So you think it’s just about standing up. Wrong, naturally. It’s just the way things work. So a motion has been brought to the floor and you want to state your opinion on it. You have your thoughts clearly laid out in your head.
How you take the floor depends a little on the situation you are in. If you are in a giant conference hall with microphones it’s a bit different than if you are in a board meeting with 10 people.
The easy version, you are in a small meeting with just a few people. The chair of the meeting can simply acknowledge you with a nod. You can raise your hand and they’ll keep track, no big deal. Unless of course the issue is controversial. Then you’ll want to follow the rules that follow.
Large meeting hall. You take the floor only by standing once it has been yielded by the pervious holder. Basically once the person before you is done stand up and get the attention of the chair.
The appropriate way to address the chair is Sir or Madam and then their title: Chair, President, or Chairperson whatever they happen to be. State your full name and your relationship to the group, your title, whatever is appropriate for the situation.
When it isn’t a first come first serve thing:
You’ve already talked about this issue. If everyone who wants to speak on the topic hasn’t already spoken you can’t talk again.
If you haven’t spoken and others have you get to budge in line. It’s a pretty handy thing.
If there are two or more sides to a topic the rule is to let the different sides alternate. Pro, con and the like. This way, especially if debate is limited, you get to hear reasonable arguments from each side.
If debate is limited (which it usually is) you get to speak and someone will cut you off or indicate that your time is up. Sometimes things will be organized and each side will have a certain amount of time and they get to decide who speaks. Make sure your speaker is well versed, but also, and sadly almost more importantly, a good, or even great speaker. Clear, eloquent, convincing all the things that you would like, they are really important.
(Please don’t let the person you let represent you be one of the nutjobs who goes off on a topic completely unrelated to the matter at hand. If you do, I and many others, will mercilessly mock you.)
The only time you are allowed to speak out of turn is for parliamentary procedures that are in order when another has the floor. (This is easily indicated in your book, or if you have it the handy little chart.) Things like a Point of Order are allowed.
In fact if the chair for whatever reason didn’t see you when you clearly took the floor before the person who was acknowledged then a Point of Order is in order, as it were. Just stand up or be recognized (shouting is not generally a good thing, but occasionally called for). The chair is then supposed to immediately correct the error. This is especially good if the person has already spoken and you haven’t, or you are opposed and they are for and the last three people were for the motion.
A Point of Personal Privilege is also in order, if you can’t hear (this can be really important), just stand up, or wave your arms or fart really loud, just get the chair’s attention and let them know. It is the job of the chair to keep the room in order.
Obtaining the floor is a very important step to getting what you want so do it and do it right.
