Keep Virtual Calls Efficient with Robert’s Rules of Order for Meetings

Ensuring your meetings run smoothly can be challenging in the best of circumstances. And when those meetings are with hybrid or remote teams, spotty technology can make it even tougher to stay on track. With so much potential for mishaps, it can be hard to maintain efficiency.

To overcome this challenge, some organizations may apply frameworks like Robert’s Rules of Order for meetings. This highly structured approach helps keep large, formal meetings—virtual or otherwise—on track.

What are Robert’s Rules of Order?

Robert’s Rules of Order is a book by Henry M. Robert that provides a framework for conducting team meetings efficiently and fairly. The rules were originally written for large-scale government meetings, but many companies use a stripped-down version of the principles for board meetings or even cross-functional project meetings.

Cornell University published a simplified guide of Robert’s Rules of Order’s most useful points. It pares down the rules to three guiding principles:

1. Everyone should be allowed to speak once before anyone speaks again.
2. Only urgent matters may interrupt a speaker.
3. Consider only one matter at a time.

Why use Robert’s Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order are helpful for keeping meetings on topic and moving efficiently while guaranteeing everyone has a chance to speak. They can be especially useful for virtual meetings, where distractions and a lack of nonverbal social cues can create confusion and interruptions.

Some key benefits of Robert’s Rules of Order for meetings include:

• Clear structure. Robert’s Rules help clarify a meeting’s agenda items and designated speaker(s). This keeps the conversation moving, even if distractions occur.
• Fairness and inclusivity. Under Robert’s Rules, everyone gets to speak with little to no interruption. This approach lets multiple people and viewpoints be heard.
• Greater productivity. By creating a structure, Robert’s Rules ensure a team gets through its meeting agenda without being derailed by tangents or spending too much time on any single item.

 

Key components of Robert’s Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order for meetings are primarily built around putting forward “motions,” or topics of discussion, and voting on them. The rules outline how each motion should be handled. Here’s how they break down.

Main motions and how they drive meetings

When someone “makes a motion,” or proposes a discussion point, someone else must second the motion for it to be considered. The group then discusses the motion and ultimately resolves it before moving on to the next thing. Motions can be resolved, or “disposed of,” a few ways:

• Voted on and passed
• Voted on and defeated
• Tabled for future consideration
• Referred to a committee

Motions are the primary way business is conducted within meetings, and any participant is allowed to make one. Types of motions include:

• Motion to amend. This occurs when someone wants to alter an existing motion.
• Motion to table. This pushes the motion to the next meeting.
• Motion to postpone. While tabled motions are addressed at the next meeting, postponed motions are put off and addressed at a specific future date.
• Motion to limit debate. This limits debate to a certain number of speakers or a specific time frame. It can be useful for saving time or wrapping up discussions that aren’t progressing.
• Motion to close debate. When there’s nothing left to say, this motion closes the discussion and brings the topic to a vote.

Specific guidelines also make it clear when a speaker can be interrupted. For example, if there are questions or disagreements around points of order or other urgent matters, such as someone can’t see or hear the speaker, or they have a safety or comfort concern, interruptions may occur.

Meeting members’ roles and responsibilities

Robert’s Rules of Order state that a designated chairperson or any two members of the “committee”—such as a team or board member—can call a meeting at any time.

• The chairperson is responsible for starting the meeting, guiding the group through an agenda, and closing the meeting.
• A notetaker is responsible for taking the meeting minutes. This may be automated using a transcription tool or an AI assistant. For example, Slack AI can take notes during huddles, helping attendees stay focused during meetings.
• Meeting attendees are responsible for raising motions, voicing opinions, and voting during meetings.

The AI note-taking feature in Slack’s huddles frees up teams to focus on the meeting rather than taking notes.

 

Practical application of Robert’s Rules in meetings

It’s typically impractical and cumbersome to follow Robert’s Rules of Order to the letter. However, the rules can be modified to fit your organization. Cornell’s simplified cheat sheet is a good starting point.

The rules can also be modified for increased efficiency with tools and technology. Beyond using AI assistants to take meeting minutes, polling apps provide a simple way for teams to vote on motions. And motions can be added to a shared agenda in collaborative digital workspaces like Slack canvas to ensure that everyone who wants to can contribute.

Structure your meeting: A step-by-step guide

Robert’s Rules of Order lay out the following steps for running a meeting:

1. Call the meeting to order. A manager or designated chairperson is responsible for this step.
2. Take attendance. This is done by the chairperson. Virtual meeting tools generally allow for a quick head count, eliminating the need to call roll.
3. Read and approve past meeting minutes. Consider distributing prior meeting minutes in advance so your team can complete this step quickly. Posting them in a team channel or shared workspace makes them accessible at any time.
4. Review reports. This can refer to status updates for ongoing projects or other important information from stakeholders.
5. Discuss high-priority items. Also called “special orders of business,” these items are usually time sensitive or high profile.
6. Address unfinished business. This is the time to tackle any incomplete business from the previous meeting.
7. Cover new items. Discuss new items from the current agenda. If you run out of time, highlight the items you could not cover. These will roll over to the next meeting.
8. End the meeting. The chairperson brings the meeting to a close. When the meeting is over, meeting notes and agendas should be posted in a shared channel. Meeting summaries, minutes, and agendas can all be generated and shared automatically using AI and automation tools.

Conduct votes and make decisions

Everyone who wants to comment on a motion should have a chance to do so during the meeting. Once everyone has said their piece, it’s time to make a decision. Under Robert’s Rules, this generally means taking a vote. Any attendee can question a topic or move to put it to a vote.

Robert’s Rules about voting are:

• One question at a time
• One person, one vote
• Voting is limited to present members
• Majority vote (more than half) wins (except in specific circumstances that require a two-thirds majority)

Traditional voting, such as verbally or with raised hands, can be awkward in virtual meetings. If a topic is sensitive, anonymous voting may make more sense. Consider using polling apps and other digital approaches to streamline voting in a way that’s fair to all attendees.

Slack can help make Robert’s Rules work more effectively

Adapting Robert’s Rules of Order for your meetings—whether remote or in person—helps you stay on track, even if technical glitches occur. Using an AI-powered work operating system like Slack can help you make the most of your meetings. You can meet in real time, share and collaborate on agendas and other resources ahead of time, and use tools to summarize and even transcribe meetings word-for-word all within the platform. Pairing a trusted work OS and a proven framework for fair and productive meetings not only helps increase efficiency, it also ensures your team has everything it needs in one place.

FAQs

How can Robert’s Rules of Order streamline decision-making in meetings?

Robert’s Rules of Order keep the conversation focused on one topic at a time and set parameters for who may speak and how often. That encourages attendees to stay on topic and helps prevent interruptions. A clear framework for voting makes the process more equitable and limits the amount of time attendees can debate motions.

What are some common misconceptions about Robert’s Rules of Order?

Several misconceptions exist about the details of Robert’s Rules of Order. For example, many people believe that the chairperson can only vote to break a tie, but in reality, they can vote the same as anyone else during a meeting.

Another common myth is that the rules need to be the same for all meetings. In practice, the size of a meeting affects how procedural it must be.

How can following Robert’s Rules of Order improve meeting efficiency?

This framework improves meeting efficiency by making agenda items, speakers, and the decision-making process clear. This allows attendees to stay focused on the discussion at hand. Using AI and automation tools in this process can increase meeting efficiency even more.

Are there alternatives to Robert’s Rules of Order for conducting meetings effectively?

There are several alternatives to Robert’s Rules of Order with slightly different procedures for running meetings. A few examples include:

• The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure
• Democratic Rules of Order
• Martha’s Rules of Order