Nine Things Parliamentary Procedure Teaches Us

Parliamentary Procedure is the rules and procedures that groups follow to run meetings, conferences, and conventions. The name comes from Parliament in Great Britain and was first put into written form in the 1580s. Many people refer to it as Robert’s Rules or Robert’s Rules of Order, first published by … [read more »]

3 Ways to Make Meetings Fun and Interesting!

Do your campus clubs and organizations see a drop-off in meeting attendance throughout the year? It is probably because of boring meetings which are typically characterized by the droning on of a monotone voice from the front of the room or the meeting leader who sits in the middle of … [read more »]

The Dark Side of Parliamentary Procedure and Robert’s Rules

Mwahh, ha, ha, ha! Welcome to Tales from the Gavel Crypt, the dark side of parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules! The end of the fall term is almost here and by now, you may have encountered the evils of procedure – Points of Order/Information/Privilege, Motions to Reconsider, and the dreaded Abstention! … [read more »]

The Magically, Mysteriously, Disappearing Motion

  I have had the opportunity to serve in a number of leadership roles throughout my life and I estimate that I have run more than 1,000 meetings and programs to date! I know parliamentary procedure very well. In fact, I consider myself an expert on it as it relates to student … [read more »]

When Should I Train My Student Leaders?

When should I train my student leaders? That’s a question I get a lot. And the answer is that it varies from school to school, what stage of leadership your student leaders are at, and what you are trying to accomplish. Since I can’t cover every conceivable situation in this email, … [read more »]

The Two Most Important Words in Any Campus Club or Organization!

One Minute Student Leadership Update Video: The Two Most Important Words The two most powerful words for any member of a campus club or organization are “I move.” Whether it is student government, the programming board, Circle K, the Gamers Club, or any other group, “I move” is where it … [read more »]

Keys to Helping Students Create a Vision for Their Organization

  Proverbs 29:18 – “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” OK, maybe nothing quite that dramatic will happen if the leaders of your campus’ clubs and organizations don’t create a vision.  But, they may not have as much fun if they have no idea where they are going … [read more »]

The 6 Things You Must Have on Your Recruitment Table

  One Minute Video on this topic: Closing the Sale – Recruitment Membership recruitment for campus clubs and organizations is a key component of success for the year. How the recruitment table is set up can go a long way to determining your success in getting new members. Much of … [read more »]

Easy Ways to Use Parliamentary Procedure on Your Campus

An important topic in student leadership training is the use of Robert’s Rules of Order or parliamentary procedure. Many student leaders dread it, most are confused by it and some just abandon it altogether – which is NOT a good idea if you want to run better organizations.  I have … [read more »]

Winning Habits of Serving Leaders, Part 4: Listening

An old ad campaign used to ask, “Can you hear me now?” I wonder how many times in our daily interactions with people do we really hear what people are saying. We live very distracted lives between electronic devices with games and social media on them, to billboards that flash … [read more »]

Winning Habits of Serving Leaders, Part 3: Confidence

Ever since our daughter entered middle school a few years ago, my wife and I have been going to the Student Life worship service at our church in order to hear and experience the same message as her. We have some wonderful pastors and a lot of great students involved … [read more »]