By Cicely Enright
Oct 10, 2018
Fairness. Productivity. Efficiency. These are universal goals for meeting outcomes in offices and conference rooms around the world.
One tried-and-true tool to ensure fairness, productivity, and efficiency used by ASTM International technical committees is Robert’s Rules of Order. Along with the agenda, Robert’s Rules helps meetings go as smoothly as possible.
Note: In cases of conflict, the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees take precedence. Robert’s Rules supplements the Regs. (See the Regs Corner below for more.)
And while you may not be the one leading the meeting, being aware of a few points about motions (which are perhaps the heart of Robert’s Rules, at least for ASTM International work) can be useful.
Motions are used to approve the agenda and minutes, place an item on ballot, establish a task group, and adjourn a meeting. For these, a simple majority of voting members is needed. For motions to find negatives not persuasive or not related, a two-thirds majority of official voters is needed.
In addition:
One particular tip to remember: A member cannot automatically end the discussion by saying “call the question.” In itself, “call the question” or “previous question” is also a motion. Defeating this motion will return the meeting to the discussion. The motion needs to be seconded and passed by a two-thirds majority to end the discussion and go to a vote on the main motion.
For more information about Robert’s Rules and their use, see www.robertsrules.org or contact your staff manager.
If the title above sounds familiar, that’s because it’s right out of the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees; it’s Section 9.
The Regs help members navigate the standards process and related situations, and in Section 9, you’ll find some critical basics.
Here are some key points from that section.
Read about how Robert’s Rules also aids committee business; see How-To in this issue. The Regs are available in several languages at the link for “ASTM Regulations” at www.astm.org/commit.
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