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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Fellovledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode two eighty six. Today let's talk about something

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<v Speaker 2>that every leader should understand, and that's Robert's Rules of Order.

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<v Speaker 2>This system has been used for over a century to

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<v Speaker 2>ensure that meetings are fair, productive and structured. Whether you're

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<v Speaker 2>leading a board meeting, running in nonprofit, or managing a team,

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<v Speaker 2>knowing how to conduct meetings properly is a crucial leadership skill.

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<v Speaker 2>So in this episode, I'm going to break down what

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<v Speaker 2>Roberts rules of order is, why it's important, how you

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<v Speaker 2>can learn it and start applying it today, and finally,

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<v Speaker 2>exactly who was Robert? So what is Robert's rules of Order?

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<v Speaker 2>In simple terms, Robert's Rules of Order is a structured

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<v Speaker 2>system for running meetings efficiently and fairly. Utilizing parliamentary procedure.

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<v Speaker 2>It ensures that discussions stay on track, that everyone gets

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<v Speaker 2>a voice, and that decisions are made in an organized way.

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<v Speaker 2>It's used in government, corporate boardrooms, nonprofits, unions and even

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<v Speaker 2>small community organizations. Meetings, especially when emotions run high or

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<v Speaker 2>decisions are controversial, can easily become disorganized. People talk over

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<v Speaker 2>each other, topics go off track, and no real progress

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<v Speaker 2>gets made. Robert's Rules provides a step by step guide

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<v Speaker 2>on how to introduce, discuss, and vote on issues so

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<v Speaker 2>that the meetings stay focused and productive. It's essentially the

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<v Speaker 2>parliamentary procedure or for any group that needs to make

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<v Speaker 2>decisions together. And while it might seem formal at first,

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<v Speaker 2>its purpose is to bring clarity, fairness, and efficiency to

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<v Speaker 2>decision making. So why is it important? Without structure, meetings

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<v Speaker 2>can quickly spiral into chaos. I'm sure we've all sat

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<v Speaker 2>through meetings where one or two people dominate the conversation,

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<v Speaker 2>discussions drag on with no resolution, or decisions get made

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<v Speaker 2>without proper input. Roberts Rules fixes that by ensuring number

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<v Speaker 2>one orderly discussions. Everyone gets a chance to speak without interruptions.

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<v Speaker 2>Number two fair decision making. Votes are taken properly so

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<v Speaker 2>that decisions reflect the will of the group, not just

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<v Speaker 2>the loudest voices. Number three efficiency Meetings don't drag on unnecessarily,

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<v Speaker 2>and every topic is addressed in a structured way. Number

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<v Speaker 2>four is the protection of minority opinions. The majority ultimately

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<v Speaker 2>rules through voting, minority voices still get heard and considered.

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<v Speaker 2>And last is consistency. Every meeting follows a predictable format,

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<v Speaker 2>making the more productive and professional. When you implement Robert's rules,

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<v Speaker 2>you're not just enforcing structure. You're creating a culture of

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<v Speaker 2>respect and accountability in your organization, and that is what

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<v Speaker 2>great leadership is all about. Most organizations include some kind

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<v Speaker 2>of a blurb about adopting Roberts Rules as their official

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<v Speaker 2>parliamentary procedure in their bylaws or their SOPs. So how

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<v Speaker 2>do you learn Robert's rules of order? And I know

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<v Speaker 2>what you might be thinking. This sounds complicated, and to

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<v Speaker 2>be fair, the full book on Roberts Rules is over

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<v Speaker 2>seven hundred pages long. But don't worry. You don't need

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<v Speaker 2>to know the entire rule book to benefit from it.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's how you get started. Step one, just learn

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<v Speaker 2>the basic motions that the heart of Roberts Rules is

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<v Speaker 2>the concept of motions. These are formal proposals for the

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<v Speaker 2>group to take action on something. Some of the most

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<v Speaker 2>common motions include the main motion, and this is the

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<v Speaker 2>main topic or issue being proposed for discussion, So it

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<v Speaker 2>would sound something like, I'd like to make a motion

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<v Speaker 2>to purchase a new computer chair for one hundred and

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<v Speaker 2>fifty dollars. The next one is an amendment, a proposal

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<v Speaker 2>to change the wording of emotion before voting on it.

