How to Call for a Motion in Roberts Rules of Order
Working with a group can be challenging, particularly when people are passionate about their own ideas. As the size of a group grows, it can be even more challenging to allow everyone to speak and share in an orderly and fair manner. Roberts Rules of Order is a set of guidelines designed to efficiently advance a meeting agenda by allowing individuals to speak and be heard. The guidelines use a list of motions -- statements with situational and hierarchical order -- that you call to open a line of discussion.
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Instructions
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Decide what you want to address. Does what you have to say concern business from the meeting agenda or is it of a general nature? To address primary business (items on the agenda) use a main motion. To address an idea of a general nature, use the appropriate motion from the list of incidental (secondary) motions.
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Determine if your motion can take precedence. Primary, or main motions, are ranked in relation to one another. Review the chart of motions which illustrates motion hierarchy. If another member calls a motion ranked higher than the one you have in mind, you must wait until the conversation closes on the current motion or call one of higher precedence. For instance, if someone moves to adjourn the meeting (ranked number 2), you cannot move to extend debate on a topic (ranked number 7) until after a vote has been made for the higher ranked motion. Most secondary motions can be used regardless of main motion precedence.
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Refer to the proper motion phrase. In most cases, you can call a motion by stating "I move to..." or "I call..." followed by the appropriate motion and any additional related statement (e.g., "I move to recess until April 1st.").
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Wait for support on your motion. After you call a motion, another member of the meeting must second it in order for it to move forward. This is true of all but one primary motion (Orders of the day), and also applies to several secondary motions.
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Tips & Warnings
Carry a chart of motions with you to meetings until you are comfortable with motion hierarchy and usage. A list is available in the Resource section.
