It would be to your benefit to familiarize yourself with the Principals Governing Discipline at Meetings in the Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised Edition. Pages 625 - 629 would be especially helpful in keeping order in light of a disruptive member or guest. Additionally, the process of "Point of Order" would be helpful for you to understand (chapter begins on page 240).
For your meeting tonight, I highly suggest that you privately inform ALL guests prior to the beginning of the meeting that, as a guest and not a person with a position on the board, they do not have the right to speak during the meeting. State that they are welcome to stay to observe provided that they abide by the rules of order governing your board. Should they speak during the meeting anyway, you politely interrupt their ramblings and call a Point of Order. State that the by-laws do not give non-board members a right to speak at the meeting. State that they have been told this prior to the meeting and that any further interruptions to the procedings will result in their expulsion from the meeting. You MUST follow through if they pipe up again by either having them escorted out or, if they refuse to leave, state that you will call a recess and then the police to remove them should they choose not to leave voluntarily. Reconvene after they've left and continue with your business per your agenda.
I would have a very tight agenda for tonight's meeting, give everyone a copy when they arrive, and open the meeting with "I'm hoping that tonight's meeting will be a positive and fruitful one and that we can get through all of our business in a timely manner so that everyone can go home and enjoy their families. With that in mind, I have distributed an agenda of tonight's issues. Please note that there will be a short time at the end of the meeting for discussion of any topics not on the agenda. I ask that you please hold those items until that time, so that we can get through the business that needs to be conducted tonight so that the group and its' various committees can move on with their planning and events.
Then I would start at the first agenda topic and keep things moving along until you get through all of the items. If this person tries to sidetrack a discussion or wants to go on and on about an item, gently remind them that there is a lot of business to cover tonight and perhaps they could quickly summarize their concerns, so that others could speak and the item could be completed.
I have been informed that a certain person will be attending the first PTO meeting of the year tonight.
They have a history of causing problems for the staff at the school. Coming into the secretaries and raising their voices to get what they want and taking up the time of the staff with all the complaining about everything. (I have witnessed some of their outbursts)
I want to make the PTO a positive thing and not have them come in and bring up everything negative they can about the school. They had also expressed wanting to be a officer. Quite honestly they have the social tact to represent the school in any way when it comes to the public/parents. I also do not want to lose any potential new members because they dont want to have to deal with or hear their constant complaining.
I have been told that they only way to get them to respect you is to throw the same punches at them that they throw at you. I don't want to have to act like that during a PTO meeting for them to respect what I am saying.
How would you go about this situation, dealing with them?
