Robert's Rules and Request to Be Excused from a Duty
When it becomes difficult for you to fulfill an obligation imposed on you as a member, you can Request to Be Excused from the Duty; if the other members agree [more…]
Robert's Rules and Requests
Some incidental motions make it possible to handle, in an orderly manner, just about anything that’s requested. Robert’s Rules covers three specific situations — [more…]
Robert's Rules and Motions That Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly
Among all the rules in Robert’s Rules, few are more important than rules that prevent somebody from incessantly requiring your group to vote over and over on essentially the same motion. There's a real [more…]
Robert's Rules and the Motion to Reconsider
The motion to Reconsider is a distinct parliamentary motion! When you use the word reconsider in a parliamentary situation, it refers only to this specific motion. All the motions in the class of motions [more…]
Robert's Rules for Rescinding or Amending Something Previously Adopted
Using the motion to Rescind or to Amend Something Previously Adopted, you can undo or change any decision your group made in the past. Nothing is forever, and that saying is especially true in the world [more…]
Robert's Rules for Discharging a Committee
The motion to Discharge a Committee is the way to bring the motion back to the assembly for further action. After your group refers a matter to a committee, the matter is no longer in the hands of the [more…]
How to Be Presidential According to Robert's Rules
Serving as president (or grand factotum, or whatever title is given to the presiding/chief executive officer) gives you the unparalleled opportunity to make a difference in your group’s work. However, [more…]
Committees According to Robert's Rules
According to Robert’s Rules, ordinary committeesare regular committees that you establish either in your bylaws or as needed to consider various items of business and operational matters outside the organization’s [more…]
Robert's Rules' Committee Appointment Methods
When the time comes to get specific about who’s going to serve on a committee, Robert’s Rules gives you six different methods for deciding exactly who you want to do what. Each method is particularly well [more…]
Meeting Minutes According to Robert's Rules
Minutes are important because they’re the only surviving record of what was said and done at the meeting. They can be dry and boring. In fact, it’s probably a good sign if they are! Most importantly, they [more…]
Robert's Rules and Starting a New Organization
Starting a new organization isn’t terribly difficult, but don’t undertake it unless you’re committed to spending a good bit of time making it happen. Starting a new organization is all about procedure. [more…]
Robert's Rules for Interpreting Bylaws
Robert’s Rules lists some principles of interpretation to help you determine understand and interpret bylaws. Your bylaws belong to your group, and only your group can decide what they mean. [more…]
Robert's Rules for Presiding over a Meeting in Style
When you’re in the chair at a meeting, according to Robert's Rules, your job is to always maintain the appearance of impartiality. The quickest way to lose control is to allow your personal agenda to control [more…]
Ten Robert's Rules to Customize
If your organization has adopted Robert’s Rules as its parliamentary authority, you’ve got a good rule for just about anything that comes up. However, Robert’s Rules doesn’t try to be one-size-fits-all [more…]
Ten Tips for Presiding Officers (per Robert's Rules)
Whether you’re presiding over a meeting of 2,500 members or a small board or committee meeting, your job is the same when it comes to the goal of successfully managing a meeting. And to ensure that you [more…]
Twelve Robert's Rules Meeting Procedure Myths
Most members and presiding officers really do have an interest in conducting business according to Robert’s Rules. The real trouble is that, more often than not, they’ve never actually [more…]
Robert's Rules for Approving the Minutes
According to Robert's Rules, minutes drafted ahead of time aren’t the official minutes until the members approve them. Today's technology has made its mark on meeting minutes. The secretary can now draft [more…]
Robert's Rules and the Reports of Officers, Boards, and Special Committees
Robert's Rules places the reports of officers, boards, and special committees in a standard order of business. Reports from the leadership team, for example, tend to include items of high importance, so [more…]
Robert's Rules and Special Orders of the Day
An order of the day is any item of business that your group is scheduled to consider at a particular session, meeting, day, or hour. After routine items, what’s left to handle is an assortment of items [more…]
Robert's Rules and Resolutions
A resolution is a main motion that needs to be expressed formally in writing, to attach a special level of importance. Because of the form — beginning with the word [more…]
Robert's Rules and Debate Decorum
Nothing stands to ruin an organization’s spirit and sense of group pride quicker than an acrimonious debate. When debate gets heated and personal, good members quit, and the antagonists generally don’t [more…]
How to Determine Voting Results per Robert's Rules
Robert’s Rules are designed to protect the minority against the “tyranny of the majority.” According to the true definition and practice of democracy, [more…]
Robert's Rules for Privileged Motions
Privileged motions deal with any or all issues specifically related to a meeting or to the comfort of members in attendance. They’re called privileged because, even when other business is pending, the [more…]
Robert's Rules: Call for Orders of the Day
Recognizing the value of your time, Robert’s Rules gives you a special motion to use to keep the meeting running on schedule. If you’re in a meeting and see that the group isn’t following the adopted agenda [more…]
Raise a Question of Privilege with Robert's Rules
More often than not, the motion to Raise a Question of Privilege is made to solve some immediate problem of particular and immediate annoyance to the group. But this motion covers other situations, too [more…]
