Leadership

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Conducting Meetings L-3

A tree is known by its fruit, a meeting by its results. Diligence is often better than science.

Recall some of the meetings you have attended this last year. Have you sometimes wanted to walk out early because of boredom, anger, or frustration? Wouldn't your organization be improved if you could make some simple suggestions that would make meetings more productive and enjoyable for the members?

Several decades ago, Will Rogers observed that two Americans couldn't meet on the street anymore without one banging a gavel and calling the other to order. Today "meeting" has become a dirty word to many people.

Actually, a meeting should be like a melody. The trick is to get through it without a sour note.

To have pleasant, productive meetings, you will need to understand what goes into planning and conducting such meetings. You will need to plan an agenda that is well organized, logical, deals with the important issues in a timely manner, but does not get sidetracked. You will need an officer team that can work together to conduct the meeting. You will need a basic understanding of parliamentary procedure. Finally, you will need to involve the general membership in the meeting.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

To master this section, you should be able to:

1. Plan a productive meeting.
2. Identify duties and responsibilities of all involved in conducting the meeting.
3. Involve other members through questioning.
4. Practice basic parliamentary procedure.

EXERCISE: EVALUATING MEETINGS

Think of a particular type of meeting where parliamentary procedure is followed (examples: 4-H Monthly Community Club Meetings, Rotary Luncheon Meetings, Fair Planning Committee Meetings). Use the "Meeting Checklist" below to evaluate that particular meeting. On each item, place a "-" if it is a problem which needs attention, a "+" if it is a strong point in the meeting, and a "o" if it's neither a problem or a strength or if it is irrelevant for any reason. After you have finished, review the items you gave a "-" and circle the 5 greatest problems. Below each of those 5 items, write an idea that would help correct the problem. Finally, write down specific personal steps and a deadline date that will discipline you to get the ideas into use to correct the 5 greatest problems that you identified.

MEETING CHECKLIST

____1. Insure a comfortable and conducive physical setting.

____2. Make sure that people see each other face-to-face.

____3. Get people introduced and at ease before the meeting starts.

____4. Have an agenda and stick to it.

____5. Deal with the most important things first.

____6. Develop the agenda by consulting key group members or people interested in the topics to be covered.

____7. Get the agenda out at least a week before the meeting.

____8. Under each agenda item, indicate the specific questions to be discussed so that meeting participants will have time to think about them beforehand.

____9. Start the meeting by clearly stating, and agreeing on, the meeting purpose.

The chairman should

___10. Facilitate, not direct or dominate.

___11. Help the group reach its own conclusions, rather than predetermined conclusions.

___12. Use the first 10-15 minutes of a meeting to (1) review and finalize the agenda and (2) agree on how the group will accomplish the task(s) before it.

___13. Set up and enforce appropriate rules for participation to give everyone an equal opportunity for self expression.

___14. Act as a traffic cop: (1) keeping the group to the task before it, (2) insuring open, positive communication, and (3) protecting individual participants from manipulation and personal attack.

___15. Be prepared. Don't call a meeting until the facts are together.

___16.Develop ground rules for participation in direct response to problems that the group anticipates or has encountered in past meetings.

___17. Keep the discussion going by asking pertinent questions.

___18. Indicate that input is appreciated.

___19. Rather than answering questions that are directed to the chair, he/she should rebound them to the group, "What do the rest of you think about this?"

___20. Periodically summarize.

___21. Don't force a group to make a decision before it is ready.

___22. Be aware of non-verbal communication, and respond to it.

___23. End the meeting with a review of what was accomplished, and what needs yet to be done or decided.

___24. Review what each person has agreed to do in carrying out the activity or in preparing for the next meeting.

___25. Keep in touch with members between meetings.

___26. Make sure members follow through on their commitments.

___27. Avoid unnecessary meetings.

___28. Be certain that officers understand their responsibilities and carry them out

___29. Be certain that committee members understand their responsibilities and carry them out.

___30. Be certain that the group's goals are clear; are appropriate and are carried out?

Don't get carried away! But do put enough thought into your meetings so that they don't get out of control.

MEETINGS THAT STIMULATE

You can get people together, but it takes more than that. The mere inviting of participation, the calling of a meeting, or the appointment of a committee in itself will not insure the development of a productive group. Local groups often complain of the lack of participation. But when people do not show up at meetings, the group finds they are unprepared to handle the participation. They don't know what to do with it, and as a result they eventually lose it. How then do you sustain a group once you've got it? How do you keep committees motivated and active? 

