This document provides information on how to properly conduct meetings using parliamentary procedure. It discusses the basic principles of parliamentary law including majority rule, equal rights of members, and orderly consideration of matters. It describes the roles of presiding officers and how they must be fair and impartial. It provides tips for keeping meetings productive, such as having an agenda, taking minutes, and appointing a parliamentarian. It also summarizes the basic rules of parliamentary procedure including how business is introduced, motions are made and seconded, debates occur, and secondary motions are used to dispose of questions.

1. REFRESHER LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

2. How to Conduct a Meeting Using Proper
Parliamentary Procedure
Chances are: you will encounter a
situation in which you find yourself
either participating in, or leading, a
meeting, at some time in your life.
-you might need to develop some
form of order to prevent chaos
incarnate from occurring.
-It doesn't take much for a meeting to
descend into disarray.

4. Parliamentary
Law, termused to designate the body of
rules and precedents regulating the modes
of procedure and course of debate in
legislative and other deliberative assemblies.
-the term has been applied to the rules
governing the procedure and conduct of
organizational meetings generally, whether
in business, labor, or fraternal organizations.
The basic principles of parliamentary law are
majority rule, equal rights of all
members to participate in the
proceedings, protection of the right of
the minority to be heard, and the orderly
consideration of matters brought before
the meeting.

5. The officers of a deliberative
assembly :
1. include a presiding officer,
who may be called the
chairperson, speaker,
president, or moderator;
and a secretary or clerk.

6. -whose office at a meeting is called the chair, must be fair
in the exercise of authority
-has the power of recognition, that is, of deciding which
member is entitled to speak, he or she must be impartial
and permit the presentation of opposing views.
-It is the duty of the chairperson to call the meeting to
order, to see that motions are properly made, to preserve
order and enforce rules of procedure, and to decide
questions of order subject to the right of appeal by the
whole assembly.
-If the presiding officer is a member of the organization,
he or she may participate in debate, but he or she should
relinquish the chair and ask another member to preside
temporarily while doing so.
--In addition, he or she may vote to make or break a tie.

7. Ways in order to keep a meeting fresh
and productive using Parliamentary
Procedure.
1. Procure or create a
manual to develop a
working format for proper
parliamentary procedure.
Nearly every formal body has
different rules and
regulations, but most tend
to derive from Robert's Rules
of Order.
-used by many nonlegislative
organizations
Robert's Rules of Order (1876, revised
ed. 1915) by the American army
engineer Henry Martyn Robert.
Robert was also the author of
Parliamentary Practice (1921) and
Parliamentary Law (1923). Like most
other American parliamentary texts,
Robert's procedure is based on the
House rules, which in turn are derived
from British parliamentary law.

8. 2. Create an agenda
-If there is no agenda, it becomes quite
difficult to conduct your meeting, and it
won't be long before the meeting becomes
uncontrollable.
An agenda will safeguard you against this.
Make sure that your agenda includes a
proper placement and time for all items of
business to be discussed, and ensure that at
the minimum you include a time for reading
of the minutes, officer/board member
reports, old business, new business, and
announcements.
Depending on the organization, the person
usually responsible for creating an agenda
would be the President/Chair, Vice
President, Secretary or a specific committee.

9. 3. Devise a "minutes" document
The minutes will contain a brief, but
comprehensive review of the immediate
previous meeting.
This is exceptionally important because
without the minutes, people can and will
forget what happened at the previous
meeting, especially if there is a long period of
time that elapsed between the two meetings.
Human memory is never perfect. The task of
taking the minutes usually devolves upon
the Secretary of the organization, but this is
not always the rule.

10. 4. Appoint a member to be a
parliamentarian, if the chair is not one
already.
-A parliamentarian is a person who is very
knowledgeable about your procedures - so
make sure that person has a copy of the
manual you are using.
There will be a time in which questions of
procedure will arise, and a
parliamentarian will be able to render a
solution quickly and effectively if the
chair is unable to do so.

11. 5. Make sure that members understand
the parliamentary procedure.
If everyone that regularly participates or
votes on issues does not understand your
group's policies, you will find that
conducting your meeting will be impossible.
Your Out of Order!

