How to make a motion, and how the motion to adjourn works

Updated October 2026By The Meeting Notes Template team

To make a motion, wait for the chair to recognize you, then say “I move that” followed by exactly what you want the group to do. Another member seconds it, the chair repeats it to the group, and from then on it belongs to the meeting: it gets debated, maybe amended, and voted on. The motion to adjourn follows the same pattern but with stricter rules: it needs a second, it can’t be debated or amended, and it passes by majority vote.

This page follows the rules in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (12th edition), the parliamentary authority most bylaws name. Your bylaws and any law that applies to your organization come first. For the full chart of motions, see the Robert’s Rules of Order cheat sheet.

How to make a motion, step by step

1. Get the floor. Raise your hand or stand, address the chair (“Madam Chair,” “Mr. President”), and wait until the chair recognizes you. A motion called out from your seat without being recognized isn’t a motion. Robert’s Rules has said so since the first edition in 1876.
2. Say “I move that…” and state the action. Be specific about what, how much and by when, so the group knows exactly what a yes vote means.
3. Wait for a second. Another member says “Second.” If nobody seconds, the chair moves on to the next item.
4. The chair states the motion. “It is moved and seconded that we…” From this moment the motion belongs to the group, not to you.
5. Debate. As the person who made the motion, you’re usually entitled to speak first. Speak to the motion, through the chair.
6. The vote. The chair puts the question (“All in favor, say aye. Those opposed, say no.”) and announces the result: whether the motion is adopted or lost, and what happens next.

In small boards, where no more than about a dozen members are present, Robert’s Rules relaxes some of this: motions don’t always need a second, and the chair can make motions and vote. The cheat sheet covers the small-board rules.

How to word a motion

A good motion can be written into the minutes exactly as you said it, and someone who missed the meeting knows what was decided. Name the action, the amount, the person or committee responsible, and any deadline. If a motion is long, write it down and hand it to the chair or secretary before you make it. The chair can ask for any main motion or amendment in writing.

For a formal decision you’ll need to show or quote later, write the motion as a resolution: “Resolved, That…” The board resolution template shows the format.

Changing or withdrawing your motion

Before the chair states your motion, you can reword it or take it back on your own. After the chair has stated it, the motion belongs to the group: to withdraw it, you ask, and if anyone objects, it takes a vote. To change it, someone moves an amendment.

The “friendly amendment” doesn’t work the way many people think. The person who made the motion can’t simply accept a change. The official Robert’s Rules site is clear that any amendment, friendly or not, has to be adopted by the group, either by a vote or by unanimous consent, meaning the chair asks whether anyone objects and nobody does.

The motion to adjourn

The motion to adjourn ends the meeting. Under Robert’s Rules:

• Wording: “I move to adjourn.”
• Second: needed.
• Debate: none. It can’t be debated or amended.
• Vote: majority.
• When: it can’t interrupt someone who has the floor. Wait until the speaker finishes and the chair recognizes you.

It’s a privileged motion, which means it can be made even while other business is pending, as long as no one has the floor. That privilege only applies to a plain motion to adjourn. Add a condition, like “I move that we adjourn at 9 p.m.” or “adjourn until next Tuesday,” and it becomes an ordinary main motion that can be debated and has to wait its turn. The 1876 first edition already put it this way: if qualified, the motion “loses its privileged character.”

You often don’t need a motion at all. When the agenda is finished, the chair can say, “If there is no further business, the meeting is adjourned.” That works by general consent: if anyone objects, the chair takes a vote. Routine matters have worked this way since the first edition, which says the formality of a motion is often skipped “but should any member object, a regular motion becomes necessary.”

A short script

Member: Madam Chair? Chair: Ms. Okafor. Member: I move to adjourn. Another member: Second. Chair: It is moved and seconded to adjourn. All in favor, say aye. Those opposed, say no. The ayes have it, and the meeting is adjourned at 8:42 p.m.

In the minutes

Record the time: “The meeting adjourned at 8:42 p.m.” The board meeting minutes template ends this way.

Common mistakes

• Discussing before there’s a motion. Ask “Would someone like to make a motion?” so the discussion has something to decide.
• Shouting “Question!” to end debate. That isn’t a motion. Ending debate takes the motion for the previous question, which needs a second and a two-thirds vote.
• “Tabling” to kill a motion. Laying on the table is for setting something aside briefly when something urgent comes up. To drop a motion, vote it down or postpone it indefinitely.
• Packing several decisions into one motion. If members might want to vote on the parts differently, make separate motions, or any member can move to divide the question.

FAQ

Can the chair make a motion?

In a small board or a committee, yes: the chair has the same rights as any other member, including making motions and voting. In a larger meeting, the chair stays impartial and doesn’t make motions or join debate while presiding.

What happens if nobody seconds a motion?

The chair says the motion isn’t seconded and moves on to the next item. There is no vote on it.

Can you move to adjourn in the middle of someone’s speech?

No. You have to wait until the speaker is done and the chair recognizes you.

Can the meeting adjourn if there’s still business on the agenda?

Yes, if a majority votes for it. Unfinished items usually go on the next meeting’s agenda. If an item has a deadline, consider a motion to set the time of an adjourned meeting before you leave, so the group can finish it.

Sources

• Robert’s Rules of Order, Frequently Asked Questions, Robert’s Rules Association: the chair’s rights in small boards, friendly amendments, calling the question, laying on the table. Based on Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th ed. (2020).
• Henry M. Robert, Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies (1876), Project Gutenberg: §§ 1 to 5 (obtaining the floor, making, seconding and stating a motion, motions in writing), § 11 (To Adjourn) and § 17 (Withdrawal of a Motion). The first edition, in the public domain; the current rules come from the 12th edition.
• Robert’s Rules of Order cheat sheet: second, debate, amendment and vote for each common motion, following the 12th edition.