Conducting Successful Meetings

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Conducting Successful Meetings
Mr Patrick Moriarty Director Training
Development www.ourcommunity.com.au
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What you will achieve in the workshop

• Agendas, minutes and meeting papers
• How to chair a meeting
• Tips for keeping to time and staying on track
• How to plan for your Annual General Meeting

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What are Meetings?

• A gathering of people
• an occasion where minutes are kept but hours
  lost
• A waste of time?

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• The key reason we meet is to make decisions.
• Not to socialise

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Directors Roles The Chair
The Chair serves as the Boards figurehead and
acts as a link between the Board and the CEO (who
in turn acts as a link to staff and volunteers).
Boards are expected to make collective
decisions, however many community group
constitutions will allow the Chair an additional
casting vote to break a tie, giving him or her
important directional power. Usually, however, a
good Chair will resolve the matter by maintaining
the status quo.
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Directors Roles The Chair

• At a minimum the Chair will be responsible for
  managing (chairing) Board meetings directing
  debates, ensuring that discussions do not stray
  too far from the prepared agenda and keeping
  Board members within the meeting rules.
• The Chair is also responsible for taking a
  leading role in keeping the vision alive, setting
  the organisations course and monitoring its
  direction, and for ensuring that proper
  procedures are in place. Other roles can include
• Calling special or extraordinary meetings
  when required
• Overseeing the search for and monitoring of the
  groups CEO
• Acting as a spokesperson for the organisation to
  the media, to government and to other
  organisations
• Representing the organisation at official
  functions
• Mediating disputes between Board members.

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Duties of the Chair before Meetings

• Supervise the preparation of the agenda any
  background papers
• To check all persons entitled to receive
  notification have done so
• To verify the accuracy of any minutes to be
  presented
• To become familiar with any correspondence or
  reports

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Duties of the Chair at Meetings

• Formally declare the meeting open
• Preside over control the meeting
• Conduct it impartially according to the rules
• Ascertain that a quorum is present at all times

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During Meetings

• Present any reports
• Introduce guest speakers arrange votes of
  thanks for them
• In the case of elections, ensure the appointment
  of a returning officer
• Sign documents
• Protect free speech ensure proper conduct of
  debates
• Sign that the minutes are correct

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At Meetings

• Give rulings on points of order
• Prevent heckling but be tolerant of reasonable
  interjection
• Preserve order
• Prevent discussions getting out of hand
• Ensure only persons entitled to be present are
  admitted to the meeting
• Adjourn the meeting declare it closed.

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The Chair at meetings

• Must start meetings promptly
• Follow the agenda
• Manage the use of time
• Limit/control discussion
• Elicit participation
• Help resolve conflicts
• Clarify action to be taken
• Summarise results

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The Chair after meetings

• Evaluate effectiveness
• Send out evaluations
• Distribute memorandum or minutes
• Take action agreed to
• Follow up on action items

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Challenges/Strategies for Chairing
Running Effective Board Meetings

• Make sure everyone contributes/no one dominates
• Disorder Sound signal, times up, Silent signal
• Difficult participants T , maintain eye
  contact, acknowledge viewpoint invite them to
  call you, ask for others to speak, change format
• Humour (how well does that work?)
• Ignore - Do not take personally

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Preparing Effective Board Meetings

• Notify and remind members at least a week prior.
• An agenda for the Meeting needs to be prepared
  and circulated with Meeting Papers, otherwise,
  Members will not be in a position to make an
  informed decision.
• The Secretary distributes the minutes of the
  previous meeting, and makes sure the meeting
  venue is booked and refreshments are available if
  required. ( WHEN??????)
• The Treasurer makes sure that financial reports
  are prepared, and supporting information for
  approval of expenditure is in order.

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The motion has been made and seconded that we
stick our heads in sand
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The Meeting Papers

• Make sure meeting papers are sent out at least a
  week before the meeting, accompanied by any
  necessary background papers proposals, budgets,
  etc.
• Read the papers
• Insist that the financials are clear and easy to
  read
• Ask for a written description of finances
  including actions take to cover a deficit
  (existing or projected) bank statement??
• You need to be fully informed make sure you are
• Give me the motions we are asked to vote on
• Make sure you read them ALL and prepare (I want
  to know what it is that I am going to need to
  decide)

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Perhaps it would help if I go over it one more
time
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The critical nature of meetings

• Your Board and Committee meetings are probably
  the most crucial component of governance for your
  organisation.
• The probability is that if your meetings are not
  successful then your organisation will not be
  either.

