During the June General Members Meeting at the FCCJ, I noticed that several members were confused about what procedure they should use to accomplish various things. I hope in this article to show how members can use parliamentary procedure to accomplish their goals and to have more productive meetings.

First, parliamentarian procedure is the design to help people to accomplish their goal of fair, democratic meetings. Parliamentary procedure supports majority rule with respect for minority rights. Parliamentary procedure is an attempt to make a level playing field for all without creating unnecessary complications. It is not an attempt to befuddle people or to allow a minority to run everything – that would be an abuse.

HOW DO I MAKE A MAIN MOTION?
To make most motions you need to be recognized by the chair. At the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, this means raising your hand and being called upon by the chair. If there is no motion pending, you can make a main motion. The usual form is to say, “I move that…” This is the proper form to make a main motion. To give a practical example, a member might be recognized and say, “I move that the FCCJ has at least one nationality night each month.” This motion needs a second. Any member besides the chair can say “second.” They do not have to be recognized and the name is not recorded in the minutes. At this point, the chair says, “It has been moved and seconded that the FCCJ has at least one nationality night each month.” Once the chair has stated the motion, it is the property of the assembly. This is the process of making a motion.

WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO DEBATE?
Every member has the right to debate except the chair. The person sitting in the chair is to remain neutral and under Club rules does not have the right to debate. If the chair wishes to debate, the person must give up the chair and the next ranking officer takes over the chair until this motion is finished. To gain recognition to debate, members normally raise their hand and the chair keeps a list, calling on people in the order that they are listed.

DOES THE PROPOSER OF THE MOTION HAVE ANY SPECIAL RIGHTS?
Yes. The proposer of a motion has two rights. The first of these is the right to speak first. If the proposer does not speak first, they move to the top of the list whenever they seek recognition the first time. This right only applies to the first time the proposer speaks on the motion. The second right of the proposer is that his/her permission must be obtained to withdraw a motion that has been stated by the chair. Once the motion has been stated by the chair, both the consent of the assembly and of the proposer are necessary to withdraw the motion.

DOES THE SECONDER OF A MOTION HAVE ANY SPECIAL RIGHTS?
No. Contrary to what many people think, there are no special rights that go to the seconder. The seconder is only indicating that he/she thinks this motion should come before the assembly. By doing so, the seconder has not taken a position either for or against the motion.

HOW CAN I CHANGE A MOTION?
Changing a motion is actually very easy. You need to make a motion to amend. To make the motion, you must first be recognized by the chair while the motion that you want to change is pending. Imagine that the motion “That FCCJ has at least one nationality night each month” is pending. You want to make it two nationality nights each month. You first get the chair to recognize you, then you move, “I move to amend by striking one nationality night and inserting two nationality nights.” Somebody else needs to second your motion. Once the chair states the motion, it is open to debate and to amendment. An amendment takes a majority vote to adopt even if the main motion takes a larger vote. You can have a main motion, an amendment, and an amendment to the amendment pending. A third level amendment is not permitted.

WHAT TYPES OF AMENDMENTS ARE ALLOWED?
There are four types of amendments that are allowed. The first of these is an amendment to add or insert words. If the words are at the end of the motion, then you are adding words. If the words are in the middle of the motion, then you are inserting words.

The second type is to strike words. If you think that some words do not belong in a motion, you can move to strike them out. This striking out could change the meaning of the motion. This is allowable.

The third type is a combination of the first two. In this case you want to strike out and insert words. To do this, you need to have the words be struck out and inserted at the same place. An example of this is the motion in the previous question (see above).
The last type is a motion to substitute. It is discussed in the next question.

WHAT IS MEANT BY A MOTION TO SUBSTITUTE? HOW IS IT HANDLED?
A motion to substitute is a motion to amend by changing either a sentence, a paragraph or an entire motion by removing one wording and inserting another wording. This can get very complicated. First let's look at a simple example. The motion pending is “That the FCCJ has at least one nationality night each month.” Instead of this, you want to have a continental event and you want to have them every other month. When the chair recognizes you, you move, “I move to substitute the following, ‘That the FCCJ has a continental event every other month.’ ” This needs a second. Once it is seconded, the chair states it.

At this point in time, the assembly first works on perfecting the original main motion. Perfecting means that they put the motion into its best form. This can be done by amending until people are happy with it. Once people are happy with the main motion, they do the same thing to the substitute. Once both motions have been perfected, debate is about which one they prefer. When the members are done debating, a vote is taken on the following, “Shall the substitute motion replace the original motion?” It requires a majority. If a majority of those voting favor the substitute, then the original is replaced with the substitute. This vote does not adopt either motion. That takes one additional vote.

HOW CAN I SHORT-CIRCUIT DEBATE AND GO TO A VOTE ON THE MOTION?
This is called Calling the Question. A motion is called a question in parliamentary terms. So how do you call the question? As with most other motions, you must first be recognized by the chair. If you are not properly recognized you are not allowed to call the question; if you try to call the question without being recognized you are abusing the assembly. When you are recognized by the chair, you move, “I call the question.” However, it is not that simple. Imagine that a motion is pending, an amendment to the motion is pending, and a motion to refer this also pending. You have three choices on how to word your calling of the question. The first of these is to call a question on all pending questions. That means you want to vote on everything. You move that one by saying, “I call the question on all pending motions.” If you want to call the question on just the motion to refer and the motion to amend, you say, “I call the question on the motions to refer and to amend.” If you only want to call the question on the motion to refer, you say, “I call the question,” or “I call the question on the immediate pending motion,” or “I call the question on the motion to refer.” In all of these cases, you need a second and a two thirds vote. Notice that you cannot call a question on only the motion to amend. That is in the middle and cannot be reached by itself. The same is also true about just calling the question on the main motion.