13. 1 Call to Order
2 Invocation
3 Singing of the National Anthem
4 Declaration of the Quorum/Roll Call
5 Reading of the minutes of the previous session, unless
dispensed with,
and approval of the same
6 Public Hearing, if any
7 Privileged Speeches
8 Committee Reports
9 Completion of unfinished business during the previous
session
10 Consideration of the present business
11 Amendments to the agenda
12 Other matters
13 Adjournment

14. The Basic Rules of PRP
1. THE RIGHTS OF THE ORGANIZATION
SUPERSEDE THE RIGHTS OF
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
-The organization has the right to make its own
rules which then must be
observed by all members.
Should a conflict arise between the rights of a
member and the right of the organization to do
its business, the rights of the
organization prevail.

15. 2. ALL MEMBERS ARE EQUAL
AND THEIR RIGHTS ARE
EQUAL
- Those rights are:
--to attend meetings;
--to make motions and speak in
debate;
--to nominate;
--to vote;
--to hold office.

16. 3. A QUORUM MUST BE PRESENT
TO DO BUSINESS
- A quorum is the number of
members who must be present to
legally transact business. The
number is usually stated in the
bylaws.
In a committee or a small board,
the quorum is the majority of its
members. The purpose of a
quorum is to prevent an
unrepresentative
group from taking action in the
name of the organization.

17. 4. THE MAJORITY RULES
This rule is basic to the
democratic process.
The minority has the right
to be heard, but once a
decision has been reached
by a majority of the
members present and
voting, the minority must
then respect and abide by
the decision.

18. 5. SILENCE IS CONSENT -
Those members who do not
vote agree to go along with
the decision of the majority
by their silence.

19. 6. TWO-THIRDS VOTE RULE -
A two-thirds vote is necessary
whenever you are limiting or
taking away the rights of
members or whenever you are
changing something
that has already been decided.

20. 7. ONE QUESTION AT A TIME AND
ONE SPEAKER AT A TIME - No
motion is in order which does
not directly relate to the
question under consideration.
In addition,
once a member has been
recognized, he has been granted
"the floor" and another member
may not interrupt him.

22. 8. DEBATABLE MOTIONS
MUST RECEIVE FULL DEBATE -
The presiding officer may not
put a debatable motion to
vote as long as members wish
to debate it. Debate
can only be suspended by a
two-thirds vote of the
members present.

23. 9. ONCE A QUESTION IS DECIDED,
IT IS NOT IN ORDER TO BRING
UP THE SAME MOTION OR ONE
ESSENTIALLY LIKE IT AT THE
SAME MEETING
- Such motions should be ruled
out of order.
(Note: There is a special class of
motions which do bring a motion
back to the group, called
restorative motions.)
You’re out of Order!

24. 10. PERSONAL REMARKS IN
DEBATE ARE ALWAYS OUT OF
ORDER - The presiding officer
must rule all personal remarks
out of order.
It can helps me to maintain my
credibility!
WRONG

25. RULES OF ORDER.
Art. I. How Business Is Conducted in Deliberative Assemblies
1. Introduction of Business
An assembly having been organized as described in business
is brought before it either by the motion of a member, or by
the presentation of a communication to the assembly.
It is not usual to make motions to receive reports of
committees or communications to the assembly. There are
many other cases in the ordinary routine of business where
the formality of a motion is dispensed with, but should any
member object, a regular motion becomes necessary, or the
chair may put the question without waiting for a motion.

26. 2. What Precedes Debate
Before any subject is open to debate it is
necessary,
-first, that a motion be made by a member
who has obtained the floor; second, that it
be seconded (with certain exceptions); and
third, that it be stated by the chair, that
is, by the presiding officer.

27. 3. Obtaining the Floor
Before a member call make a motion, or address
the assembly in debate, it is necessary that he
should obtain the floor -- that is, he must rise
after the floor has been yielded, and address the
presiding officer by his official title, thus, "Mr.
Chairman," or "Mr. President," or "Mr.
Moderator;"1 or, if a woman (married or single),
"Madam Chairman," or "Madam President."
Where two or more rise about the same
time to claim the floor, all other things
being equal, the member who rose first
after the floor had been yielded, and
addressed the chair is entitled to the
floor.

