How to Write a Chit

I. Introduction

• The other form of discussion in a committee is the written form, called Chits. In large
committees, the delegates often feel that the amount of recognition is quite less to cover all
the points they want to bring up in the committee. Therefore, to facilitate the delegates to
put forth their strong arguments, chits are used.
• Chits are handwritten on notepad/chit pad with proper format during the committee timings.
They can be addressed to other delegates, or to the Executive Board.
• By procedures, there’s no fixed specified marking for the chits and also there’s no stated
maximum number of chits. This depends upon the discretion of each Executive Board Panel
and shall be communicated after setting the quorum.
• There are majorly four types of Chits- Via EB POI Chits, Substantive Chits, Transitive
Chits, and To EB Chits.

II. Via EB/ POI/ Question Chits

• This kind of chits are used to ask questions from other delegates.
• The Format include 4 elements- ‘From: their country name’, ‘To: country you want to ask
the question from’, ‘Via: Executive Board’ and the question.
• These are chits directed to another delegate, but they are first received and read by the
Executive Board before being transmitted to the specified delegate.
• When a delegate has information from the other delegate, they can use these chits.
Occasionally, delegates will engage in a conversation in these chits about a matter that is
not on the agenda, and it is to be noted that the discussions should be limited to the topics
that are on the agenda.
• Similarly, the questions one might receive via this kind of chit, can be answered too. To
answer a question, the delegate can staple another chit behind the question chit they
received, and write ‘From: their country name’, ‘To: country who asked question’, and ‘Via:
Executive Board’ followed by their answer or justification.
• These chits are marked by the Executive Board. It is important to mention ‘Via: Executive
Board’ on top of the chit else they won’t be marked.
• How do these Chits travel in the committee? A delegate abc write a chit for delegate xyz>
Delegate abc raise their hand with chit in their hand > The Organising Committee (OC)
member takes the chit > They submit it to the Executive Board Panel > Executive Board
mark the chit and sign on it > The OC member picks the signed chit and hand it over to the
delegate xyz > Delegate xyz answers the chit and raise their hand with the answer chit >
OC member picks it again and submit it to the Executive Board Panel > They mark the
reply > OC member collects the signed chit and hand it over to the delegate abc.
• It is important to note that it is not mandatory to answer a question. Any delegate can refuse
to answer any question asked via chit.
•
III. Format of Via EB/ POI/ Question Chit and Reply Chit

Point of Information Chit

To: Receiver Portfolio (for ex. China)
From: Sender Portfolio (for ex. United States)
VIA: EB/ Executive Board

… Question …
… …
… …

Reply Chit
To: Receiver Portfolio (for ex. United States)
From: Sender Portfolio (for ex. China)
VIA: EB/ Executive Board

… Reply …
… …
… …

IV. Substantive Chits

• An Substantive Chits are directed to the Executive Board to provide some information that
is substantive in nature, as the name implies. Delegates use these chits to immediately
communicate their content to members of the Executive Board for review.
• To be considered meaningful, these chits should have a good analysis and should be
relevant to the agenda. It is preferred to highlight the points so that the Executive Board can
easily notice important points in the chits. It is also advisable to keep the chits short and
relevant to the point.
 • It is impossible to cover all of the topics in the time allotted for the moderated caucus, GSL,
or PSL. If you have more points to make but were unable to include them in your speech,
you can send them in a chit to the Executive Board. Also if a delegate wasn’t able to be
recognised for a speech, they can send important pointers of their speech via Substantive
Chit.
• Some delegates convey several pieces of the same point on multiple chits. You may only
send them in one chit. The Executive Board does not grade you based on the quantity of
chits you send, but rather on how much sense you make in each chit. So a delegate who
sends 5 chits but only makes 1 sensible point is the same as a delegate who sends 1 chit but
only makes 1 decent point. Also, if you write a chit effectively and study it from different
viewpoints, you might get a lot of marks from that one chit.
• While writing chits, try elaborating on your points. Just don't bring up any facts, figures, or
topics you want to debate. It is critical for them to understand why you believe it is vital to
educate about the subject. The Executive Board has seen somebody declare, for example,
that they want to address a specific issue yet fail to explain how they have conceptualized
that topic. Some of them provide data and numbers but fail to provide analysis. For
example, do not simply state that one million people have been displaced from a nation. Tell
them exactly what happened, why addressing that country is relevant to the argument, and
so on.

V. Format for Substantive Chit

Substantive Chit
To: Executive Board
From: Sender Portfolio (for ex. India)

… Material …
… …
… …

VI. Transitive Chits

• In Transitive Chits, only the delegates involved are involved, with no intervention from the
Executive Board.
• They assist delegates in lobbying, which is the process of persuading people or reaching an
agreement. These are highly beneficial for having any sort of clarification in the committee.
If something is spoken during the General Speakers list or a moderated committee session
that requires clarification, delegates can write a chit to any other delegate.
 • For example, Send a chit if Venezuela cites the necessity for oil price restrictions and you
want to know which price controls they would like. Another example is if you are unsure
whether Venezuela is aware that other OPEC members have discussed this matter
previously. Venezuela's declaration may indicate a shift in OPEC policy, affecting every
other delegate in the room, or it could simply be a misunderstanding.
• The format of transitive chits is similar to POI Chits with one major change, that is
‘Via: EB’ is not mentioned in these chits.
• As these chits are just for clarifications and personal communication of delegates, these
chits are not passed through the Executive Board, and hence carry no marking.

VII. Format of Transitive Chits

To: Receiver Portfolio (for ex. Israel)

From: Sender Portfolio (for ex. India)

… Material …
… …
… …

VIII. To EB Chits

• Sending chits to the committee's Chair will be different from sending chits to other
delegates. The primary reason for sending chits to the Chair is to put your name to the
speaker's list. In general, send a note to be added back to the list as soon as you stop
speaking.
• You will not be having a dialogue with the Chair through chits. Chits to the Chair should be
one-sided and of a technical character. If it is not regarding procedure, it can deal with
explanations on the proceedings via a "Point of parliamentary enquiry." However, the public
clari cation, particularly later in the committee session, may disrupt debate, which the chair
would want to avoid. Notes can help you avoid this issue.
• If you have a signi cant question for the Chair that requires more explanation than a note,
reserve it for a face-to-face meeting during an unmoderated caucus or a break.
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IX. Format of To EB Chits

To: Executive Board

From: Sender Portfolio (for ex. India)

… Question or Concern …
… …
… …

X. Tips for Writing Chits

• Focus on Quality rather than Quantity in chits. Keep your questions and material unique in
every single chit. Do not send a similar question to multiple countries where there’s no
research or analysis. For example, sending this vague question ‘What is your country doing
to solve this issue?’ to multiple countries. This won’t get you any extra marking.
• Start your speech with a research pointer and form your question on the basis of it, which is
relevant to the topic.
• Try to keep your questions short and concise to the point.
• Research about other countries beforehand, and prepare a document with subheading of
each country’s name followed by a minimum of 5 flaw points in their country relevant to
the topic where you can question them about according to the flow of the committee.
• The best time to send a POI Chit is just after a particular delegate has finished their speech.
Try to ask questions based on their speech.
• In Substantive chit, don’t go above 80 words, keep your points concise. Try to avoid
extremely basic material which has been established in the committee already. For
example, in a committee discussing climate change and raise in temperature making
glaciers melt, you can avoid stating this point that due to rise in temperatures glaciers are
melting as that particular point is not adding extra value to the committee.
• Do not spam your Executive Board with a bundle of chits at once and avoid sending or
answering any unnecessary chit. Make sure you time your chits delivery well to keep
certain gap among chits.