Marine Corps League - Deptofmdmcl

Marine Corps LeagueProfessional DevelopmentpMeetings

Meetingsg Staff General Conferencesf/ Conventions Fund Raising

The Staff Meetingg On a detachment level,, there should be a Staff Meetingg held oncea month. The meeting should be open to any member that wouldlike to attend, but that member would not take part in themeetingti unlesslaskedk d byb theth Commandant.Cd t The Commandant will set the agenda for the Staff Meeting andbring up any information that concerns the Detachment and anyand all items that he/she feels needs to be discussed.

The meeting should stay on the agenda as much as possible andthe Commandant maintains control of the meeting. TheCommandant should insure that everyone is included in thediscussions and keep the meeting moving. This is where the agenda for the General Meeting is set. You can also cut through the unimportant items that aresometimes brought up at a General Meeting and causeunnecessary delays.delays

The Staff MeetingImportance of of If the detachment is having problems with a member or someother difficulties this is a better setting to address the issue withtheh memberb or didiscuss theh issueiso thath thoughthh out optionsiareavailable to membership.Note:Thee staffsta meetingeet g iss aan informalo a meetingeet g aandd tthee tatakingg oof notesotesis not necessary unless you chose to do so.

General Membershipp Meetingg Detachments are requiredqto hold a General MembershippMeeting once a month. The meeting date and time should bepart of the detachment By‐Laws and should be strictly adheredto. The Commandant should have a prepared agenda and keep themeeting on course as much as possible. See Staff Meeting.

The 10 Worst Meeting Offenses1. Being Unprepared:A. Includes Staff Officers or anyone designated to report.11.M k sure thatMaketh t allll technicalt h i l aidesid beingb i usedd are operational.til2. Always provide an agenda and support material in advance.2 Starting on Time:2.TimeA. Insist on starting the meeting at the scheduled time.B Whether your meetings are attended by 12 members or 200B.members showing up late or starting late will damage theimage that you should be trying to project.

C.A Meeting Hog is a person that talks just to hearthemselves speak. You should encourage your Officers andStaff to have a written Report to present to themembership.there is nothing worse than an Elected orAppointed Officer standing and saying “NothingNothing to reportsir." What have you done for the Detachment during thetime between the monthly meetings? If you have nothingto report, it’s self‐explanatory.3. Take Part in the Meeting:Don't just sit there if you have something to offer.Manytitimesa memberb willill nott risei tot addressddththe bbodyd bbutt waitsituntil the meeting is over and then approaches theCommandant or one of the Staff and offer somethingg thatis beneficial to the Detachment.

4. Expressing Rude Body Languagea) Avoid making facial gestures and rude comments duringpresentation because you disagree with what is being said.Yousaid Youwill get your chance to address the body if you so desire. Neverget up and leave the room in disagreement. If you show thespeaker the lack of respect to at least listen, then you have lostthe battle.b) It isi theth dutyd t off theth CommandantCd t tot manage thosethbeingb idisrespectful in a tactful way and do not ever put a membery g to humiliate him.down byy trying

5. Sitting Silently during the Meeting:The extreme opposite of not taking part is the member that hasnothing to offer during the meeting except idle chatter. You shouldrefrain from private meetings because it is not only rude, but youmay also miss something important being considered.6. Sidebar conversations are a NO‐NO:Sidebar conversations are possibly the rudest thing that can happenduring the meeting.This should be stopped immediately andrefocus on the subject at hand.hand

7. Arguing or putting others down:Disagreements are Healthy and Fine, but never get into personalattacks. Don't make others look bad for the sake of making youlook good! Never be condescending or avoid the opinions of themembership. Always be professional in your choice to disagree.8. Cells Phones:When the Commandant orders the Sgt‐at‐Arms to open themeeting, heh (Sgt( at Arms)) willll open theh meeting accordingd to thehritual and the following "The smoking lamp is out and please turnoffff allll CellC ll Phones”.Ph” Additionally,Additill therethshouldh ld beb NO ALCOHOLICBEVERAGES IN THE MEETING ROOM. This is a common sense rulingbecause we all know that alcohol changes your perspectiveperspective.

9. Chewingg Gum or Eating:ga) While chairing a meeting, the membership does not want tohear you chewing gum.A bottle of water is permissible.b ) The staff or Board of Trustees should not be indulging either.10. Shutting Down the Meeting:a) We all know that if a meeting runs too long, you are probablygoing to have some disgruntled members.If you are in theprocess of conducting some important business and it needsto be settled then and there, you should ask for a motion toextend the meeting an additional fifteen minutes This showsthe membership that you care about them and are trying tobe as expeditious as possible.

Before The Meeting Have the meeting room set up, bible, flags, name plates, gavel, Sgtat Arms Table, etc. The ritual book illustrates how to arrangequarters, but you may have to adapt according to the physicalsetting of your meeting location. START ON TIME

Conduct a meeting properlyFollow the Ritual Opening Ceremony – Use the ritual Book Rollll CRCallll off OfficersOffi– AdjutantAdj t t shouldh ld taket k a verbalb l RollR llCall, Officers present should each respond. If someone isabsent the Commandant can either excuse them or havethem marked absent. (If an officer is excused it is notcounted as absent for the purposes of fulfilling the 60%attendance clause in many by‐laws) Therefore theCommandant should use some discretion.

