[Businessmtg] Knowledge Based Decision Making

[Emee Arthur]

Sorry form sending this again.  I don't know why my email was a run together in one big paragraph.  I am sending it again so it will be easier to read...hopefully.> > > Hi Everyone,I
 
t has been a disaster these past few months trying to hold business meetings here at ASP without us knowing the proper discussion and voting proceedures for our meeting. Since it is too late now to vote on sending/not sending someone to the the Pittsburg Convention I would say that the next important thing would be, to get this KBDM figured out once a for all. We have already discussed it at length and Sandie has given us the explanation from the Conference Summary. Seems to me that the basic ideas are: To research a topic as completely as possible and discuss it thoroughly. Then the chairperson of the business meeting will post our findings to the business meeting for review before a motion is made. This is where, if there are no big "red flags," we need to vote on an issue and not drag it on forever and ever.    As I shared in March's meeting, our Area Assembly has a time limit unless it is a topic on which little is known. If this is the case it is tabled for the next meeting. Meanwhile everyone has time to research the topic on their own or we form adhoc committees to research it together outside of the meeting. This gives us time to prepare without using up the business meeting time for research. To me, dragging issues on forever in a business meeting is a lot like perfectionism, it makes us all sick. I would suggest setting a time limit for topic discussion and then take a vote. It doesn't have to be perfect - if we discover we have made a mistake we can admit that and bring it up again for a new vote later on. The third Step says, we made a decision........just like the 3rd Step, if we can't make a decision, how will we get anything accomplished?    As much as I would enjoy taking my time and smelling every rose along the way to my destination some issues need to be dealt with in a more timely fashion. Lets face it, something like the issue of sending/not sending someone to the Covention has a time limit...discussing it to the end of the year, or next year would be a bad decision since the Convention is July 4th, '08. In my opinion we had researched and discussed this issue enough. We were told it was time to make a motion and Beth put one on the floor. Just because the points were not listed by our chair first (which no one was told about ahead of time) the motion was tossed out and the meeting closed. I can understand Beth's frustration with the way that was handled. A motion can be made and worded anyway the member wants it. If no one likes the wording, it is not seconded. If it is seconded, then it must be voted on, unless both members withdraw the motion.    I never saw an appology to Beth but I hope I just missed it. I agree that no matter how angry we get there is no excusse to put another person down, no matter what has been done to us. I hope that we can all behave with more maturity this time around, myself included. I would like to see Beth be given the first opportunity to make a motion if this issue does come up again before the Convention. I think it is the right thing to do.     It would be nice to Open the business meeting with the Serenity Prayer and have eveyone send in a "Hello, my name is" and have a membership count and agenda at the start of each meeting. We also need to be notified when someone drops out. In my opinion, it should be manditory that EVERYONE in the business meeting vote either: YES-NO or ABSTAIN. In the spiritual part of our meeting there are no rules, however we do have a few rules in our business end, they are in our Service manual and some in our business section. We can make voting a manditory part of the business meeting if we want to. It is important to have no loose ends when it comes to voting, especially when we are voting on a percentage basis and on important issues.    Since each group is atonomous except in matters.........I think that we could come up with a modified KBDM process that fits more with our on-line meeting's needs. It doesn't have to follow 100% he way it is done at f2f meetings as long as we are all informed on the way it is to be, before the meeting begans.    Good greif, let's just hope by the time we figure all this out, a new proceedure doesn't come along and we have to start over again. Emee> _________________________________________________________________> Keep your kids safer online with Windows Live Family Safety.> http://www.windowslive.com/family_safety/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_family_safety_052008> To put your ASP mail on Vacation Hold or unsubscribe visit the ASP member> instruction page at> > http://www.asp-afg.org/ASP/nbm/business_meeting_instruction.htm> > The ASP web site for ASP members is> http://www.asp-afg.org/ASP/MembersOnly/index.htm> > For assistance with Business Meeting issues, contact Dawn, the List > Administrator at business at asp-afg.org> > > _______________________________________________> Businessmtg mailing list> Businessmtg at asp-afg.org> http://www.asp-afg.org/mailman/listinfo/businessmtg
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