MEETING PROCEDURE

MEETING PROCEDURE

1 INTRODUCTION
One of Apex’s strengths is the training that it provides young men and women in the art of
meeting procedure. Meeting procedure is indeed an art. On the one hand we have the need for
the business of our meetings to be concise and to the point, yet the important decisions of our
meetings need to be properly considered and debated.

Meeting procedure is the term used to describe the rules and guidelines by which we conduct
our meetings. Without these rules it is possible for the meetings to become talk fests, going
around in circles with no clear direction or aim, while it is also likely that the more outspoken
people will dominate and hijack the debate and the decisions of the meeting.

Observation of proper meeting procedure will help to overcome these problems. The need for
strict application of many of the finer points can be relaxed at smaller or more casual meetings,
however at larger meetings, or where some contentious issues are to be discussed, adhering
to proper meeting procedure is advisable.

At all but the most informal of meetings, there will always be motions put forward. A motion can
be a proposal that something should be done (this is a substantive motion), or a proposal that
affects the conduct of the meeting itself (a procedural motion).

2 THE BASICS
A motion is a proposal to do something, proposed by the person called the mover of the motion.
When this person states what the proposal is, they are said to have moved the motion. After a
motion has been moved, a different person is needed to second the motion, essentially a show
of support for the proposal.

As the flowchart opposite shows, the mover, and then the seconder of the motion are given the
chance to speak in favour of the motion. Thereafter new speakers are given the chance to
speak against the motion, alternating with speakers for the motion.

Once there has been sufficient debate, the case for the motion is summarised by the original
mover of the motion, by exercising their ‘right of reply’.

Finally the fate of the motion is decided by those at the meeting voting either for or against the
motion. This is generally done by a show of hands or by voice.

3 THE ROLE OF THE CHAIRPERSON

The Chairperson (or Chair) is the person in charge of the conduct of the meeting. They direct
the flow of the meeting, and will need to make rulings about various proposals, speakers and
speeches. The Chairperson needs to have a good working knowledge of meeting procedure, as
well as the rules of the organisation.

The ultimate aim of the Chairperson should be fairness to all people at the meeting, exercised
with impartiality, and without their own agenda. The Chair also needs to be firm, tactful and
needs to exercise common sense.

These skills can only be learnt by practice, and most Apex Clubs rotate the position of the Chair
between their members, while some always have their President occupy the Chair. While new
members need to be placed in the Chair at some stage, it is advisable to make that occasion as
easy as possible by avoiding meetings where contentious issues are likely to occur, by assisting
them during the meeting, and by a little planning. Planning means having a predetermined
written agenda to follow, and ascertaining what items may come up for discussion at the
meeting beforehand.
MEETING PROCEDURE

4 THE AGENDA
An agenda is a sequential outline of what is expected to happen at a meeting. There are
standard agendas for Club dinner meetings, and for Club Board meetings contained in the Apex
Manual, which assist the Chairperson in directing the meeting.

5 MINUTES
The minutes form the official record of the
MOTION proceedings and decisions of meetings. A
FLOWCHART minute book needs to be kept for your Club
dinner and Board meetings.

The accuracy of the minutes needs to be

confirmed at the next meeting of that body,
MOVE MOTION by a suitable motion to that effect. The
mover of a motion to confirm the minutes
needs to have been present at the meeting
concerned. The seconder does not need to
have been present.
SECOND MOTION
Any inaccuracies in the minutes need to be
pointed out before the minutes are
confirmed.
MOVER SPEAKS When the minutes have been confirmed,
TO THE MOTION they should be signed by the Chairperson
presiding over the meeting at which the
minutes were confirmed.

If at a later stage, the minutes are found to

SECONDER SPEAKS be inaccurate, the confirmed minutes must
TO THE MOTION not be changed. Rather, a motion to correct
the inaccuracy of the previously adopted
minutes should be moved. A cross
reference to this new motion should be
entered into the margin next to the motion
SPEAKER SPEAKER that originally adopted the minutes.
AGAINST FOR
The minutes need to record every motion,
point of order and procedural motion raised
at the meeting. The details of discussions
should also be included where they impact
RIGHT OF REPLY on the implementation of motions or other
actions of the Club. Remembering that the
minutes are the official record of the
meeting, then anything not recorded in the
minutes did not happen! Use this as your
VOTE
guide as to how much needs to be recorded
in the minutes.