• Insure a COMFORTABLE AND CONDUCIVE PHYSICAL SETTING for the meeting. If possible, arrange chairs in a semicircle so that people can see each other face to face. Get people introduced and at ease before the meeting starts.
• HAVE AN AGENDA and stick to it. DEAL WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS FIRST. Develop the agenda by consulting key group members or people interested in the topics to be covered. Get the agenda out--by word of mouth or in writing--at least a week before the meeting. Under each agenda item indicate the specific questions to be discussed so that meeting participants will have time to think about them beforehand. Most agendas are so brief that they say nothing. Likewise, if the agenda is distributed only a few minutes before the meeting starts, it loses much of its motivating force. GIVE PEOPLE A REASON FOR ATTENDING.
• START THE MEETING BY CLEARLY STATING, AND AGREEING ON, THE MEETING PURPOSE. Start out with a statement such as "The purpose of this meeting is to... Does everyone agree?" Unfortunately, too many meetings start out with, "Well, everyone knows why we're here, so let's get right down to business," and the meeting wanders until people discover for themselves why they are there.
• The chairman should FACILITATE, not direct or dominate. He or she should help the group reach its OWN conclusions rather than predetermined conclusions. If a chairman does more than 15% of the talking, he or she is dominating rather than facilitating. On the other hand, don't confuse facilitating with sitting back and letting things happen on their own. A group needs structure.
• BE WELL ORGANIZED. STRUCTURE YOUR MEETINGS. Unstructured, free-for-all discussion is rarely productive. Use the first 10-15 minutes of a meeting to (1) review and finalize the agenda and (2) agree on HOW the group will accomplish the task(s) before it. When members are directly involved in setting the agenda and rules about how the meeting is to be conducted, they tend to assume more responsibility for what happens. Set up and enforce appropriate rules for participation, to give everyone an equal opportunity for expression and for being heard. For example, "We wish to make sure that everyone has the chance to speak, without repercussion. Let's go around the room with each person in turn expressing his opinion. We will limit discussion until after everyone has expressed an opinion. Does this seem appropriate?" The chairman should act as a traffic cop: (1) keeping the group to the task before it, (2) insuring open, positive communication, and (3) protecting individual participants from manipulation and personal attack. In short, the chairman should control the way the meeting is conducted, but not what is decided.
• BE PREPARED. DON'T CALL A MEETING UNTIL YOU FIRST HAVE YOUR FACTS TOGETHER. Identify and consult available resource people and knowledgeable individuals beforehand. Pull together all information, both pro and con, the group will need to consider in making a decision.
• Develop ground rules in direct response to problems your group anticipates or has encountered in past meetings. For example, "Last meeting I felt we got bogged down in arguing over possible solutions before we had agreed on the problem. What could we do to prevent that this meeting?" USE COMMON SENSE in developing your ground rules.
• Keep the discussion going by ASKING PERTINENT QUESTIONS. Ask open ended questions, rather than questions that can be simply answered by a "yes" or "no." Pass the discussion around the group to include those who are not taking part. Call out their name, and then ask the question, "Joe what do you think about..." But don't force people to talk if they don't want to. Also, DON'T EVALUATE WHAT THE PERSON SAID. AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF BEING CRITICAL. Indicate that you appreciate their input. The best way to stimulate discussion is to ask questions. People prefer to be asked, rather than told. Rather than answering questions directly, the chair should rebound them to the group, "What do the rest of you think about this?"
• PERIODICALLY SUMMARIZE. Summarizing during the meeting clarifies for the group where it's been and points the direction it needs to go.
• BE PATIENT. Don't force a group to make a decision before it is ready.
• BE AWARE OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION, and respond to it. What are people's expressions and actions telling you? If someone gives a disapproving look, ask his opinion next.
• END the meeting WITH A REVIEW of what was accomplished, and what needs yet to be done or decided. Review what each person has agreed to do in carrying out the activity or in preparing for the next meeting. This review is the first step in setting your next meeting's agenda. KEEP YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS BEFORE THE GROUP.
• KEEP IN TOUCH with members between meetings to get feedback as to progress being made. Make sure members follow through on their commitments. Encourage them. Don't let the momentum of the meeting die. The productiveness of a meeting is determined more after the meeting than during it.
• Finally, AVOID UNNECESSARY MEETINGS. There are other ways of communicating. Meetings should be seen as the heavy artillery of communication, not to be used unless absolutely necessary.

