A meeting parliamentarian is a professional consultant who attends the client organization’s business meeting(s) to provides assistance and advice to the chairman on the proper conduct of the meeting, in accordance with the organization’s own rules.

As a first step, the parliamentarian conducts a thorough review of the constitution, by-laws, and special rules of order of the client organization. This allows him to effectively provide professional advice and assistance that is properly attuned to the particular client. Every organization is different, and uses parliamentary procedure differently, so he must be flexible.

Next, the parliamentarian prepares for the meeting by reviewing and analyzing the notice or call of the meeting, the proposed agenda, the presiding officer’s script, the minutes of the previous meeting, all proposed by-law amendments, resolutions, and other known or anticipated motions, and all other relevant documents. This ensures that he is ready for whatever may occur during the meeting, and also gives him an opportunity to spot problems that can be addressed or corrected before the meeting even begins.

After completing his analysis, the parliamentarian meets with the president, executive director, and/or other leaders of the client organization, to report on any issues encountered in his preparation, to discuss plans for the meeting, and to make any final arrangements. This meeting can take place in person and/or over the telephone, and can also include a series of e-mail exchanges. This phase of the work is quite informal, and can be extremely helpful in aligning expectations and resolving problems before they become serious.

If the parliamentarian detects a serious problem during his review, and if it would take a significant amount of time to correct or deal with, he will prepare a proposal for additional work to be done. Under no circumstances will he undertake additional billable work without the informed consent of the client. Fortunately, however, most problems can be handled quickly, easily, and at no extra cost.

On the day of the meeting, the parliamentarian arrives with plenty of time to spare, and meets up with the chairman of the meeting. They discuss any last minute issues, and make sure the facilities are properly set up. Once the chair calls the meeting to order, the parliamentarian stays at his side until adjournment, providing immediate assistance and advice on any questions of parliamentary procedure that might arise, no matter how complex. The chair can therefore confidently manage the conduct of the meeting without error, ensuring a smooth, fair, procedurally correct, and truly effective meeting.

After the meeting, the parliamentarian follows-up with a phone call and/or letter to debrief the chairman and the other leaders of the client organization on how the meeting was run, and how to improve things for the next year. This may take the form of a proposal for additional work that could be done, but was not urgent enough to warrant investigation prior to the meeting.

For more information about these services, or to hire a professional consultant to serve your organization, please contact Raplyn Consulting.