People may request their personal votes against motions to be recorded in the minutes.

6 SUBSTANTIVE MOTIONS
As mentioned previously, a substantive motion is a proposal to do something. That may be for
the Club to take on a particular service project, or it may be to accept the correspondence, or
anywhere in between. A motion should be a clear cut proposal. This means that enough detail
needs to be provided so that the intent is not ambiguous.

Moving the motion

A substantive motion must not be framed in the negative (organisations other than Apex may
allow negative motions however). This means that a motion like:
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“That the Club does not conduct a doorknock for the Boy Scouts.”
would be out of order, as it is proposing that the Club NOT do something. There are two
alternative ways to deal with this issue. The first would be to not move any motion at all, leaving
the issue unresolved one way or the other. The second method is to move the motion:
“That the Club conducts a doorknock for the Boy Scouts.”
and to then vote against this motion. This method will then put the meeting’s decision on the
record.

A motion should generally be a single sentence. If more than one sentence is required, then it is
likely that more than one issue is being addressed, in which case the motion should probably be
split up into several motions. This helps to simplify the debate, as only one issue is being
considered at a time. If the first part of the motion is defeated, then any subsequent motions
that dealt with the same issue would not need to be put to the meeting.

The Chairperson is not permitted to move a motion, unless they vacate the Chair to do so, or
unless they are moving a motion to adopt their own report.

The person who moves a motion should wait for another person to second the motion before
speaking to the motion (explaining the reasons for the motion). The Chair may elect to allow the
mover to briefly explain the motion if there is no seconder forthcoming..

Seconding the motion

Before the motion can be discussed, someone must second the motion. Any Active Member,
other than the mover of the motion, or the Chairperson may second the motion. The idea of
obtaining a seconder, is to quickly ascertain if there is anyone else who thinks that the motion is
a good idea, before starting a period of debate. If there is no one coming forward to second the
motion, then it would be very unlikely that the motion would be voted for, and the motion would
lapse (not be discussed or voted upon). This helps to save time.

The motion may deal with an issue that people may not have thought about before, or have
particular opinions one way or the other. It may be appropriate to second the motion, so as to
enable further discussion, and in particular to hear the proposer’s reasons and thoughts.

The Chair will call for a seconder for the motion, immediately after the motion has been moved.
To second the motion, simply make yourself known to the Chair, by raising your hand or
speaking.

Debating the motion

After the motion has been proposed and seconded, debate may begin. The first person to
speak is the person who proposed the motion, and is required to speak for the motion. It is
possible for the proposer to ask someone else to present their case for them. As will be seen
later, the proposer is allowed two chances to speak – the second time being at the conclusion
of the debate, immediately before the vote is taken, known as the ‘right of reply’.

The next person asked to speak is the seconder of the motion. The seconder may reserve their
right to speak until later in the debate, to give them the chance to respond to the speakers
against the motion. The seconder is only given one chance to speak.

At larger or more formal meetings, time limits may be imposed for all speakers. Separate time
limits may be imposed upon the proposer, other speakers, and for the right of reply.

The Chair will call for alternating speakers, speaking for then against the motion. If no speakers
are forthcoming on one side of the debate, other speakers may still be taken for the opposing
side, but the debate should be closed shortly to take the vote on the motion.

Each person may speak only once to each motion (except the mover who has the right of reply).
However a person is allowed to answer questions, or to correct misinformation in another
person’s speech. Such answers to questions or personal explanations must be confined to the
facts, and not express opinion or offer arguments.
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Amendments
Amendments are changes to the wording and effect of the original motion that has been
proposed. After a motion has been seconded, an amendment may be proposed. The following
restrictions apply to an amendment:

I. The mover or seconder of the original motion, are not allowed to move or second an
amendment, unless the meeting unanimously agrees to enable them to do so.
II. Any other speaker may move an amendment. The amendment does not need the approval
of either the mover or seconder of the original motion.
III. An amendment must not substantially change the original motion, and must not be a direct
negation of it. An amendment may alter, add or subtract words from the original motion.
Debate on the amendment follows the same rules as an original motion. However, it is
essential that debate is limited entirely to the need for the amendment, and not the merits of
the original motion. The mover of an amendment does not have a right of reply.