28. 4. Motions and Resolutions
A motion is a proposal that the assembly
take certain action, or that it express itself as
holding certain views.
It is made by a member's obtaining the floor
as already described and saying, "I move
that" (which is equivalent to saying, "I
propose that"), and then stating the action
he proposes to have taken.
Every resolution should be in writing, and
the presiding officer has a right to require
any main motion, amendment, or
instructions to a committee to be in writing.
A resolution is always a main motion.
When a member wishes a
resolution adopted after having
obtained the floor, he says, "I move
the adoption of the following
resolution," or "I offer the
following resolution," which he
reads and hands to the chair.
they are usually stated in a
preamble, each clause of which
constitutes a paragraph beginning
with "Whereas." The preamble is
always amended last, as changes in
the resolution may require changes
the preamble.

29. The preamble should never contain a period,
but each paragraph should close with a
comma or semicolon, followed by "and,"
except the last paragraph, which should
close with the word "therefore," or
"therefore, be it."
A resolution should avoid periods where
practicable. Usually, where periods are
necessary, it is better to separate it into a
series of resolutions, in which case the
resolutions may be numbered, if preferred,
by preceding them with the figures 1, 2,
etc.; or it may retain the form of a single
resolution with several paragraphs, each
beginning with "That," and these may be
numbered, if preferred, by placing "First,"
"Second," etc., just before the word "That."
The following form will serve as a guide
when it is desired to give the reasons for a
resolution:

30. Whereas, We consider that suitable recreation is a necessary part of a rational
educational system; and
Whereas, There is no public ground in this village where our school children can play;
therefore
Resolved, That it is the sense of this meeting that ample play grounds should be
immediately provided for our school children.
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the chair to present these
resolutions to the village authorities and to urge upon them prompt action in the matter.

32. As a general rule no member can make two
motions at a time except by general consent.
But he may combine the motion to suspend the
rules with the motion for whose adoption it was
made; and the motion to reconsider a resolution
and its amendments; and a member may offer a
resolution and at the same time move to make it
a special order for a specified time.

33. 5. Seconding Motions
As a general rule, with the exceptions given
below, every motion should be seconded.
This is to prevent time being consumed in
considering a question that only one person
favors, and consequently little attention is
paid to it in routine motions.
Where the chair is certain the motion meets
with general favor, and yet members are slow
about seconding it, he may proceed
without waiting for a second.
Yet, any one may make a point of order that
the motion has not been seconded, and then
the chair is obliged to proceed formally and
call for a second. The better way when a
motion is not at once seconded, is for the
chair to ask, "Is the motion seconded?"
A motion is seconded by a member's
saying "I second the motion," or "I
second it," which he does without
obtaining the floor, and in small
assemblies without rising.
In large assemblies, and especially
where non-members are scattered
throughout the assembly, members
should rise, and without waiting for
recognition, say, "Mr. Chairman, I
second the motion."

34. Exceptions. The following do not require a second
Question of Privilege, to raise a
19
Questions of Order 21
Objection to the Consideration of a Question
23
Call for Orders of the Day 20
Call for Division of the Question (under certain circumstances)
24
Call for Division of the Assembly (in voting)
25
Call up Motion to Reconsider 36
Filling Blanks 33
Nominations 33
Leave to Withdraw a Motion 27
Inquiries of any kind 27

35. 6. Stating the Question
When a motion has been made and seconded, it is the
duty of the chair, unless he rules it out of order,
immediately to state the question -- that is, state the
exact question that is before the assembly for its
consideration and action.
"It is moved and seconded that the following resolution be adopted [reading
the resolution];" or "It is moved and seconded to adopt the following
resolution;" "Mr. A offers the following resolution [read]: the question
is on its adoption;" "It is moved and seconded to amend the resolution
by striking out the word 'very' before the word 'good';" "The previous
question has been demanded [or, moved and seconded] on the
amendment;" "It is moved and seconded that the question be laid on
the table;" "It is moved and seconded that we adjourn."

36. If the question is debatable or amendable,
the chair should immediately ask,
"Are you ready for the question?" If no one
then rises he should put the question .
If the question cannot be debated or
amended, he does not ask, "Are you ready
for the question?" but immediately puts the
question after stating it.

