Breaking Robert's Rules: The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build Consensus, and Get Results

I've always been perplexed by the fact that we run our meetings according to rules dreamed up by a military engineer more than 100 years ago. Maybe Roberts' arcane procedures about what can be discussed by whom and when worked once upon a time, but they don't make sense either in the modern business world or for making important policy decisions today. I'm not sure that the consensus building approach spelled out in this book will necessarily work in every case, but it's clear, straightforward, and practical. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has gotten sick of going to meetings only to see the will of the majority frustrated by some shrewed parliamentarian manipulating the rules. Susskind offers a constructive alternative for people who just want to get the right thing done.

This book has great value whether you are a business owner, politician or public agency staffer, an environmentalist, a facilitator, mediator or any other interested party. It provides a simple, concise and easy-to-understand review of the consensus building process. From a communication perspective, consensus building lends itself towards helping any party in a negotiation develop a greater understanding and wider range of solutions that may be available on any given issue. The authors frame the limitations of "traditional" Robert's Rules for running public meetings. These traditional methods tend to offer binary decisions (yes or no) which often limit discussion, stifle creativity, and almost always leave someone feeling "left out". They offer a simple, easy-to-understand and concise method to "break the chains" of communication such that more creative alternatives to issues or problems may be offered and discussed. Through a more creative and contributed process, interested parties can craft decisions based upon informed consensus which lends itself towards more lasting agreements. The book also offers an excellent treatise on facilitation or mediation techniques. It is useful no matter "what side of the table" you may be in any given issue. A list of Key Terms at the end of each chapter offer an excellent way to reinforce understanding. Five stars and a great contribution!