People who have spoken previously to the original motion, or an earlier amendment, or entitled
to speak on the new amendment.

When debate on the amendment has concluded, the amendment is voted upon. If the
amendment is defeated, then debate on the original motion resumes as if the defeated
amendment had never been proposed. If the amendment is carried, then debate will continue
on the original motion in its amended form.

Once an amendment has been voted upon, and debate on the original motion (as amended, if
applicable) resumes, further amendments may then (and only then) be considered. Only one
amendment can be dealt with at any one time.

Right of Reply
The mover of a substantive motion (not an amendment or most procedural motions) is entitled
to their right of reply. If the original motion has been amended, the right of reply still applies to
the mover of the original motion.

The right of reply should be a review of the previous debate only, and no new issues should be
raised.

If there have not been any speakers against the motion, then the Chair may decide that there
will be no right of reply.

Once the mover has exercised their right of reply no further amendments, or procedural
motions may be raised. The next step must be putting the motion to the vote.

Voting
Only Active Members are entitled to vote at any Apex meeting. Voting is generally done verbally
or by a show of hands.
Proxy votes are not allowed at Club or Club Board meetings. Proxy votes are allowed at
Conventions, but must they must be written proxies, and must be approved by the other
representatives at the Convention.

A Chairperson of any meeting, other than a Convention is entitled to both an original vote and a
casting vote (in the case of an equality of votes). A Chairperson of a Convention is only entitled
to a casting vote.

Only those people voting (and entitled to vote) are counted when considering whether the
motion is passed. Abstentions are not counted as votes for or against. Most motions require a
simple majority, while some require a three quarter majority vote (most notably changes to the
Constitution or Special Resolutions), while other majorities may be specified by the Club’s Rules
and Standing Orders.

The Chairperson needs to make sure that every person is clear as to what is being voted upon,
by having the motion read out prior to the vote being taken. This is particularly the case when
dealing with amendments, and procedural motions.
 MEETING PROCEDURE

The Chairperson should call for both those in favour, and for those against the motion, in spite
of the fact that the decision may be obvious after the vote for or against.

The Chairperson will declare the result of the vote, generally by declaring the motion as being
carried or lost. If other than a simple majority vote is required, mention should be made that
this majority was, or was not reached.

7 TECHNICALITIES
Foreshadowing Motions and Amendments
During the discussion of a motion or an amendment, it is possible to give notice of another
motion or amendment that you intend to move. The matter that you are foreshadowing is
sometimes related to, yet in some way different from, the motion already before the meeting.
The foreshadowed proposal may also be entirely different from the current proposal. The
intention is to give people knowledge of another option to what is currently being considered.

While an amendment is being discussed, it is not possible to move another amendment. It is

appropriate to foreshadow another amendment, which will be dealt with immediately once the
current amendment is disposed of. Sometimes a foreshadowed amendment is by nature a
contingent amendment, in that the adoption of the first amendment would cause the
foreshadowed amendment to lapse.

While foreshadowing a motion or an amendment, it is not permissible to discuss the

foreshadowed amendment in any detail. However, you or subsequent speakers may refer to it.

Repetition of Business
It is not permissible to move another motion or amendment to the same effect as one already
dealt with at the same meeting. Such repetition of business may be different in the actual
wording.

It is possible to raise the matter again at a subsequent meeting, unless this is specifically
prohibited by the organisation’s rules or Standing Orders.

Adopting Reports
When a Committee member presents a verbal or written report to a meeting, it is appropriate
to move the motion ‘That the report be adopted.’ If there are any questions of the person giving
the report, these questions should be raised after the motion is moved, but before it is voted
upon.
Adopting a Secretary’s report entails accepting the correspondence (this serves to
acknowledge receipt of the incoming correspondence, or to approve of the outwards
correspondence).
Adopting a Treasurer’s report at a Club Board meeting must also entail a specific motion to
approve the payment of the cheques listed in their report, as it is the Club Board that must
approve all payments.

Motions Out of Order

A motion may be proposed that is inappropriate in some way. This may be due to the proposal
breaching meeting procedure, the proposal being clearly unworkable, or may breach the
organisation’s rules. When this is the case, the Chair should reject the proposal, declaring it
‘out of order’ with an explanation of the reasons for this ruling. Having declared the proposal out
of order, the proposal is disposed of, and the meeting moves onto the next item of business.

