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ATTENTION MEMBERS OF ORGANIZATIONS:
HOW TO HAVE MORE EFFECTIVE MEETINGS
JUST FOLLOW ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER
How many times have you attended a meeting which promised to be "brief", and th
en has gone on and on and on for hours?
There is a solution. Know the rules of order in a meeting and use them!
The most effective meetings that I have attended have been conducted by a presi
dent who knows Robert's Rules of Order, who has sent the agenda, has provided an
y pertinent information to the members before the meeting and has provided paper
and pencil for the members to write down motions.
Lets take a look at these factors:
1.Presidents who know the rules know how to keep discussion moving and when to
take a vote without someone having to "call for the question". This president
knows that no one can discuss an issue unless a motion is made first and then se
conded. This saves time! If a motion isn't seconded, it isn't discussed. (A s
econd does not mean someone is in favor of the idea but that it should be discus
sed.) How many times has only one person wanted to do something and no one else
wants to discuss it, and because no one knows or follows the rules valuable ti
me has been lost by allowing this person to stand and ramble on and on without a
motion on the floor.
2. Another time waster is ill-conceived motions. Providing members with pap
er and pencil to write a clearly thought out motion can save time because it doe
sn't have to be amended many times to make it clear; or it doesn't have to be wi
thdrawn and then start over again. A well thought out motion includes what the
group is to do, how and when it is to be done and how much time and money is to
be spent.
3. Here's another way to save time: Give the people the information they need
before the meeting so they can have their ideas well formulated before they dis
cuss them.
4. Another time waster is calling on committee chairmen to give reports when
they don't have one to give or they aren't there. The president should call eve
ry committee chairman who is to give a report before the meeting to make sure th
at he/she will be at the meeting and have a report to give. Only those chairmen
who have a report ready to give should be called on. To expedite the giving
of reports, chairmen should sit in the front so
that they don't waste time getting to the front to give their reports. If you h
ave a committee that is researching a project and that committee is supposed to
give a recommendation to the members in its report, phrase the recommendation a
s a "motion", not a recommendation. The motion should come at the end of the re
port, and the reporting member of the committee (usually the chairman), states:
"By direction of the committee, I move that ...." A motion coming from a comm
ittee does not need a second because at least one other committee member has agr
eed that it should be discussed. This cuts out a step. If a committee makes a
recommendation, someone still has to make a
motion to accept the committee's recommendation.
5. The President needs to know when to call for the vote: Let's say someone h
as made a motion, and the chair has repeated it. "It is moved and seconded to..
.....Is there any discussion?" If the chair looks around and no one is standin
g to discuss it , the chair can say, "As many as are in favor say 'Aye'. (wait f
or the response from the group) Those opposed say, 'No'." (wait for response)
Announce the vote. "The 'Ayes' have it and the
motion is carried and we will do........So & so will carry it out." or, "The '
noes' have it and the motion is lost." Then go on to the next business in order
.
6. Another thing many people don't know is that a member can only speak twice t
o a motion, but only after everyone who wants to speak for the first time does s
o. This certainly keeps debate going and stops any member that is always poppin
g up to talk after each member speaks.
7. TIME SAVERS: Presidents can assume a motion. For example a president doe
s not have to wait for someone to move that the minutes be approved as read or c
orrected. He can state, "The minutes are approved as read (or corrected). How
ever the treasurer's report is not approved; it is FILED! It is the auditor's r
eport that is approved. After that report is given, the chair should assume the
motion and say, as many as are in
favor of adopting the auditor's report, say "aye"; those opposed say "no".
Then he announces the vote.
If the treasurer presents bills to the assembly for payment, the president can
ask if there is any discussion or questions, and then assume the motion by sayin
g, "As many are in favor say 'aye', those opposed say 'no'." Then he announces
the vote.
Another motion that the chair can assume is the unqualified motion to adjourn (
and this is only after all business has been brought forth and it doesn't look l
ike anyone is going to stand and present more), the chair can ask, "Is there an
y further business (pause, wait for someone to rise, and if no one does so) th
e chair can then say, "This meeting is adjourned". This, however, does not mean
the chair can close the meeting because he/she
want to go home or wants to prevent controversial or any other business from com
ing forward. If the chairs says the meeting is adjourned and one member object
s, then the chair must take a vote and say, "As many as are in favor of adjourn
ing the meeting, say 'aye', those opposed say 'no'."
8. A COMMON MISTAKE is for the chair to ask for unfinished business when ther
e is none. It is the secretary's duty to put all unfinished business on the age
nda. This is found in the minutes. For example, a motion to postpone some busi
ness to the next meeting, or a motion that was left pending at the previous mee
ting when it was adjourned, is considered unfinished business. If there is no
unfinished business, the chair goes right on to new business. This saves time, t
oo. How many times have you been at a meeting and the chair asks for unfinished
business? Then he looks around the room for someone to stand and everyone loo
ks around the room for someone to stand. And no one does? Obviously, a time w
aster. "It's the little foxes that spoil the vine".
THE PURPOSE OF THESE TIME SAVERS IS TO KEEP A MEETING
GOING, AND NOT TO TAKE AWAY THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS!!!!
9. An effective president, a leader, provides his membership with information
so that they know how to keep meetings moving too.
EVERY MEMBER SHOULD KNOW:
A. How to obtain the floor to make a motion or to speak to a motion.
B. How to phrase a motion.
C. The ranking of motions (Presidents and Secretaries need to know this too)
D. Member's rights in debate.
E. When the president has over stepped his role as facilitator and how to corr
ect it.
F. How the rules in large meetings differ from rules in small boards and commi
ttees. (Those under 12 members)
If ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER seems hard to understand or your would like to have
more information about this subject, send E-mail to: [log in to unmask] My
company Robert McConnell Productions has produced an 80 minute video called: PAR
LIAMENTARY PROCEDURE MADE SIMPLE: THE BASICS. which explains the very basics pr
inciples of Robert Rules. The cost $44.50 (US$) plus $5.00 S & H. We can mail
you a brochure if you leave your name and mailing address. E-mail or call 800-
532-4017 to order the video. We accept Visa/MC, purchase orders or checks. Pub
lic performance rights included. Money-back guarantee. E-mail your name & post
al address for a free brochure.
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Your Parliamentary Procedure Resource. We have a video "Parliamentary
Procedure Made Simple" based on "Robert's Rules of Order." For more info,
request our FREE REPORT by e-mail or see our web page at http://cyberzine.org
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