Honestly, I think waiting until the Thursday is too late anyway. One panel is probably either a good (very general) overview or a good refresher, but won't be sufficient to help brand-new people feel comfortable with the procedures.
Robert's Rules are dense as it is, and WSFS has modified them. I think a 'Complete Beginner's' guide online would be a big help, broken down into sections and/or the major items someone is likely to run into at a WSFS business meeting. That can be from as simple as moving/seconding to as 'dramatic' as the OTC. (Could the entire generic BM be represented as one big flow chart?)
Sample videos of each item from past BMs (or simulations for this guide) would then show where they fall in a meeting and how quick it can be. Having a on-going version of bovil's 'Ask the Chair' could also be a way for people to get their questions answered.
Having a 'baby BM' even earlier Friday (9am? 8:30?) would give new attendees one physical runthrough before going to the actual Preliminary meeting without requiring another day's attendance (time off work, hotel costs, etc.)
Of course, all of this has to be balanced with 1) is it actually useful, 2) is the utility worth the effort, and 3) time and resources from volunteers, and then extra time/space at Worldcon itself. I know that I would find it immensely useful, as a newcomer to the process, but I don't know that that means the WSFS should invest in it above other things.
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Robert's Rules are dense as it is, and WSFS has modified them. I think a 'Complete Beginner's' guide online would be a big help, broken down into sections and/or the major items someone is likely to run into at a WSFS business meeting. That can be from as simple as moving/seconding to as 'dramatic' as the OTC. (Could the entire generic BM be represented as one big flow chart?)
Sample videos of each item from past BMs (or simulations for this guide) would then show where they fall in a meeting and how quick it can be. Having a on-going version of
Having a 'baby BM' even earlier Friday (9am? 8:30?) would give new attendees one physical runthrough before going to the actual Preliminary meeting without requiring another day's attendance (time off work, hotel costs, etc.)
Of course, all of this has to be balanced with 1) is it actually useful, 2) is the utility worth the effort, and 3) time and resources from volunteers, and then extra time/space at Worldcon itself. I know that I would find it immensely useful, as a newcomer to the process, but I don't know that that means the WSFS should invest in it above other things.