By: Kylee Harrison
Want to know a three-word-phrase that instantly gets under my skin?
I MOTION TO…
I guess you could blame it on all my years of 4-H and FFA, but improper parliamentary procedure is a real pet peeve of mine!
If you are wondering what the heck I am even talking about, let’s start from the beginning. Parliamentary procedure is the proper way to run a business meeting. In the United States, Robert’s Rules of Order, which was first published in 1876 by U.S. Army Officer Henry Martyn Robert, is the most widely used manual for parliamentary procedure.
When using Robert’s Rules of Order, whether it be at religious group meetings, non-profit group meetings, school boards or government organizations, it gives us a set and common guideline to follow for ways to conduct business of the meeting.
The piece of parliamentary procedure that is most used is making a motion. A motion means that you think the group should act on an idea, so you are going to present it to them, hence saying, “I move to…” What is wrong with the phrase above? Just improper grammar!
If you feel a little lost in your board meetings, Wild West Extension offers a host of different ways to brush up on your rules so you can become a parliamentarian wiz! Board Leadership is a great class that could be taught to your group to help with parliamentary procedure. There are also many handouts that could be utilized to help your board. Here is a quick and easy cheat sheet that tells most of the different phrases, what they mean, and how to use them. http://diphi.web.unc.edu/files/2016/10/cheat-sheet.pdf
Need some more help? Here is a fun parliamentary procedure crossword to test yourself. Want to see how you did? Email Kylee at kharrison@ksu.edu for the answers.