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The Agenda

• Put any item that calls for energy and fresh
  ideas near the beginning of the agenda.
• Also put urgent items early on, in case the
  meeting has to break with unfinished business.
• Can you use Consent Agendas
• Don't make the agenda too long.
• Under no circumstances should a meeting run for
  more than two hours. After that time people are
  tired and unproductive.

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The Agenda

• Meeting of XYZ Inc
• To be held on Dec 1 at XYZ Room 7 -8.30 pm
  (dinner will be provided after meeting)
• Agenda
• Welcome
• Apologies
• Previous Minutes
• Business Arising from Previous Minutes
• Essential Business
• Correspondence (actions Arising from)
• Reports
• Next Meeting
• Close

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• How can that agenda be improved?

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This format may help sec to keep track minutes
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Consent Agenda

• One way to streamline meeting procedures is to
  adopt the use of a consent agenda.
• The consent agenda, also called a consent
  calendar, allows groups to take care of routine
  business items in one action. Those items that
  are standard, noncontroversial, and/or
  self-explanatory can be consolidated and approved
  with one motion and vote.
• Examples of such items include previous meeting
  and committee meeting minutes, routine
  correspondence, office reports, and confirmation
  of actions required in the constitution.

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• Many groups are in the habit of discussing every
  topic on the agenda. Not all items require
  discussion or deliberation.
• Furthermore, some items may have been discussed
  and explained previously, and additional
  discussion will be repetitive and unnecessary. As
  the name implies, items on the consent agenda
  assume general agreement, or consensus, on the
  approval or vote.

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• For a consent agenda or calendar to be useful,
  the agenda and information for each item must be
  distributed to the group members well in advance
  of a meeting. This practice permits thorough
  examination of all agenda items without using
  valuable meeting time.

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• The category consent agenda should be listed as
  an item on the meeting agenda, and each item
  covered by this category should be identified
  separately in the document. If a group member has
  a question, it can be directed to the person
  responsible for that item prior to the meeting.
  If the question is not resolved to the members
  satisfaction, the member may request, during the
  meeting, that the item be removed from the
  consent agenda and discussed separately before a
  vote.

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Legal Responsibilities - Conflict of Interest

• A conflict of interest is when a person who is
  part of the decision-making process is
  considering an issue in which they or a close
  family member stand to benefit in some way.
• Conflicts of interest are not a problem in
  themselves or something to feel shame about. The
  problem starts when a conflict of interest is not
  properly dealt with.

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Legal responsibilities - Conflict of Interest

• Register of interests
• Declare interests prior to discussing issues
  (Chair Checklist see handout)
• Give opinion if asked or required but do not seek
  to unduly influence
• Excuse yourself from decision-making process or
  implementation
• Record in meeting minutes

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To make meetings work

• Identify meeting purpose and outcome(s)
• Create, distribute, and stick to an agenda
• Start/end on time
• Provide ground rules such as for decision making
• Describe what members will contribute
• Keep the meeting focused on goals
• Solicit, balance, appreciate contributions
• Summarize, especially action items
• Appoint a clock watcher

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• Everyone who participates in a meeting has a
  responsibility to make it effective
• Whether you are the chairperson or a
  participant, your behavior helps determine if the
  meeting
• stays on track
• achieves its purpose
• uses time effectively

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• There are two major parts to every meeting that
  influence one another
• Content
• What the meeting is about
• Process
• How the meeting is managed
• How attendees participate
• What is achieved
• Poor meeting management can derail even the most
  interesting content.
• Poor content can cause loss of interest and
  action by bored participants.

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Effective Board Meetings

• Chairing
• A quorum is required for effective meetings and
  if this is a problem
• can you hold a meeting without a quorum?
• make it clear to members that it is part
  of their commitment to turn up. (shame file?)
• - honestly review the meetings are they
  dynamic and effective? Are they finishing on
  time? Are they being well chaired?

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Decision making process
Running Effective Board Meetings

• How does your board make a decision?
• Consensus
• Majority
• Noise
• Expertise
• Duress/Time pressure
• Driven by CEO
• Avoidance
• What is the right way?

