A Return to Normalcy
Steven J. Bolen, PRP
As a society, we have weathered two seemingly long pandemic years. Parliamentarians spent this time keeping organizations operating on an emergency basis when they could not meet in the usual manner.
In our role as parliamentarians, we guided our clients through numerous changes to their bylaws, empowering officers universally to declare emergencies and take the necessary actions to keep their divisions operating. We assisted many of our clients in their struggle with how to transition from in-person to online meetings. Guided by the 2020 NAP Training Conference and 2021 Biennial Convention, along with multiple issues of the National Parliamentarian, NAP members analyzed the emergency and expounded upon the proper response. The Robert’s Rules of Order Newly
Revised (RONR) authorship team supported us by adding an appendix for electronic meetings to their 12th Edition. Articles and workshops were presented that covered the steps needed to assure the continuity of services by our clients. Organizations survived the pandemic by implementing our suggestions while remaining compliant with governmental requests and mandates. It now appears that the pandemic will fade away slowly, not with a bang but a whimper, hopefully over the next couple of years. In some places, the emergency has largely ended, while in others, it continues. Depending on their location, some organizations have been able to return to a semblance of normal operations. www.parliamentarians.org
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