Motions cover how a caucus gets started; this is about what actually happens once you’re in one.
Moderated caucus, in practice
Debate stays formal, just faster and more focused than the GSL. Delegates remain seated; the chair calls on them one at a time, usually by raised placard, to give short remarks on the sub-topic named in the motion. It’s still chair-controlled: you’re not free to just start talking, and the clock only runs while someone is actually speaking.
Unmoderated caucus, in practice
This is the one that surprises new delegates most: for however long the motion specifies, delegates leave their seats entirely and talk freely, with no chair-mediated turns at all. It is not a break. It’s consistently described as where the substantive work of committee actually happens: finding delegations with aligned positions, merging smaller groups into blocs, and drafting the working paper that will eventually become a resolution.
Lobbying
“Lobbying” is the informal negotiating that fills unmoderated time: walking the room, finding allies, building support for a working paper before it has enough backers to move forward. It’s not a separate procedure so much as a name for what unmoderated caucus time is actually for.
If you’re new to committee, the practical advice most guides converge on is the same: don’t spend your first unmoderated caucus watching from your seat. This is the part of committee where relationships and blocs form, and it happens fast.