Chairing A Meeting The Most effective Way
When you’re the chairperson of a meeting, you are responsible for making sure that the meeting runs smoothly. It can be difficult to know how to get things started without feeling like you’re imposing on other people, but there are some steps that will make it easier for everyone. If a meeting is crowded and people have come from different departments with different ideas about what the central focus should be or if people feel as though they're not being heard, then it is important to set boundaries. The host sets up an agenda in advance and lets participants know what topics will be discussed so they have time to prepare. When these topics have been debated sufficiently, a decision should be made by majority vote (or consensus). The last agenda item should be something that everyone agrees on that they can all work towards accomplishing simultaneously. Here are some tips to help you make sure your meeting runs smoothly and doesn’t leave anyone feeling left out.
Giving the floor: Let participants know if you are going to take a certain approach to facilitating the meeting, e.g., allowing anyone to speak at any time, or having set periods of time for discussion on each agenda point. Let participants know when their turn will be. If you have invited people from different departments or with different responsibilities but you want input from everyone, use a round-robin approach where everyone has an opportunity for input (even if it is only two or three words).
Setting ground rules: The first rule is, of course, that the meeting follows your invitation. This means that everyone should be on time. If a person is late, allocate a full 30 minutes to them and ensure that the rest of the participants are aware that this person is late. A second rule relates to how participants will address one another. Everyone should respect personal space and the authority of others. If someone comes into another person's line of sight without being acknowledged (e.g., by writing on a whiteboard or putting their hand up), the other person should ask the other person to state their name, which may then be recorded.
Introductions: Introduce yourself, your department and your supervisor. Find out if everyone in the group has been invited. If not, ask whether they would like to be included in the meeting or if they would prefer to wait outside.
Setting the agenda: The host should discuss what will be discussed at the meeting, encourage participation and keep things on track if they get off course. Use effective time management techniques (e.g., 1-minute presentations) and time management software to help you manage this effectively.
Minutes: Sign the minutes to reflect the decisions that have been made and ensure that they reflect all views presented. At the conclusion of a meeting, be sure to acknowledge everyone who contributed (e.g., by thanking them) and make sure that their suggestions are reflected in the minutes.
Chronological order: Write out all of the items on your agenda so that everyone can understand where you’re going with your discussion and what has already been covered. If there are specific issues or topics you want to cover at some point during the meeting, add them to your list (e.g. break times, lunch). Make sure that they are placed on the agenda in chronological order.
Presentation: If you are preparing a presentation, ensure that all necessary materials are prepared and that you have everything ready to go (e.g., “Load 20”). Create a PowerPoint presentation if possible and bring handouts with you. If you’re presenting verbally, prepare your talk beforehand (5-7 minutes of talking) and practice it. Bookmark where you need to pause for discussion or questions and remember to pause often during your presentation so people can ask questions or make comments.
Leadership: If you are the leader of the meeting, take control at the start of it and throughout the course of it. Make sure that everyone knows who is going to be leading the meeting. If you want to give your presentation, let other people know that it’s your turn and follow their lead as much as possible. Let them know when they are heading over time so they can speed up or slow down; this way you can make sure that everyone who is interested gets a chance to speak during your presentative.
Conclusion: Thank people for their participation saying something like “Thank you for listening and I hope that we were able to cover most of your questions or comments in today’s meeting.” The conclusion of the meeting is when you thank everyone for attending, please them, and wrap up the meeting. When you have finished, thoroughly clean up your working space.
“A good chairperson knows how to start a meeting and how to end it. A good chairperson does not start a meeting unless there is time left for discussion about what happened before. A good chairperson helps keep a meeting on track and moves it along if needed. A good chairperson knows when and where to stop being the leader of the meeting and trust others with responsibility for keeping the talks moving forward” - Tim Nenninger, Ph.D.
Organizing and Conducting Meetings
One of the key roles of the supervisor is to organize and help facilitate meetings to expand your team’s knowledge, share ideas and make decisions. A good supervisor is able to lead a meeting without dominating the discussions, being overly polite, or withholding information. The following tips will help you make sure that your meetings run efficiently and are productive for you both:
Plan ahead: Schedule all meetings at least one week in advance so there’s time for planning the discussions, getting all participants together and preparing for the meeting. Use attendance sheets so that you know who is attending. Determine in advance who will be chairperson of each discussion group (e.g. attendees, participants, project leads) so that you don’t have to ask again and again.
Use agendas: Consider what you want your meeting to accomplish. If it isn’t clear, draw up an agenda in advance and note the main topics for the discussion (e.g., questions, concerns). Ask for everyone to fill in their name and their role at the start of the meeting. If there are items from others on the agenda (e.g., new projects), add these to the list at this time (to save time later). Use a timer during each session if you need to keep track of when things have been discussed or when people have finished speaking.
Conclusion: Step up at the end of the meeting summarize what went well and what could be improved in future meetings (e.g., “Please work with your staff to prepare for next week’s meeting.”). Thank everyone for their attendance and participation.
Take care of the details: If you’re attending a meeting and there is food or drinks, thank the host at the start of it. If there are special instructions stenciled on the white board (e.g., “No smoking, No eating,”), make sure to follow them. Maintain good speaking habits (e.g.