Mastering Council Meetings: A Guidebook for Elected Officials and Local Governments

by Ann G. MacFarlane, Andrew L. Estep

Written in a light and easy-to-read style, Mastering Council Meetings will save time, give you confidence and empower your council for effective discussion and decision-making. Elected officials of special districts, school boards, utility boards, city councils, county commissions, citizen advisory committees—any kind of civic body—will find Mastering Council Meetings to be an essential guidebook for running smooth and fair meetings. This book explains the most commonly used motions, presents efficient meeting procedures and summarizes effective leadership principles. Key rules for discussion and debate are assembled into one easy-reference list; motions are clarified with diagrams for quick understanding. Gritty examples of real-life meetings that did not go according to plan demonstrate how to respond to the unexpected, and how to establish systems and procedures to prevent disorder. The book provides specific phrases and language to use to keep things on track when folks are rude, crude or confused. Mastering Council Meetings extracts the essence of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th edition , and explains the basics in clear, practical language. As a bonus, the book’s glossary provides easy-to-understand definitions of commonly used terms and the jargon of parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order. This unique, user-friendly book can be read through quickly and easily, and will remain an invaluable reference for effective, productive meetings.

Genres: Nonfiction

151 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2013

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Ann's book "Mastering Council Meetings" a very bright and mostly understandable book to understand how to run a meeting. Whether that meeting is a city council or a transit rider's advisory committee, Ann lays out basic suggested procedures that build upon Robert's Rule of Order that I intend to use with my transit rider's advisory committee colleagues. It is also worth noting that Ann is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian who gives seminars all around the nation on parliamentary procedure, so this book should be considered highly credible from an experienced source.

[Katerina Ioannides · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a companion read to Robert's Rules of order - it doesn't give any new information. Reading this alongside it was a bit excessive. "Robert's Rules of Order" is more than sufficient to get a sense of council meeting procedure.

Still - this is a well laid out straightforward textbook with some nice charts.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short little book should be a must-read for every mayor and city council member. It provides clarity on everything from agenda-setting to how to ensure civil public comment. This is a valuable resource that I'll refer to often.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide for anyone looking to get into local politics!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic, to the point - a decent refresher

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert's Rules made easy. Great book if you are serving on a school board (me) or a government council. Otherwise, boring.