Effective Meetings - The Role of the Chairperson

Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs Fact sheet 94-001.

1. Know Your Group

• find out who your members are and what they can do
• make sure all members understand their role and jobs

2. Help Members Get Started

• involve and motivate group members
• be sure your members understand their purpose, their responsibilities, their time lines and their budgetary constraints
• check in on their progress
• be careful not to undermine the work and authority you have delegated

3. Plan Ahead

• assess the current situation
• decide on goals
• decide how goals can be met by considering alternatives and then deciding which methods do the best job

4. Prepare for Meetings

• plan your agenda
• check on all pre-meeting arrangements

5. Preside at Meetings

• establish your guidelines or rules of order
• follow your agenda
• involve members
• manage discussion

6. Evaluate Meetings

• occasionally, ask members to evaluate the meetings
• as chairperson, you should personally evaluate every meeting

Planning Your Meeting Agenda

An agenda is a step-by step outline of the points to be covered at a meeting. Everybody attending a meeting should receive a tentative agenda a few days in advance for the following reasons:

• to insure that important business is not overlooked
• to remind people of the meeting
• to help members identify important items and prepare to discuss them
• to help members focus on issues, to contribute, and to feel a sense of progress

Keep these points in mind while planning your agenda:

1. The early part of a meeting is usually the most lively and creative. Therefore, items requiring mental energy, bright ideas and clear heads should appear early on the agenda. An item of great interest to everyone might be scheduled for 15 to 20 minutes into the meeting to avoid the attention lag that typically occurs at this point. Place key items early on the agenda so they are not left until the end of the meeting. Some groups put their agenda items in declining order of importance.
2. The order of items influences the meeting atmosphere. Some items tend to untie the group, while others divide it. The chairperson may want to start on a point of unity, move to items likely to create differing opinions, and end the meeting on a unifying note.
3. Put time limits on agenda items to help focus discussion and encourage decision making. Allot the most time to major items. Consider how long your total meeting should be. If it's an evening meeting, 2-3 hours with one short break is long enough to get something accomplished without leaving members feeling tired and unproductive.

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