There’s certainly a lot of rules regarding the order in which people speak, which can definitely make debate seem a lot more complicated than it needs to be. As a bottom line, the next person to speak is the first person to be recognized after the previous speaker has yielded the floor.
Once you’ve been recognized, it is important that your debate remains germane. Germane debate is debate that is on topic.
For example, if your chapter is debating whether or not to take that field trip to the Moon, it wouldn’t be germane to start discussing your seven new puppies. Even if the puppies are adorable, such debate would be considered out of order.
It is also important that all debate attacks the topic of discussion, not the opposing speaker. Ad hominem, a logical fallacy in which another person is verbally attacked during a debate, is strictly against the rules and can prevent debate from running smoothly. No matter how strongly you may feel about an issue, insulting another person almost always leads to arguments or hard feelings. In order to prevent debate from getting personal, impersonal and direct statements should be used. When speaking about another member, the speaker should address their statement at the chair. For instance, instead of saying that they “think Lizzie’s point is terrible,” they would say “Madame President, I disagree with the previous speaker’s point.” In general, showing respect to your fellow members is the best way of making sure debate runs smoothly.
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On any particular motion, each member may only speak two times for up to 10 minutes each time (unless your chapter has already set other rules). This allows multiple members to state their views, and prevents a single member from monopolizing debate time. It’s important to note that you cannot save or transfer time between your two discussion periods; if you only talk for 5 minutes your first time, you cannot talk for 15 minutes the second time. Unlike the process used in Congress, you may also not transfer your extra time to another member.
Before speaking during debate, a person must be recognized by the chair. In order to be recognized, you must simply stand and address the chair.
Robert’s Rules also prevents people from queuing to speak; you must wait until the previous person is done speaking before trying to take the floor. However, just to make things more complicated, there are three exceptions to the rule that the person who stands to be recognized is allowed to speak next.
1. The maker of the motion is given priority speaking status on their motion one time, even if their are other members standing to be recognized.
2. Someone who has not yet spoken on a motion will be allowed to speak before someone who has already spoken once.
3. In general, contentious viewpoints should bounce back and forth across the floor. If someone who supports a motion was the last person to speak, someone against the motion should generally be allowed to speak next.
What happens if we get distracted?
And how can you determine germaneness in discussion
WHAT DOES GERMANE MEAN