Meeting Management How-To Steps
– The Basics
Most meetings of a repetitive
nature can be managed to last no more than one hour. All it takes is the
will to do it and a bit of planning. Here how to keep your meetings short
and productive.
1) Understand The Format And Purpose Of An Agenda.
The word agenda comes from the Latin, "to get things
done". Today an 'agenda' is a plan; in particular,
a standard order and process for a formal meeting designed to meet predetermined
objectives. Good meetings are usualy structured according to a planned
agenda. To plan the meeting, the Chairperson maps out what must be
completed by the end of the meeting. A sample structure is listed below.
Some agenda items may have ‘sub-items’ listed as ‘bullets’; for example,
under the heading ‘Status Reports’ one might find a sub-heading ‘Seniors
Dance.”
1. Reading of the minutes
2. Modifications to Agenda, and Acceptance of Agenda
3. Status Reports and Progress Reports of Officers (Councillors)
and Boards (Program Managers/Leaders)
4. Status Reports and Progress Reports of Standing Committees
5. Status Reports and Progress Reports of Special Committees
6. Special Orders
7. Unfinished Business and General Orders
8. New Business
All of the items listed above may not be necessarily
covered at each meeting.
2) Prepare for a Meeting by Up-Front Thinking
Ask this question each time an agenda is prepared; “What
do we want to have done at the end of this meeting?”
Also ask an additional question when setting a discussion
topic on the agenda; "Can a committee do certain things more efficiently?"
Possibly only a final approval by the decision makers at the meeting table
is required. Don’t waste the meeting time by having the entire assembly
act like a working committee. Instead, structure the agenda item so that
the assembly works towards a hand off to a smaller working group, or committee.
3) Build the Agenda
Items 1, 7, and 8 are a part of every Agenda. Use the
Agenda Template to design the meeting that is required. Only put those
things that need to be done on the agenda. Give each order of business
(agenda item) a reasonable but restricted time allocation that allows the
item to be fully addressed and completed.
Status and Progress Reports
List any reports that are required on a regular basis
(Councilor, Program Leader, Standing and Special Committee Reports)
List any reports that are of a special nature, for example,
special tasks, or projects.
Special Orders
List special orders to be addressed. Special orders are
requirements set in the bylaws and BCR’s that must be addressed unquestionably.
Check the governing documents, policy and annual calendar for things done
at certain times of the year: for example, General Membership Assemblies,
nominations and elections, a Christmas Party or fundraising project, etc.
Unfinished Business
Start with the minutes and the agenda of the previous
meeting. Find all the "unfinished business" Unfinished must be dealt with
before you take on anything new!
The minutes describe what happened at the last meeting
and what was carried over to this meeting ("unfinished business").
These might be:
- any motion that was left pending
or undecided;
- any motion that was postponed to
this meeting or referred to a committee to report at this meeting
Any motion that was not voted on at the time of adjournment
will be the first item under "unfinished business."
Place these items on the agenda under "unfinished business".
New Business
-
Are ‘new business’ items outstanding from the agenda of the
previous meeting? List these before other new business on the agenda.
-
Query attendees. Build agendas that meet the expectation
for acceptable meeting duration. Days before the meeting query the program
leaders, committee chairs, and board (council) members to identify what
they want to bring up under “Unfinished Business” or “New Business”
agenda item. Ask for, or set an estimated duration for each item. Put these
items under the appropriate agenda headings.
-
List other topics of new business.
-
Add other items of business that are current or upcoming.
-
Leave meeting time for members to bring up new business that
may have only become known that day.
4) Follow the Agenda
Have you ever held and concluded a meeting, then discovered
that the most important things that you expected to cover were not addressed?
If you forget your agenda, or don’t have it, or don’t follow it, you won’t
get the most important things done, or meetings that were supposed to be
an hour long may become two or three hours long. Follow the agenda. Once
the group sees the the time used effectively, the agenda becomes a prerequisite
for all sessions.
| Additional Hints for more Effective Meetings
For more effective meetings, consider the following:
ALWAYS call the meeting to order at the scheduled time.
Make no exceptions. When quorum is not present, wait several minutes, then
adjourn the meeting and leave the premises. Address non-shows as an efficiency
issue at the next meeting of the group.
Put on the agenda only those items that you know are
going to happen.
When there is no actual business under and agenda item,
don’t include that agenda item
Adopt a practice under which those requesting inclusion
of agenda items must submit their agenda item(s) to the chair or
secretary one working day before the meeting date.
Ask committee chairs to prepare written copies of motions
prior to the meeting so that they may be incorporated into your meeting
plan.
Set a practice to distribute or make available the meeting
agenda and submitted reports and motions a few days before the meeting
date.
When key attendees and committee chairs have been contacted,
and no report is due or forthcoming, take that order of business off the
agenda.
Do not drift from the accepted agenda. Only modify the
agenda by a carried motion.
Take up business as it is presented. If a committee has
a motion to make at the end of its report, take it up at that time and
not under new business.
When debate over a motion begins to drag, call for a vote
on the motion.
Consider adopting an agenda format that includes time
allocations for each item. When the time is up, the decision-makers must
decide what to do vote on it, postpone it to another time, or refer it
to a committee for further work.
