Every Day Toastmaster's Guide for Parliamentary Procedures

What's It For? How Important is It? (Rank) What’s It's Called? (Name of Motion) Category? (Type of Motion) Can we interrupt the Speaker? Should Someone Else Agree to Talk About This? (Requires a second) Can we add to It? (Amendable) Debatable Votes to Pass? Can we Change our Minds? (Reconsider)
Deciding when to go home 1 Fix time to which to adjourn Privileged No Yes Yes Yes Majority (that's 1 more than half) Yes
Stopping the meeting 2 Adjourn Privileged No Yes No No Majority No
Taking a break 3 Take a Recess Privileged No Yes Yes No Majority No
Asking a favor 4 Raise a Question of Privilege Privileged Yes No No No Chair grants No
Focusing on what we are doing in the meeting 5 Call for Orders of the Day Privileged Yes No No No No vote No
Talking about it later 6 Lay on the Table Subsidiary No Yes No No Majority No
Taking action by ceasing debate 7 Previous Question (close Debate) Subsidiary No Yes No No Majority Yes
Taking a specific amount of time to discuss the subject 8 Limit to the Extended Debate Subsidiary No Yes Yes No 2/3 Yes
Postponing talk about this subject till the next meeting 9 Postpone to a Certain time (definitely) Subsidiary No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes
Getting a smaller group to work on the subject 10 Refer to a Committee(Commit) Subsidiary No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes
Adding more specifics for consideration 11 Amend Subsidiary No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes
Postponing discussion forever 12 Postpone Indefinitely Subsidiary No Yes Yes Yes Majority If Passed
Proposing an action to take 13 Original Main Motion Main No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes
I think we need to check on something.   Point of Order Incidental Yes No No No Chair rules No
Asking for a second chance   Appeal Incidental Yes Yes No Yes Majority Yes
Asing for the rules or their interpretation   Parliamentary Inquiry Incidental Yes No No No Chair Answers No
Requesting consideration without the structure   Suspend the Rules Incidental No Yes No No 2/3 No
Not liking what is going on   Object to a Consideration Incidental Yes No Yes Yes Majority It fails
Subject is too big, let's break it into smaller pieces.   Division of a Question Incidental No Yes Yes No Majority  
Taking one thing at a time   Consideration of a Paragraph (Seriatim) Incidental No Yes Yes No Majority No
Uncertain of the vote, ask for a show of hands.   Division of the Assembly Incidental Yes No No No On Demand No
Mistake has occurred, reverse the decision   Rescind Restorative No Yes Yes Yes 2/3 No
Requesting that we look at this again.   Reconsider Restorative Yes Yes Yes No Majority No
Previously postponed decision is now up for discussion   Take from the table Restorative No Yes No No Majority No

Last Updated on 04/05/2001
By Friends of Frank Connelly, DTM, Candidate for International Director 2001-2003, Region VIII