Robert's Rules of Order

History
Robert's Rules of Order (RRO) is a fascinating 19th century document that has been revised eleven times. Some argue that it represents a tradition that harks back to the 5th century, but the modern form of parliamentary democracy seems to date back to 16th & 17th century England. In the 1560s Sir Thomas Smith began the process of writing down accepted procedures and published a book about them in the House of Commons in 1583. Early rules included
 * One subject should be discussed at a time (adopted 1581)
 * Personal attacks are to be avoided in debate (1604)
 * Debate must be limited to the merits of the question (1610)
 * Division of a question when some seem to be for one part but not the other (1640)

Robert's rules in a nutshell
There are at least three good summaries of RRO that capture its spirit in a few words.

In three to five statements

 * 1) One speaker at a time
 * 2) One topic at a time
 * 3) Majority rules
 * 4) A 2/3 majority may temporarily suspend all or some of Robert's Rules.
 * 5) The unqualified motion to adjourn is undebatable and carries by a simple majority.

Wikipedia

 * Robert's Rules of Order#General_summary_of_current_edition

/Survival Tips/

 * This subpage is dedicated to the /Survival Tips/ website assembled by Lorenzo R. Cuesta (Registered Parliamentarian).

Organizations that use RRO

 * Cornell University
 * Psychiatry Residents Association of the University of British Columbia
 * /Wright State University Lake Campus/
 * /North American Federation of Temple Youth/
 * /create a subpage for your organization and we will rename for you/

Online versions of RRO
These sites link to the 1914 (4th edition) of Robert's rules.
 * robertsrules.org
 * constitution.org
 * rulesonline.com
 * bartleby.com
 * Project Gutenberg Full text of 1876 (1st) ed.

Other links

 * Frequently Asked Questions (from robertsrules.com)
 * Robert's Rules of Order
 * Wikiversity:Fire and emergency management/Leadership I:Strategies for Company Success (H803)/Running a Meeting
 * Robert's Rules of Order 1915 edition (under construction)
 * http://communitywiki.org/en/RobertsRules