Time Limit on Speaking at a Meeting

[Guest Rose Marie Mazzucco]

Does Robert's Rules permit or have a set criteria in place for a Board or Board President of a condo association to set a minimum time limit for speaking at a meeting?

[George Mervosh]

In smaller boards (about a dozen members present), RONR recommends not limiting debate.

In larger boards, the Board, not the president, may adopt a motion to limit debate in a variety of ways.

[Guest Rose Marie Mazzucco]

Sorry my question was not stated in clearer terms. I was asking about the Board President making a ruling that at the open 'owner's forum' of our meeting, any 'one' individual owner is limited to 3 minutes of speaking time or to reading a statement or letter - no debate involved. Any given monthly meeting generally involves 9 board members & about 12 unit owners (would it make a difference if more people attended?) Does your reply still stand?

[Kim Goldsworthy]

I was asking about the Board President making a ruling that at the open 'owner's forum' of our meeting, any 'one' individual owner is limited to 3 minutes of speaking time or to reading a statement or letter - no debate involved.

Problem here.

No president can unilaterally suspend or amend rules of order.

A motion is necessary, or at least approval via "unanimous consent" a.k.a. "general consent."

If your P is making up rules willy nilly, then either you better teach your P a fast lesson in parliamentary procedure, or you better get a new P.

[mlagliardo]

I need clarification, please. Let's say there are 10 people who want to speak at a unit owners' forum before a board meeting. Are you stating that each speaker can speak indefinitely, and the board has no right under Robert's Rules to limit the time each speaks? The agenda may state that a meeting is to end by a certain time and maybe another organization needs the room at the end of that time. There may be any number of reasons, but the unit owners have the right to speak as long as they wish? Tell me how that makes sense. Thanks.

[J. J.]

I need clarification, please. Let's say there are 10 people who want to speak at a unit owners' forum before a board meeting. Are you stating that each speaker can speak indefinitely, and the board has no right under Robert's Rules to limit the time each speaks? The agenda may state that a meeting is to end by a certain time and maybe another organization needs the room at the end of that time. There may be any number of reasons, but the unit owners have the right to speak as long as they wish? Tell me how that makes sense. Thanks.

RONR does not limit speaking time before a meeting.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Let's say there are 10 people who want to speak at a unit owners' forum before a board meeting.

Okay. They want to speak.

But remember: There is no guarantee that they will end up having any floor time.

That is up to the board.

Remember, under RONR, if a board is meeting, then no nonmember of the board has any rights, much less the right to speak.

So there is no guarantee,no right, under RONR that even one person gets to speak.

At a board meeting, the board has 100% control of:

(a.) who gets to speak;

(b.) how many times a person gets to speak;

(c.) how many minutes a person gets to speak;

... when it comes to visitors, guests, general membership members, etc.

Only board members (i.e., members of the body which is meeting) have a right to speak.

And the president (really, the chairman), as I said before, has no say on the issue.

Are you stating that each speaker can speak indefinitely, and the board has no right under Robert's Rules to limit the time each speaks?

No. You have it reversed:

• The board has 100% control of non-board members' speaking.

• Non-members of the board cannot speak - unless permission is granted by the board, either directly (via a rule or an adopted motion) or indirectly (via passive acquiescence).

And, again, the president (really, the presiding officer who is running the meeting) is not even in the loop on this issue, except to enforce the speaking limit imposed by the board, via a properly adopted motion, or a fixed rule, covering this speaking issue.

The agenda may state that a meeting is to end by a certain time and maybe another organization needs the room at the end of that time.

Okay. That sometimes happens.

But that adjournment deadline is not relevant to the issue at hand - i.e., how to limit the number of minutes of speaking (or the number of minutes of debate).

There may be any number of reasons, but the unit owners have the right to speak as long as they wish?

No.

There is no such right. You won't find such a "right" within the 700+ pages of RONR (10th ed. 2000).

At a board meeting, only board members speak.

Anyone else who speaks will speak only at the sufferance of the board (via permission or via an adopted rule).

To repeat what I think is your chief concern, the president does not unilaterally, arbitrarily, decide the number of minutes a nonmember of the board may speak at a board meeting.

A chair will enforce any rule regarding control of the floor, and will watch for violations of excessive speaking time.

But the chair cannot make up rules on the fly.