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Robert’s Rules of Order, also known as Robert’s Rules or RONR come from a book written by Henry Martyn Robert. Originally published in 1876, there have been 12 editions since with the latest up to date version published in September 2020. Henry Robert himself completed the fourth revised edition before his death in 1923.

The procedures in this manual were created to conduct orderly parliamentary meetings and considering the rights of:

• The majority
• The minority (especially if bigger than a third)
• Individual members
• Absentee members
• All groups together

Today, RONR is the most commonly-used book on parliamentary procedure in the United States, gaining more and more popularity all around the world.

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What are Robert’s Rules of Order?

Generally speaking, RONR is a set of strictly defined procedures that can be applied to many meeting situations. The premise is that a chairperson allows everyone to voice their opinions, and everyone is seen, heard and considered. 

As the 11th edition of RONR says,

 "The application of parliamentary law is the best method yet devised to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for every member’s opinion, to arrive at the general will on the maximum number of questions of varying complexity in a minimum amount of time and under all kinds of internal climate ranging from total harmony to hardened or impassioned division of opinion."

Today, Robert’s Rules are used for:

• Parliamentary rules and proper procedures
• Bringing discussions to closure
• Making informed decisions in a formal setting
• Dispute resolution

These can be applied to most meeting situations from PTAs to large-scale board meetings.

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