Henry Martyn Robert   1837-1923 

Here’s the history of how we came to have Robert’s Rules of Order:

Henry Martyn Robert was an engineering officer in the regular Army. Without warning he was asked to preside over a public meeting being held in a church in his community and realized that he did not know how. He tried anyway and his embarrassment was supreme. This event, which may seem familiar to many readers, left him determined never to attend another meeting until he knew something of parliamentary law.

Ultimately, he discovered and studied the few books then available on the subject. From time to time, due to his military duties, he was transferred to various parts of the United States, where he found virtual parliamentary anarchy, since each member from a different part of the country had differing ideas of correct procedure. To bring order out of chaos, he decided to write Robert’s Rules of Order, as it come to be called.  Source: http://www.robertsrules.com/history.html

So, does presiding over board meetings give you chills?  Do you worry about not understanding Parliamentary Procedure?  Then this month’s 23rd@4pm program will help you be a more parliamentary leader.  Attendees will learn about:

• Order of relevance
• Purpose of parliamentary procedure
• Basic principles
• Typical order of business
• Presiding officer’s role
• Types of motions and how to handle one
• Debate and its rules

Register here