Robert's Rules for Dummies .

If you belong to any type of organization—from school board to garden club to bowling league to trade association—chances are this book can save you many boring meeting minutes. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised is the current authoritative guide for properly conducting everything from sessions of the U.S. Senate or House of Representative to meetings of neighborhood associations. This friendly guide translates Robert’s Rules into principles you can understand and apply the next time Billy Bully tries to dominate the discussion or Debbie Dictator issues another edict. If you’ve ever been frustrated at the way condominium association business was (or wasn’t) conducted or fidgeted while PTA members debated whether to have goldfish or pencils as prizes for the elementary school carnival, this is the book for you. Written by a Professional Registered Parliamentarian, it covers:

• The basics of bylaws that establish the real framework of your organization, and nine things that should be covered
• The requirements for a legal meeting
• How to use an agenda to plan your meeting and keep things on track
• Following the standard order of business
• How to put ideas into motion and the eight steps to handling a motion
• Voting procedure and different methods of voting
• The functions and characteristics of seven subsidiary motions, five privileged motions, fifteen incidental motions, and four motions which bring a question again before the assembly
• Nomination procedures, holding elections, and making appointments

With Robert’s Rules For Dummies, you’ll not only discover how to hold more effective meetings, you’ll get advice for dealing with malcontents or monopolizers who can disrupt, derail, or prolong meetings. And if you’re in a leadership position, you’ll get great information on:

• Running meetings efficiently and fairly
• Effectively using standing and special committees
• Ensuring proper paperwork, including minutes, treasurer’s reports, committee reports, and more
• Handling discipline or removing officers or members

Complete with a glossary of parliamentary terms and sample agendas, reports, and minutes, this guide has everything you need but a gavel. Whether you belong to an elite country club or a civic organization, an investment club or a volunteer fire department, when you use the principles in this book, meetings won’t be dominated by the loudest or pushiest member or go on and on and on and on and on….

About 95 percent of all U.S. clubs, organizations, and governments use Robert’ s Rules of Order to run their meetings. This easy-to-use guide puts Robert’ s complex set of parliamentary procedures into plain English. From assembling a quorum and establishing an agenda to making motions, nominating and electing officers, and setting up committees, it shows ordinary people how to navigate parliamentary formalities, manage or participate effectively in a meeting, and get things done.

C. Alan Jennings (Baton Rouge, LA) is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) and a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians who serves as a meeting parliamentarian for a number of local, state, and national organizations.

Navigate the formalities of parliamentary procedure!

Get a handle on proper procedures and hold successful meetings

Need to read up on Robert's Rules? Relax! This clear, easy-to-use guide makes parliamentary procedure simple to understand and apply. From assembling a quorum and establishing an agenda to making motions and setting up committees, you'll see how to manage or participate effectively in a meeting — and get things done!

Discover how to:

• Create agendas and minutes
• Nominate and elect officers
• Make decisions as a group
• Deal with disciplinary problems
• Avoid common motion mistakes

"Robert's Rules For Dummies provides steps and techniques for following parliamentary procedures to effectively manage meetings of any size.  Parliamentarian, Alan Jennings, walks readers through assembling a quorum, the order of agenda, the steps for making a motion, nominating and electing officers, and becoming involved in committees. Ultimately, readers will find out how to work within their organization, feel empowered to take action, and accomplish the goals that they set out to achieve in their group.

C. Alan Jennings is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian from the National Association of Parliamentarians. He also holds office in the Louisiana Association of Parliamentarians.

Introduction.

Part I: It’s Parliamentary, My Dear: Participating Effectively in Meetings.

Chapter 1: Following the Rules (Robert’s, That Is).

Chapter 2: Defining the Organization: Bylaws and Other Rules.

Chapter 3: Meetings: Making Group Decisions.

Chapter 4: Starting with Notice and a Quorum.

Chapter 5: Taking Care of Business without Wasting Time: Order of Business and Agenda.

Part II: Motions: Putting Ideas into Action.

Chapter 6: Main Motions: Proposing Ideas for Group Action.

Chapter 7: Debate: Discussing the Pros and Cons of Ideas.

Chapter 8: Making Group Decisions: Voting on the Motion.

Chapter 9: Subsidiary Motions: Helping to Process the Main Motion.

Chapter 10: Privileged Motions: Getting Through the Meeting.

Chapter 11: Incidental Motions: Dealing with the Questions of Procedure.

Chapter 12: Haven’t We Talked About This Already? Motions Which Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly.

Part III: Getting Involved in Leadership.

Chapter 13: Who’s Going to Do the Work? Following Nomination Procedures.

Chapter 14: Holding Elections and Making Appointments.

Chapter 15: Running the Show: Officers and Directors.

Chapter 16: Gearing Up for the Real Action: Committees.

Chapter 17: Reporting to Your Organization.

Chapter 18: We Gotta Get Rid of this Guy! Disciplining and Removing Officers or Members.

Part IV: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Meeting Procedure Myths.

Chapter 20 Ten Tips for Presiding Officers.

Chapter 21: Ten Motion Mistakes to Avoid.

Part V: Appendixes.

Appendix A: Glossary of Parliamentary Terms.

Appendix B: Sample Agendas, Reports, and Minutes.

Index.