Peter A. Senopoulos, J.D., PRP
Welcome to my website.* As a Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP**), I provide expert Parliamentary services to leaders and members of organizations that conduct deliberative meetings. My goal is to ensure that your meetings are conducted fairly and efficiently by following an agreed upon set of rules and guided by common sense.
* Note: This website is still under construction.
**The PRP designation is conferred by the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) and signifies advanced knowledge and proficiency through rigorous examinations and hands-on training.
Contact me:
e-mail: P.Senopoulos@outlook.com
Phone: 617-780-6575
Web: www.cometoorder.org
About Peter A. Senopoulos
Professional Registered Parliamentarian
Peter A. Senopoulos, J.D., PRP, of Boston, Massachusetts, is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and a Past President and current Parliamentarian for NAP’s George Demeter (MA.) Unit. He is a Charter Member of NAP’s New England Association of Parliamentarians, a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians and the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers. For over 30 years Peter was responsible for conducting hundreds of public meetings of important Massachusetts public safety boards, commissions or committees as either Legal Counsel, Parliamentary Advisor or Chairperson. Peter has experience providing services as a Parliamentary coach, advisor, Parliamentarian and professional moderator for non-profits, churches, university faculty, municipalities, neighborhood groups and professional associations. His practical, diplomatic approach, combined with his accurate and dependable guidance, helps organizations successfully navigate through rough waters.
My Services
I offer a broad range of services tailored to meet your organization's specific needs. From providing advice on meeting Agendas, Minutes and proper motions to overseeing voting processes, I am committed to assisting you in ensuring that your meetings are conducted efficiently and democratically to assure productivity while maintaining group harmony.
Meeting Facilitation
I can facilitate meetings as either the Parliamentarian or designated Chairman to ensure that proceedings are conducted in an orderly manner, allowing all members to express their views and make informed group decisions.
Bylaw Review
I review, analyze and improve your bylaws to ensure that they align with best practices so your organization runs smoothly and efficiently from administration to administration.
Training Sessions
Faction or "Floor" Parliamentarian
Occasionally, an organization has different "factions" or groups of members that represent different viewpoints. I can assist a faction to advance their goals by employing strategies allowed by the Bylaws and Parliamentary Authority.
Creating a new Organization
A group of individuals with a common interest or mission may seek to organize a new organization. I can assist them in "giving birth" to their idea by organizing a "Mass Meeting" to select temporary leaders, develop bylaws, hold elections and hold their 1st official meeting.
Scripts, Agendas and MInutes
As Chair of a large group, it may be useful to develop a "meeting script" to assist in properly navigating the various aspects and possible scenarios that may arise during a meeting.
As Secretary, keeping "proper" Minutes and a developing an organized Agenda are crucial building blocks towards a well run organization.
Contact:
E-mail: p.senopoulos@outlook.com
phone: 617-780-6575
web: www.cometoorder.org
Just as in learning how to sail, knowing basic Parliamentary Procedure skills will help your organization navigate in various sea conditions to reach its goals!
I don't really need to learn Parliamentary Procedure Basics... Do I?
This question haunts me... and here's why:
A person spends over 12 years attending school to acquire a high school diploma. One may attend college or seek advanced degrees often costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours studying course subjects that you probably will never use. You spend a fortune on clothes, hairstyles and social media profiles ... all to create the "perfect" image that will lead to success. Then one day you are selected as an Officer or Board Member to lead an organization. Perhaps you will Chair a meeting of a school board, neighborhood association, church assembly, non-profit or condo association. Now you are in the "hot seat", leading a meeting of a large group of intelligent people with ideas who need to make important decisions. All the years of study and preparation ... and now its... show time"! What do you do? How should you act! How do you deal with the various member opinions and personalities? I am puzzled why most people in this situation, usually well educated and polished, do not bother to spend a couple of evenings (and that's all it takes!) studying the organization's Bylaws, Rules and Parliamentary Authority, usually Robert's Rules of Order, to guide them on what to do.
Some great relevant quotes:
It is difficult to find another branch of knowledge where a small amount of study produces such great results in increased efficiency in a country where the people rule, as in parliamentary Law". ~ HENRY M. ROBERT Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised.
It is the duty of the presiding officer to know the rules of Parliamentary Law and basic parliamentary practice. There is nothing more pitiable than one who is ignorant of Parliamentary Law trying to preside over an assembly; the more intelligent the assembly, the sadder the spectacle.” ~ George Demeter ~ Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure.
What is Parliamentary Law and Procedure?
During a conversation, if I tell somebody that I am a Professional Parliamentarian, their eyes often glaze over. The title may conjure an image of Winston Churchill or Britain's House of Lords, filled with old men wearing wigs. I ask them if they have heard of Robert's Rules of Order. They usually indicate that they have heard of it, but have not had much use for it.
I will then ask if they are involved in any organizations such as a home and school group, condo or neighborhood association. It is then that the conversation will often come alive... with an outpouring of war stories about dysfunctional meetings, disorganization and how they no longer attend as it was a waste of their time.
My favorite definition:
I have searched far and wide for a simple, easy to understand definition of the term "Parliamentary Law and Procedure". I have found no better way to explain it than the description my great uncle George** used in his well regarded Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure.
The term Parliamentary Law refers to the rules, laws or regulations of organizations, governing the orderly, expeditious and efficient transaction of business at meetings and conventions. Without rules, there would be injustice and confusion. Hence, it is as necessary to follow the rules of parliamentary law as it is to follow the rules of a ball game or a card game….”
George C. Demeter, p.4 Demeter’s Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure , 2nd Edition (1969)
** George C. Demeter (1893-1983) was my paternal grandfather's younger brother.
George Demeter - Author of Demeter's Manual crowning Johnny Kelley, Boston's "marathon man" in 1935. In 1930 George, a State Representative from Boston's Back Bay, introduced the crowning of the marathon winners with an olive wreath from Greece, his birthplace.
