So… I managed to get myself elected to a body that uses Robert’s Rules of Order. And, wouldn’t you know it, I managed to get elected to the Chair of said body. Now I have very limited use and knowledge of Robert’s Rules. Most meetings, including ones I’ve previously chaired, have used a form of Consensus Based Decision Making.
So I need to get up to speed very quickly (I take office on November 1, and the first meeting is November 10-13). So what would y’all recommend for that? I’ve ordered the behemoth that is Robert’s Rules of Order 12th Edition. And I just ordered a book called Robert’s Rules Fast-Track (based on a podcast done by the American Bar Association).
Seriously though, for most groups you would only need to know the basis. We have a motion, does any one second it? Discussion. Call the question. Vote.
Well, technically the Secretary is a registered parliamentarian. And I’m sure she’ll elbow me when need be. But I’d like to get a slightly better handle on the basics so I don’t have to always depend on her.
Are there any videos of previous meetings? I’m on city council and we were provided a bit of a “cheat sheet” for meetings, but nothing was better than being at meetings prior to being elected. And the couple times I have had to preside over meetings now (I’m council president!) I went and watched the last meeting and literally wrote myself a script. Even though I had been at every single meeting for the past 5 years I still needed to write down the mayor’s part (he usually presides). It’s like learning someone else’s lines!
I looked around for “Robert’s Rules Cheat Sheet” and all of them were a little different than how we actually run our meetings. Close enough, but if I went by the info 100% our meetings would seem a little off. That’s why watching previous meetings was a better fit for me - doing it how the group is used to doing it.
The Guerrilla Guide to Roberts Rules is excellent. While it pretends to be a how to guide on subverting meetings to get what you want, it is in fact a clear guide to the rules, including how to stop people who want to abuse the rules to get their own way.
Depending on the group dynamics, RRoO may be used very lightly: one speaker at a time, letting everyone speak once before letting someone else speak twice, organize discussion around motions, etc.
I’m not a parliamentarian, but this book https://www.democraticrules.com/ does most of what RRoO does and I don’t see any rule there that violates RRoO. I may be wrong about that.
No videos, but I’ve been able to find ample minutes (which yes, doesn’t show the ebb and flow).
Good point on the meetings may be off if you do it 100% literal to the RROO.
Thanks! I have purchased that (on Kindle because the Paperback is a bit pricey… generally I prefer e-books, but for info on hand something physical may work better).
RRoO is pretty clear, IIRC, that only motions and votes need to be recorded in minutes. Minutes are there so everyone knows what has been done and will be done, not to record the debates.
My favourite example from this comes from an 1890s union local meeting where it was “Moved and seconded that the international president is a grafter and fat cat who should be removed from office.” Next notation: “Much discussion ensued. Motion defeated unanimously.”
Yes, unfortunately I have no idea of how the meetings run. Though I’ve been told they are very collegial and people are generally easy going. Of course, who knows if that’s what they want the meetings to be or that’s how they actually are.
If somebody wants to rules lawyer your meeting process you have a bigger problem that having the right thick tome at your elbow is not going to solve.
Ask some friends to identify groups they belong to that have well-run and productive meetings. Go to a couple of those even if they have no apparent connection to the focus of the group you are going to chair . Non-profit boards might be a good start.
Read through your group’s By-Laws well before the meeting and maintain what is set out in them. If it is a meeting covered by open meeting or public meetings laws, know what that entails ahead of time.
Mostly, relax and be benevolent to yourself. Running a good meeting will become 2nd nature and oddly enjoyable. Bring snacks the first time, that will predispose folks favorably to you. End the meeting 15 minutes early~that brings even more good favor and increases the likelihood you will have good attendance at the next meeting.
The Sparkcharts seem like a great idea! I think I will look into that.
I probably don’t need to worry about rules lawyering, but just need to know enough not to bog down meetings by asking others how to handle various motions.
And I probably won’t have to worry too much about attendance. Everyone there has been elected to their positions because they, like me apparently, are too often saying yes to people asking them to serve on more and more things
First step is to get Robert’s Rules of Order In Brief 3rd ed. It is from the same people that wrote Robert’s Rules of Order and will cover about 95% of what you have to deal with. When you say your secretary is a registered parlaimentarian do you mean she is an RP with the National Association of Parliamentarians or a CPP with the American Institute of Parliamentarians?
With the NAP and, interestingly enough, I reached out to her and she immediately ordered the RROO in Brief 3rd edition, spiral bound - to arrive by next Thursday.
I’m glad to hear that’s what I probably should be focusing on!
I was once on a volunteer board for local government. It was for the county, so we had a county lawyer to advise us when legal questions came up. He was something of an amateur parliamentarian, and he once made an interesting observation–
To wit, that pretty much all small & local government groups groups do things backwards. Robert’s states that a motion should be made & seconded, and then the motion can be discussed. BUT – city councils, county commissioners, etc, in their meetings generally discuss a matter first, and only when everybody has made up their minds is a motion put forward.
This is a rambling way of saying that you probably don’t need to worry overmuch about sticking completely to the official rules.
