Robert's Rules of Order/Survival Tips

Perhaps the most accessible formal explanation of RRO is roberts-rules.com. It seems to have been written by registered parliamentarian Lorenzo R. Cuesta, who works in the Sacramento region of California. Out of the dozens of useful pages on roberts-rules.com, the following serve as a useful introduction:

• The Agenda

It also needs to be noted that the president does not "set the agenda" because a motion to modify the agenda is in order at the onset of each meeting.

• Unanimous Consent

Called "5 most helpful words a chairperson will ever find". Other sources emphasize that this must be applied with great care to ensure that the president is not attempting to rule unilaterally. (See, for example, NFTY's advice on general consent)

• Six Steps to Every Motion

This approach might be too formal for most assemblies. But the principles should always be kept in mind.

• Debate Protocol
• Undebatable Motions

Note that Wikipedia:Appeal (motion) seems to disagree on one point.