Robert’s Rules for Meetings

Many organizations and businesses rely on meetings to accomplish tasks, establish objectives, and enhance communication. Although there is no right or wrong way to conduct a meeting, some methods are more effective than others. The purpose of any meeting is to reach a conclusion, but it can be easy to fall off track or discuss multiple topics at once. While each issue may be important to varying degrees, a lack of form can result in unproductive standstills or lengthy discussions that fail to reach a conclusion.

Regardless of your industry or meeting type, following Robert’s Rules of Order can help you accomplish objectives while respecting each member’s opinion and creating an efficient task flow. From staff meetings to weekly team chats to special meetings needing urgent attention, you can use the Rules of Order to present new ideas, gain valuable insights, and drive productive discussions. 

But what are the Rules of Order, and how do you implement them? Here, we’ll provide a guide for understanding and incorporating the Rules of Order at your next meeting. 

What Are Robert’s Rules of Order?

Robert’s Rules of Order refers to a set of rules that you can apply to productive gatherings. These rules comprise basic and complex standards that you should follow in every meeting to reach a conclusion while respecting each member’s opinion and concerns. 

1. One Person Speaks at a Time 

To prevent meetings from getting out of hand, it’s best to allow one person to speak at a time. Many times, multiple team members want to provide insight about a topic, but too many voices at once make it nearly impossible to understand what anyone is saying. This rule states that there is a specific order in which each team member can contribute their thoughts. The person who brings the idea to the table will speak first and last, but each team member will have an opportunity to contribute before the group moves to the next topic.

2. Each Member Has Equal Rights

Ensuring each team member has the same opportunities is critical. Everyone who wishes to speak must be able to do so, including those who may be less comfortable speaking up. Whether you implement a raised-hand system or seating-based rotation, it’s critical to address each team member and ensure they have an opportunity to contribute. 

3. You Must Debate Each Item

Too often, teams find that there are too many topics to work through in the given time frame. Sometimes, you may have lengthy conversations about one topic and minimal to no discussions about others. This method is unproductive and can result in inequities if your group consistently neglects the same team members or topics. This rule establishes that each item deserves full and free debate, meaning everyone has an equal chance to respond to each agenda item. Ideally, each team participant will speak only once on a topic until all items are on the table, and the facilitator can floor the discussion if there’s enough time. 

4. Only Present One Subject at a Time

To further support the idea that each item receives full debate, your team must only evaluate one idea at a time. The group must decide what a meeting will be about by proposing an idea and voting. If at least one other person agrees to the proposal, participants can discuss the topic while adhering to the other rules. 

5. Present the Minority but Adhere to the Majority

Reaching a conclusion can be the most challenging aspect of a meeting. Discussions inform decisions, reinforcing the importance of allowing everyone to speak. While listening to every opinion is crucial, ultimately, the majority will determine the outcome.

6. Do Not Permit Negative Proposals

Negative motions refer to items that can be unclear in voting. For example, the phrase “I propose we do not create a new department” can be confusing regarding voting. It’s unclear whether voting “yes” refers to creating the department or not creating the department. For this reason, this rule advises to forgo negative proposals. In the previous example, changing the phrase to “I propose we maintain our existing departments” provides clear ground for the team to discuss, elaborate, and vote. 

How to Implement the Rules of Order for Meeting Settings

It’s critical to determine whether Robert’s Rule of Order is suitable for your team before implementing this method. This strategy is best for teams with many items to cover, who need to make complex decisions, or who have a large number of participants. If you determine that the Rules of Order can benefit your team, you can begin implementing them by:

• Evaluating the types of meetings you have: Determine which of your gatherings are suitable for implementation. For instance, one-on-one meetings will be less suitable for the Rules of Order than a board meeting. 
• Driving virtual decisions: Virtual meeting settings are a great place for implementation because they can prompt discussions, engage your team, and increase productivity. You can also gather feedback with virtual real-time voting to encourage people to voice their opinions and begin driving actions with insights. 
• Preparing for future meetings: Preparation is key, and organizing future meetings can help you create an intentional and collaborative process. Creating agendas, setting dates, and getting meeting feedback can help you and your team adopt this method.

Comprehensive Meeting Agenda Template

Creating an agenda can help meetings move smoothly and help you craft a comprehensive method for proposing topics, collaborating on items, and forming solutions. Consider following this order of agenda:

• Call to order: The facilitator begins the meeting by calling attention.
• Roll call: Ensure everyone you invited to the meeting is in attendance.
• Read the minutes: Review any notes from the previous meeting and make any additions or corrections.
• Officer reports: Senior leaders present updates or recommendations, which the team can move into motion by showing support. If there is no support, the motions are not actionable. 
• Committee reports: The team, committee, or group provides recommendations and updates.
  New and unfinished initiatives: Bring items to the table in the order you wish to complete them. Provide everyone the opportunity to contribute to the discussion. 
• Voting: Team members vote on items and action plans. Voting may also occur at multiple stages of the agenda, including during reports. 
• Announcements: At the end of the meeting, the facilitator can discuss any updates or announcements the team has not discussed yet or provide any other relevant information the team should know. 
• Adjournment: The team concludes the meeting by establishing actions to complete before the next meeting.

Consider Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) for Your Next Election

Relying on Robert’s Rules of Order can help craft a collaborative, safe, and inclusive environment for discussing issues and new topics. However, when it’s time to make a decision, you need a precise way to get accurate results. 

At Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS), you can access the real-time voting software you need to gather insights and drive change. SBS offers a self-service platform with intuitive navigation and comprehensive features to prompt team members to provide their input. With our solution, you can share documents, tailor voting parameters, view voting details, and provide voter access in real time. 

SBS utilizes industry-leading security to protect voter information and ensure the integrity of your elections and polls. Your voters can also leverage the software’s live chat to ask questions about motion items before voting to ensure each team member understands the topic and the impact of their decision. 

Looking to enhance meetings and drive decisions? Connect with SBS to learn more about our voting platform features and capabilities.