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Effective Meetings â€" Or Are They? -\ significant part of the business ot \olunieer organivations‘ involves meetings 7 yet. in most organizations. little thought is applied to making these meetings effective End result â€" little gets accomplished and groups tend to lll\|.' good members. People do not want to sit through meetings that waste time. are poorly organized. or in which conflict exists between members. Can you blame them? Ask and Evaluate: [0 Questions to Effective Meetings l Is Your Purpose Clear? the clearer your purpose and priorities as a group‘ the easier it will be ti) stay on track at meetings. A pure pose has several levels: - overall purpose of the organization; ' purpose of the board; ' purpose of each committee and how it fits into the overall organization. if everyone involved is clear about ii-liv they are doing what they are doing, there is less chance of meetings and decisions going astray. 3 Do You Use an Agenda? Is the ngendaJust a repeat of the last meeting's agenda? Is each topic to be discussed listed in order of importance. and given an appropriate amount oflime in he discussed? Too often agendas are routine. Design your agendas With variety in mind. If someone tells you they were at a meeting where a lot was achieved in a short period of time, you can almost be sure that proper use was made of an agenda. 3 Do You Use Rules of Order‘., Rules oi order. also known as pare llulllttnldl') procedures. help to organize discussions. particularly when emotions are high and confusion exists. These same rules are appropriate lor all groups and situations How rigid are your meetings? Does too much technical pro- t'etlure imotions. amendments. etc) get in the nay ol dL‘L‘ISâ€"Itlnrlllaklng and total group participation? Problems ean arise when the chairperson exercises too much control. while at the same time n4 it enough control can lead to frustrai tion and anger. The first meeting of any group should address how the chairperson proposes to use rules of order. and whether members are comfortable with this or not. 4. Have You Agreed Upon the Norms or Unspoken Rules? Norms can frequently be a root cause of terrible meetings. Norms are the way the group works together. In some groups norms may include the fact that: - it is not acceptable to criticize other members; ' it is all right to arrive late; I it is all right to have side conversa- “0115. Ask members what things are infor- mally “ok to do" and “not ok to do," and whether there are any they want to change. 5. Are Meetings Enjoyable? If meetings are enjoyable. members will be meeting their needs. Thus, they feel a sense of contribution and reward. Well run meetings make for satisfied volunteers. Some helpful hints include: providing for a friendly and open environment â€" talk with your members; ensure everyâ€" one has the chance for input; hold social gatherings before, during and after meetings: welcome new members and guests to your meetings. 6. Does Your Chairperson Have the Proper Skills? Familiarity with parliamentary pm. endures is just one small aspect of being a good chairperson. leadership is a critical variable in any volunteer organization. But often the person running the meeting is not able to run an effective meeting, usualli a result of some or all of the follcming flaws: - rigid control â€" the chairperson L'iln. trots to the point that dialogue is strangled; ' too little control â€" the Chairperson is so lax that decisions do not get nude and discussions go on endlessly. - poor preparation â€" the chairpe'iion is lost, confused and fails to do home. work on issues; 0 taking sides â€" the chairperson sli his support for one side of an issue and seeks support for that viewpoint. I uneven participation â€" the chair: :r~ son is unable to involve all meml TS. and only acknowledges active . ‘JCS and ignores silent ones; - poor attention â€" the chairpc sin does not listen well and frequt-aly goes off on a tangent. 7. Do Your Members Have the Pri oer Skills? _ Every member has a responsibilh to help make the meetings and organ. ‘1- tion run effectively. Responsibil es include: - expressing feelings and ideas 0p" iy; ° taking ownership of the problem at hand; ' the use of problem solving meil d: to reach a win-win solution; continued on pm It] 8 H & C December. January. February l990