Entrepreneurship Mrs. Bowden Workplace Communications Meetings Parliamentary Procedure and Agendas Presented By Mrs. Bowden

Preparing for a Meeting Have a specific purpose Arrange for a time and a place Develop an agenda (meeting outline/what needs to be discussed) Begin the meeting with a call to order – this lets the group know the meeting is starting and Rob’s Rules will be followed from that point

Parliamentary Procedure When we meet in groups we follow a system of rules. Why? Courtesy Efficiency To be fair Keep balance Make sure every aspect is heard

Parliamentary Procedure Originally developed to be used in British government First published and officially recognized by Thomas Jefferson The book published by Jefferson in 1801 became the basis for the rules of Congressional meetings

Parliamentary Procedure Fundamental Procedures Do one thing at a time – emphasizes order The Majority Decides – more than half Rights of the minority are protected – entitled to voice their thoughts and their thoughts considered Conduct a FULL discussion Act with fairness and good faith – show that you have considered all sides of a discussion

Robert’s Rules of Order General Henry Robert saw the need to adapt Jefferson’s rules to be able to be used in everyday life After all lots of people and organizations were having meetings – not just government and Congress Those rules were a blend of British and US Congress meeting rules

Language Associated with Rob’s Rules Orders of the day – the agenda Call to order – starting the meeting Approval of minutes – agreeing on what was said or decided in the last meeting Old Business – any unfinished business from the previous meeting that need to be discussed or revisited New Business – main purpose of meeting Adjourn – stop meeting

Language Associated with Rob’s Rules President or leader begins the meeting - “I move to adopt the minutes from the November meeting.” This is a motion Motions need to be seconded – if no second motion is dead and not to be discussed again Member – “I second the motion.” President – “All in favor say aye….All opposed Nay” A count is taken and then president says “Motion passed

Language Associated with Rob’s Rules If a motion doesn’t pass or needs further discussion, members can make the following requests. “Call for a vote” if you feel there has been too much discussion “I move that we vote.” You have to agree to vote first and then vote on original motion “Send to committee” if the motion needs action or more work “I move we defer the motion to committee.” “Table the motion” if you feel it should be discussed later “I move that we table the discussion until _____”

Language Associated with Rob’s Rules Additional motions do not need a second Point of information - a member can simply state “Point of information” and ask a question for clarification of a motion or detail being discussed Point of Order – a member can simply state “Point of Order” if they feel other members or discussion is out of hand or Rob’s Rules aren’t being followed correctly

Language Associated with Rob’s Rules Sometimes the Rules get in the way of progress Motion to suspend the rules – can be used if the meeting is going long or over time The rules need to be relaxed when outsiders are at the meeting Off the record conversations need to be had The meeting has gotten to an extremely confusing place USE SPARINGLY!!

Meeting Etiquette Decide on a place and time and stick with it Use the same time and place for each meeting Keep meetings to a certain time frame - usually no more than an hour Limit emotional statements Avoid personal agendas Keep conversations positive Be RESPECTFUL at all times