Points of Order
A point of order is a method of dealing with an irregularity that someone thinks has occurred.
Such an irregularity might be that there is not a quorum present, that someone has breached
the rules of meeting procedure, or that there has been a breach of the Rules of the Club, its
Standing Orders, or of the Constitution/By-Laws/Best Practices.

A point of order may be taken at any time, even while another speaker has the floor. The
person wishing to take a point of order should rise, and say ‘Point of order’. The Chair must give
MEETING PROCEDURE

precedence to the point of order, and deal with it before any other business of the meeting. The
Chair will ask for the person to explain their point of order, and discussion of the point of order
is appropriate. A point of order is not a motion as such, and does not require a seconder, but
each person is only permitted to speak once to a given point of order, and there is no right of
reply. After appropriate discussion, the Chair will give their ruling on the point of order, by
upholding (accepting) or rejecting it.

If someone disagrees with the Chairperson’s ruling on the point of order, the Chair’s ruling can
then be challenged (and it must be challenged immediately), by moving a motion of dissent in the
Chair’s ruling.

Motion of Dissent in the Chairperson’s Ruling

Such a motion is not a motion of no confidence in the Chair, but simply a statement that
someone disagrees with the decision given by the Chair. Such a decision may be the Chair’s
ruling on a point of order, on a decision to accept or not accept a motion or an amendment, or
any other ruling given by the Chair. It gives the people at the meeting the right to control the
debate and procedure of the meeting, by overruling the Chair’s decisions. A successful motion
of dissent does not mean that the Chair’s ruling was necessarily incorrect. The will of the
meeting simply overrules the will of the Chair.

Due to the motion of dissent having negative connotations, the motion needs to be framed in an
affirmative or positive form. So while the motion is called a motion of dissent, the appropriate
motion is ‘That the Chairperson’s ruling be upheld.’ This frequently causes confusion. A person
moving the motion in this proper affirmative form is saying that they agree with the Chair’s
ruling, which means that they need to vote and speak against the motion!

In Apex meetings (as opposed to some other organisations), a seconder is required for the
motion, and brief discussion is appropriate, before the motion is put.

The Chair does not need to vacate the Chair while the motion is being discussed, and the Chair
is allowed to speak to the motion by explaining their ruling. When the motion is put to the vote,
the Chair must be very specific about what the motion is, to ensure that people understand
what they are voting for, and what the effect of the votes for and against shall be.

8 PROCEDURAL MOTIONS
As mentioned earlier, procedural motions are proposals that deal with the conduct of the
meeting itself, as opposed to substantive motions discussed previously. Procedural motions are
infrequently used at smaller meetings, while at Apex Conventions they are much more
frequently used. This can create some difficulty for the novice at a Convention, as they may
easily become confused by the proceedings unless a rudimentary knowledge of some
procedural motions is obtained.

A rule for all procedural motions is:

If the Chair has the right to refuse or accept the procedural motion then:
! No seconder is required for the procedural motion; and
! No discussion of the procedural motion is permitted; and
! The procedural motion should be voted upon immediately.

9 PERMANENT DISPOSAL OF THE MOTION

One of the more common types of procedural motions, is one that aims to dispose of the
motion currently being discussed (referred to as the ‘original motion’ in the discussions below).
This may be a substantive motion, or an amendment, or it may even be another procedural
motion. There are several of these types of procedural motions.

Each of the three motions that follow, seek to dispose of the motion currently before the
meeting. If successful, the motion can be raised at a subsequent meeting, but may not be
 MEETING PROCEDURE

brought up again at the same meeting. To this extent the disposal of the motion is intended as
a permanent step.

The Closure
This procedural motion is moved in the form ‘That the motion be put.’ The aim of the motion is
to speed up the meeting, by avoiding any new discussion on the original motion, and to get the
meeting to vote on the original motion.

! This motion may be moved while another speaker has the floor.
! The motion may not be moved by a person who has moved, seconded of spoken to the
original motion, or any amendment to the original motion.
! The Chair has the right to accept or reject the motion.
! There is no right of reply for the mover of this procedural motion.

