Robert's Rules: I OBJECT! or shhhh! no talky!

I know you love it, that’s why you keep coming back so we are now back to Robert and his rules. Here in Minnesota we’ve officially entered political season because we had our caucuses on Tuesday night. Now we are on to the conventions. Conventions are almost always run by Robert’s Rules and are a great place to flex your new muscle, especially if you don’t have a great chair running your convention. And I’d like to take a moment to point out that just because you are nice and sweet doesn’t make you a good person to run a meeting, just because you know Robert’s Rules doesn’t make you a good person to run a meeting, just because you rule with an iron fist or velvet glove (or even a velvet glove over the iron fist) doesn’t make you a good person to run the meeting. Running a meeting really well takes many qualities and is pretty rare, if you’ve got it don’t take advantage, you’ll have plenty of mediocre and bad chairs to take advantage of, don’t worry.

Something that might come up in a convention (or anywhere else) is something we don’t even want to talk about. Not something you don’t want to talk about because it’s difficult but something you don’t even want to be in your minutes for the opposition bloggers to get thier digits on and exploit. This is something that is pretty unusual. But how do you do it and what do you do when someone else does it to you? (More likely, this isn’t a motion I recomend using for much of anything.)

First you can leap out of your chair and onto a table when someone else has the floor and discussion on the question hasn’t started (like while the seconder has the floor is perfect) and say “Chairperson! I object to the conseideration of this question!” You don’t need a second, you don’t get to amend it, you don’t get to debate it, no talky straight to the vote. You need 2/3rds of the people to be against talking about the motion (or to be very confused, which is easy with this one) in order for it to not be talked about. This isn’t an easy, convienient, or smart way to lay the smack down on a vote you don’t want to discuss. On something you don’t want to even bother with (if you have a big enough group on your side), simply move to close discussion right away and go to the vote and vote it down. Something that’s been voted down is much harder to get back and always has that mental block that goes with it too.

Back to the Objection to the Consideration of a Question. Chances are that when this comes up, unless you’ve got a really great and attentive either audience or chair there will be confusion. I promise. I’m already confused for them. What they chair should say is
The consideration of the question is objected to. Shall the question be considered?”
So do you vote yes or no if you want the question to go away? No. You vote no to make the question go away, and yes to debate the question.
However, this only works if the chair is clear and slow and deliberate. Don’t assume that they’ll ask the question correctly. This is a very good opportunity for you to stand up for a Point of Order. Just stand up and say “Chair! Point of Order!” The chair should stop speaking and listen. “I’d like to clairfy, Chair, if we want to consider the question, take it to a vote and disucssion and all of that do we vote yes or no?” They should at that point make it clear which vote means what. This is really important. My mom used to tell me that if I had the question someone else in the room did too so I was doing them a favor by asking. This is a situation were I almost gaurentee someone has a question as to what’s going on and so don’t be afraid to ask. I’ve given you the tools (Point of Order) that let you do it so just go for it, even if you get it.

You don’t want to use the Objection to the Consideration of a Question if the motion that is out of order. If it shouldn’t be (check back at the early column on motions to see what is a no-no motion) then stand up and shout do the Point of Order thing (which I’ve also discussed already). This isn’t something I would recommend using. It is something I can see some one else thinking is a good thing and using it to try out Robert the Rules. So this is your chance to take back the meeting and give them the smack down.

Ready yourselves for the excitement and dig in your heels. Don’t let a meeting be taken over by bullies and do what you need to in order to make sure that everyone knows what’s going on so things don’t slip past and right back into the back room. Look back through the archives for more tips on dealing with an unruly or over ridden meeting.