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Using Robert's Rules without being an "organization"


TheAdvocate

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At my high school, once a year we have a meeting to decide which students will be awarded the gold medal for conduct, athletics, leadership, etc. Many years ago before my time, the school has decided to use RR because meetings had gone on way to long and had gotten ugly. But we are not an organization with members' bylaws or anything, really. (I mean, we have school rules which govern how the school is run, of course.) We only bust out the RR to provide order and structure to a meeting that we hold once a year. I mean, meetings must have order.

I'm sure other entities do this. But how do you use RR without being an organization? Our high school principal runs the meetings. At a later post, I will explain how we award the gold medals and awards; for now, I'd be happy to learn how you use RR for occasion meetings just for the sake of a smooth meeting to have order.

As always, I'm very grateful for you expert and thoughtful responses to this and any post on these boards. :)

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It NEVER ceases to amaze me with what speed members reply to posts on these boards. You are all very awesome and helpful. Later (perhaps within a month), I'll ask question specifically regarding how these meetings are run (= terribly). The chaos at the last meeting is the reason why I became interested in learning more about RR. No one, not even our so-called parliamentarian, knows what he's talking about. I'm sure this kind of thing happens all the time at mass meetings... :rolleyes:

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But how do you use RR without being an organization? Our high school principal runs the meetings.

Let me offer the obvious answer, first:

Make a motion so.

At the top of the meeting, adopt a motion to use Robert's Rules of Order as the parliamentary authority.

Our high school principal runs the meetings.

You know what happens when a sole individual gets to make up the rules as he goes along?

(I think I saw a Science Channel special called "Morgan Freeman: Through the Wormholes" where reality and fantasy cannot be told apart. - Chaotic meetings are likewise similar - an Alice In Wonderland set of rules of inconsistency and illogic.)

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It NEVER ceases to amaze me with what speed members reply to posts on these boards. You are all very awesome and helpful. Later (perhaps within a month), I'll ask question specifically regarding how these meetings are run (= terribly). The chaos at the last meeting is the reason why I became interested in learning more about RR. No one, not even our so-called parliamentarian, knows what he's talking about. I'm sure this kind of thing happens all the time at mass meetings... rolleyes.gif

Well, for starts, I recommend that the teaching of the rudiments of parliamentary procedure be restored to the school curriculum.

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Well, for starts, I recommend that the teaching of the rudiments of parliamentary procedure be restored to the school curriculum.

Well, now that you mention it, I am a speech teacher, and I've already included a unit on the bare-bones basics of RR. Like you, I believe any cultured or educated person should understand the basics of how an assembly should conduct meetings.

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Well, now that you mention it, I am a speech teacher, and I've already included a unit on the bare-bones basics of RR. Like you, I believe any cultured or educated person should understand the basics of how an assembly should conduct meetings.

General Robert had a very similar thought. You might want to read the introductory material in his Parliamentary Practice: An Introduction to Parliamentary Law, (1921).

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Or make use of the simplified but splendid "RONRIB" as a (required?) text book for your parliamentary education unit...

RONRIB:

"Roberts Rules of Order In Brief" (Da Capo Press, Perseus Books Group). It is a splendid summary of all the rules you will really need in all but the most exceptional situations. And only $7.00! You can read it in an evening.

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