If the Closure is carried:

! If the original motion was one which carried a right of reply, that right should be exercised
immediately, and then the original motion should be put.
! If the original motion was an amendment, then the amendment should be put immediately.
Following the vote on the amendment, discussion on the main motion can continue as usual,
without any restriction on the debate.
If the Closure is lost:
! Debate on the original motion can continue.

Proceed to the Next Business

This procedural motion is moved in the form ‘That the meeting proceed to the next business.’
The aim of the motion is to shelve any discussion and voting on the original motion, avoiding time
wasting on trivial matters.
! The motion may not be moved by a person who has moved, seconded of spoken to the
original motion, or any amendment to the original motion.
! If the original motion was part of a printed agenda, this procedural motion may only be
moved after the original motion has been moved, seconded and the mover has spoken to
their motion.
! The Chair has the right to accept or reject the motion.
! There is no right of reply for the mover of this procedural motion.
If the procedural motion is carried:
! The original motion before the Chair is shelved, without further discussion, and without any
vote being taken.
! If the original motion was an amendment, then the amendment is shelved, but discussion on
the main motion resumes as usual.

The Previous Question

This strange title gives no clue to the motion, which is moved in the form ‘That the motion be not
now put.’ The motion is rarely used. The intent of the motion is to stop the meeting from voting
on the motion, without gagging debate on the original motion. The reason for stopping the
meeting from voting, yet allowing discussion, is that a decision one way or the other may prove
embarrassing, misleading or controversial to the organisation or some of its members.
! The motion cannot be moved while an amendment is being discussed, or if another
procedural motion is before the Chair (as this would then be the motion not to be put, and
there is no reason to avoid a vote on a procedural motion).
! The motion may not be moved by a person who has moved, seconded of spoken to the
original motion, or any amendment to the original motion.
! The Chair must accept this procedural motion, as long as it is in order, therefore requiring a
seconder for the motion, and being open to discussion. Not only is the procedural motion
open to discussion, but the original motion may also be discussed. The aim is not to gag
debate, but to stop the vote from being taken.
MEETING PROCEDURE

! There is no right of reply for the mover of this procedural motion.

If the Previous Question is carried:
! There is no more discussion (all discussion having occurred before voting on the procedural
motion), and the meeting proceeds to the next item of business without voting on the
motion.
If the Previous Question is lost:
! There is no more discussion (all discussion having occurred before voting on the procedural
motion), but the mover of the original motion may still exercise their right of reply, following
which the vote on the original motion must be made.

10 TEMPORARY DISPOSAL OF THE MOTION

The procedural motions that follow seek to temporarily dispose of the motion before the Chair,
with every intention of the motion being reconsidered at some later stage.

Tabling Motion
The form of such a procedural motion is ‘That the motion lie on the table.’ The intent is for
discussion to stop for an unspecified period, until the organisation wishes to reconsider the
matter by raising the motion off the table, either at a later stage of the same meeting, or at a
subsequent meeting. The reason is usually to enable more information to be obtained before
further discussion and a decision is made.

! The motion may not be moved by a person who has moved, seconded of spoken to the
original motion, or any amendment to the original motion.
! The Chair has the right to accept or reject the motion.
! The motion may not be moved while another procedural motion is before the Chair.
If the Tabling motion is carried, then:
! No further discussion (or vote) on the original motion occurs, until the organisation takes the
motion off the table. Following a motion to raise the motion off the table, the debate
resumes with the same status as when the motion was tabled (ie the mover’s, seconder’s
and the previous speakers’ entitlements are unchanged).
! If the original motion was an amendment, then both the amendment, and the main motion
are tabled.
If the Tabling motion is lost, then:
! Debate resumes. Another Tabling Motion may not be moved while the same original motion
is being considered.

Adjournment of Debate
The form of this motion is ‘That the debate be adjourned’. A time for the debate to be resumed
(which could be amended) may be specified either in this motion, or be the subject of a
subsequent motion. If no time for resumption of the debate is specified, then it should become
the first item to be considered at the next meeting.

! The motion may not be moved by a person who has moved, seconded of spoken to the
original motion, or any amendment to the original motion.
! The Chair must accept this procedural motion, as long as it is in order, therefore requiring a
seconder for the motion, and being open to discussion. Any time, date and venue for
resumption of the debate may be amended.
! There is a right of reply for the mover of this procedural motion. The mover of this motion
should also be the next person to speak to the original motion, whether or not the debate is
adjourned.

