Democratic Rules of Order: Easy-to-Use Rules for Meetings of Any Size

Revolutionize meetings! Over 20,000 copies sold the easy-to-use guide for running democratic meetings of any size The key to promoting true democracy in meetings is clear, easy-to-understand rules of order that support the right of each member to participate fully and equally, and the right of the majority to make decisions while respecting minority rights. An alternative to Robert's Rules of Order and other complicated and unwieldy guides, Democratic Rules of Order is the guide for the rest of us. It lays out clear, concise, easy-to-use rules for governing meetings from clubs and non profits to formal meetings. Benefits include: A complete set of laws for governing meetings Can be read in an hour Plain language, free of complex protocol and jargon to enable equal and efficient participation Tested and honed through thousands of successful meetings Adoptable as the official rules of order for meetings of any size Allows informality, including decisions by consensus, but ensures formality when needed A sample meeting that uses all the rules plus answers to 31 common questions. Now in its tenth edition, and with over 20,000 copies sold, Democratic Rules of Order will produce fair, efficient, and harmonious decisions in meetings of any size or complexity.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Douglas Leiterman Preface Part 1: The Rules Introduction     Fairness and Orderliness     Democratic Principles     A Democratic Ideal     Another Democratic Ideal     Degrees of Formality     Higher Laws     Minority Rights     For Maximum Efficiency     The Tenth Edition     Virtual Meetings     To Adopt or Modify These Rules of Order     An Impersonal Referee Governing Elements     Government Control     Constitution     Bylaws     Standing Rules     Rules of Order     Executive Board     Officers     Election Procedures Members Making Decisions     Final Authority     Equal Rights     The Chair     Chair's Authority     Formal Chair     Informal Chair     Addressing the Chair     Quorum     Agenda     Motions and Decisions     Mover's Privilege     Amendments     Postpone, Refer     Voting     Tie Vote     Larger Majority Vote     Informal Discussion     Rescind     Reconsider     Minutes     Reports     Ratifying a Previous Decision     Adjournment Keeping Meetings Flowing     Staying on the Subject     More Thought, Less Talk     Mutual Respect     Point of Order     Disturbances     Differing Opinions     A New Chair Committees and Small Meetings     Committees     Less Formality     Special Committees     Chairing a Committee Meeting     Nondemocratic Meetings Part 2: Further Help Frequently Asked Questions     Involving the Chair     Involving the Secretary     Motions and Other Topics Sample Meeting     Flowchart Using Democratic Rules of Order Summary of the Rules Index About the Authors A Note about the Publisher

About the Author :
Peg Francis, and her late husband Fred Francis, had decades of experience with meetings in school, college, business, church, and community organizations as members and as officers. They saw the urgent need for more justice and stronger democracies and believed that for a democracy to work successfully, the populace itself must understand and practice democratic principles. They brought their skills as former educators to bear to create a set of rules that are easy-to-learn, easy-to-use, and widely applicable in meetings and that promote democracy at a grass-roots level. Always seeking to improve, they were also entrepreneurs who have designed several commercial products including clean-burning wood stoves, rodent-proof composters, and children's building sets. Peg lives in Victoria, Canada.