If the motion to call the question is passed by the assembly, voting begins on the motion farthest from the main motion. In our example above, if a motion to call the question on all pending motions passed, voting would first be done on the motion to refer. If that passed, voting would end as the motion and its proposed amendment would be sent to a committee. If it failed, voting would then take place on the motion to amend. After the motion to amend is taken care of, voting would take place on the main motion. The motion to refer, the motion to amend, and the main motion would each take a majority vote.

WHAT IS MEANT BY “MAJORITY”?
Majority means more than half. Unless the organization has a special rule, a majority vote is more than half of those voting. It has nothing to do with the quorum. So, if 80 votes are present and 61 votes are cast, a majority is 31. It is actually 30.6, but unless you have strange rules there are no partial votes. When voting, abstentions are not counted. It is important to note that a majority does not mean 50 percent plus one or 51percent. Those are two very common misconceptions.

WHAT CAN I DO IF THE MEETING IS GOING TOO LONG?
Oh, those long meetings that we all hate but have to sit through. To be honest, there is no good reason to sit through an overly long meeting especially when nothing is being accomplished. An overly long meeting costs too much! If 50 people are in the room and they earn a minimum of ¥5,000 an hour, one hour is costing $2,500 or ¥250,000. What a waste! So what can you do! Set up an adjourned meeting. An adjourned meeting is a meeting that takes a super long break – maybe a break of a month or so. But it is the same meeting and continues from the same point when it meets again. To do this, one member needs to move, “I move that when we adjourn we meet again on XX day at YY hour and continue this meeting.” It can be said much simpler but this formula tells you exactly what is happening. An adjourned meeting continues the current community; business is picked up at the point where it ends in the current meeting. The full right to debate is restored even to those who have used up all the debate time on the current issue. That is the only change; the minutes continue only noting the break. As is usual, the member making the motion must be recognized and the motion needs a second. This motion is often followed by a motion to adjourn. It is the highest-ranking motion and nothing can be done until it is voted
on. It can be amended as to date, time, and place.

I THINK THE CHAIR IS BEING UNFAIR IN A RULING. WHAT CAN I DO?
You can appeal. Now this is not a simple process and may confuse some. When the chair makes a ruling that you think is wrong, you immediately say, “I appeal.” You do not wait to be recognized by the chair as if any debate happens it is too late to appeal. Speed is important. An appeal must be seconded. If it is a debatable appeal, the chair speaks first and the member appealing speaks second. The chair needs to explain his ruling. The member appealing should explain why there is an appeal. Others may debate. The chair has the final speech. So only the chair gets to speak twice. The vote is on a special motion which is “Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?” For the original ruling of the chair to be overturned a majority must vote in the negative. If there is a tie vote, the decision of the chair stands.

WHAT CAN I SAY IN DEBATE?
In debate you may only talk about the issue before the assembly. If the immediate pending motion is an amendment, you may only talk about the amendment. You would not be able to talk about the rest of the main motion. Your focus is always on the issue. In debate you are talking to the chair. All remarks are only addressed to the chair.

WHAT IS MEANT BY DECORUM?
Decorum means using proper speech and respecting people as people. If you attack a person, speak about their character or imply anything about their motives, you are violating the rules of decorum. It is the motion that needs to be addressed and never the person. If the motion before the assembly is “That the FCCJ holds a monthly brunch on the third Sunday of each month,” you must speak to that issue.

If you state, “Member Y only wants this because his wife won't cook on that day,” you would be in violation of decorum because you are talking about the motive of the member and not about the issue itself. If you state, “The third Sunday of the month is a time when many other events are taking place and is not a good time for brunch,” you are within the rules of decorum as you have been speaking about the issue. A good way to think of this would be to ask yourself would you like this statement to be made about you. If you wouldn't, don't say it. There are many borderline cases especially when considering reports from officers. If you are talking about the role the officer is supposed to fulfill, you are probably within the bounds of decorum. However, if the officer did something that you do not like and you berate the personality of the officer, you are violating the rules of decorum. It is the job of the chair to make you stop. If you apologize, the chair should allow you to continue talking about the issue. If you refuse to apologize, the chair should bring your speech to an end. Courtesy rules.

WHAT CAN AN ASSEMBLY DO TO MEMBERS WHO DISRUPT THE MEETING?
If a member causes disruption in a meeting, the chair should call the member to order. If the member complies, the incident is finished. If the member refuses to comply, the chair should warn the member that the member will be named in the minutes. If the member does not apologize, the chair tells the secretary to include in the minutes the offensive words of the member. If the member continues, the chair puts to the assembly the question, “What punishment
shall be imposed on the member?”
The assembly decides what punishment it wants to impose. It may censor the member, expel the member from the meeting, suspend their membership or expel them from the organization.

If a member is getting very hot, somebody should move for recess and try to talk the member down.
It is important to remember that the assembly controls
the meeting room.

IS THERE ANY EASY WAY TO LEARN ABOUT PROPER PROCEDURE?
Yes there are several good ways to learn about parliamentary procedure. Three good books to teach you about using Robert’s Rules of Order are: Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief, The Idiots Guide to Roberts Rules of Order and Roberts Rules of Order for Dummies.

Those three books are easy to understand and will give you the basics. They will not serve you well for difficult situations. That is not a problem, or should not be a problem, as 99.9% of what happens in meetings is a repetition of what has happened before. The chair and the parliamentarian need to know more as they have to handle more difficult situations. But those three cover most of what will come up at the average meeting. ❶