Reference Motion
The form of this motion is ‘That the matter be referred to a committee.’ The aim of this motion
is to shelve debate on the issue, and to give a committee the power to investigate it instead.
This may be appropriate if the matter can not be conveniently dealt with by the meeting as a
 MEETING PROCEDURE

whole. The motion may include details of the people to make up the committee, its powers and
terms of reference, and its duty to report. Alternatively these issues can be addressed by a
subsequent motion.
! The motion may not be moved by a person who has moved, seconded of spoken to the
original motion, or any amendment to the original motion.
! The Chair must accept this procedural motion, as long as it is in order, therefore requiring a
seconder for the motion, and being open to discussion. Details of the committee may also
be amended.
! There is a right of reply for the mover of this procedural motion.

Meeting Adjournment
The form of the motion is ‘That the meeting be adjourned.’ There may be any number of
reasons for adjourning the meeting. It may be in order to have a break in the meeting, while
some other activity is undertaken. There may not be time to fully complete the remainder of the
agenda, so some other time can be set aside to finish the business of the meeting.

A time for the meeting to be resumed may be specified either in this motion (which could be
amended), or be the subject of a subsequent motion. If no time for the resumption of the
meeting is specified, then it should resume at the next regular meeting.

! A motion to adjourn the meeting may be moved by any person, there being no restrictions
upon previous speakers.
! The Chair must accept this procedural motion, as long as it is in order, therefore requiring a
seconder for the motion, and being open to discussion. Any time, date and venue for
resumption of the debate may be amended.
! The mover of the adjournment has a right of reply.

11 TIME LIMITS
Motions to specify the time available to particular speakers, or to the debate on a motion as a
whole may be moved. Some examples might be:

‘That the speaker be no longer heard.’ This procedural motion may be moved while the speaker
concerned is talking.

‘That the speaker be heard for a further two minutes.’ This extension of time may be applied if a
speaker has reached the time limit set previously for speakers. Note however that such a
motion can be moved only once during the debate of any substantive motion.

! A time limit motion may be moved by any person, there being no restrictions upon previous
speakers.
! The Chair has the right to accept or reject a time limit motion.
! The time specified by a time limit motion may be amended, but no discussion of the
amendment is allowed.

