CONDUCTING A MORE EFFICIENT MEETING MODULE OVERVIEW You

CONDUCTING A MORE EFFICIENT MEETING

MODULE OVERVIEW You will learn effective meeting preparation l You will be able to write INFORMATIONFULL agendas l You will understand the basics of parliamentary procedures l You will learn to manage meeting time effectively l

MEETING PREPARATION l Continuous Cycle n Preparation n Conducting a meeting n Follow-up to meeting

INFORMATION GATHERING n n n n Collect ballot results Review correspondence Review minutes and action items from previous meeting Contact TG chairman Review jurisdiction list Contact staff manager Prepare agenda

WHY IS AN AGENDA IMPORTANT? ? h. Prepares chairman h. Prepares attendees h. Creates an interest h. Clearly defines objectives h. Provides a valuable organizational tool

INFORMATION AGENDA INCLUDES: h Meeting date, time, location h General information h Agenda/minutes approvals h Agenda items with background/goals h Old/New Business h Summary/ Assignments

DISTRIBUTION OF AGENDAS h Provide electronic copy to staff manager – manager will post to members only section of home page – ensure copies are available at the meeting

COVERAGE OF MEETING h IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND, FIND A REPLACEMENT h BRIEF YOUR REPLACEMENT ON THE AGENDA

AT THE MEETING Is the room set properly l Audio visual l Number of seats l

CONDUCTING A MEETING h START ON TIME!! h Delegate the task of taking minutes if you haven’t a subcommittee secretary h Review the agenda/obtain agreement on the meetings objectives and goals h Revise agenda if necessary

ROLE OF THE CHAIRMAN h Recognize attendees who wish to speak h Remain neutral h Summarize discussion and future action h Maintain order

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE h Majority rule must prevail h Rights of members w/minority opinion are protected h Respect for all members assured h Logical order of business provided

Robert’s Rules are used when… h Seeking resolution to a controversial issue (e. g. handling a negative vote) h Requires a formal vote count (e. g. voting on a not persuasive negative) h Business must be conducted in a formal and efficient manner (e. g. main and subcommittee meetings)

Do not use Robert’s Rules when… The purpose of the meeting is to develop creative solutions or to hold a brainstorming session l The issues being discussed are not contentious (e. g. future meeting locations) l

WHY DO WE RUN OUT OF TIME? ? h Repetition h Wander from the agenda h Lengthy discussion of controversial issues

MEETING TECHNIQUES h Focus attention on the agenda h Set time limits h Identify different opinions h Establish task groups/chairmen as needed

CLOSING A MEETING h State conclusions reached h Summarize assignments h Give staff manager next meeting requirements

AFTER THE MEETING l Prepare minutes as soon as possible after the meeting – actions and discussions that took place are fresh in the writer’s mind – committee members may rely on receipt of minutes before they implement promised actions l Send electronic version of minutes to the staff manager

PREPARING MINUTES Follow the format of the meeting agenda and include: – the committee number and title, date/location of meeting, and time called to order – an accurate summary of the decisions and conclusions reached – the assignments that were made – the follow-up action required – time of adjournment and notice of the next meeting date, time and location