For leaders, there are many skills that can serve them
well. In addition to developing a better
understanding of leadership, for instance, being able to communicate their
vision thru spoken and written word is important. Being about to plan things is good. And a working knowledge of parliamentary
procedure can also be useful. But what
is “parliamentary procedure”? Too often
many, especially young people, have a poor understanding of what it is. And this is not helped by others who have
misinformed them.
It’s important to realize that when people come together to
make decisions, they need a method of doing so.
Our ancestors understood this, in their gatherings in villages and small
communities. How do you put forth your
idea or proposal? How do you handle the
discussion or debate about it? How do
you handle any changes to the proposal? How do you
handle making a decision? Over time an
agreed upon set of rules were developed, which came to be referred to as
“parliamentary procedure”. And over
time, parliamentary procedure has come to mean more regarding the running of
meetings and organizations (such as agendas, meeting minutes, and even basic
officer duties). Not surprising that
term is used. A parliament is a legislative
body, one which makes laws. It comes
from the word ‘parley’, to speak or discuss.
