thus highlighting their silence. Naturally, you also need to encourage this
kind of delegates to have their say, as they probably just undermine the relevance of their
own ideas. However, you can do it in a subtle way. Not: “Jack, you haven’t said anything
yet – what’s your opinion on this?” But: “Jack, you’re an expert on the UN – what do you
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think of Mike’s idea?”

There are several ways of creating space for the silent delegates:

• Reduce the anxiety by making the group split into smaller groups or pairs.
• Ask the participants to write down their thoughts first.
• Direct questions to the silent delegate (see the example above).
• Enforce the comments made by the silent one by paraphrasing.
• Have a chat with the delegate in private and emphasise how valuable his contribution
is.

The Know-It-All

The all-knowing delegate may be a great asset to the team if you find the way to channel his Don’t let the know-it-all
enthusiasm properly. I would say there are two types of all-knowing delegates: those who be in the spotlight all
do know and want to radiate with their own excellence, and those who don’t know but the time.
think they do. Basically, you need to act as if you were giving the know-it-all the attention
he thinks he deserves while calming him down in a subtle way. For example, you can praise
his points in private but create space for the others when they are all together – just pick the
points worth enforcing and then enforce them. “Yes, Jack, thank you for that – but what
do you all think of what Mike just said? I think that was very relevant.” If the know-it-all
is really a know–nothing, it is OK to bluntly point out the factual mistakes he is making.

The clown

The clown delegate is not a problem as long as his antics remain within certain limits, and All groups need some-
the group can still work efficiently and maintain its focus. All groups need someone to one to spread positive
spread positive energy and soothe the tension in stressful situations – there is no need to energy.
force the clown to take an artificially serious role. This applies to all challenging delegates:
delegates have different strengths, and they get different roles according to these strengths.
It is useless to expect that they should all be some sort of stereotypical super delegates.

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 Feedback
Normally, we need to Normally, we cannot be sure of what others are thinking of us or our performance as chairs,
decipher the reactions for instance. We continue with our habits, occasionally realising something should probably
of others. be done differently. We need to decipher the reactions of others to get a clue of what they
are thinking. This is an obstacle for personal development. In the EYP, formal and informal
feedback may be used to reinforce positive behaviour and adjust negative behaviour.

There is no need to The EYP is called a “feedback-based organisation”. However, there is no need to mystify
mystify feedback. feedback or make it too big an issue. Feedback may be a simple, practical tool for every-day
situations you face as a chair. At a three-day session with first-time delegates, it is dangerous
to go too deep with the use of feedback; it is a powerful tool, and you can really fuck up a
person with ill-advised feedback. Please, don’t try to fundamentally change your delegates.

The great Jonas Dreger has defined five rules of giving feedback and two rules of receiving
it. In the following, I have added two additional rules. However, it may be misleading to
speak about “rules” – giving and receiving feedback is usually a very informal process, and
it could be wiser to think of guidelines. However, by adhering to these rules – or guidelines
– it is likely that you won’t mess up too badly.

Six rules of giving feedback

1. Feedback is subjective and personal

You are not stating universal truths about the other person, only your own impressions.
However, feedback should not be given in too emotional a state. If you are overwhelmed by
your emotions, you are not likely to give constructive feedback.

2. Feedback is descriptive

No judgments, just observations and facts. What cannot be observed, cannot be feedbacked
on. Don’t interpret, and be as neutral as possible. You are taking your time to make a posi-
tive influence on someone’s behaviour – feedback is thus a positive act by definition.

3. Feedback is concrete

No general observations: telling someone he is lazy is not really useful. You need to give
concrete examples.
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4. Feedback aims at behaviour, not personality

You can’t change anyone fundamentally by having a five-minute chat. Feedback is useless
if it is not aimed at a change in one’s behaviour (or reinforcement of positive behaviour).

5. Feedback is future-oriented

When talking about the past, do so to improve the future. Nagging about the past is not
about giving feedback – it is just nagging.

6. Set the scene

Give the feedback as soon as possible, and do it in private. Confidentiality is important, as

feedback is very personal. Memories also fade quickly. The longer it takes to give the feed-
back, less useful it is.

Three rules of receiving feedback

1. Feedback is a dialogue

Listen carefully and actively. Ask for clarifications, if you don’t understand something. Make
sure you understand the key points of the feedback.

2. Don’t argue or defend yourself in vain

Feedback is not a court-like situation. There is no need for justifications. It is naturally OK

to correct a false observation. In the end, if you disagree with the feedback, you have no
need to accept it.

3. Don’t shoot the messenger

The person who is giving you feedback has decided to take his time and put himself under
fire – giving feedback may be very difficult. Don’t start mocking the person even if you disa-
gree with him. Try to stay neutral and calm. Don’t share your own views before the other
one has finished.

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 Resolutions
Tell everything that is What makes a good resolution?
necessary – and
nothing more. Resolution is the product of committee work. In essence, it needs to sum up the key ideas
of the committee for a reader that has not followed any of the discussions. You only need
to tell everything that is necessary to understand the ideas of committee – and nothing else.
The topic is the most important part of the resolution: all clauses should directly aim at
answering it. If a clause doesn’t answer the topic in any way, it must be left out. At times, it
might be nice to comment on issues only remotely connected to the topic, but you need to
be cruel. Kill your darlings.

