A I P
C O M M U N I C AT O R AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS
WINTER
2021
Presidents Message:
TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Letter
1
Educational Musings – Updates from the Educational Department
3
Notes from the Accrediting Department
3
AIP Officers
5
Calendar of Events
5
Deadline Dates – Communicator
5
The 41st Annual AIP West Coast Practicum
5
Doing to Learn with National FFA
5
New Members
8
Amazon Smile
8
The Gibbs Rules! I have always been a fan of the original CBS TV show NCIS. Many of you may be fans, but a few may not be, so I will try to catch some of you up and then proceed with my article. In the show, Jethro Gibbs is the team leader of a group of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents that are quite good. Gibbs is a little old school in the show and hesitates to embrace technology at times. He also never hesitates to rely on the science and investigative leads provided by his team to solve a crime. Like all TV dramas, they always solve the crime. There are two other constants in the show. There is always a new agent called a “nube” and Gibbs has a defined set of rules for investigations. There are some similarities between our world and that of Jethro Gibbs. In the world of parliamentarians, we have quite a few of the “nubes” practicing. And there are rules, or guidelines if you will, that I have gleaned from practice, heard from other respected parliamentarians or witnessed in action. All of these rules are somewhat tongue in cheek but there are also some good lessons of ACTUAL practice to be rendered and internalized. The first rules I am going to take directly from Jethro Gibbs rules because they are applicable and they are self-explanatory.
Winter 2021 | AIP Communicator
Rule No. 3 – Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check. Rule No. 3 – Never be unreachable.
It should be obvious that you have to be reachable and that you have to verify information given to you. So both rule #3’s apply. It is very common for you as a professional parliamentarian to only be given one side of every story in the beginning.
Rule No. 10 – Never get personally involved in a case. What I mean by this is never get vested in producing a specific outcome. Rule No. 28 – When you need help, ask. Always feel free to reach out to fellow parliamentarian for advice if you need it. There are many other rules in the standard list of Gibbs rules that are somewhat applicable and others that are wholly inappropriate for parliamentarians. The following set of rules are not found in Gibbs’ rules, but they are rules that I have admittedly stolen from the wisdom of other members and a few that I have made up myself. So if you will, we will call these Gage’s Rules and they are meant to be wisdom imparted tongue in cheek. Rule No. 1: Don’t fight over free work! -Roger Hanshaw, JD, PHD, CPP, PRP These are words to model your life by. How many times have we attended meeting of a non-profit or an HOA where huge effort and treasure have Continued on following page Page 1