Conducting Formal Meetings
Formal meetings often follow Robert’s Rules of Order, which describes parliamentary procedure. The summary below will work for most meetings, but if you need the full set of rules, find the newly revised edition in your school library.
Summary of Robert’s Rules
- Agenda and committee reports: The meeting agenda and any committee reports are mere suggestions, used as the chair deems appropriate.
- Powers of the chair: The chair can open and close meetings, recognize speakers and give them the floor (the right to speak), and call for votes.
- Gaining the floor: Members must be recognized by the chair before they have the floor.
- Making remarks: Members must address remarks to the chair, and remarks must be courteous, without reference to personalities or motives.
- Making motions: Members can make motions, indicating decisions they want the general body to vote on.
- Seconding motions: Another member must second a motion to bring it to a vote.
- Changing, amending, or withdrawing one’s own motions: Before the chair calls the motion for a vote, members can change, amend, or withdraw their own motions. If the motion is changed, the member who seconded the motion can remove the second.
- Changing or amending another’s motion: Before the chair calls the original motion for a vote, members can make a motion to change or amend the motion of another member. Such a motion to change has to be seconded and approved by the group.
- Voting on motions: The chair calls for a vote on a motion that has been made, seconded, and discussed. The motion as stated by the chair is called the “immediate pending question.”
- Passing motions: A motion passes if it receives a simple majority—more than half of the votes.
- Adjourning: As with any other decision, the motion to adjourn must be made, seconded, and voted upon by the group.
Your Turn Review the rules above. The next time you have a group meeting, follow Robert’s Rules. Appoint a chair (the leader) who will open the meeting, recognize members and motions, and call for votes. How does this approach help or hamper group discussion?
Creating a Meeting Agenda
An agenda is a list of activities anticipated for a specific meeting. Agendas take different forms, depending on the meeting. The following agenda is for a student council meeting.
Heading
The group, date, and time are indicated.
WINKLER STUDENT COUNCIL
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012, 7:30 A.M.
AGENDA
Items of Business
Action items for the meeting are listed.
- CALL TO ORDER: Stephani Nealy, Chair
- APPROVAL OF MINUTES
- COMMITTEE REPORTS
- Service: NO MEETING
- Fund-Raising: SEE REPORT
Reports
Additional information appears in separate reports.
- OLD BUSINESS
- Needy Family Drive
- Long-Range Planning Committee
- NEW BUSINESS
- Prom Planning
- National Honor Society Induction
- ADJOURNMENT
Taking Meeting Minutes
The minutes of a meeting parallel the agenda of the meeting, indicating what happened, what decisions were made, and who did what. The following meeting minutes show the first few items from the meeting above.
Heading
The group, date, and time are indicated.
WINKLER STUDENT COUNCIL
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012, 7:30 A.M.
MINUTES
- CALL TO ORDER: Stephani Nealy called the meeting to order. In attendance: Leslie Avery, Jen Davidson, Tara Jenkins, Darla Lindell, Stephani Nealy, Carl Reichstadt, Rob Taylor
Attendance
The roll is called.
Actions
Motions, seconds, and votes are noted.
- APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The council reviewed the January 31 minutes. Carl Reichstadt moved for approval; Darla Lindell seconded. Minutes were approved as submitted.
- COMMITTEE REPORTS
Reports
Reports are summarized.
- Service: NO MEETING
- Fund-Raising: Tara Jenkins reported that the fund-raiser is going well, with over $200 gathered so far and five school days remaining.