1. Webinar on
Meeting Management
will begin soon!

2. MidAmerica Webinar
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
District Executive, Heartland

3. Central MidWest, Heartland and Prairie Star Districts

4. Welcome!

Welcome
Introductions
Technical Issues: Apologies Abound!

6. MidAmerica Webinar
Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley
District Executive, Heartland

7. Chalice Lighting


8. Tonight’s Webinar

 Look at our assumptions and habits of meetings
 How to make meetings more inclusive
 How to run efficient meetings
 Parliamentary Procedure
 Roberts Rules: What they really say!
 Consensus: What it really is!

9. Meetings: Why?

 As member-based organizations, meetings are the
way things get done
 We make a lot of assumptions about meetings—what
should happen, when they should happen, who does
what
 Time to open up that can of worms
 Always can improve how we do what we intend to
do
 All we do is for theological deepening and
transformation

10. Assumptions and Habits

 We must have committees and meetings
 What about Task Groups or Work Partners?
 Meetings must happen every month, no matter what
 Could switch to quarterly or electronic
 The committee members are the ones to do the work
 Separate workers from organizers—different skill sets
 Committees have to last as long as it takes to do the
work
 Review every committee at least every other year for
relevance

11. Enjoyable Meetings

 Build in social time
 Pre-meeting social hour?
 Snacks?
 Worship service before on meeting night
 Encourage appropriate laughter
 Approach with lightness, not dread
 Again, approach from religious perspective: how are
we growing our spirits?

12. Inclusive Meetings

 Always ask who isn’t present?
 Make sure not ruling out historically marginalized
folks
 Put a chair at the table for the voices not there
 Ask questions that will elicit the views of those not
present
 Accommodations:
 Where held—accessible in broadest sense?
 What about children?
 Time and date issues
 Virtual meeting possible?

13. Efficient Meetings

 Realize meetings serve a variety of purposes:
 Social
 Connect members
 Allow participatory leadership
 Get things done
 Legal requirement
 Achieve something spectacular
 Deepen our spirits
 Need to make space for all of this to happen

14. Efficient Meetings

 Realize people approach differently:
 Leap to quick understanding
 Mull over for unintended consequences
 Want decisions
 Want dialog
 Think quickly/slowly
 Speak to know what thinking
 Think to know what to say
 Need to make space for all of this to happen

15. Efficient Meetings: Prepare

 Build Agenda carefully
 Check minutes for old business
 Solicit ideas and issues from others
 Add suggested time limits – no more than 90 minutes
of work!
 Send Agenda and documents out in advance
 Rule of thumb: don’t decide anything important in
same meeting presented unless absolutely necessary
 Consider advance session to inform folks: town hall
 Agree on Rules before starting meeting (more later)

16. Effective Meetings: There

 Create a covenant for how you will be together;
review regularly
 Start religiously:
 On time (time-ish)
 Chalice Lighting
 Check In
 Theological Reflection
 End well:
 Check out, including task review and reassignment
 Closing reading

17. Efficient Meetings: There

 Ensure everyone is involved appropriately
 Ask input from everyone
 Institute ―step up, step back‖ awareness
 Encourage ―Angel’s Advocates‖
 Three good things about idea
 How would we be better if this was
chosen/worked?
 Appoint timekeeper and Process Observer
 Empower everyone to keep time and observe

18. Efficient Meetings: After

 Make sure notes/minutes are circulated quickly
 Include a ―task list‖ that reminds folks of
commitments
 Follow up with folks as appropriate
 Share the news with others
 Confirm the date of the next meeting (if any!)
 Do what you said you’d do; if you can’t, let folks
know as soon as possible so alternate plans can be
made

19. Efficient Meetings: Rules

 Ensure you know what Rules will govern your
meetings:
 Roberts?
 Consensus?
 Roberta’s Rules?
 Others?
 Make sure that you have:
 Parliamentarian who can assist with understanding
the Rules
 Training for those running, and those attending