A good chairman and discussion leaders are essential to the success and motivation of any group. Nothing is more discouraging than a poorly organized, rambling, unproductive meeting. ANYONE, and I repeat, ANYONE, can make a good discussion leader/chairman if he or she only practices the above principles.

A group is only as good, however, as its individual members. The success of a meeting or group is the responsibility of ALL members/ participants, not just the chair and the discussion leaders. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES MUST BE A JOINT GROUP EFFORT. To sit back and complain about others does little good.

Discuss the above principles at your next meeting. Use them. You'll be surprised how well they work.

•  RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY:

   Leading a Good Discussion, Educational Techniques for Improving Communication, Michigan State University, Cooperative Extension Service, East Lansing, December, 1971.

   DOYLE, M. AND STRAUS, D. How to Make Meetings Work. Wyden Books, 1976.

   BRADFORD, L. Making Meetings Work: A Guide for Leaders and Group Members. University Associates, 1976.

   SCHINDLER-RAINMAN, E., & LIPPITT, R. Taking Your Meetings Out of the Doldrums. University Associates, 1975.

 PLANNING AN AGENDA

Now that you have some guidelines for productive meetings, you need to plan an agenda for each meeting. Following are two examples. The first is a 4-H club agenda for a monthly evening meeting. The second is a lunch meeting of a civic club.

• Agenda Outline #1

Call to Order
Flag Salute
 4-H Pledge
 Roll Call
 Introductions
 Minutes
 Officer Reports
 Project Reports
 Committee Reports
 Unfinished Business
 New Business
 Announcements
 Program
 Demonstration
 Project Talk
 Special Program (Invited Speaker)
 Recreation & Refreshments
 Adjourn  

• Agenda Outline #2

Call to Order
Introduction of Guests
Song
Announcements
Invocation
Lunch
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Treasurer's Report
Committee Reports
Featured Speaker
Business
Review of Assignments and Responsibilities
Adjourn

The agenda that you use should reflect the needs of your group. You may be able to use one of the above agendas, slightly modify them, or you may need to develop something entirely different.

 EXERCISE: AGENDA OUTLINE

 Develop an agenda outline for a regular meeting that you attend. Share it with another person who attends those meetings. Do not get attached to your preliminary outline. Allow it to evolve, to change to meet the needs of your group. If you are the chair, use your agenda. If not, share it (gently) with the chair.

EXERCISE: USING THE AGENDA OUTLINE TO PLAN A MEETING

 After you have developed an agenda outline, you are ready to use it to plan a specific meeting. Take a few minutes to write in items which need to be addressed during the next meeting of your organization. After you have all of your ideas on the outline, share it with another member of your organization. Discuss how you can improve the agenda for the next meeting of your group.

 EXERCISE: MEETING RESPONSIBILITIES

 This exercise builds on the previous exercise.

 Go back over the agenda that was developed. Who will be responsible for each item? The persons chosen must agree. Once they have agreed they are committed. Their names are written to the left of each item on the agenda. Some will be reluctant to have their names placed on the agenda. They may ask, "What do I say?" or "How will I know when to speak?" The answer is to rehearse part or all of the meeting so that everyone involved knows what they say and when.

 REHEARSE THE MEETING

 Many meeting problems could be avoided if the officers would simply rehearse before the meeting. To rehearse you need a script. Following is a script for Agenda Outline #1, the 4-H monthly community club meeting. Read over it then write your own script for your group's meeting.

For a Community 4-H Club:

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

 At this point the officers and members of your organization may need orientation to basic parliamentary procedure. Some will already know (or think they know) a lot about this subject. Do not allow the inexperienced members to be overwhelmed by too many details too soon.

 Parliamentary procedure is simply a system of rules to insure that formal meetings run efficiently. Behind the rules are five basic principles:

 1. One Question or Proposal at a Time.
 2. The Right of-Every Member to Free and Full Debate.
 3. The Democratic Principle That the Will of the Majority Shall Prevail.
 4. The Principle of Equality.
 5. Courtesy.

