If this happens in a meeting:

You can do or say something like this:

A digression:

The meeting focuses on a side issue.

“It seems to me that the issue is ___, and not ___.  Am I right? Can we please get back on track?”

Domination:

A member dominates the discussion and the Chair does not intervene

“May I interject? In fairness, I think we need to hear from those who have not spoken, like ___, who has been waiting for a while to speak.”

Rambling and repetition:

You want to close debate on a motion.

Get permission to speak and say: “I move that we end debate and vote now”.  A vote will first be taken on closing debate.  If this vote is successful, the vote on the main motion will follow.

Confusion:

The wording of the proposal is confusing.

Time is running out:

You notice that the time allocated for an issue is about to end.

“Mr. Chair. The time for this issue is about to end.  We have several other important issues.  Can we move on?”

Surprise agenda item:

Close to the end of a meeting, a new motion is presented.  You (and other Board members) are tired and ready to go home.  Or you think more study and analysis of the issue is required for responsible decision making.

“Mr. Chair. It’s late, and I wouldn’t want to rush the decision on this important issue.  I move to postpone this motion until the next meeting”.  The motion to postpone requires a majority vote to approve.  It is debatable as to the merits of postponement.

Re-visiting a defeated motion:

You want to re-introduce a defeated motion, since new information may lead to a different outcome.

Introduce the motion as “new business” at a subsequent meeting.  This is known as “renewal of a motion”. 

Re-visiting an adopted motion:

You want to have an adopted motion rescinded or amended.

Propose that the motion be rescinded or amended.  Keep in mind that this procedure cannot be used if the motion has been implemented and it is too late to rescind or amend it.  Note: The motion to rescind or amend an adopted motion can be made by anyone, and not only by someone who voted on the winning side.

The re-visiting privilege is abused:

You object to re-visiting a motion that was adopted or defeated at a previous meeting, since no new information is apparent, and time should be spent wisely.

“Mr. Chair.  I don’t think any new information is evident that justifies us re-visiting this motion”.  The Chair can make a ruling on this question.  If another member disagrees with this ruling, the Chair would ask: “Those who believe the Chair’s decision was correct please raise your hands”, etc.  A majority against the Chair’s ruling is required to reverse it.