Agenda: an outline of items to address at a meeting
Amendment: adding on to a motion, usually to improve it, enlarge its intent, or to make it more understandable
Appeal the decision of the Chair: to question the Chairperson’s decision and ask the group to change it
Appoint: to place someone in a job or position
Bylaws: the rules a group has agreed to follow and the goals of the organization
Caucus: getting together outside the regular meeting to decide on plans, position, policy and/or people to nominate
Chair: the position held by the meeting’s leader
Committee: a group that reviews and reports on a special task given to them by the larger membership; a committee may recommend actions to be taken based upon its findings
General consent: approval by the group. If even one member objects, a vote must be taken.
Majority opinion: the decision of more than half the voting members
Minority opinion: the position held by less than half of the voting members
Minutes: official record of a meeting
Motion: a member’s proposal for action
Nominate: to recommend a person for election to office
Pending: still up in the air and undecided
Personal privilege: calling attention to something having to do with the well being of the people at the meeting, such as asking to have a window opened
Point of information: asking for more information before making a decision
Point of order: correcting a mistake that is against the rules of the organization
Pro tem: temporary
Orders of the day: calling for the group to get back to the agenda or the main business of the meeting
Question: a motion that is under discussion with a vote to be taken on it
Recess: taking a short break
Rescind: to take back or withdraw
Resolution: usually a policy statement being suggested to the group for approval
Second: support for a motion; before a group can handle a proposal, it must know that two people want to have it discussed
Standing Committee: a committee that goes year round such as a program planning committee
Suspending of the rules: discussing something without sticking to the rules of the meeting
