Robert’s Rules of Order
Have you ever been at a meeting where the person who made a motion becomes unhappy about the direction of the discussion, and says, “OK, I withdraw my motion”?
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Updated July 22, 2021 The “motion to appeal” is one of the least-known motions in Robert’s Rules of Order, and the most powerful. All of us are very familiar with the role of the chair of the meeting. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, the chair has the duty of keeping things on track. The chair…
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The motion “to call the question,” which has the technical name of “previous question,” may be the most abused motion in all of Robert’s Rules of Order. It is very common for people to shout out the word “question” or “I call the question” in the expectation that debate will immediately stop, and a vote…
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Updated July 14, 2021 Special rules of order are permanent rules, specific to your group, that guide your discussions and meetings. They allow you to make sure that your group talks about things and makes decisions in the way that works best for you. Robert’s Rules of Order encourages groups to set up their own special…
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People are sometimes confused about precedence of motions in Robert’s Rules of Order. In essence it is rather simple. The principle is that each motion has a number or rank. When motions are pending, motions with a higher rank may be made, but motions with a lower rank are out of order (not allowed). The…
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What is a “friendly amendment” in Robert’s Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure? This term is frequently misused. Here is our explanation: (1) An amendment is a proposal to change a motion – a proposed action – being considered by a group. (2) Sometimes people suggest amendments with the intention of making the original motion…
Read MoreThe 12 edition of Robert’s Rules has just been published. More information coming soon.
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As part of our crusade to de-mystify Robert’s Rules of Order and empower people serving on nonprofit boards, city councils, and other governing bodies, we would like to address a simple question: who can make a motion? The answer is: you! If you are a voting member of one of these bodies, and it functions…
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Updated July 15, 2021 When I first became interested in Robert’s Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure, I toddled off to the bookstore to get myself the book. A thin volume with a purple and green art nouveau cover, proffering Robert’s Rules for the current century, looked like a good bet. I handed over my…
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Who may raise a point of order at council meetings?
Over the years of working with parliamentary procedure I’ve found that there is a lot of confusion about the motion “point of order.” In essence, when a person says “point of order” he is making a claim that there has been some procedural mistake. In his view, something has been done incorrectly, and it ought…
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