Loosen up: making parliamentary procedure less formal and more manageable.

"Laws should be like clothes. They should be made to fit the people they serve," advises Clarence Darrow. Similarly, the procedures you follow during a meeting should fit the particular occasion.

Unfortunately, many presiding officers know only one way to run a meeting. But just as too much informality can make an annual meeting of your members confusing and unruly, too much formality can make a meeting of your board longer and more cumbersome than it needs to be. Follow these five tips to lose some needless formalities without losing control of your board meeting:

1. Remember that board meetings are meant to be less formal. At large meetings of your association's membership, the sheer number of participants makes some informal discussion impractical. Organizers must set limits on debate to keep the meeting on schedule and use formal votes to avoid legal challenges.

In contrast, too much procedure may actually hinder business at smaller board meetings. According to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, 10th Edition (2000, Perseus Publishing), when you're conducting a board meeting with fewer than a dozen members present

* members are not required to obtain the floor and can make motions or speak while seated;

* motions need not be seconded;

* the number of times a member can speak to a question is not limited;

* motions to close or limit debate are generally not used; and

* the chair can usually make motions and vote on all questions.

However, if your board is considering issues of great importance or controversy, you can always make your proceedings more formal to suit the occasion.

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2. Realize that Robert's Rules may not be the right choice for your board. Though Robert's Rules is the most commonly used parliamentary book, it may not be right for your board. Another well-known parliamentary authority is The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th Edition (2000, McGraw-Hill Trade), often referred to as Sturgis. Not only is Sturgis a much easier book from which the novice can learn procedure, but also it is less formal and designed for smaller, more relaxed organizations. If your board is not bound to use Robert's, consider Sturgis.

3. Know that a motion is not always necessary. Many matters can be resolved through general consent, or unanimous consent. Under this method, the presiding officer asks, "Is there any objection to ...?" For example, "Is there any objection to ending discussion?" If no one objects, discussion is closed. If a member objects, the matter should be resolved with a motion and vote.

General consent allows your board to move quickly through uncontroversial issues so that you can devote more time to ones that require thorough discussion and debate. You can also adopt reports and motions, approve minutes, and end debate this way.

4. Don't get hung up on seconds. In small board meetings, seconds aren't required at all. This makes sense, given the relaxed nature of such meetings. Even if your board loves seconding motions, seconds should not be overemphasized. The presence of a second in a formal setting simply determines whether or not an issue will go forward into discussion. However, most parliamentary books provide that after debate on an issue--or even after a vote is taken--you can ignore the lack of a second if you forgot it earlier.

5. Don't vote on every report. Committee reports are often for information only. In such instances, no motion is necessary following a report. In fact, a motion to adopt or accept a report is seldom wise except when it is to be published in the name of your association. Committee reports typically need debate and a vote only if the report ends with a specific recommendation for action.

Similarly, treasurers' reports seldom require action. When a treasurer is simply reporting the cash on hand or receipts minus disbursements, no action is necessary, and the report should be filed for reference. An annual or year-end treasurer's report can be referred to your auditor, and the auditor's report is what your board should eventually consider and adopt.

If your board slavishly follows procedures that are ill-suited to it, the result will be confusion, dissatisfaction, or, at the least, inefficiency. That's why choosing and using the right process for your board meetings is worth the effort. The best meetings use procedures that are perfectly tailored to fit the occasion--and in the case of your board, that probably means you have the freedom to loosen up a little.

RELATED ARTICLE: Parliamentary Resources

* Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th Edition (2000, Perseus Publishing)

* The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th Edition (2000, McGraw-Hill Trade)

* American Institute of Parliamentarians, P.O. Box 2173, Wilmington, DE 19899-2173; 888-664-0428; www.parliamentaryprocedure.org

* National Association of Parliamentarians, 213 S. Main St., Independence, MO 64050-3850; 888-NAP-2929; www.parliamentarians.org

Jim Slaughter is president of the law firm Forman, Rossabi, Black, PA, Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a certified professional parliamentarian-teacher and a professional registered parliamentarian. E-mail: [e-mail].