Creating Safe, Respectful Meeting Spaces

Tribal meetings are sacred spaces. But thanks to the legacy of colonialism and historical trauma, they can sometimes turn into battlegrounds.

One tool for reclaiming respect is Robert's Rules of Order. When used properly, Robert's Rules can provide structure for meetings that are fair, productive, and honor Indigenous traditions of respectful dialogue.

The below free resources, including our Robert's Rules chatbot, can help.
Or feel free to contact us to discuss custom training options for your assembly, led by Patrick Anderson, JD, Tlingit Elder and parliamentarian for the National Congress of American Indians.

Robert's Rules Resources

Robert's Rules Chatbot

Get answer to your most pressing Robert's Rules questions now! Please review our FAQ's below before using the bot, and be aware that the service we use to host our chatbot stores chats. 

Chatbot Frequently Asked Questions

What is the chatbot for, and what does it know? 

The chatbot is designed for general Robert's Rules questions, hypothetical scenarios, and learning about parliamentary procedure.

We've programmed it to have knowledge of:
- Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th Edition
- Basic principles of trauma-informed communication approaches
- Commonly-held Indigenous values (while respecting that each tribe's values are unique)

It does NOT have access to your specific tribal constitution, bylaws, or internal documents.

Important limitations include:
-AI can make mistakes - always verify important procedural questions.
-The chatbot was trained on internet data that contains biases and inaccuracies.
-Your tribe's specific customs and governing documents always take precedence.
- The chatbot can't provide therapy or legal guidance.

Is there a limit to how many questions I can ask?

No, but since we pay for data usage, please help us keep this chatbot free of charge by limiting your questions to Robert's Rules or meetings-related questions.

What powers your chatbot? Is it secure?

We use both Claude, an AI assistant created by Anthropic, and ChatGPT by OpenAI, to power our bot. We switch between which one we use from time-to-time depending on which model is currently best suited for the bot. We use this technology through PickAxe, a platform that helps organizations create specialized chatbots.

About PickAxe:
PickAxe provides a way for us to embed our chatbot on our website. Please note that PickAxe stores user input, and both ndgenius and PickAxe can access chat histories. This is a built-in feature of PickAxe, and we are not able to disable it. We strongly recommend against sharing confidential or personal information. This includes names of specific people, details about ongoing disputes, financial information, or sensitive tribal matters.

Please see Pickaxe's full Privacy Policy for more details. 

If there is enough interest, we would like to purchase our own server and set up chatbots that processes conversations locally without storing chat histories long-term. To offset the setup and maintenance costs, we would charge users a small monthly fee for the use of our chatbots. If you would be interested in this, please email us your thoughts, including what you think a fair price would be.

For technical questions about data security or privacy policies, contact PickAxe directly. For questions about the chatbot's Robert's Rules guidance, email ndgenius.

How can I make sure I'm getting correct answers?

We recommend checking our chatbot's responses against the text of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), 12th Edition to confirm procedural questions. This is probably easiest by obtaining an electronic copy of RONR, 12th Edition, and conducting a keyword search for referenced sections or key words.

Other resources for checking answers include your tribe's Parliamentarian, trusted elders, or ndgenius' Office Hours with Patrick Anderson (Parliamentarian for the National Congress of American Indians).

Always check with your tribal attorney for constitutional or legal matters.

About the Office Hours

Want clear, trustworthy answers to your Robert’s Rules and tribal governance questions?

We’re launching Office Hours soon — a space where you can get ongoing support from tribal governance experts and connect with peers across tribal nations.

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When you do, please include a short note about what you hope to get from Office Hours. Your input will help us shape the sessions to meet real needs.

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