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<v Speaker 2>I'd like to make an amendment to the motion. I'd

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<v Speaker 2>like to make a motion to purchase a new computer

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<v Speaker 2>chair not to exceed one hundred and fifty dollars. And

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<v Speaker 2>the third one is a point of order, and this

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<v Speaker 2>is used when someone believes the rules are not being followed,

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<v Speaker 2>and it would sound like, mister or madam chairman, point

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<v Speaker 2>of order, did we take role call properly? And fourth

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<v Speaker 2>is call the question, and this is used to end

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<v Speaker 2>debates and bring the issue to a vote. Think long

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<v Speaker 2>discussions taking place, You can call out call the question

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<v Speaker 2>to end the debate and force the vote. And the

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<v Speaker 2>last one is table the motion, and this is temporarily

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<v Speaker 2>setting aside a discussion to be handled later. And it

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<v Speaker 2>would sound like, due to finances, we're going to table

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<v Speaker 2>the motion to purchase the new computer chair. Understanding just

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<v Speaker 2>these five types of motions will already make a huge

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<v Speaker 2>difference in how you run meetings. Step two is the

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<v Speaker 2>basic meeting structure. Most meetings using Roberts rolls follow this

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<v Speaker 2>standard structure. The call to order. This is when the

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<v Speaker 2>meeting officially begins, the approval of minutes, reviewing and approving

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<v Speaker 2>notes from the last meeting, and then reports and these

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<v Speaker 2>are updates from officers, committees, or special projects. And then

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<v Speaker 2>you move on to old business, and this is topics

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<v Speaker 2>carried over from the previous meeting, followed by new business,

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<v Speaker 2>the introduction of new topics or motions, any announcement, any

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<v Speaker 2>last minute updates or reminders, followed by the adjournment, the

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<v Speaker 2>official closing to the meeting. Following this order keeps things

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<v Speaker 2>moving and prevents distractions from taking over. Step three is

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<v Speaker 2>just use a cheat sheet. One of the best ways

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<v Speaker 2>to learn Robert's rules is to use a quick reference guide.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't need to memorize everything. Just keep a simple

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<v Speaker 2>chart handy during meetings so you can refer to it

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<v Speaker 2>when needed. And you can buy these on Amazon as

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<v Speaker 2>well as an abbreviated version of the main Roberts Rules

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<v Speaker 2>of Order book, or just google it. You'll find plenty

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<v Speaker 2>of little cheat sheets. Step four practice in small settings.

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<v Speaker 2>Start using Robert's rules in smaller, low stakes meetings before

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<v Speaker 2>trying it in a large, high pressure setting. Even just

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<v Speaker 2>implementing small pieces like structured voting and limiting side conversations

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<v Speaker 2>can immediately improve meetings. So who was Henry Martin? Robert

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<v Speaker 2>was a US Army officer in the nineteenth century. In

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<v Speaker 2>eighteen sixty three, he was asked to run a public

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<v Speaker 2>meeting and found it to be a complete disaster. Everyone

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<v Speaker 2>was talking at once, no one knew how to make

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<v Speaker 2>a decision, and there was no order whatsoever. That experience

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<v Speaker 2>inspired him to create a set of standardized rules that

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<v Speaker 2>anyone could follow to run fair and efficient meetings. In

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<v Speaker 2>eighteen seventy six, he published Robert's Rules of Order, and

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<v Speaker 2>over time it became the gold standard for organizational meetings worldwide.

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<v Speaker 2>His goal was simple to create a system that allows

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<v Speaker 2>groups to make decisions efficiently while respecting every participant's voice. So,

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<v Speaker 2>if you're in a leadership position, whether in business, nonprofit, government,

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<v Speaker 2>or community groups, you'll be involved in meetings, and your

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<v Speaker 2>ability to run those meetings will determine how effective you're

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<v Speaker 2>leadership is. Understanding Robert's Rules isn't about being overly formal.

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<v Speaker 2>It's about creating clarity, fairness, accountability in decision making. So

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<v Speaker 2>if you've ever been frustrated by unproductive meetings, now is

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<v Speaker 2>the time to take action. Learn the basics, apply them

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<v Speaker 2>where they make sense, and watch your meetings become smoother,

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<v Speaker 2>more respectful, and more effective. This has been the seven

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<v Speaker 2>Minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com