NTC26 Gage

You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Art of the Well-Timed No

​Every parliamentarian eventually faces the moment when a presiding officer, a determined member, or an entire assembly wants something the rules simply won’t allow. The motion is out of order. The deadline has passed. The bylaws say otherwise. And the parliamentarian – the one person in the room paid to know better – has to deliver the bad news. This plenary session is about the art of the well-timed no. We’ll look at how to recognize when a request crosses the line from creative to impermissible, how to say so firmly without becoming the villain of the convention, and how to leave members feeling heard even when the answer is no. Because while you can’t always give the assembly what it wants, a skilled parliamentarian can usually steer it toward what it actually needs: a fair process, a clean record, and a decision that will hold up when the meeting is over..
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​Come find out why “no” might be the most valuable word in your toolkit – and how to deliver it with the confidence of someone who knows the rules are on their side.

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