While all members of the body should know and understand the rules of these parliamentary procedures, it is the Mayor/Chair of the body who is charged with applying the rules of conduct of the meeting and who should be well-versed in those rules. It is up to the Mayor/Chair to ensure order at the meeting, to keep track of proper motion-making processes, and to steward the discussion of items according to the agenda. The Mayor/Chair should allow each member of the body the opportunity to participate fully.
The Mayor/Chair must also guide public participation. To facilitate the understanding of the meeting by the public, it's important for the Mayor/Chair to be mindful of the following:
- Tell the public what the body will be doing.
- Keep the public informed while the body is doing it.
- When the body has acted, tell the public what the body did.
In the absence of the Mayor/Chair, it is the Vice-Mayor/Vice-Chair who takes responsibility for running the meeting. In the absence of the Mayor and Vice-Mayor/Chair and Vice-Chair, the body selects from its members a member to run the meeting.