Robert's Rules of Order
1
6.7
- noun
- Formal
:
Reglas de Orden de Robert
- They were not used to operating with Robert's Rules of Order, and that really strikes them.
Examples
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Given the confusion that sometimes surrounds Robert's Rules of Order in city council settings, I have little doubt that some of the city's councilmembers thought that an hours-of-operation condition was imposed on Pro's.
Blog text (23) -
Who's got the Robert's Rules of Order?
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Minute-taking was always haphazard, and we never followed Robert's Rules of Order or even majority rule to make decisions.
Academic text (2011) -
"I tried to introduce us to Robert's Rules of Order, but the others say that's silly," Clift said.
Fiction book (1994) -
Most groups use Robert's Rules of Order to conduct a meeting.
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John Hampton said Robert's Rules of Order specified the need to vote on one motion before proceeding to the next.
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Minute-taking was always haphazard, and we never followed Robert's Rules of Order to make decisions.
Synonyms
3
6.4
A set of formal rules for running meetings and debates
1
4.3
Agreed steps for running a meeting fairly
Rules that tell people how to run meetings and make decisions in official groups
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'rule' and 'order' can infer this refers to rules concerning order or procedure and that 'Robert's' indicates a named author's set of rules, so part of the meaning is compositionally recoverable. However, the specific sense—that it is the standard, formal manual of parliamentary procedure used for conducting meetings—is not predictable from the parts alone and requires cultural or encyclopedic knowledge, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Robert's Rules of Order is named after a U.S. army officer, Henry Robert, who wrote a short book of simple rules after he had to lead a messy meeting. The rules show groups 'how to run a meeting' and help keep an 'orderly' discussion.