Recognize Dignitaries ‐ This is a good rule of thumbWhat is a dignitary?Use the “Rule of Thumb” anyone in a higher office than I am. I amnow the Detachment Commandant,Commandant therefore,therefore I would recognizenational officers, department officers and your past detachmentcommandants You may also wish to recognize any visitors,commandants.visitors such assomeone from another detachment.

Applications for Membership After the application and all necessary paperwork has beenreviewed and deemed to be in order. (i.e. DD214, Discharge)Look at the paperwork, taking some ones word at this point,even the sponsors, is not acceptable. Have the Adjutant read the application (name, address, datesof service and who recommended them). Have the Sergeant atAArmsescortt theth applicantli t fromfththe room. TheTh CCommandantd tshould ask if any member knows of any reason why this Marinepshould not be a member of theor FMF Corpsmandetachment

Speakers addressing the floor making recommendations shouldhave a time limit (2‐3 min.) or until they begin to repeat points.Thank them, call for discussion staying with the time limit perrespondent. Keep the meeting moving and try to accomplish allbusiness in 50 min.

General Membership MeetingConducted Properly and EfficientlyUse the 10 Principlesp to insure the meetingg is beinggConducted Properly and Efficiently1.12.33.4.5.Startt theStth meetingti on titime.Keep the meeting moving.Prepare and use an agenda for the meetingmeeting.Do not linger on one subject for an unreasonable amount oftime.Do not let members start to address one another instead ofthe body.

6. Do not let a member hog the microphone. Before a member canspeak a second time on a subject, insure that all others wishing tospeak have been heard.7. Insist that members who wish to be recognized raise there hand.Once they are called on, they are to rise, give their name for therecord and state their business.8. They are to keep their statements short and to the point.

9. The meeting should last between 50 min and 1 hour. If you startextending your meetings past this time, you will start losingattendance.10. If you need additional time, ask someone to make a motion thatthe meeting be extended an additional 15 min. This shows that yourespect the time of the members and keeps them involved infinishing the meeting.

MEETING GUIDEORDER OF BUSINESS AGENDAOPENING CEREMONY: Sgt‐at‐Arms to Post the ColorsChaplain to lead in opening prayerACKNOWLEDGE PRESENCE OF DIGNITARIES:ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS:

APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP:MEMBERSHIP Ballotingg on Applicationsppfor MembershippCeremony of Initiation for New MembersREADING OF PREVIOUS MINUTESMINUTES: Anyy corrections:Accepted as readMotions to Accept are only necessary If corrections aremade then the motion is to accept the minutes withcorrections.

CORRESPONDENCE:REPORT OF PAYMASTER:Opening Balance:Income:Expense:Closing Balance:REPORT OF ANY MEMBER OR MEMBER’SMEMBER S FAMILY SICK OR INDISTRESS:

REPORT OF OFFICERSa. COMMANDANT:b. SR VICE:c. JR VICE:d. JUDGE ADVOCATE:e. ADJUTANT:ADJUTANT:f. PAYMASTER:g. CHAPLAIN:h. SGT‐AT‐ARMSi. QUARTERMASTER:REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEESa. Toys for Totsb. Young Marines

REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES:UNFINISHED BUSINESS:NEW BUSINESS:CEREMONY OF INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS(At proper Time of year according to the National Bylaws)GOOD OF THE LEAGUE:ANNOUNCEMENTS:CLOSING CEREMONY:Sgt‐At‐Arms retires the ColorsChaplain says closing prayerSr. Vice Commandant performs the last duties of his post.

MEETING GUIDEORDER OF BUSINESS AGENDAThe following items shall be present at all businessmeetings: The Detachment Charter or CopyTh NTheNationalilCColorslA Bible

Minutes of Meetingg

Conferences/Conventions Explainpvalue of holdingg a conference or convention,, whatgoes on and why as many members as possible should attend. A chance to Attend Training. Interact with Marines from other Detachments, Departments,discover a long lost friend , or find a new one. Input your opinion about Department or National Direction.

Conferences and ConventionsContinuedSo whyy is it important?pThe Marine Corps League is about the membership. All of us “redhats” are the league. As Delegates we vote on the direction we thinkthe League should take. The projects and programs we support.Expressing your opinions and casting your votes helps make theleague stronger.Having the opportunity to hear why decisions are made thearguments for and against strengthens your knowledge. The moreinformed membership makes better choices for a better league.

Fund Raising Scholarshipp Programsg Toys for Tots Young Marines Veteran Services Volunteering Marines Helping Marines

These are just some of the programs The Marine Corps Leaguesupports. These are the items that provide the reason the Leagueq alifies as a 501 c (4).qualifies(4) We are a charitable organiorganizationation that supportss pportsMarines and their families.End of Lesson Plan 6

The Marine Corps League is about the membership. All of us “red hats” are the league. As Delegates we vote on the direction we think the League should take. The projects and programs we support. Expressing your opinions and casting your votes helps make the league stronger.