President’s Message What a Difference a Year Makes

What a Difference a Year Makes

The promise of a new year and a fresh start allows us to believe that better days lie ahead. If conventional wisdom and the year 2020 taught us anything, it is to protect ourselves from the possibility that our actions and words contradict the current reality.

We await the return to normalcy, realizing that it might be unrecognizable when it arrives. We accept the truth of the adage, “Life goes on with fragile normalcy,” penned by author and novelist Sara Gruen. It does, and we must keep up. Educational opportunities await us.

As parliamentarians, we are familiar with learning the differences between old and new editions of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised. At this time, as we learn the differences between the eleventh and twelfth editions, we simultaneously need to assist organizations in applying the rules to meetings held in an electronic environment. Time does not stand still as we catch up with what is new in parliamentary procedure.

The National Association of Parliamentarians® Educational Resources Committee has worked diligently to update the content of the books and other parliamentary materials that we have come to rely on as we provide services to associations and organizations. Check out the NAP bookstore at www.parliamentarians.org. Reading books alone, however, will not provide proficiency in parliamentary procedure. Take the time to practice what you have learned.

There continue to be organizations that are at a standstill and have not met since March 2020. They may not be aware of the resources available and what can be done when their bylaws do not authorize electronic meetings. A parliamentarian may be able to provide the advice that moves them from being inactive to becoming active, again. Assistance also may be needed to create rules that allow for smooth transitions in procedures when members wish to be recognized, speak in debate, or vote in electronic meetings. Yes, parliamentarians can help with those matters.

As the new year progresses, parliamentarians will play a vital role in helping organizations tackle their meeting challenges head on. Educational opportunities will continue to be available through electronic means. Practice in, and demonstration of, what we have learned is the unspoken next step in the education cycle. Parliamentary proficiency is achieved through a range of activities and experiences, simple to complicated. This may become the new normal.

Stay safe and follow the virus mitigation instructions.

Darlene T. Allen, PRP 2019–2021 NAP President