Posts
My mother was sustained through the troubled years of World War II in part by the poems of David Morton. After the violence in Paris, I found myself returning to his poem, “Pieties.” The flickering lights men live by in the dark: Pity, and love, and learning, hardly won… These…
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My oldest son took me to see the movie “The Intern” and I loved every bit of it. Afterwards, I realized that the arc of the story line followed my own love story. In my twenties, I was a “bright young thing” enjoying a great career with the State Department. Everything looked great on the…
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Don’t you hate it when you’re interrupted? How about when somebody else says something that feels like a personal attack? Being disrespected feels awful for any normal person. And the good news is that you don’t have to put up with it! Rude behavior is absolutely forbidden under Robert’s Rules. When you are a member…
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Do you include what directors say in the minutes of your nonprofit board meetings? Jurassic Parliament strongly recommends that you stop immediately. Detailed accounts of “who said what to whom” in your minutes are dangerous. In the worst case, they provide fodder for your opponents should your board ever be involved in a lawsuit. In…
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Updated July 14, 2021 Special rules of order are permanent rules, specific to your group, that guide your discussions and meetings. They allow you to make sure that your group talks about things and makes decisions in the way that works best for you. Robert’s Rules of Order encourages groups to set up their own special…
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During my time as executive director for a national association of interpreters, the annual meeting in Houston stands out as a low moment. We had retained a professional parliamentarian, but she was over 70 years old and not up to dealing with our frisky members. Accusations were made that the board had mishandled $25,000 and…
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My nephew was visiting us last weekend when he was hijacked. One moment, he was an affable, engaged and charming member of the family — the next, a seething mass of rage and anguish. I reacted with compassion. I knew that he doesn’t yet have the skills to prevent his amygdala from taking over. But…
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Over the years Jurassic Parliament has been a strong supporter of “action minutes.” We agree with Robert’s Rules of Order that the fundamental purpose of minutes is to record official actions taken by a governing body. Minutes are a legal record and document what the body has done. This is true for elected councils, appointed…
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People are sometimes confused about precedence of motions in Robert’s Rules of Order. In essence it is rather simple. The principle is that each motion has a number or rank. When motions are pending, motions with a higher rank may be made, but motions with a lower rank are out of order (not allowed). The…
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What is a “friendly amendment” in Robert’s Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure? This term is frequently misused. Here is our explanation: (1) An amendment is a proposal to change a motion – a proposed action – being considered by a group. (2) Sometimes people suggest amendments with the intention of making the original motion…
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