37. 7. Debate
After a question has been stated by the chair,
it is before the assembly for consideration
and action.
All resolutions, reports of committees,
communications to the assembly, and all
amendments proposed to them, and all
other motions except the Undebatable
Motions , may be debated before final
action is taken on them, unless by a two-thirds
vote the assembly decides to
dispose of them without debate.
In the debate each member has the right to speak
twice on the same question on the same day (except
on an appeal), but cannot make a second speech on
the same question as long as any member who has
not spoken on that question desires the floor. No
one can speak longer than ten minutes at a time
without permission of the assembly.
Speakers must address their remarks
to the presiding officer, be courteous
in their language and deportment,
and avoid all personalities, never
alluding to the officers or other
members by name, where possible to
avoid it, nor to the motives of
members.

39. 8. Secondary Motions
To assist in the proper disposal of the
question various subsidiary motions are
used, such as to amend, to commit, etc., and
for the time being the subsidiary motion
replaces the resolution, or motion, and
becomes the immediately pending question.
a question incidental to the business may arise, as a question of
order, and this incidental question interrupts the business and,
until disposed of, becomes the immediately pending question.
And all of these may be superseded by certain motions, called
privileged motions, as to adjourn, of such supreme importance as
to justify their interrupting all other questions. All of these
motions that may be made while the original motion is pending are
sometimes referred to as secondary motions.

40. 9. Putting the Question and Announcing the Vote
When the debate appears to have closed, the
chair asks again, "Are you ready for the
question?"
In putting the question the chair should
make perfectly clear what the question is
that the assembly is to decide. If the
question is on the adoption of a resolution,
unless it has been read very recently, it
should be read again, the question being put
in a way similar to this:

43. 10. Proper Motions to Use to Accomplish
Certain Objects
To enable any one to ascertain what motion
to use in order to accomplish what is
desired, the common motions are arranged
in the table below according to the objects to
be attained by their use. Immediately after
the table is a brief statement of the
differences between the motions placed
under each object, and of the circumstances
under which each should be used.

44. The Common Motions Classified According to Their Objects
(1) To Modify or Amend.
(a) Amend
(b) Commit or Refer
(2) To Defer Action.
(a) Postpone to a Certain Time
(b) Make a Special Order (2/3 Vote)
(c) Lay on the Table
(3) To Suppress or Limit Debate (2/3 Vote).
(a) Previous Question (to close debate
now) (2/3 Vote)
(b) Limit Debate (2/3 Vote)
(4) To Suppress the Question.
(a) Objection to Its Consideration
(2/3 Vote)
(b) Previous Question and Reject
Question
(c) Postpone Indefinitely
(d) Lay on the Table
(5) To Consider a Question a Second Time.
(a) Take from the Table
(b) Reconsider
(c) Rescind
(6) To Prevent Final Action on a Question
in an Unusually Small or Unrepresentative Meeting.
(a) Reconsider and have Entered on
the Minutes

45. Art. II. General Classification of Motions
Main or Principal Motions
Subsidiary Motions
Incidental Motions
Privileged Motions

46. A Main or Principal Motion
-is a motion made to bring before the
assembly, for its consideration, any
particular subject.
-It takes precedence of nothing -- that is, it
cannot be made when any other question is
before the assembly; and it yields to all
Privileged, Incidental, and Subsidiary
Motions -- that is, any of these motions can
be made while a main motion is pending.
-Main motions are debatable, and subject to
amendment, and can have any subsidiary
motions applied to them.
When a main motion is laid on the table, or
postponed to a certain time, it carries with it
all pending subsidiary motions. If a main
motion is referred to a committee it carries
with it only the pending amendments.
As a general rule, they
require for their adoption
only a majority vote
Main motions may be subdivided
into Original Main Motions
and Incidental Main Motions.

47. Original Main Motions are those which
bring before the assembly some new subject,
generally in the form of a resolution, upon
which action by the assembly is desired.
Incidental Main Motions are those main
motions that are incidental to, or relate to,
the business of the assembly, or its past or
future action, as, a committee's report on a
resolution referred to it.
A motion to accept or adopt the report of
a standing committee upon a subject not
referred to it is an original main motion,
but a motion to adopt a report on a subject
referred to a committee is an incidental
main motion.

