Jump to content
The Official RONR Q & A Forums

meeting minutes


Guest curious

Recommended Posts

During a recent (contentious) meeting of our organization, a group refused to let the minutes be approved, making a motion instead for "a complete, verbatim transcription of the meeting, to include the "feeling" of the crowd. these folks will most likely try to hijack the next meeting - how do we best deal with them?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

During a recent (contentious) meeting of our organization, a group refused to let the minutes be approved, making a motion instead for "a complete, verbatim transcription of the meeting, to include the "feeling" of the crowd. these folks will most likely try to hijack the next meeting - how do we best deal with them?

Make sure there are enough members present to defeat any motion they make, or to sustain the ruling of the chair that such motions are out of order (assuming they are).

Not approving the minutes is not an option and the minutes should not be a verbatim transcript of a meeting. But if that's what the majority wants, that what they'll get.

In a democracy, it's all about the numbers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

During a recent (contentious) meeting of our organization, a group refused to let the minutes be approved, making a motion instead for "a complete, verbatim transcription of the meeting, to include the "feeling" of the crowd. these folks will most likely try to hijack the next meeting - how do we best deal with them?

"How to deal with them?"

Majority rules.

• If the "group" is a majority, then there is nothing to do, but re-create your minutes into that desired format.

• If the "group" is a minority, then they don't have the votes, and what they want turns into

"sound and fury, signifying nothing" (Shakespeare, "Macbeth").

Link to comment
Share on other sites

During a recent (contentious) meeting of our organization, a group refused to let the minutes be approved, making a motion instead for "a complete, verbatim transcription of the meeting, to include the "feeling" of the crowd. these folks will most likely try to hijack the next meeting - how do we best deal with them?

The motion, instead..., was out of order. The only way not to approve the draft presented by the secretary is to approve a corrected version.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"How to deal with them?"

Majority rules.

• If the "group" is a majority, then there is nothing to do, but re-create your minutes into that desired format.

• If the "group" is a minority, then they don't have the votes, and what they want turns into

"sound and fury, signifying nothing" (Shakespeare, "Macbeth").

Now I clearly see why I like to read this forum so often - in the space of a couple of days we have gone from "you can lead a board to matter but you can't make it think" to .... Shakespeare!

I don't remember where I saw the former quote - but it is worth the price of admission all by itself (with all due respect for Mr. Goldsworthy and Mr. Shakespeare)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you record corrections to a previous meeting minutes? Do you correct them in the new minutes or do you correct the original minutes?

It's helpful to distinguish between "corrections" and "amendments".

If corrections are made prior to the approval of the minutes, the minutes can simply be recorded as corrected (i.e. you can edit the computer file; you don't have to cross out words and squeeze in additional words).

Once the minutes are approved they are, in effect, "carved in stone". Any changes (amendments) would be noted in the minutes of the meeting where those changes were adopted. The original minutes remain unaltered (though a note in the margin indicating that they were changed would be helpful).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...