appeal

Mischievous troublemaker vs. pedantic stickler

By Ann Macfarlane / June 18, 2021 / Comments Off on Mischievous troublemaker vs. pedantic stickler

Dear Dinosaur: At our church council meetings, the chair calls for the vote by saying, “All those in favor, please raise your right hand.” One of our members raises his left hand, upon which the chair refuses to count his vote. Is this correct? Answer: It seems as if your chair is a pedantic stickler…

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Disruptive members derailing your Zoom meetings? Use these rules!

By Ann Macfarlane / May 24, 2021 / Comments Off on Disruptive members derailing your Zoom meetings? Use these rules!

A client is running Zoom meetings for 300-400 members. Not surprisingly, the meetings are challenging! People fail to follow common courtesy, Points of Order are rife, sometimes discourse collapses. It doesn’t have to be that way. Jurassic Parliament has developed a set of “sample Zoom rules,” based on Robert’s Rules of Order and adapted to…

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Minor mistakes in Robert’s Rules don’t invalidate action

By Ann Macfarlane / December 18, 2020 / Comments Off on Minor mistakes in Robert’s Rules don’t invalidate action

A recent news report described how a school board, realizing that no one had seconded the motion they approved, went back at the next meeting and voted on it again. This was a waste of time. Download PDF The purpose of “seconding the motion” is to be sure that at least two people on a…

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How to be objective about subjective comments

By Ann Macfarlane / September 28, 2020 /

  What can you do when your colleagues on a board or council say things that you find offensive? What if they are making subjective statements that hurt your feelings? We are living in tough times for civility. People feel free to say things during meetings that can be offensive and challenging. Robert’s Rules of…

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What are the 11 duties of the chair?

By Ann Macfarlane / July 23, 2018 / Comments Off on What are the 11 duties of the chair?

Under Robert’s Rules of Order, the chair of a meeting has 11 duties. These duties are listed in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition, the only official and current version of Robert’s Rules, in section 47:7. Download PDF THE MEETING may be that of a city council, a nonprofit board, a professional society,…

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When the chair is a bully or out of line

By Ann Macfarlane / June 28, 2016 / Comments Off on When the chair is a bully or out of line

What can you do when the chair is a bully, or out of line? Unfortunately, sometimes the chair lets their position go to their head. We outlined some basic principles about bullying in this post, “Do you have a bully on board?” If you are burdened with a chair who bullies or intimidates others, we suggest…

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Keep the chair in line using appeal

By Ann Macfarlane / February 22, 2016 /
appeal stamp

Updated July 22, 2021 The “motion to appeal” is one of the least-known motions in Robert’s Rules of Order, and the most powerful. All of us are very familiar with the role of the chair of the meeting. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, the chair has the duty of keeping things on track. The chair…

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