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Successful Sub Committees

• Clear terms of reference
• Chair should be from board
• Ensure you have the skills you need
• Not decision makers but provide board
  recommendations (but this can be delegated if
  so dont continue to revisit or explore decision
  making process)
• Reports regularly provided back to board (this
  does not mean that it get discussed at board
  could be for information or for action)

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Common problems

• Does your list include many of these problems?
• No clear or shared objectives
• No agenda or plan
• Poor preparation on part of participants and
  chair
• Poor participation on part of participants and
  chair
• Getting off the subject
• Interruptions
• Habitual late starts
• No record keeping
• Wrong people present, right people absent
• Meeting too long
• Meeting not necessary
• No clear decision-making method
• Hidden agendas

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So what can I do as a mere mortal

• Use your best smile (even through gritted teeth)
  and assertive skills for
• Chairs without a plan - offer to develop the
  meeting agenda
• Chairs who let things get off track - ask how the
  discussion relates to the agenda item at hand
• Chairs who dont control rambling - gently
  reference agenda time frames
• Chairs without follow-up plans - offer to take
  action plan details
• Chairs who run over time - suggest that some
  items be worked on outside of the meeting (Sub
  Committees)

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How do I do that without being a megalomaniac

• Offer to develop the agenda Why not let me put
  together an agenda so you can concentrate on
  content?
• Ask how the discussion relates to the agenda item
  at hand We were talking about ___, Im not sure
  if I see the connection.
• Reference agenda time frames This is all
  interesting, to stick with our agenda well have
  to wrap up soon.
• Offer to take short minutes Im taking notes
  anyway, so Id be happy to make them minutes.
• Suggest that some items be worked on outside of
  the meeting How would everyone feel if we worked
  on team goals in individual groups then came back
  to discuss them next week?

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Making minutes count

• Minutes serve several important functions and are
  worthwhile even for regular staff meetings
• Record the meeting for participants
• Record the meeting for others who did not attend
• Record decisions made
• Record actions needed
• Document implementation plans
• Provide a checklist for follow up
• Provide a history of the unit or project
• A GOOD SCORER ..
• WILL ALWAYS BEAT A GOOD BATSMAN

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Minutes should include

• Meeting date 
• Meeting time/ location
• Meeting Purpose
• List of invited participants/actual attendees
• List of persons receiving copies of minutes
• For each agenda item
• Discussion summary short statement of main
  point
• Decision(s) made list all decisions
• Action Item(s) list all with who/what/when
• Date of next meeting

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• You have just been told that you will receive a
  donation of 40,000 from a benefactor. You must
  choose to accept the donation at your next
  meeting that is scheduled in five minutes. You
  MUST decide what to do with the money in the next
  ten minutes you have a choice to
• appoint a research officer
• conducting a community education

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WHY HOLD AN AGM?

• To ensure your organisation is organised and
  administered effectively
• To keep members informed of the work of the board
• To give members a voice in running the
  organisation
• To enable elections to take place
• To comply with requirements

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HOW SHOULD THE AGM BE PUBLICISED?

• All members should receive adequate written
  notice of the meeting (14 days)
• All members should receive an agenda and other
  relevant paperwork in advance of the meeting
• Noticeboards should be used to display inviting
  posters
• Friends should be urged to speak to members and
  encourage them to attend

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The business of an AGM is normally to

• confirm the minutes of the last AGM and of any
  special general meeting held since that meeting,
• receive from the committee reports on the
  activities of the association during the last
  preceding financial year,
• elect office-bearers of the association and
  ordinary members of the committee,
• receive and consider the financial statement to
  members, and
• conduct other business of which notice has been
  given to the members.

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What information must be included in the
statement to members?

• the committee must submit to members a statement
  which is not misleading and which gives a true
  and fair view of the following
• the income and expenditure of the association
  during its last financial year
• the assets and liabilities of the association at
  the end of its last financial year
• the mortgages, charges and other securities
  affecting any of the property of the association
  at the end of its last financial year

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What else can we do?

• Provide refreshments before the meeting and/or a
  social afterwards
• Invite a speaker on a topic of interest
• Build agendas around members concerns and
  interests
• Ensure full disabled access to the meeting,
  including provision of signing, hearing induction
  loops etc if needed.
• Hold the meeting in pleasant surroundings
• Ensure the venue is easily accessible by public
  transport and let people know where car parking
  is available. Include a map with the paperwork
  sent to members

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• Ensure the venue is not off putting to any groups
  of members, for example some members may not feel
  comfortable meeting in a pub or in a smoky
  atmosphere.
• Find out what time and venue is most convenient
  for members.
• Make arrangements for members with caring
  commitments (e.g. childcare)
• Coordinate transport if a group of people are
  travelling from a similar location

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• Review your own effectiveness