Writing an AGM Motion

Gather Support: Any motion must have a proposer and a seconder. Amendments can also be proposed and must also be seconded.

Submit: Notice of motions shall be delivered in writing not later than six weeks before the date appointed for the Annual General Meeting.

Review: A motions sub-committee of the National Executive Committee shall co-ordinate motions in consultation with the proposers.

Deliver: The region or member that submitted the motion will be given the opportunity to persuade the conference/meeting that their motion should be supported.

Debate: All eligible delegates will be given the opportunity to speak for or against the motion if they wish to.

Vote: Motions will be put to a vote at the AGM. If the motion is passed, it will move to a vote of all members.

For a motion to be most effective, it should contain an introduction, an explanation and a clear 'request' or call to action.

Introduction: The motion should clearly set out the issue that requires discussion and the action the proposer wishes the conference to take.

Explanation: This can be brief, but should give background or context and explain 'why' request or statement you are seeking support for should be adopted. 
It is important to consider what the purpose of the motion is, bearing in mind the aims of the association and how this motion will work towards these. 

Request: This should make clear the intended outcome of the motion if passed, for example - for the AEP to affiliate to a certain group, to make a statement or to campaign for a given issue.

In some circumstances, you might have a motion that contains both a statement and a requested action following the statement. If so, this should be considered in two parts.

e.g. If the motion is written as ….. and ….., then both parts of the motion must be agreed in order to be passed. If the motion is written in point form, e.g. i) ii) etc it allows each point to be passed separately.

Motions need to be easy to understand, clear in purpose, logically argued and effectively presented.

• It should be easy for the audience to understand the purpose of the motion.
• There should be a clear action, request or ‘ask’ as an outcome of the motion if passed.
• Always expand on any acronyms you are using - it should be easy for anyone reading or listening to understand.

Motions need to be accurate and evidence-based, and and consider the AEP membership.

• If you are using any facts or figures these must be easy to digest, up to date and accurate.
• Avoid anecdotal information or information which cannot be verified or could be easily disputed.
• •Consider the impact on members in devolved nations. In the case your motion is specific to one nation, consider specifying if the motion is only intended to apply to one region or devolved nation.
• Similarly, if your motion is only relevant to one group of AEP membership, please specify and use accurate terminology.

Motions need to be concise

• The most effective motions are those which are clear, succinct and therefore stand a clear chance of being considered and passed at AGM.
• It can be the case that a motion is well intended but worded ambiguously.
• The time in an AGM is limited - If motions are too long, this reduces the time left for debate and the overall number of motions which can be considered.
• An ambiguous or lengthy motion has a lower chance of being selected for debate or passed - and hugely increases the scope for complex amendments or misunderstanding.
• Remember - when you speak to the motion you can elaborate on the motion and add any further supporting information that you wish to add.

Motions should focus on new or topical themes

• Ideally, a motion should be bringing about a new proposal, discussion or idea not adopted by the AEP.
• If you're unsure on previous motions, you can read recent AGM agendas on the AEP website - if you're not sure whether the AEP has a position or campaign on any topic, please just get in touch!

Once you've established your clear purpose, explanation and call to action, here are a few top tips to help you write it up!

• Avoid capitalisation (except for proper nouns/names and campaigns).
• Ensure it is clearly presented on the page.
• Use 150 words or less if possible
• Use clear concise language - avoid jargon.
• If you are using acronyms - ensure these are expanded/explained.
• Make sure there is a clear, actionable proposal for action.