12 OTHER PROCEDURAL MOTIONS

There are many other possible motions that deal with the conduct of the meeting. A brief
explanation of some of these follows.
! ‘That motion ..... be recommitted.’ If an organisation starts to have doubts about a
previous motion, or if new information has come to light, the matter can be brought forward
for reconsideration by the same or a later meeting. The Chair has the right to refuse or
accept the recommittal motion, but should be satisfied as to the grounds for the
recommittal. Once a motion has been recommitted, debate resumes to the status just prior
to the vote being taken, and is able to be amended.
! ‘That motion ..... be rescinded.’ If an organisation feels that a resolution of the current or a
previous meeting is unworkable or unconstitutional, it may be rescinded. Rescission
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effectively means that the original motion has been cancelled. If a resolution is contrary to an
organisation’s Constitution, then it is void and has no effect, but should still be rescinded for
tidiness. A rescission motion may be moved by anyone at the meeting, and the Chair is not
obliged to accept the rescission motion.
! ‘That the meeting move into a Committee of the Whole.’ This enables the meeting to
temporarily enter a type of brainstorming session, or general discussion in which the
formalities and limitations of meeting procedure are relaxed. The aim might be to arrive at a
specific proposal, which can then be the subject of a motion.
! ‘That the meeting move in camera.’ This seeks to exclude those people who are not
entitled to vote from the meeting, in circumstances where confidentiality is required.
Separate minutes of in camera sessions should be kept, and only approved by later in
camera sessions.
! ‘That John Smith be invited to speak.’ This motion may be moved if John Smith is a non-
member, and someone wants to hear their comments or arguments.
! ‘That John Smith be heard.’ This may be moved if John Smith is entitled to speak, but has
not been asked to do so by the Chair.
! ‘That agenda item .... be discussed next.’ The meeting has control over the order of its
business, so it can change the order of the printed agenda. Such a motion can only be
moved if there is no motion currently before the meeting, and must be accepted by the
Chair.
! ‘That motion number .... be withdrawn.’ This may only be moved if there is no motion
currently before the meeting. If there is a motion currently before the meeting, then the
appropriate method is to move that the meeting proceed to the next business.
! ‘That a recount be undertaken.’ This motion may be moved if there is doubt about the
counting of the votes that has just occurred. The Chair may elect to do this of their own
accord.
! ‘That a recount by division be undertaken.’ This motion can be moved before, or
immediately after a vote has been taken. To do so, those eligible to vote move to opposite
sides of the room – those voting for the motion move to the right of the Chair, and those
voting against the motion move to the left of the Chair. The names of those voting are then
recorded (as part of the minutes), and counted. A division will significantly slow the voting
process down, but serves to keep a record of how people vote, and can be used if a vote by
show if hands leads to dubious results.
! ‘That a vote by poll be undertaken.’ This motion can be moved before, or immediately after
a vote has been taken. It involves each person recording their vote on a ballot paper. The
vote by poll serves to keep each person’s vote secret. Voting by poll will significantly slow the
voting process down, but may be used if a vote by show of hands leads to dubious results, or
if secrecy of each person’s voting is desired.
! ‘That Standing Orders be suspended.’ Standing Orders are the rules that govern the
organisation’s meetings. The Standing Orders may be temporarily suspended in order to
overcome a restriction that would otherwise be imposed by the organisation’s Standing
Orders. Note that an organisation’s Constitution cannot be suspended, but the proper
methods of changing the Constitution must be observed. The motion may specify the
specific Standing Order that you desire to be suspended, rather than suspending all of them.
At some later stage, a motion to resume the Standing Order(s) should be moved when
appropriate.
! ‘That the Chair has the confidence of the meeting.’ This is a no confidence motion in the
Chair, moved in the affirmative form, requiring a negative vote to declare no confidence in
the Chair. Another person should take the Chair while this is being debated. If the no
confidence motion is successful, the person concerned vacates the Chair for the remainder
of this meeting only. It does not affect their status, as a member or as President (for
example) of the organisation.
! ‘That late agenda item ..... be accepted onto the agenda.’ At some meetings, notably
Apex Conventions, prior notice of motions needs to be provided, by the motions being printed
as part of the agenda for the meeting. It may be possible to introduce a new motion onto the
agenda, even though it was not notified in time to originally go onto the agenda. Such a
motion is termed a late agenda item, and requires a motion to accept it onto the agenda of
the meeting. This motion requires a seconder, and discussion is in order as to why the item
should be placed on the agenda. Only if this procedural motion is passed, will the late
agenda item will be discussed and voted upon later in the meeting.
 MEETING PROCEDURE

13 REFERENCES
The Rules of Meeting Procedure are included in the Association Best Practices, and the Model
Club Rules. Any matters not dealt with, or in need of clarification are to be resolved by
reference to ‘Guide for Meetings’ and its companion book, ‘Guide for Voluntary Associations’ by
N.E. Renton.

There is also a useful table that summarises the details of the most common procedural
motions available in the Club Executive Training Seminar Manual, and the Apex Directory.

14 USEFUL SUMMARIES

RULES FOR PRIORITIES

PROCEDURAL Several matters may be before a meeting at
MOTIONS once, and should be dealt with in the following
priority:
The Chair has the right to refuse 1. Calls for a quorum
or accept only the following
procedural motions: 2. Points of Order
3. Personal explanations
! ‘That the motion be put.’
4. Procedural motions
! ‘That the meeting proceed to
the next business.’ 5. No confidence motions
6. Substantive motions and their
! ‘That the motion lie on the amendments
table.’
! A time limit motion.

The following rules apply to only INTERRUPTIONS TO SPEAKERS

these procedural motions also: Speakers may only be interrupted by other
! No seconder is required; members in the following circumstances:
! No discussion is permitted *; ! On a point of order
! The procedural motion should ! On a call for a quorum
be voted upon immediately *. ! To move ‘That the motion be put.’
! To move a time limit motion for the current
* except that the time specified in a
time limit motion may be amended speaker
(but not discussed) ! To move a motion for the meeting to go in
camera