Sometimes, organizations hire a parliamentarian not to advise their own presiding officer, but actually to preside over the meeting.  This arrangement produces many benefits.

First, this allows the president of the organization (the person who normally presides) to speak at liberty on any issue under debate, freeing him or her to lead the organization without the restraint of impartiality that presiding requires.

Second, a parliamentarian is trained to preside.  In fact, to achieve the credential of Certified Professional Parliamentarian (CPP) with the American Institute of Parliamentarians, a candidate is tested specifically on his or her ability to preside with the most challenging practical test in the profession.

In most cases, a single expert presiding officer can handle an organization’s membership meeting, board meeting, or convention.  In certain situations, however, a particular job can be too big even for an expert presiding officer, and so organizations might possibly need to hire another professional parliamentarian to assist the expert presiding officer.

Please ask for a free consultation about your organization’s needs.