John R. Berg, PRP
Few people want meetings to run longer than necessary. While staff and facilities may have an hourly rate, generally, when individuals are compensated to attend meetings, they receive a fixed sum for the meeting regardless of how long it may run. One community organization of over 650 members required a majority of the members for a quorum at membership meetings. They had no difficulty in obtaining a quorum because everyone received $200 for attending. The problem was that once everyone was checked in for the meeting and qualified to receive their check, a motion to adjourn ended the meeting before all the business was accomplished. While a motion to adjourn is an effective way to shorten meetings, it is not necessarily a productive tool when there is business yet to be accomplished. Parliamentary procedure is often criticized for slowing down meetings with unnecessary formality, but this criticism is usually not justified. When properly applied, parliamentary procedure expedites business by adjusting the degree of formality to the parliamentary situation. This article will explore both time-wasters to avoid and time-saving tools to implement. Start the meeting on time. At an early morning meeting, some of the attendees may want to wait for others to arrive, while many feel that they did not make the effort come to an early morning meeting just to wait for those 14
National Parliamentarian • Fall 2021
who chose to sleep in. Perhaps bringing only enough donuts for those who arrive on time will help the habitual late-comers arrive on time in the future. If everyone who has a right to attend is there or has given notice that they will not be attending, the meeting may start before the appointed time if there is no objection. There would be no violation of absentees’ rights. However, if others have a right to attend, even just as observers, such as many public meetings, the meeting cannot start before the appointed time. A roll call of those in attendance is not required. If an attendance record is maintained, there can be a sign-in sheet or the secretary can quietly compile an attendance record. It is not necessary to formally determine a quorum nor announce that a quorum is present. The chair has the responsibility to not call the meeting to order unless a quorum is present. (If, after a reasonable time, it appears that a quorum will not be in attendance, the chair would call the meeting to order, announce that a quorum is not present and proceed to that business necessary to obtain a quorum or that can be conducted without a quorum.) RONR (12th ed.) 40:11. If the quorum is twenty-five and it is obvious that there are over a hundred in attendance, it would be dilatory to raise a point of order questioning the presence of a quorum. The minutes need not record that a quorum was present.
