We all know that parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rule of Order can be a little tricky at times, so I’m here to break it down for you. The reason we use it is so our meetings flow more smoothly and so everyone in attendance is heard. Imagine not everyone in your council getting to voice their ideas. This would cause an outburst of members feeling invalidated and unimportant to FCCLA. Let me break it down for you, so you can make sure your voice is heard in the right, respectful way!
First, the president will start the meeting and will be in charge of conducting the meeting in a timely manner. In order to get attention from the president to speak, you must say “Madam/Mister President”. The president will acknowledge you, and then you may begin to make your motion. To do this you would say “I move…”. After this, the president may open it up for discussion. Again, in order to put input in on the motion, you must first ask the president to speak.
Once there has been discussion, if any at all, then the president will then repeat word for word what the original motion was, and the council votes on it. How the voting is executed will be up to the President. Some options are voice, ballot, or standing. To go more in depth of how these kinds of voting are performed- voice voting is where all contenders will say “I” if they want to move the motion. Ballot is where they vote either yes or no on a slip of paper and the votes are then tallied. Standing consists of the members that agree with the motion to stand. If someone cannot determine if there was a good vote or not, they may call out division. This means that both the President and the Parliamentarian will have to count the votes to determine if the motion will pass. Once they count the votes, they must check with each other to make sure they have the same number.
It is possible for a motion to be postponed to a set time, usually the next regularly scheduled meeting, or it can be postponed permanently by stating “I move we…” followed by their motion to postpone. This motion is also required to be seconded and after some discussion, will be voted upon by the group. Just a majority vote is required.
Now that you know all of the steps, and what to say during Parliamentary Procedure, don’t be shy and get out there and speak up for what you think should be done in FCCLA! Everyone’s voice deserves to be heard, and now you can do it the right way!
Lexie Barton
Vice President of Parliamentary Law
