Office Practice N4 | Point of order

Office Practice N4

QUESTION

A point of order may be raised in certain circumstances in a meeting. Briefly explain these circumstances.

A point of order may be raised in a meeting under the following circumstances:

1, Offensive and Insulting Language:

If a member uses offensive and insulting language during the proceedings. For instance, during a debate about a contentious issue, a member uses derogatory language towards another member, causing offence and disrupting the decorum of the meeting. Another member can raise a point of order to address this behaviour.

2, Quorum Not Met:

When a meeting no longer constitutes a quorum, and the chairman is unaware of this fact. For example In a board meeting, several members leave, unknowingly bringing the total number of attendees below the required quorum. If the chairman continues with the meeting without realizing the lack of quorum, a member can raise a point of order to halt proceedings until the quorum is reestablished.

3, Contrary to Law:

If a motion or amendment proposed in the meeting is contrary to the law of the country. In case of a local council meeting, a member proposes a motion to implement a policy that directly contradicts a relevant national or local law. Another member can raise a point of order to highlight the legal inconsistency and prevent the motion from proceeding.

4, Lack of Seconding:

When a motion has not been seconded before the meeting, and the chairman fails to consider this. For instance, during a homeowners association meeting, a member proposes a motion to allocate funds for a community event, but no other member seconds the motion. If the chairman overlooks this requirement and proceeds with discussion or voting, a member can raise a point of order to remind the chair of the procedural error.

5, Irregularities in Proceedings:

If there have been irregularities in the proceedings of the meeting. For example, in a student council meeting, the chairperson skips over an item on the agenda without proper discussion or vote. If a member notices this deviation from the established procedures, they can raise a point of order to ensure that all agenda items are addressed according to the rules of order.

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