A Short, Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure and Robert's Rules of Order

by U.S. Department of Agriculture

The text of this easy-to-read Kindle edition, which describes and explains parliamentary procedure (rules for conducting meetings) and which is equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 16 pages, first appeared in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s handbook “Rules of A Simplified Parliamentary Procedure,” a highly condensed version of the 300-plus-page 1876 publication “Robert’s Rules of Order.”Sample member desiring to make a motion gets the chairman’s attention by raising his hand or standing up or “Mr. Chairman.” When given the floor, he “I move that…” and states his proposal as simply and clearly as possible. If the motion is in order, the chairman “Will anyone second this motion?” and gives the floor to the first member indicating a wish to do so. This member says “I second the motion.” If no one is willing to second the motion, the chairman declares that “the motion is dropped for want of a second” and proceeds with the next order of business. If the motion is seconded, it enters the discussion stage.

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2012

Reviews

[Susan Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly liked this book - it explained parliamentary procedure in an easy-to-use language that is suitable for use with middle-school "tweens" (my purpose in seeking out the book). However, there have been comments made that the book (first published by the government in 1950) is outdated and has not kept up with the times. If such modern touches are important to you (like electronic meetings), the University of Arkansas Department of Agriculture has an updated guide that is available in PDF format for free online.