Sick Of Faculty Meetings That Go Off The Rails? 'Robert's Rules Of Order' Can Help

ABA Journal, Sick of Meetings That Go Off the Rails? 'Robert's Rules of Order' Can Help:

It's no secret that lawyers are asked to attend or preside over many kinds and types of meetings. From attending a professional association's annual meeting with hundreds of fellow attorneys (as the ABA just had in August) to being asked to chair a nonprofit board or preside at a homeowners association meeting, lawyers are often looked to for guidance.

But not everyone has formal training in running a meeting, and there are huge differences between a small firm’s partner meeting with six lawyers in a board room and a Zoom meeting with 3,000 attendees.

The good news, according to author, attorney and parliamentarian Jim Slaughter, is that no matter the size or composition of a meeting, Robert’s Rules of Order has advice for that.

But if you find the 816-page Robert’s Rules of Order, 12th Edition daunting, Slaughter has written Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track: The Brief & Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure for the Modern Meeting to give people a slim and accessible guide and will soon be releasing Notes and Comments on ‘Robert’s Rules,’ Fifth Edition.

Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track: The Brief & Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure for the Modern Meeting:

Easy, accessible, and to the point. Robert's Rules of Order Fast Track gives you everything you need to know to conduct shorter, fairer, and more orderly meetings. In this new and improved update, you'll find:

• The fundamentals of parliamentary procedure, with tips on knowing which rules to use for your meetings.
• Simple suggestions for making, seconding, and debating motions.
• A primer on voting, from knowing when it's required, to breaking ties, to handling absentee and proxy votes.
• Straightforward strategies for setting and sticking to an agenda and efficiently recording your meeting's minutes.
• Tips for handling disruptive members and tyrannical chairs.
• All-new guidance on conducting the modern virtual meeting.

For more, see:

• Walter Effross (American), (Moot?) Points of Order: Robert's (and Related) Rules for the Boardroom
• Walter Effross (American), Robert's Rules' (Ir)relevance to Shareholder Meetings