The resolution needs to be logical: you solve the issue step by step, moving from problems
to solutions directly connected to those problems. You cannot propose solutions to prob-
lems you haven’t introduced. The key word is understandable – the resolution must be easily
understood by any reader. Make sure the resolution makes sense.

Introductory clauses

Introductory clauses Introductory clauses first need to recognise the current situation: the key facts and problems
define the current situa- that need to be tackled. In Frankfurt, my committee started with the following clauses:
tion – the facts, prob-
lems and aims. “A. Alarmed by the 0.74 °C increase in the global average temperature in the last century,
B. Believing that global warming is very likely caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions,
as stated in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC),
C. Concerned by the predicted average increase of 4 °C in the global temperature if no further
measures to reduce emissions are taken --”

With these three clauses, the committee stated its key presumptions: there has been an
increase in global average temperature, it has most probably been caused by human action,
and there will probably be a 4-degree increase in the near future if no further measures are
taken. As you can see, these are the issues the committee also had to discuss in the very be-
ginning of committee work: it would have been impossible to discuss solutions to climate
change if the committee didn’t even agree on the anthropogenic nature of it. The resolution
follows the same structure: the underlying facts and problems need to be recognised in the
beginning, only then you can move on to further details and solutions.

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Operative clauses Operative clauses
are what matters
Operative clauses are far more important than introductory clauses: whereas introductory in a resolution.
clauses could be considered mere acknowledgements of the different nuances of the topic,
operative clauses are the raw substance of the resolution – something the delegates really had
to work for. In essence, the operative clauses need to answer the introductory clauses. Clause
1 doesn’t need to directly answer clause A, clause 2 doesn’t need to directly answer clause B,
but you can’t propose solutions to problems you haven’t first recognised.

Make sure you have all introductory material in the introductory clauses, and all operative
material in the operative clauses. I will give you an example of a typical mistake:

“1. Urges the EU to invest in border control in order to reduce the amount of illegal immi-
grants in Europe --”

In this example, the part written in italics is basically an introductory clause. The proposing
committee just needs to trust that the readers understand the connections between different
clauses.

What makes a good clause?

Essentially, one clause includes one idea. The delegates like to be smart and group ideas into There is one idea in one
massive five-line clauses with several sub-clauses. You need to separate all individual ideas in clause.
monster clauses, and then just have five individual clauses if needed. There is nothing more
beautiful than a short, concise clause that says everything that needs to be said.

Be specific – don’t use more words than you need.

It is rather difficult to give any kind of rules for the ideal length of a clause. If you have fol-
lowed the rules of “one idea per clause” and “be spefific”, the clause probably won’t contain
more than two or three lines.

Avoid using excessive sub-clauses. Sub-clauses shouldn’t be used for listing things. Use Brit-
ish English: petrol instead of gas, and organisations instead of organizations. Capitalise “EU
Member States”. Explain abbreviations: “-- in co-operation with the United Nations (UN)
--”.
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 General Assembly
General Assembly procedure

1. Reading of the Operative Clauses – one delegate

2. Defence Speech – one delegate
3. Attack Speech
4. Answer to the Attack Speech – one delegate
5. Points of Information – one delegate answering
6. Open Debate – several delegates answering
7. Summation Speech – one or two delegates
8. Voting Procedure

The answer to the Attack Speech is a point from the floor; the delegate won’t come to the
podium. Points of information may be asked throughout the open debate, but we encour-
age to do it in the beginning. The voting is done by a show of hands. If there is no clear
majority, the chairs will gather the votes.

Friendly Amendment: A last minute modification to a resolution in order to improve it.

Amendments are to be handed in to the Board two resolutions before the resolution in
question.

Point of Information: A request for a brief explanation of the meaning of a specific term
or abbreviation. Translations are not points of information, and Points of Information never
answer the questions of “why” or “how”.

Point of Personal Privilege: Request for a delegate to repeat a point that was inaudible.
As Points of Personal Privilege break the “flow” of the debate and may be awkward for the
delegate making the point, I would discourage the use of them. In 90% of all cases, the
delegates haven’t just been paying attention.

Point of Order: A delegate feels that the Board has not properly followed the parliamentary
procedure. The placard is used by the chairperson after a request from a delegate.

Direct Response: Once per debate, each committee may use a Direct Response. Should
a committee member raise the sign, the Board recognises them immediately. The Direct
Response is used to reply to the point made directly before.

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How to chair your committee in the General Assembly?

– You need to stay focused. Your job is not done after the resolution has been typed: the Your job is not done
GA is a vital part of the session. As the delegates are first-timers, the procedure may seem before the session is
very difficult and hectic to them, and they need your support. Once again: if you are not closed.
interested, they won’t be either.

– Motivate, motivate, motivate. The GA is more interesting for both you and your del-
egates, if everybody takes actively part in it. Observe who is taking part and who is not, and
encourage the inactive ones.

– Discourage useless Points of Information and random questions (“Well, where do you get
the money?”); encourage them to take a clear stance, follow the debate actively and adjust
their points to it. It’s a debate, not a questions & answers event. For instance, tell them ask
you first if they have points of information.

– Emphasise that a direct response needs to directly answer the point that was just made
– the board will be very strict with this. However, the use of direct responses is warmly
welcomed!

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Viel Glück!