Parliamentarian Corner

Term Limits can be controversial. This podcast gives a quick look at what they are and how they can be established. It also covers arguments for and against them.

What is a courtesy resolution and how is it processed? This podcast looks at these issues and gives you a foundation for processing them.

A book to help you learn all about how to use the current Parliamentary Authorities. This edition looks at the current manuals. To bad it is not in an ebook format.

The agenda is the society's plan for the order in which items will appear. The basic agenda is based on an officer board type of society working to get things done.

Vacancies often occur in organizations. How they are filled depends upon the rules of the organization. This podcast takes a brief look at what those rules might be.

The gavel is the symbol of authority for the presiding officer.It is a simple device that can be easily abused.

Dicipline for something done outside of a meeting is much more difficult. The steps have to be carefully followed to prevent both the society and the member from being wrongly disciplined. This podcast is only an introduction to the process.

This podcast looks at handling disciplinary actions within a meeting. The non-member is easy as that person has no rights. With members, there is an escalating scale of what can be done.

This podcast looks at when the parliamentarian has to look at the laws governing organizations, especially when a change in law affects changes in procedure. This podcast is not about practicing law but is about seeing how the law and changes in the law affect procedure.

Education in parliamentary procedure can be obtained from a variety of places. My site, www.parliamentariancorner.com has a lot of material especially if you go to www.parliamentariancorner.com/moodle. If you go to the American Institute of Parliamentarians site at aipparl.org you can also find material -- that produced by AIP and material produced by parliamentarians having references to their web pages. The National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) at www.parliamentarians.org also has a lot of educational material. This podcast is just a rough introducation to this area.

The Membership Chair (or Officer or Committee) is responsible for keeping track of the membership of the organization. Many organizations do not realize the importance of this position.

The role of Treasurer is not required but it is a very important role in most societies. The Treasurer is responsible for the money that an organization has. This podcast looks at that responsibility.

This podcast looks at the Secretary who is the second officer needed for a meeting. This officer has many important duties before, during, and after the meeting.

This podcast looks at the responsibilities of the vice president and how that office is handled in RONR and AIPSC.

This podcast looks at the office of the President first from the point of view of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised and then from AIPSC.

This podcast gives an overview of the officers that a society may have. Two of them are required and others can be used as the society needs.

This podcast looks at the use of modal verbs in parliamentary authorities. It is a very different approach from the other podcasts in this series.

This podcast looks at the Resolutions Committee. It is a committee designed to look at the main motions that will be coming before the assembly. It is very common for conventions but not all organizations make use of one. Listen and learn about this committee.

This podcast looks at Conventions and what needs to be done to get them started. The three committees are explained along with the variances in adopting standing rules for the Convention.

This podcast talks mainly about the motion to postpone under AIPSC. An important point is to remember what parliamentary authority you are using.

This podcast looks at pracitcums as put on by the American Institute of Parliamentarians.

This podcast talks about the two different meanings of division that are found in parliamentary procedure. One deals with voting and the other with breaking up the motion into logical parts.

Withdrawal is actually the highest ranking motion under AIPSC. It is the one function that is reserved to the maker of the motion even after the motion has been stated by the chair. And there is one case where it cannot be used.

In this podcast Point of Information and Parliamentary Inquiry are presented. These two requests can help speed things along by providing information to the assembly. But they can also be used to hinder business.

A Point of Order is the way for a member to point out a possible problem with procedure during a meeting. The chair or, in some cases, the assembly determine if the member was correct. Points of Order are an easy way to help the assembly keep on track to a successful meeting.

Requests are an important part of meetings. Understanding the basics of them under your parliamentary authority can make the meeting go much smoother. The basics are looked at here.

This is a program designed to help those studying for the Registered Parliamentarians Exam. But it is much more than that as it is a great way to maintain your knowledge of Robert't Rules of Order Newly Revised.

The motion to Table under AIPSC is very different from the motion under RONR. Tabling under AIPSC is the way to kill a motion without taking a vote on it. It can save a society from embarrassment.

Adopt in Lieu Of is one of the specific main motions found in AIPSC. It allows an assembly to quickly handle a variety of opitions for solving a situation. It is a great addition to parliamentary procedure.

AIPSC, American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, is one manual that uses modern language and concepts.

A review of an excellent flip book for any chair. The roles of the chair are shown in an easy to use format.

There are times when the ordinary rules just don't work. Suspend the Rules allows the assembly to get around this problem so that the necessary work can be done. But no all the rules can be suspended. Take a good listen and find out what can and cannot be done.

This podcast goes over the standard characteristics of motions. Understanding these gives you vital understanding of how to handle and use motions.

The Standard Code, originally by Alice Sturgis, is one of the major parliamentary authorities. It differs from Robert's in many ways but the differences are easy to understand and use.

The yearly meeting of the American Institute of Parliamentarians is called the Annual Session. What happens at this series of meetings?

There are many Parliamentary Authorities. This podcast looks at how one is adopted so that it becomes the authority for the organization.

There are several motions that should not be used. This podcast looks at these motions and tells when they should not be used with the reasons why.

An opinion is a professional look at a particular situation or event. Opinions are based on the parliamentary authority and how it applies to the situation.

This podcast looks at the basic information about Bylaws. They are the basic rules of a society and so are very important.

Writing bylaws is not an easy process. The writers need to represent the various ideas prevalent in the organization and need to think in a very logical manner.

Amending and revising bylaws have special rules. The process is not easy and should not be done all the time. This podcast deals with these complicated issues.

The Parliamentary Journal is the professional publication of the American Institute of Parliamentarians. It contains articles and opinions pieces dealing with all aspects of parliamentary procedure.

This podcast looks at Committees. Committees are the groups that do the research, argue about the issues, and develop the programs that the assembly approves. They are the workhorses of the society.

What officers are necessary to have a meeting? What other officers can exist for a meeting? Take a listen and learn about officers at meetings.

Learn a little about the original author of the work that bears his name.

Sometimes assemblies realize that they should not have done what they just did. Reconsideration lets the assembly correct this problem in most cases. But the rules for it are strict.

Minutes are very important for an organization. They are the official record of the actions taken by the body that keeps them. They have a definite format that needs to be followed with some material not belonging in the minutes.

This podcast looks at decorum or proper behavior. When an organization follows decorum, matters can move forward smoothly. Decorum does not imply agreement.

The main motion is your starting block for changes in an organization. Here we begin to take a look at it. Even a simple motion is not that simple as many things can happen to it.

Bylaws show you the basic rules, organization, and goals of a society. Without them, the organization does not exist; with them, you know your rights in the organization.