february/march call to order
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Greetings FBLA members and advisers!
The National Parliamentarian’s Council is pleased to present the January/
February Edition of the Call to Order. As conference season approaches, we
hope this newsletter will serve as a valuable resource for preparing for Parlia-
mentary Procedure competitions.
Inside this edition are many insightful articles on topics such as parliamentary
procedure for beginners, how to reconsider a motion, and advice for holding
online meetings. The council wishes you the best of luck on your local and
state competitions and we hope to see you in Nashville!
Lastly, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or suggestions. I
can be reached at [email protected]. The entire council would be glad to an-
swer any questions about Parliamentary Procedure or competing in FBLA. As
always, remember to share this newsletter with members of your state and lo-
cal chapters.
Best Regards,
Adam Nissinoff
FBLA National Parliamentarian
JANUARY&FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
Letter from the National Parliamentarian...
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Table of Contents
Do you know a parliamentarian that has contributed greatly to
your chapter?
Email :
National Executive Parliamentarian Rani Mavram at
March 17, 2014
Want to be featured in the next issue?
Letter from the National Parliamentarian 1
Tips for Beginners 3
Bringing a Question before the Assembly 4
Letter from the Counil 4
How YOU Can Get Involved 5
Upcoming dates and Reminders 5
ARTICLE PAGE
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Tips for beginners 1. BE PREPARED
It is crucial to prepare ahead of time for meetings. Make sure that the
Secretary has an agenda prepared to keep the meeting running in or-
der. It is also a good idea to send a tentative agenda to all members
ahead of time so they can come prepared. Be sure that all committee
chairpersons know their responsibility, and let them know ahead of time if
they need to give a report.
2. MAKING A MOTION
Making a motion is very easy. To make a motion you must first address the
chair "Mr./Madam President" once you have been acknowledged you
may make your motion. When making a motion you must always start
with the phrase "I move that/to...".
3. SOMETHING IS DONE OUT OF ORDER
During meetings things can get out of order. Don't worry! There are many
ways to fix this problem. If the chair calls something in the agenda out of
order, a member can simply stand and state "I call for the orders of the
day". During a motion if a member notices that something is being done
wrong or if they feel that their rights are not being enforced they can call
for a "point of order!" The chair will then ask the member to state their
point. If you are unsure of how something is supposed to be done you
can stand and ask for a parliamentary inquiry.
4. AMENDMENTS
The motion to amend is one of the most commonly used motions. If
somebody makes a motion and someone else has an idea to make the
motion even better they can amend it before it is voted on. Amend-
ments must be germane to the question at hand, meaning they need to
be relevant to the motion being considered. An amendment to an
amendment can be made, but only one amendment to an amendment
can be considered at a time. Amendments require a majority vote.
Something that has previously been adopted can be amended as well.
These motions require a two-thirds vote without previous notice or a ma-
jority vote with notice. All other rules to amend something previously
adopted are generally the same as a regular amendment.
5. CHAIRMAN RESPONSIBILITY
The chairman plays an important role in meetings. Anyone who wants to
speak has to first be recognized by the chair. The chair should always re-
main impartial during meetings, this is why the chairman typically does
not enter into debate or vote. The only time the chair should vote is if his/
her vote will affect the outcome or if the vote is by ballot. If the chair feels
strongly on a topic and would like to make a motion or vote then he/she
should turn the chair over to someone else. The chairman should be fa-
miliar with all committee reports, have a good idea of what kind of busi-
ness is to come up, and know how to handle different scenarios.
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BRINGING A QUESTION BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY
LETTER FROM THE COUNCIL 2014 is in full swing and all of FBLA is preparing for the State
Leadership Conferences in March and April and the National
Leadership Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee at the end
of June. The National Parliamentarian’s Council has been hard
at work thinking of new ways to create and publish resources
to be available to every member and chapter in FBLA. We’re
all super excited for FBLA Week Feb. 9-15!
Please share pictures of your chapter activities during FBLA
week with us through Facebook or email; we always enjoy
hearing from you! We wish everyone the best of luck in their
competitions and are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to
serve you this year.
Thank you for all of your support, and please do not hesitate to
contact us with any questions, concerns, or ideas you have for
the NPC. We work to meet your expectations to the best of our
ability and help you reach your goals. Don't forget to partici-
pate in the third portion of the chapter challenge, Action
Awareness, and show how your chapter embodies Excellence
in Action!
A vote doesn't go according to plan. Someone wants to
change their vote. Another person thinks more information has
been introduced and that the motion should be void. These
are all common issues. The second any of these happen, I hear
a disorganized chime of, “revote”. Spoiler alert, this is wrong.
A revote is called a motion to reconsider. The only member
who can motion to reconsider is a member who voted on the
prevailing side of that motion: a person who wants to change
their vote. This is a two step process where the first vote is to
bring the original motion back to the floor, and the second
vote being the actual revote.
Another alternative to reconsidering is to rescind a motion. To
rescind means to cancel out the effects. It requires a ⅔ vote.
However, if previous notice is given on the call or a previous
meeting, then the motion only requires a majority vote.
Next time members yell, “REVOTE!” chuckle a little, for you
know more than them. I challenge you to use your new found
parliamentary knowledge at least twice by NLC!
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HOW TO GET INVOLVED
UPCOMING DATES
Like the National Parliamentarian page on Facebook
Connect with other parliamentarians by e-
mailing [email protected] and joining our Facebook group
Join us on Twitter with @NatFBLAParli
Stay connected with the National Association of Parliamentari-
ans on Facebook, a provider of resources and support for par-
liamentary procedure in FBLA
Get studying! Order a copy of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Re-
vised 11th edition for your chapter
Checkout study resources like 300questions.org or the NAP reg-
istration exam study guide
Always feel free to ask questions by email-
Deadlines for Business Achievement Awards (BAAs) and
Community Service Awards (CSAs)
March 1st- Future, Business, and Leader levels
April 25th- America level
Webinars and Topics (All times are Eastern)
FBLA Competitive Events
March 5–6:00 p.m.
NLC Nashville
April 23–6:00 p.m.
Part 3 of the Chapter Challenge: Active Awareness
January 15 to March 1
Although Chapter Challenge is a three-part program, chapters are
not required to complete all three sections. Your chapter can choose
to participate in one or more of the activities, but we strongly encour-
age participation in all three components. If your chapter does com-
plete all three parts of Chapter Challenge, you will receive a pin for
every member present at the NLC.