Top 20 Important Terms Related to Committees
IIMUN
Here are the top 20 important terms to know in committee sorted by category below. And if you’re still unsure when you get to committee, don’t hesitate to raise a Point of Inquiry!
General
1. Chairs: The chairpersons are seated in the front with their gavel and facilitate the debate. They call on speakers, time speeches, and maintain the rules of procedure. If the conference gives awards, they will also evaluate your performance.
2. Decorum: order in committee. The chair may call decorum if delegates are loud or disrespectful, in order to ask for their attention during committee.
3. Motion: a specific action made by delegates to direct debate in a certain direction.
4. Speaker’s List: a list that contains the order of speakers in the committee. The specific way that the order is determined varies by conference. The Speaker’s List is the default format of debate and committee will proceed with speeches until a delegate makes a motion to change up the debate format.
5. Yield: this is when a speaker decides to give up the remaining time in his or her speech. Typically, the three types of yields are: 1) Yield to the Chair meaning you give up the rest of your time, 2) Yield to another delegate meaning you give up the rest of your time to another delegate, or 3) Yield to questions from other delegates or Yield to comments to your speech by other delegates. Questions are also sometimes called Points of Information.
Points
6. Point of Inquiry: used when a delegate has a question about something that is not clearly understood in committee. Use this to ask a question if you don’t understand a term or get what’s going on in committee!
7. Point of Personal Privilege: used when a delegate experiences personal discomfort that hinders their ability to participate in committee. Examples: temperature of room, distractions during committee, can’t hear another delegate, etc.
8. Point of Order (also called Point of Parliamentary Procedure): used
Here are the top 20 important terms to know in committee sorted by category below. And if you’re still unsure when you get to committee, don’t hesitate to raise a Point of Inquiry!
General
1. Chairs: The chairpersons are seated in the front with their gavel and facilitate the debate. They call on speakers, time speeches, and maintain the rules of procedure. If the conference gives awards, they will also evaluate your performance.
2. Decorum: order in committee. The chair may call decorum if delegates are loud or disrespectful, in order to ask for their attention during committee.
3. Motion: a specific action made by delegates to direct debate in a certain direction.
4. Speaker’s List: a list that contains the order of speakers in the committee. The specific way that the order is determined varies by conference. The Speaker’s List is the default format of debate and committee will proceed with speeches until a delegate makes a motion to change up the debate format.
5. Yield: this is when a speaker decides to give up the remaining time in his or her speech. Typically, the three types of yields are: 1) Yield to the Chair meaning you give up the rest of your time, 2) Yield to another delegate meaning you give up the rest of your time to another delegate, or 3) Yield to questions from other delegates or Yield to comments to your speech by other delegates. Questions are also sometimes called Points of Information.
Points
6. Point of Inquiry: used when a delegate has a question about something that is not clearly understood in committee. Use this to ask a question if you don’t understand a term or get what’s going on in committee!
7. Point of Personal Privilege: used when a delegate experiences personal discomfort that hinders their ability to participate in committee. Examples: temperature of room, distractions during committee, can’t hear another delegate, etc.
8. Point of Order (also called Point of Parliamentary Procedure): used