Using Your Delegate Voice (Literally!) at the National Council Session

So, you’ve been elected as a delegate, and you’ve decided you want to speak on a topic at the microphone during the National Council Session.  What is that really like?  This is a lengthy article for delegates and alternates which explains a lot more about how things work if you want to speak at a microphone at any time during the National Council Session.

Before you go to the National Council Session, “Be Prepared.”  Not only is that our Girl Scout motto, but preparation is absolutely essential if you want to speak at a mic at the NCS.  Your homework prior to the convention needs to include:

• Become VERY comfortable with the basics of parliamentary procedure.  Your council should offer some training on this, but the more you learn on your own, the better you will be.  You do not want to be embarrassed by proposing an amendment that is out of scope or by demonstrating that you do not know parliamentary procedure basics.  NCS workbooks generally include excellent summaries of parliamentary procedures used during NCS sessions along with what we have here on GSG.
• When you get your workbook (which generally is not available until a month or two before the NCS session), be sure to study (1) the proposals, the rationales for the proposals, and the recommendations from the National Board, (2) the standing rules and parliamentary procedure for the convention, and (3) any information about how microphones will be handled (including how you will be timed, types of speaker forms, etc.).
• As a delegate, it is your responsibility to go to the convention “informed but not instructed” on each issue.  Prior to the convention, be sure to gather information about how the membership you represent feels about each proposal of business.  If your council holds delegate training, you should be informed as to your own council’s position(s) on business, and you will know what the National Board also recommends.  You also should participate in official delegate discussions via webinars/teleconferences and also by reading the GSUSA delegate website), in unofficial discussions via various Facebook groups, and right here on the Girl Scout Governance website in our forums and article comments.  During the NCS, you and other delegates will express views for others to consider as well.  All of these avenues “inform” you of the issues and give you food for thought. But you are there to do what YOU believe is best for the Movement – no one should be instructing you on what you should support or how you must vote.
• Decide on what you want to speak to, and prepare your speaker forms in advance of the NCS whenever possible. Check the standing rules to see how much time you is allotted to speak (usually two minutes). Then practice to be sure you can fit what you want to say within the time limit.

At the National Council Session:

General pointers:

• Pay attention to the plan for designating types of microphones and the purpose of each.  In past years, mics have been designated as “green” (where you speak for a proposal), “red” (where you speak against a proposal), and “yellow” (the “interrupting” mic for points of order, parliamentary inquiries, or requests for information).  At some conventions, the green and red mics are separated out individually; at others, the microphone attendant uses green and red signaling cards to show the chair what the speaker wishes to do.  The chair alternates between green and red mics, unless someone is at the “yellow” or interrupting mic.  You should know the rules for this convention and plan to be at the correct mic based on what you want to do.  All of this will be spelled out in the parliamentary section of the workbook.
• The GSUSA parliamentarian is often available for consultation if you feel you need additional assistance in writing an amendment that will be worded correctly and within scope.
• Know that all delegates who intend to speak should have what they plan to say written down and ready to hand to a microphone assistant.  Past conventions have had several types of “floor identification forms” in the workbook for motions, amendments, etc.  In 2017, there were three types of speaker forms provided on NCR paper in order to make four copies (press hard when writing!): one for making a motion, one for making an amendment to a motion, and one for anything done at the yellow “interrupting” mic. It’s best to make sure you have all the official speaker forms you think you will need for your council’s delegation.  If you make your own, you will need four copies to give to the microphone attendant, and their content needs to be the same as on the official forms.
• When you go to a mic, you should have your completed speaker forms, your workbook, some extra paper or speaker forms (it’s best to have these on a clipboard), a writing instrument, and your electronic voting device.  You may end up in the mic line for a while.  While there, you might want to revise what you planned based on what others are saying, write something completely new to address an amendment someone just made, or vote.
• Know that anyone who speaks at a mic is expected to identify herself by name and council.  After that, the timer starts.  In past conventions, the standing rules set two minutes as the speaking limit, and colored lights have been used: green when your time starts, yellow when you have 30 seconds remaining, and red when your time is up and the mic is cut off. And yes, they will cut off the mic in mid-sentence!

Q&A on a topic:

Business on a topic usually opens with a Q&A (question and answer) session which lasts for a specified amount of time.  If you have questions about a proposal and how it will be implemented that are not answered in the workbook, now is the time to ask those questions.  Be ready to dash to the microphone nearest you as soon as the chair invites delegates to mics.  (People line up very quickly.)  Only questions of a factual nature can be asked.  After the time allocated for the Q&A is over, all delegates return to their seats.

