Parliamentary Procedure Tips for New Presidents

Have you ever had to endure meetings where nothing was accomplished and everyone was bored, talked too much, or was too intimidated to participate? Or maybe you've found yourself chairing a meeting where you ended up doing all the talking. Most of us learn about meetings by observation. Unfortunately, a lot of what we see may not be very helpful.

Well-run meetings create a positive atmosphere and are more likely to achieve results. Members leave with a sense of accomplishment and a continuing desire to contribute. What makes the difference between meeting mayhem and meeting magic? It all comes down to a few basics about meeting conduct.

Ten Tips to Get You Through a Meeting

1. Know Your Parliamentary Procedures. Ideally, as president, you should know more about parliamentary procedures than any other member. When you're confident in your knowledge, you won't be at a loss when members challenge you on procedure. If you're weak in this area, look in your phone book or newspaper for classes or meetings sponsored by a local unit of the National Association of Parliamentarians. Some local units offer short workshops on basic parliamentary rules. (For information on the 13 ranking motions in parliamentary procedures, read "Know Your Motions," at the end of this article.)

Learning the purpose of the motions and rules is just like learning any new skill. You won't be comfortable until you've heard and practiced the procedures several times.

2. Be Prepared. Know your bylaws, policies, staff, and responsibilities. Be sure your documents, such as bylaws, rules, policies, previous minutes, and committee lists, are readily available to you at your meetings. Note the critical dates, events, and voting stipulations in your bylaws. For example, when is the annual meeting? When is the Nominating Committee supposed to meet and who can serve? What is the quorum required for your Board of Directors meetings and your membership meetings?

3. Let Your Agenda Be a Help. Ask your executive officer to help you prepare a script agenda, with the language you need to use next to every item of business. In addition, there should be enough space for you to make notes.

Before the meeting, write down everything you think is going to happen at the meeting so that you can be as prepared as possible. Say, for example, you've heard that a member intends to make a motion to sell your association headquarters and relocate across town. Note the member's intent and the experts who can answer questions about the building you occupy,

moving costs, location of members, and so on, so that you'll know ahead of time what to do.

When a motion is made, write it down so that you can state it for the group. Keep track of which motion is currently on the floor and repeat it for the assembly so that it's always clear what's being discussed.

4. Get Started on Time. A minute or two before the meeting is scheduled to start, get everyone's attention by asking members to take their seats. If you're late or let the stragglers make you wait, members will make it a habit to be late. Set the tone for promptness at your very first meeting.

5. Don't Let Power Go to Your Head. The president (or chairman) has power, but it should be used to control the meeting and benefit all the members. This is definitely not the time to be the boss. Some powerful do's include

Clarify exactly what members are voting on

Help members with wording if necessary

Recognize and grant the floor to members in a fair manner

6. Be Impartial. You represent all the members, even when you don't agree with them. Don't play favorites. Be polite, patient, pleasant, and helpful to all--even if you have to bite your tongue. Every member, friend and opponent alike, will have more confidence in and respect a president who treats everyone as equals.

7. Be Neutral Even in the Heat of Debate. Most of us have been at meetings in which the president explains, argues, or debates every issue that comes up. Remember that you're the presiding officer, not the defender or proponent of every point. It's best to refer a question to a member who's an expert.

Even if you don't agree with a comment, your only response should be, "Is there any more discussion?" If you think an important perspective is missing from the discussion, you may want to call on someone who you know can share valuable information. You can protect your neutrality by calling on someone else.

8. Be Prepared to Handle Problem Members. If you believe members might become angry or hostile about an agenda item, prepare an outlet to channel it. Before the meeting, talk with the dissident members to determine the extent of their anger and let them know you'll allow time for their viewpoint to be heard.

If there's time a few days before the meeting, consider holding a brainstorming session with those angry members to determine whether there are other ideas that haven't been explored yet. If you must go ahead with

your meeting as planned, explain to everyone the rules of debate and that such behavior as abusing the rules, name-calling, and treating other members disrespectfully won't be tolerated.

Consider dealing with the hot topic first or at least early in the meeting. Stay calm and undisturbed during the meeting and be firm about leading a fair and open discussion. Designate two speaking places in the room, one pro and one con, and ask members who wish to speak to go to the designated spot and be called on in turn. If the membership agrees, limit how many times and how long members may speak.

(For information on ways to handle difficult personalities in meetings, read " Turn the Tables on Obstructive Behavior," in the Spring 1994 issue of The Executive Officer.)

9. Exhibit the Best Traits. The best presidents have two traits in common. They're comfortable in their knowledge, and they don't allow their emotions to take over.

10. Enjoy. A sense of humor is an important attribute. Don't be stiff and formal. Your year as president shouldn't be all business. Have fun, and when you run your meetings, look as if you enjoy it.

Five Rules to Remember

1. If an action or motion is going to reduce or take away rights, a two-thirds vote is needed. Two motions that take away rights are to limit debate and to move the previous question. You might decide to limit debate, for example, to allow 5 minutes rather than 10 minutes per speech or to allow each speaker to speak only once.

If a member moves or "calls" the question properly and the motion is approved, debate is ended. The next step is to vote on the pending motion immediately.

Since calling the question takes away rights, the president should remember that members are required to rise, be recognized by the chair, and make the motion to move the previous question. In addition, a second is necessary. Chairmen who hear members calling out, "Question!" should remind them of the requirement to be recognized and make a motion.

