Page 22 - The Law of Difficult Meetings

The Law of Difficult Meetings

Section Heading:
Part 4 – Resolutions Flow text to this box for the Header (H)

17. PROCEDURAL MOTIONS

Procedural motions are often used to terminate or delay discussion, or to attempt so to do. Adjournment is
discussed further at paragraph 27 (“Adjourning the meeting”) below, but other common procedural motions
include:

A. Closure

The Chairman and, it seems, any member who has not spoken on the motion can move for closure of the
business. A closure motion can be used against other procedural motions and amendments as well as in
relation to substantive resolutions. If passed, no further discussion on the business is permitted and the
motion in debate must be put to the meeting forthwith.

B. Objecting/consenting to strangers

Members may move that strangers be asked to leave or that the meeting consent to their presence. But if the
Chairman has raised the question of the presence of strangers at the outset of the meeting and the meeting
did not then object, and there has been no material change in the circumstances, then the Chairman may
refuse to allow the question to be re‑opened.

C. “Move the previous question”

This is a resolution that the existing question is not now put. The “previous question” is the question of
whether the matter should be put to the meeting at all and should only be moved by a member who has not
spoken on the resolution in hand. Debate on this resolution and on the main resolution can also continue at
the same time. If the motion is put to the meeting and defeated, the Chairman must immediately put the
main resolution to the vote.

D. “Proceed to the next business”

This has the same effect as the previous motion, namely to shelve the matter under discussion.

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