courtesy

Insulting body language – what to do

By Ann Macfarlane / July 26, 2023 / Comments Off on Insulting body language – what to do
A group of businessmen in a meeting room, with one person replaced by a dinosaur. Caption reads: "If anyone can get us out of our rut, it’s Ole Dinosaur here. Any questions about Robert's Rules?" Chart showing declining profits in background.

Dear Dinosaur:  We have a board member who rolls their eyes, sighs, shrugs their shoulders or grimaces while others are speaking. How can this be addressed? Answer: The rules of parliamentary procedure, and specifically Robert’s Rules of Order, require that all members of a body show courtesy and respect. We suggest requesting that the board…

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When public pressure is intense, what can you do?

By Ann Macfarlane / January 21, 2021 /
A woman in a green turtleneck holds her glasses and touches her temple, appearing to have a headache or be stressed, likely due to public pressure, with a blurred background.

At a recent workshop, a director from a school board split by pandemic-related decisions asked me what board members can do in the face of intense public pressure. These are tough times for local non-partisan government bodies, for sure. Here are some thoughts about what can be done. Download PDF Listen to your constituents, while…

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How to stop rude behavior

By Ann Macfarlane / November 20, 2015 /
picture of woman saying stop

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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