A Book Review

Donald A Fishman

This is the fifth edition of a book first published in 1982. The new edition contains all the strengths of the earlier versions, but it also includes a section on electronic and hybrid meetings that is greatly needed by organizations in our pandemic-influenced environment.

The author, Jim Slaughter, is a talented and versatile practitioner who has become one of the country’s most respected parliamentarians . Slaughter, an attorney and awardwinning author, has worked as an in-the trenches parliamentarian for organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, the National League of Cities, and the Oncology Nursing Society among the over forty-five national and international groups listed on his resume . In addition, Slaughter has served as a parliamentarian for a long list of condominium associations, religious groups, state associations, and corporate clients . Above all, Slaughter has both the academic and practical credentials to provide a helpful guide to explain the complexities of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) 12th ed . This book retains its earlier format, but with updated references to the pages in RONR (12th ed .) . The premise of the book is that it seeks a “middle space” between those parliamentary books that oversimplify RONR and leave too much to the discretion of a chair and the intimidating complexities of reading RONR with its thoroughness and the depth of its provisions . The overriding goal of the book remains similar to earlier editions: To increase the number of well-run meetings and help members fulfill their organizational goals with meaningful and knowledgeable participation . The organizational scheme of the book is similar to earlier editions . After a brief discussion of the order of precedence, the author develops a question-and-answer format to handle a wide range of motions, and then he discusses topics such what constitutes a quorum, types of meetings, boards, minutes, voting, nominations, elections, bylaws, the role of the chair, and the duties of the parliamentarian .

One of the most anticipated topics in the book is the section on electronic meetings.

Slaughter begins by noting that RONR only allows electronic meetings if they are authorized in the bylaws . The same principle holds true for the use of virtual committee meetings . Slaughter emphasizes that RONR envisions the purpose of meetings to be deliberative, and if members cannot see and hear one another adequately, then deliberations have not occurred . Virtual meetings, therefore, face the obstacle of needing to be authorized by either statute or bylaw, and they must provide for appropriate oral and visual interaction .

Slaughter also notes that the phrase “hybrid meeting is not described in RONR and has no exact definition . ” He writes that the most frequently used definition of the term “hybrid” is a meeting where some members are in-person, and some members participate electronically . For a small board, such a practice might be common and not too complicated . However, Slaughter warns for a hybrid convention, such a practice might be difficult to arrange . Writes Slaughter: “It is difficult to combine votes in a room taken by voice or rising with electronic votes of those participating virtually . Most likely a system will be needed in which everyone votes electronically, even those physically present at the meeting . ”

Slaughter notes that RONR (12th ed .) includes a 15-page appendix of “Sample Rules for Electronic Meetings” on pages 635649 . Sample model rules include how to handle in-person participation alongside virtual engagement . However, Slaughter states that there are no “generic electronic rules” for all organizations, and that RONR provides only a starting step as we transition into this digital realm where meetings increasingly will occur online .

Slaughter is at his best in providing an excellent summary of the potential problems and issues separating in-person and virtual meetings . Among the nine points that he stresses are:

1 . The importance of providing technology with effective connections for appropriate engagement;

2 . Recognizing different meeting dynamics;

3 . Less transparency in switching from real-time to online meetings;

4 . Less individual engagement in virtual meetings;

5 . Different tone for the sessions;

6 . Different voting dynamics;

7 . Greater difficulty in working out conflict in an online setting;

8 . Groups taking longer to transact business in virtual meetings; and

9 . Regulating the use of a chat button on video sharing platforms while deliberations are occurring in a virtual meeting so that a shadow conversation does not influence the proceedings of the assembly .

Slaughter concludes the electronic meetings section with intelligent and common sense advice: “Virtual meetings have many positive benefits, and with time, might become more identical to in-person meetings . However, it’s currently worth weighing the advantages and disadvantages of meeting in-person versus virtually when deciding how to convene a particular meeting or resolve a specific issue . ”

There are two other important strengths of this book worth highlighting.

First, the book is designed to solve problems and the author is willing to share his years of experience to make RONR more meaningful to the readers . In fact, the book has great explanatory power, and there are several scripted conversations to illustrate the flow of a particular motion . Second, the book makes astute comparisons with how parliamentary authorities other than RONR would handle a particular issue . As a result, there are more references to Sturgis1, Demeter2, Keesey3, and other resources than a reader might expect . Slaughter’s approach is both ecumenical and fair . This book is useful for several different audiences . For the beginning parliamentarian, the logical and easy-to-follow text provides a clear understanding of the provisions in RONR . For the moderately active parliamentarian, the book is organized by topics, and it is easy to find an issue under discussion . For the veteran parliamentarian, Slaughter provides a useful interpretation of RONR plus he breaks new ground with electronic meetings . There also are eighteen pages of notes on sources that identify key works in the literature of the field .

Overall, this is a well-written, thoughtful, and useful book . It is likely to be a good guide to RONR . In fact, Slaughter’s work yields more than a good quota of insights for beginning, moderately active, and veteran parliamentarians . Some may use the book as a reference work; some as a refresher; still others will find it an indispensable companion to help lessen the intimidating effects of the 714 pages of RONR .

1 Alice Sturgis, Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th Edition. Revised by the American Institute of Parliamentarians. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

2 George Demeter, Demeter’s Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure; For the Legal Conduct of Business in All Deliberative Assemblies, 3rd Edition. Severna Park, Maryland: American Institute of Parliamentarians, 2001.

3 Ray E. Keesey, Modern Parliamentary Procedure, 2nd Edition. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2018.