Consideration of a proposal:

The chair will now open the floor for deliberation on the proposal.  Here are the usual steps:

• The chair will call on a specific person to make a motion to introduce the proposal.  Then, after the motion is seconded (if it’s necessary), the same individual will speak for two minutes giving a rationale for adopting the proposal.
• The chair will then open the floor for debate and invite delegates to proceed to microphones.  Move quickly to the appropriate red or green mic—again, with your speaker forms, extra paper/forms, writing utensil, workbook, and voting device.
• Once a delegate reaches a mic (other than the yellow mic) and is recognized by the chair, a delegate may express an opinion about the proposal itself.  A delegate may also make a motion to amend the proposal or make other procedural motions (such as calling the previous question, moving to postpone consideration of a motion, or send it to committee).  As you are standing in line, you should listen carefully to other speakers to track what is going on.  Make notes if you need to.
• If someone ahead of you makes an amendment to the proposal, you will need to decide on the spot whether you want to speak instead to the amendment (stay in line) or whether you want to “step aside” to let others speak about the amendment while you maintain a place in line for debating the main proposal.  For any votes that are taken while you are in line, you may need to use your electronic voting device (which is why you took it with you!).  Do NOT go back to your seat once you are in line – your place in line is precious!
• Be aware that at any time, other delegates before you can make a motion to “call the previous question,” or stop debate, and vote on the proposal or amendment as it currently exists.  If someone calls the question, the assembly will do a quick vote to determine whether to vote on the motion before the assembly or to continue debate.

It’s now your turn!!!  If/when you actually get to a microphone and have a chance to speak to the issue or propose an amendment, here’s the procedure:

• Hand the microphone attendant a copy of your speaker form.  She will quickly review it and then signal the chair that you are ready to speak whenever the chair is ready to recognize you.
• Position yourself properly at the microphone.  Smart delegates have been watching others to see how close or how far you need to be from the mic to be heard clearly without being too loud.  You do not need to yell into the mic; speak in a normal voice.  Make sure you can see your speaker form; most people hold it on the OTHER side of the mic stand.
• When you are recognized by the chair, introduce yourself with your name and your council.  Briefly say what you are doing. (Examples: “I speak in favor of proposal __ or I propose an amendment to proposal __.”) If you are speaking for or against a proposal, you have 2 minutes to voice your opinion, and timing will begin as soon as you have given your name and council.
• If you are making a motion to amend a proposal, expect to state your motion and then stop speaking.  The chair will call for a second to your motion.  If the motion is seconded, then business will proceed but often after a delay while a “runner” takes a copy of your written motion to be typed into a screen so all delegates can see exactly what is proposed.  After that, you will be allowed to speak in favor of your amendment for two minutes.  Note that you should have written your amendment on the proper speaker form EXACTLY as you want it to appear.  Smart delegates get others to review amendments beforehand to make sure they are clear.
• As you speak, try to be as natural as possible.  Most of us are nervous in this situation, so don’t be surprised if you are too!  Some people prefer to read their piece word for word, but if you’ve practiced, you can do that without seeming like you are reading.   Others prefer to just refer to their speaker form for reminders.  Unless you are making a motion, the exact words you say or read don’t matter nearly as much as speaking clearly and concisely to make your point.
• Normally under the standing rules, you will not get another chance to speak to your proposals or amendments, as the standing rules limit how often a person may speak to an issue.  Although in theory you might get a chance, in practice that rarely happens.  So, after you’ve said your piece, you can return to your seat.

What if you have a parliamentary point of order, parliamentary inquiry, or request for information?  There are several actions, called “incidental” motions, that relate to the current business at hand in such a way that immediate action is necessary before anything else can proceed.  For that reason, these are sometimes called “interrupting” motions, and a special “yellow” microphone is set up for this purpose. The microphone attendants at the interrupting microphones first review your information to make sure it is a legitimate reason to interrupt business proceedings and is not something that has been answered or otherwise determined earlier in debate about the same motion.  No debate is allowed from the yellow mic.  Only the most common incidental motions will be explained here; be sure to read about others as you study parliamentary procedure.

• A parliamentary point of order calls attention to a possible rules violation and asks for the chair to make a ruling as to whether proper parliamentary procedure is being followed at that point in time.  Because it’s so very important to follow the rules of the assembly, a point of order interrupts just about everything else.  In fact, you can initiate a point of order by standing up wherever you are and saying “point of order” in a very loud voice.  All debate or action then stops until you can get to a mic.  The chair asks you to state your point of order, and then you identify yourself and explain what procedure you believe is being violated.  Note you should only raise points of order for potentially serious violations; if no real harm is being done, no rights are being infringed, or it’s a minor technicality, just let it pass.  The chair will rule on the point of order (sometimes after consulting with the parliamentarian).
• A parliamentary inquiry asks the chair for clarification of parliamentary procedure relating to action on the question at hand.  For instance, you may be confused as to whether you are voting on an amendment or on the original proposal.  If you have a parliamentary inquiry, proceed to the yellow microphone and tell the microphone attendant what your inquiry is.  When you are recognized by the chair, step up to the mic, state your name and council, and ask your question about procedure.
• A request for information asks for additional information pertinent to the business at hand.  Note that most of the time, requests for information have already been addressed either in the printed rationale for the proposal or in the Q & A before the introduction of the proposal for a decision.  However, someone may propose an amendment to a proposal, and the effect of that amendment, if adopted, may not be clear.  In this case, you go to the yellow microphone and state, “I have a request for information” or “point of information.”  You must make your inquiry in the form of a question asking for factual information.  (Remember, you may not ask questions in such a way that they are really a way to debate.)  The chair will either answer your question or direct someone with expertise to answer.  For example, if an amendment might have a financial impact on councils or GSUSA, you may ask for an explanation of that impact if the amendment is adopted.

We hope this article has helped you know more about what “life at a microphone” can be like during the National Council Session.  If you have additional questions, please comment below and we will do our best to help.