Consistently follow the rules of debate.
- To speak, an individual must be recognized by
the Chair.
- To be recognized the individual stands, or raises
his or her hand.
- Limit a speaker’s debate to three or four minutes
each time he or she speaks.
- Individuals who speak may only speak to the issue
at hand.
- Individuals who speak may only speak twice to
the issue at hand, unless a
prior limit has been set.
Consider adopting a practice that allows for a motion
at the beginning of a meeting that states the time at which the meeting
will adjourn.
For new Chairs, encourage the use of a meeting script
that follows the sequence of the agenda. Provide support to new Chairs
prior to the meeting to build meeting scripts. (See following pages)
Consider Using a Consent Agenda. When non-controversial
items will be presented at a meeting and do not require discussion, (payment
of regular bills, minor announcements, approval of pre-printed minutes,
etc.) place these on a ‘consent agenda’ to be adopted at the beginning
of the meeting. This is a way to dispose of certain things quickly so the
group can focus on the important items.
==========
A consent agenda allows a group
of items not requiring discussion to be adopted as one item.
When presented to the assembly,
the chair asks whether a anyone wishes to extract any item from the consent
agenda and place it on the normal agenda.
To extract an item, one asks
for it to be removed from the consent agenda.
The assembly then places it
on the normal agenda for discussion.
Everything remaining on the
consent agenda is presented for approval by a majority vote.
Members then proceed through
the order of the regular agenda.
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Using a Meeting Script for Novice Chairpersons
Novice Chairpersons may feel more comfortable with a
meeting script. Once the agenda is prepared, the Chair (or New Chair and
a mentor) can prepare a meeting script. A meeting script contains (more
or less) words that the Chair will say to present the business to the assembly.
A sample meeting script is presented below.
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(Sample) MEETING SCRIPT FOR MARCH COUNCIL MEETING
(Sample)
1) [To begin, say:]“This meeting is called to order.”
[one rap of the gavel]
2) “(Name) will give our prayer for this session.”
3) [Prayer is spoken. Pause… then continue with…]
4) “The first business in order is the reading of the
minutes of the previous meeting.
[To the Secretary] Please read the minutes.”
[The secretary reads the minutes.
[When the Secretary has finished say to the assembly:]
“Are there any corrections?”
[If none, say:] “The minutes are approved as read.”
[If corrections, say] “Are there any objections to making
the correction?”
[If an objection is made, hear the objection, take a
vote to accept the revision.]...
[Ask:] “Are there further corrections?
[When other corrections, revise as above and call for
a vote to accept]
[When no other objections say:] “Hearing none, the minutes
are approved as corrected. The Secretary will make the corrections in the
minutes.”
5) “The next business in order is the financial report.
Will the Administrator please report?
[The Administrator gives the report. When finished ask:]
“Are there any questions?
[Answer the questions or ask the Administrator to answer
the questions. When finished state:] “The Administrator report is filed
for audit.”
6) “The next business in order is the reports of committees.
May we have the report of the Fundraising Committee?”
[Fundraising Committee report is given. When chairman
finished, rise and ask] “Are there any questions?
[Answer questions or have Fundraising Committee chair
answer questions.] “The report will be filed with the Secretary.”
7) The next business in order is Special Orders. The Operations
Policy Committee has submitted a proposal to adopt the policy called ‘Conflict
of Interest Policy’ Will the Policy Committee Chair please report.”
[The Operations Policy Committee chair gives the report
and makes the motion to adopt the policy.]
[Put the motion to the assembly, saying:] The question
is on the adoption of the proposed policy into our policy manual. Is there
any discussion on the motion?
[After discussion, (or on no discussion,) say:]
“If there is no further discussion,” [pause...for further interjections]
[if no interjection, say:] ...we will now take the vote.
Since our custom requires a simple majority vote to adopt, this vote will
be taken by a show of hands. Members will show their hands while the secretary
and chair count the vote. All those in favor please raise your hand."
[Count the vote.]
Those opposed please raise your hand. [Count the vote…
Announce the results]
[If the affirmative has it say:] “Carried. The Policy
is now accepted into our Operations Policy manual on this date.”
[If the negative has it say:] “The motion is defeated.
The Operations Policy manual remains the same on this date.”
8) “The next business in order is Unfinished Business
and General Orders. At the last meeting the members voted to postpone to
this meeting the motion to buy a new furnace. The motion that was postponed
reads: "That we buy a oil-fired furnace for the garage not to exceed a
total cost of $5000.00" Is their further discussion?”
[If a member proposes an amendment, take vote on it.
If the amendment is adopted it is incorporated into the main motion. Then
take the vote on motion and announce the vote.]
9) Continue to create the script in this manner for the
full agenda…. A sample closing follows..
10) “If there is no further business to come for this
session, the meeting will be adjourned."
[Pause, if no one objects, say] “If there is no objection,
the meeting will be adjourned.
[Pause to see if an objection, if none say] The meeting
is adjourned. [Rap gavel once.]
[If there is an objection, hear the objection, then take
a vote on adjourning. (a defeated motion allows the meeting to continue.)]
[If required, call for a motion to revise the agenda, then continue under
the newly accepted agenda item.]
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Introduction...