Publications

How to Chair a Meeting

Call to Order

Start Your Meeting on Time.

Rap your gavel.

I hereby call this meeting to order.

Wait for quiet—THEN, begin business of the meeting.

Roll Call of Officers

The Recording Secretary will call the Roll of Officers.

The Recording Secretary should then call roll in a loud, clear voice—with pauses for response.

Reading of Minutes

The Secretary will read minutes of last meeting.

Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes? [pause] If not, the minutes will stand approved as read.

If there are corrections to the minutes —ask for unanimous consent to additions or corrections.

(Business referred by minutes to this meeting should be taken up under unfinished business.)

Reading of Correspondence

The Recording Secretary will now read the correspondence.

Letters requiring action by the membership will be discussed by the Executive Board prior to the meeting. At this meeting they should be read along with the recommendations by the board. Recording Secretary should summarize long or unimportant letters.

Routine letters and ads should not be taken up at this meeting.

Reports of Officers

President’s Report: Includes action taken by the Executive Board at its last meeting and the agenda for this meeting. In larger locals, minutes of Executive Board meetings and the agenda for this meeting might be duplicated for distribution. (In this report, the President should advise the members of problems facing the local; what are the priorities and what direction and action the local should take.)

The President’s Report may be followed by motions from the floor:

  • to accept the Report of the Executive Board;

  • to adopt the agenda for this meeting;

  • other.

Does the Chair hear a motion from the floor to…

Secretary-Treasurer’s Report: Should be copied and passed out at the meeting—see example form, Appendix E, International Constitution.

Does everyone have a copy of the Secretary-Treasurer’s Report? [pause]

Are there any questions? [pause] If there are no objections, the Secretary-Treasurer’s Report will stand approved.

Should someone raise an objection, a motion of approval is required.

We will now hear a report from [give name].

Reports of Staff and Committees

Staff Report: May include giving the latest information on grievances, council activities, organization activities, process in collective bargaining, other information of current interest to the membership.

Committee Reports: Should be made only when there is something worthwhile to report.

We will now hear a report from ___________________ Committee.

The President should go over the Committee’s Report with the Chairperson before the meeting. General progress reports of a committee’s activities may be voted upon at the conclusion of the report:

You have heard the report of the ____________________ Committee, does the Chair hear a motion to accept the report?

However, if a Committee Report contains specific recommendations which call for membership action:

You have heard the report of the __________________ Committee, with the recommendation that the membership authorize, etc. Does the Chair hear a motion from the membership on the _________________ Committee’s recommendation?

Reports may be heard from:

  • Stewards Committee

  • PEOPLE Committee

  • Organizing Committee or

  • other committee appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Board.

Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business: Includes any items left over, or referred from a previous meeting—which requires membership action.

Is there any unfinished business?

This may be followed by a motion from the floor dealing with the specific items of unfinished business.

Note: Some reference to the item of unfinished business should be available in the minutes of the previous meeting.

New Business

New Business: Includes items raised at this meeting which were not necessarily included on the agenda, but which require membership action.

(These items may have come up as a result of Committee Reports or correspondence.)

Is there any new business?

This, also, may be followed by a motion from the floor dealing with the specific item of new business.

Good and Welfare

Good and Welfare: This part of the meeting gives the members a chance to discuss the general welfare of the Union. It may also be used for some planned activity, refreshments, visiting speaker, acknowledgments, etc.

Is there any Good and Welfare?

(Motions should not be made or any official business conducted during this part of the meeting.)

Adjournment

Adjourning the Meeting:

Keep your meetings short—

If the business of the meeting is finished and no one has made motion to adjourn, the Chair should ask for one.

Do I hear a motion to adjourn?

Notes for the Chairperson

Occasionally, the Chair may call for a motion—

Does the Chair hear a motion to ?…

A motion must be seconded.

The Chair must state the motion and call for discussion—

It has been moved and seconded that … Is there any discussion?

A motion may be amended—

An amendment has been made and seconded that … Is there any discussion on the amendment?

VOTING: If a motion has an amendment—vote on the amendment first, then on the motion.

Sometimes a member may rise on a “Point of Order.”

I rise on a point of order, this discussion does not pertain to the business at hand.

The Chair then makes a ruling—

Your point is well-taken [not well taken] and… [make the correction].

Sometimes a “Point of Information”—

I don’t understand the meaning of this motion...

The Chair then clarifies the motion for the member—

The meaning here is...

There is no discussion of a motion to:

  • Adjourn the Meeting

  • Lay on the Table

  • Take a Recess

  • Close Debate

  • Vote on a Point of Order

  • Limit Debate

  • Withdraw a Motion

For a detailed description of the rules of order see Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance by O. Garfield Jones. Copies can be ordered from AFSCME Education Department, 1625 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036.

Print Version