meeting management
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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It’s common for people to say “so moved” when they agree with something a speaker says. Often this is a kind of enthusiastic endorsement. BUT…What exactly was moved? If the remarks or proposal were vague, it is not clear what was intended. We recommend that people NOT use this phrase. However, if someone does say, “So moved,” the chair…
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“Can City Council President Ben Stuckart really shut down a meeting whenever he wants?” runs the catchy headline. The answer, of course, is NO!
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In the 20 years since Jurassic Parliament began, we’ve seen a lot of dumb things happen at meetings. Here’s our dirty dozen—a list of the 12 stupidest meeting mistakes. If you have more to add, let us know! Failing to give notice Poor agenda Ignoring the quorum requirement Chair acting like a dictator A few…
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Meeting minutes recording the actions taken by your council or board are a fundamental part of the meeting process. These are our guidelines for meeting minutes in local government. They refer to ordinary business and work or study meetings of councils, boards and committees. Public hearings are governed by different rules. Download PDF WHAT KIND…
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We see so many instances of rude behavior in public life today that it is not easy to keep our bearings about civility. Polite people who have been well brought up sometimes feel stymied when public discourse disintegrates.
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Updated November 20, 2022 On the first evening of my exciting trip to Alaska in 2018, Lon Garrison and Timi Tullis treated me to dinner. We spent the entire evening in energetic discussion of Robert’s Rules and meeting management. Lon’s wife shook her head when he got home and said, “You should call yourselves the…
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Updated September 20, 2023 The public comment period is an essential part of local government meetings. This new publication offers 50 guidelines for public comment, and includes a sample public comment announcement. It is an update from our 2018 guidelines. These guidelines refer to ordinary business and work or study meetings of councils, boards and…
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When city councils, school boards or other public bodies hold their meetings, it is usual to reserve a time in the meeting for members of the public to speak to their elected officials. One common name for this is the public comment period. We strongly recommend that elected officials should not get into back-and-forth exchanges…
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Do you feel flummoxed by the language of Robert’s Rules? Is it a challenge for you to keep things running smoothly at your meetings? We have just what you need!
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