 Meetings are guided by the President using an agenda (list of items requiring attention at the meeting). When a matter is to be decided (usually under new or old business) a motion is required. A complete motion should have several parts:

1. Formal language to introduce it - "I move"
2. Substance - "that we have a picnic"
3. Time - "on July 4 at 6:00 p.m."
4. Place - "at the Smith's home"
5. Provision for a committee if appropriate - "with a committee appointed by the President"
6. Committee's power - "to plan the details and report back at the June Meeting."

Once the motion has been made, it must be seconded, then it may be debated. When members are done debating, or time runs out, the President may call for a vote by voice, hands or secret ballot.

In conducting the meeting, the President will maintain order through use of the gavel. Members, as well as the President, should be familiar with the following signals:

Several taps = come to order
3 taps = all rise
2 taps = all sit
1 tap = decision has been made (including adjournment).

A simple reference on parliamentary procedure is "Getting It All Together for Effective Meetings," 4H7-PPMI, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service. The definitive guide for parliamentary procedure is Roberts Rules of Order, available at most book stores.

 EXERCISE: PRACTICING PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

 With new officers and new members, try rehearsing to learn about parliamentary procedure. Ask a volunteer to be president and take the gavel. Then let each of the other members practice making a motion. Write the parts of a complete motion on the chalkboard or on newsprint for all to see. Have someone experienced in parliamentary procedure standing by to correct mistakes. After each member has made a motion, go on to seconding, discussing and voting on the motion. If the group wants more, gradually introduce amending the motion, point of order, tabling the motion, etc. But go slowly.

 To introduce more complicated procedures, use the officers to demonstrate a procedure at the regular meeting. After the demonstration, answer questions and be sure the members practice the new procedure.

 QUESTIONING - THE ART OF INVOLVING OTHERS

 Parliamentary Procedure can be very intimidating to some people. Special effort is needed, especially by the presiding officer, to involve quiet members in the meeting. One effective technique is questioning.

 People who have learned to ask thoughtful questions in meetings provide a service that is immeasurable. They encourage others to think; they draw others into the discussion; and they stimulate ideas. People who only make statements or give opinions tend to turn off discussion. Often they force other people to take sides, to agree or disagree. So the first step in gaining skill in questioning is to recognize that questions are valuable and powerful in discussions.

 Some questions, however, are just as destructive as too many statements. Unclear questions do not stimulate, they confuse. Leading questions (you don't really like math do you?) are not useful either. They tell you the questioner's opinion, so they are more like statements than questions. Yes/No questions should also be avoided if possible.

 The following checklist will help you decide if you have a useful question:

 _____1. It is appropriate (on the subject being discussed; follows related questions in a logical order).

 _____2. It is an open-ended question (cannot be answered by a simple yes or no; requires thinking before answering; avoids the appearance of traps).

 _____3. It is concise and clear, using simple words.

 _____4. The question is asked in a natural, conversational tone (no sarcasm, no shouting, no finger pointing).

 The checklist above tells you how to ask questions. The last step is to know when to ask questions. Ask them when people are silent but interested. Do not interrupt to ask a question unless the speaker is clearly off the subject. Ask a question when you want more discussion. You may direct it to someone who has not had a chance to speak. Try to avoid asking a question when it might embarrass someone. After asking a question, pause, give time for thought, before asking another question. Ask questions when you need more information or when you need to know if people are in agreement.

 Finally, when someone answers your question, react favorably. Nod, smile or say something like "thank you" or "that's an interesting idea." You may want to ask a follow-up question if it seem appropriate ("would you explain your answer" -- "what do you mean by . . .").

 Now practice questioning skills. Anticipate some questions that you might ask at the next meeting. Write them down and be prepared to ask them when appropriate. With some experience, you'll be able to use questioning without preparation.

 EXERCISE: INVOLVEMENT THROUGH QUESTIONING

 By asking thought-provoking questions, we can involve more members in the discussion. What are some questions that might be asked about our agenda items to stimulate discussion by the membership at the next meeting? Who will ask them? Write down your answers.

 Evaluate each question using the checklist above.

 CONCLUSIONS

 Formal meetings are critical to most organizations. If they are well planned and conducted, the organization will be strengthened. If the meetings are poorly planned and/or conducted then those meetings can be the main reason why a group falls apart or at least becomes inactive.

 A final bit of advice. Plan meetings that run no longer than one hour whenever possible. Unless you have a very special type of meeting (i.e., all-day workshop), members will lose interest after an hour. Even then an hour long meeting should have lots of variety and involve all members actively. That takes plenty of planning and preparation before the meeting day.