2. Although presidents should protect their neutrality, it's their responsibility to respond to "points." A point of information is raised because a member needs information about an item of business or the motion on the floor. The chairman may respond or have another member do so.

A member who believes the rules of order have been violated may raise a point of order. The chair should rule that the point is well taken and correct the situation or rule that the point isn't well taken and state why.

The member can come back with an appeal to the decision of the chair, which needs a second. Then the membership votes on whether it is or isn't a good point.

When a member raises a point or question of privilege, the chair should respond. Usually this point deals with safety or comfort, such as the temperature of the room or the acoustics.

3. Learn how to use general (or unanimous) consent. When items don't appear to be controversial, you can save time by asking whether there's any objection to proceeding in a certain way. If there's none, the chair can say, "Seeing none, we will do . . . [whatever is being proposed]," and move on to the next item of business. Many "friendly" amendments, (small changes that everyone seems to agree on) or the approving of minutes could be handled this way.

4. To protect their neutrality, presidents shouldn't debate and vote--except by ballot. However, there may be instances when they feel they must.

Debate. The president can join in after giving up the chair to someone else who hasn't already spoken, usually the vice president. The president can't resume the chair until debate has ended, a vote has been taken, and the results have been announced.

Vote. Presidents can vote to make a tie and defeat the motion or break a tie and adopt the motion. But those actions should be reserved for important issues.

Let's say a motion to increase dues will be defeated without the president's vote and result in several member services being cut. If the president believes the defeat would be detrimental to the membership, he or she may decide to vote.

And presidents who are ex officio members of committees have full rights on the committees to attend all meetings, debate, and vote.

5. The president is responsible for making sure the results of a vote are clear. If you're in doubt, call for the vote to be retaken in another form. If the vote was by voice, you can take it again by a rising vote or by ballot.

Keep these basic ideas in mind to help you run smoother meetings and get more work done. Parliamentary procedures are the framework to ensure that everyone's rights are protected, that business is conducted in an orderly fashion, and that the assembly deals with one item at a time.

For Additional Information

Fulton, Elaine. Keep your meetings flowing: following the rules of parliamentary procedure helps keep your meetings productive, fair and on

schedule. Leadership. 89:40--43.

Lee, Karen J. Parliamentary precision: rules of order reviewed. Association Management. Jan. 92:L34--L36.

Peck, Michael. Parliamentary productivity: how to better manage your meetings. Association Management. Jan. 94:L50--L51.

Robert, Henry M. Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. 11th ed. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1990.

Know Your Motions

Now's the time to bone up on these 13 ranking motions found in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, so that you'll be ready for your leadership role when your meeting season begins.

Main Motions

1. Main motions introduce subjects to the assembly for consideration. Subsidiary motions can be applied to main motions, and motions should be written in the minutes as the chair states them.

Subsidiary Motions

Subsidiary motions change, delay, or affect how the main motion is handled.

2. Postpone indefinitely can be used to kill or reject a motion. For example, when an assembly doesn't want to discuss or vote on a main motion, the motion to postpone indefinitely rejects the main motion for the rest of the session.

3. Amend is used to change a motion. When a main motion isn't exactly what the assembly wants, the motion can be changed (amended). An entire motion or paragraph can be changed by substitution.

To move to amend a motion is a primary amendment. A primary amendment can be amended by a secondary amendment. However, secondary amendments can't be amended.

4. Commit or refer is used to study or investigate a motion. When a proposal needs more work, more study, or more information, the motion to commit or refer sends it to a small group or a committee.

5. Postpone definitely delays or puts off making a decision. When an assembly wants to decide an issue but not immediately, the motion to postpone definitely allows the assembly to decide on a definite day, meeting, or hour when the motion can come up again.

6. Limit or extend debate changes the rules of debate. If the assembly wants to change the rules of debate (each member may speak no longer

than 10 minutes and no more than twice on the same questions on the same day), the motion to limit or extend debate can be adopted by a two-thirds vote.

7. Previous question is used to vote immediately. If members wish to end debate and prevent further amendments, the motion to move the previous question proposes to vote immediately. This motion requires a two-thirds vote for adoption. If adopted, debate stops and a vote is taken on the pending motion.

8. Lay on the table sets aside pending business temporarily. When there's an urgent matter that needs to be dealt with, the motion to lay on the table sets a motion on the floor aside temporarily. This motion is frequently misused; if the intent is to take it up later, use postpone definitely.

Privileged Motions

Privileged motions have such importance that they take precedence over all other motions. None of these motions are debatable.

9. Call for the orders of the day requires the chair to follow the agenda. When there's an ob- vious and unnecessary deviation from the agenda, a member can, by saying, I call for the orders of the day, demand that the chair return to the announced or published agenda.

10. Question of privilege is used to request a privilege for situations that relate to the safety or comfort of members. When the room is too hot, too cold, or too noisy, for example, a member stands up and says, Madam Chairman, I rise to a question of privilege.

11. Recess is used to take a break in a meeting. Unscheduled breaks for a few minutes to a longer period of time can be done by the privileged motion to recess.

12. Adjourn ends a meeting. The motion to adjourn, if adopted, officially closes the meeting. When it's adopted, the chair must declare the meeting adjourned.

13. Fix the time to which to adjourn sets a time to continue business without adjourning the present meeting. When a meeting needs to be continued rather than adjourned, a motion to fix the time to which to adjourn allows another day or time to be designated to continue the present meeting.