20. Robert’s Rules

 Who was Robert, and why his rules?
 Henry Martyn Robert, Army Engineer
 Motivated by failure
 Created own set 1876
 Now in 11th Version with forward by Henry M.
Robert III (!)
 Direct line of succession in creating new versions
 Often default way of decision making

21. Robert’s Rules

 Basic Premises:
 No one speaks without recognition—no shouting out
 Always need a motion to discuss anything, & second
 No one speaks a second time until all heard, unless
Chair agrees
 Chair may call upon whomever as often as want to
clarify issues
 Only members have privilege of floor, but Chair may
allow others to speak
 Point of Information: when don’t understand things

22. Robert’s Rules

 Point of Personal Privilege: when need something
 Moving the previous question, with Chair
recognition; not debatable; 2/3 to pass
 Need to be polite!
 Chair may call for the vote without moving the
previous question, especially when no one waiting to
speak
 Point of Order when think not following Rules – can
interrupt!

23. Robert’s Rules

 No ―friendly amendment‖ under Robert’s
 Can make amendments to motion
 Can withdraw original motion and then move new
one
 Abstentions:
 Don’t need to call for them unless requested
 Do not count in the vote—if more vote for than
against, it passes (subject to plurality required)

24. Robert’s rules

 Customary role for Chair:
 Doesn’t make or second motions (though can)
 Steps out of chair when wishes to speak on issue
 Can break a tie in vote, but doesn’t need to
 Getting rid of motion:
 Withdrawn by mover
 Voting against
 Tabling (though can be brought back)
 Postpone (to particular time)
 Postpone indefinitely (basically kills the motion)

25. Consensus Model

 Conditions necessary for consensus governance:
 Common goal
 Commitment to reach consensus
 Trust and openness
 Sufficient time
 Clear process
 Active participation
 Good facilitation

26. Consensus Process

 Introduce and clarify issues
 Explore issue and look for ideas
 Look for emerging proposals
 Discuss, clarify and amend proposal
 Test for agreement
 If agreement, then implement
 If no agreement, back to emerging proposals for
other options/agreements

27. Consensus Decision

 Not just everyone agreeing, but shades of
agreement/disagreement:
 Agreement: this is what we should do
 Non-support: don’t see need, but will go along
 Reservations: might be mistake, but can live with it
 Standing aside: can’t do personally, but won’t stop
others
 Blocking: cannot support or allow group to support; it
is immoral, wrong
 Withdrawing: must leave if this occurs

28. Consensus Review

 If don’t come to an agreement/consensus, then
follow whatever pre-existing decision or, if none,
then do not act at all
 Takes time to reach; not good for quick decisions
 Requires deep commitment by members
 Appreciates complexity of situations
 Can be a powerful way of participating, and when
reach consensus, often have greater buy-in and
participation

29. Robert’s vs. Consensus

 Need clear and shared articulation of when you use
which (or whatever rules you choose)
 What do your bylaws say about specific things such
as quorum, calling a minister, purchase/sale of
property
 If choose consensus as ―default,‖ then what will you
do if you don’t find consensus?
 Regardless: need to teach and learn—it’s not just
automatic

30. Resources

 Robert’s Rules ―Official‖ website:
 http://www.robertsrules.com/history.html
 Consensus governance
 Meetings that Work
 Roberta’s Rules:
 http://www.robertasrules.net/
 Consensus:
 http://seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus
 http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments
/Consensus.html

31. Resources

 Meetings that Work, UUA Publication
 http://www.uua.org/documents/congservices/meet
ingswork.pdf
 Patrick Lencioni, author of leadership fables
 Death by Meeting
 Alban Institute, congregational life think-tank
 www.alban.org

32. Q&A

 What are your questions?

33. Final Words

It has been said democracy is
the worst form of government
except for all those others that
have been tried.
Winston Churchill