The webinar covered best practices for running efficient, inclusive, and meaningful meetings. It discussed examining assumptions about meetings and considering alternatives like task groups. The webinar also provided tips for preparing agendas in advance, maintaining an orderly process, involving all participants, and following up after meetings. Finally, it compared the Robert's Rules and consensus models of decision making.

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:

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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:
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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:
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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:
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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
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

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