Rita Cook - The Complete Guide to Roberts Rules of Order Made Easy: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply

The Complete Guide to Roberts Rules of Order Made Easy

Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply

By Rita Cook

The Complete Guide to Roberts Rules of Order Made Easy: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply

Copyright 2008 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-259-7

ISBN-10: 1-60138-259-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cook, Rita, 1964

The complete guide to Roberts rules of order made easy : everything

you need to know explained simply / by Rita Cook.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-259-7 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-259-6 (alk. paper)

1. Robert, Henry M. (Henry Martyn), 1837-1923. Roberts rules of

order. 2. Parliamentary practice. I. Title.

JF515.R66C66 2008

060.42--dc22

2008030283

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Table of Contents

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my husband, Russell William Dandridge.

Introduction

Roberts Rules of Order: you have most likely heard the term used if you have ever taken part in a formal meeting. Most people are too embarrassed to say, What are Roberts Rules of Order? so this book will explain it to you in easy-to-understand language, and you will never have to ask.

The first chapter will cover this more in detail, but Robert was a person, General Henry Martyn Robert, and these rules are named after him. He got involved in what is known as parliamentary procedure when he began presiding at meetings and did not know all of the rules involved.

My embarrassment was supreme, it is noted that he said. I plunged in, trusting to Providence that the Assembly would behave itself.

People who especially have a need to know Roberts Rules of Order include chairmen of boards, politicians, and higher-ups in corporations. With these rules in place, professionals have the ability to run meetings with ease. The most important thing to remember when leading a meeting is to stay in control of it. How do you do that? Roberts Rules of Order.

Other key position holders in meetings who use Roberts Rules of Order are secretaries and treasurers. These positions are present in government meetings such as city councils.

Roberts Rules of Order have been edited over the years, and the manual is now in its Tenth Edition. Even so, the rules are still difficult to understand without some help.

Indeed, there are many books that have been written on Roberts Rules of Order, but many are just too long and tedious to get through. For the person who needs the information fast, just the facts essentially, this book, The Complete Guide to Roberts Rules of Order Made Easy : Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply will be your best tool. After all, if you are in a position to run a meeting that requires Roberts Rules of Order, you likely cannot remember every in-depth passage that is written explaining the rules.

Also in this book is information you will need for running an electronic meeting. Indeed, in todays world, executives live all over the world and increasingly travel; it is not always possible to get everyone in the same room at the same time. Roberts Rules of Order can still be used no matter how many different parts of the world your coworkers and colleagues are located in during the meeting.

Every meeting, no matter what the company or organization, will get the best results by using Roberts Rules of Order. These rules require structure and a business-like approach to situations. It is all about majority making the decision but the minority of people still being heard.

Handy definitions of many words you will encounter in this book and when discussing Roberts Rules of Order with others can be found at the end of this book.

Chapter 1

The History of Roberts Rules of Order

The Rise of Democracy as a Form of Government

The people define democracy, as opposed to other forms of government, as government. However, a true democracy would require that all members of the group vote on all actions of the group (or society). Therefore, logistics make a true democracy nearly impossible except in small groups. To this end, the form of democracy most familiar in the modern world is what is called a representative democracy. This type of democracy employs elections to create a group of representatives who will then make the decisions on behalf of the whole body. This type of governance is not new, though, and has been around since before recorded history. You might be surprised to learn that the ancient Israelites of the Bible used a religious-based representative democracy. Representatives of the 12 tribes made decisions, dating back to as early as the wanderings in the desert with Moses.