48. Accept or Adopt a Report upon a subject referred to a committee
54
Adjourn at, or to, a future time 17
Adjourn, if qualified in any way, or to adjourn when the effect is to
dissolve the assembly with no provision for its reconvening
17
Appoint the Time and Place for the next meeting, if introduced when no
business is pending
16
Amend the Constitution, By-laws, Standing Rules, or Resolutions, etc.,
already adopted
68
Ratify or Confirm action taken 39
Rescind or Repeal action taken
37
Incidental Main Motions.

49. Subsidiary Motions
-applied to other motions for the purpose of
most appropriately disposing of them.
By means of them the original motion may
be modified, or action postponed, or it may
be referred to a committee to investigate and
report, etc.
-They may be applied to any main motion,
and when made they supersede the main
motion and must be decided before the
main motion can be acted upon.
None of them, except the motion to amend
and those that close or limit or extend the
limits of debate, can be applied to a
subsidiary, incidental (except an appeal in
certain cases), or privileged motion.

50. Subsidiary Motions
Lay on the Table 28
The Previous Question 29
Limit or Extend Limits of Debate 30
Postpone Definitely, or to a Certain Time 31
Commit or Refer, or Recommit 32
Amend 33
Postpone Indefinitely 34

51. Incidental Motions are such as arise out of
another question which is pending, and
therefore take precedence of and must be
decided before the question out of which
they rise; or, they are incidental to a
question that has just been pending and
should be decided before any other business
is taken up.
They are undebatable
They cannot be amended except where they
relate to the division of a question, or to the
method of considering a question, or to
methods of voting, or to the time when
nominations or the polls shall be closed.

52. Incidental Motions
Questions of Order and Appeal
Suspension of the Rules
Objection to the Consideration of a Question
Division of a Question, and Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim
Division of the Assembly, and Motions relating to Methods of Voting, or to Closing or to
Reopening the Polls
Motions relating to Methods of Making, or to Closing or to Reopening Nominations
Requests growing out of Business Pending or that has just been pending; as, a
Parliamentary Inquiry, a Request for Information, for Leave to Withdraw a Motion, to Read
Papers, to be Excused from a Duty, or for any other Privilege

53. Privileged Motions are such as, while not
relating to the pending question, are of so
great importance as to require them to take
precedence of all other questions, and, on
account of this high privilege, they are
undebatable.
They cannot have any subsidiary motion
applied to them, except the motions to fix
the time to which to adjourn, and to take a
recess, which may be amended.

54. Privileged Motions
Fix the Time to which to Adjourn (if made while another question is
pending)
Adjourn (if unqualified and if it has not the effect to dissolve the
assembly)
Take a Recess (if made when another question is pending)
Raise a Question of Privilege
Call for Orders of the Day

55. Some Main and Unclassified Motions.
Two main motions (to rescind and to ratify) and several motions
which cannot conveniently be classified as either Main, Subsidiary,
Incidental, or Privileged, and which are in common use, are hereafter
explained and their privileges and effects given. They are as follows:
Take from the Table
Reconsider
Rescind
Renewal of a Motion
Ratify
Dilatory, Absurd, or Frivolous Motions
Call of the House

56. Motions Requiring a Two-thirds Vote
Amend (Annul, Repeal, or Rescind) any part of the Constitution, By-laws, or Rules of Order, previously
adopted; it also requires previous notice
Amend or Rescind a Standing Rule, a Program or Order of Business, or a Resolution, previously
adopted, without notice being given at a previous meeting or in the call for the meeting
Take up a Question out of its Proper Order
Suspend the Rules
Make a Special Order
Discharge an Order of the Day before it is pending
Refuse to Proceed to the Orders of the Day
Sustain an Objection to the Consideration of a Question
Previous Question
Limit, or Extend the Limits, of Debate
Extend the Time Appointed for Adjournment or for Taking a Recess
Close Nominations or the Polls
Limit the Names to be Voted for
Expel from Membership: it also requires previous notice and trial
Depose from Office: it also requires previous notice
Discharge a Committee when previous notice has not been given
Reconsider in Committee when a member of the majority is absent and has not been notified of the
proposed reconsideration