Decorum

[mcfarland]

Yikes!  We just concluded a meeting that turned out to be a real train wreck.

The Chair completely lost control.  Members were angry.  Consistently interrupted the speaker.  Argued with each other, ignoring the Chair.  Rude behavior.

Please, what are some suggestions to gain control and rules to cite that will restore order?.  Are there consequences for members that so disrupt a meeting?

- Bob 
 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

See "Breaches of order by members in a meeting" in RONR 11th ed., starting on p. 645.

[Transpower]

Rules of Decorum (which the Chair should read aloud at the beginning of a contentious meeting):

1.  Speakers (except for officers/committee chairs reporting) must address their remarks to the Chair, maintain a courteous tone, and avoid injecting a personal note into debate or attacking others’ motives.

 2.  Officers and committee chairs should come to the front left, front right, or front center to present their reports and address the body.

 3.  Speakers should refer to officers only by title and should avoid the mention of other members’ names as much as possible.

 4.  Speakers’ remarks must be germane to the question before the assembly and should not be about a prior action not pending.

 5.  Members are to stand when wishing to speak and when speaking, otherwise they are to sit.

 6.  Members are to refrain from disturbing the assembly by whispering to one another, walking out, etc.

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

2 hours ago, mcfarland said:

Please, what are some suggestions to gain control and rules to cite that will restore order?

The best way to gain control is never to lose it. As members grow more reckless, so must the chair become sterner and more formal. However, once the train has left the rails, the best thing is to declare a recess. "If there is no objection, we will be in recess for 15 minutes." Naturally, the chair will be unable to hear any objections over the ruckus. 

[Joshua Katz]

I agree with the above suggestions, but just want to add that, as Guest . . . Dinner says, the best idea is to not lose control.  That means a lot goes back to the chair's presiding (or lack thereof, at times).  The best solution is not rules, but common sense, and a firm but fair demeanor.  Over-reliance on the gavel, for instance, is an indication that the chair has already lost control.