Feb 10, 2009 Hanish Babu

A knowledgeable chair and disciplined and informed members will ensure the success of a meeting. Orderly and well conducted meetings require preparations by both the chair and the participants beforehand.

Chair: Preparations Before Meeting

To be successful, a chair should train himself on how to chair meetings effectively. Being prepared well in advance will assist him to steer the proceedings in the desired direction rather than let it drift aimlessly. He will be respected for upholding the principles of the organization by protecting the formal meeting procedures and democratic values.

• The chair should draft an agenda in consultation with the secretary. He should have an outline of the general purpose of the meeting, the direction it should take and the purpose of each item on the agenda.
• He should contact all concerned committee chairs and coordinators whose reports are to be presented during the meeting and make sure they are equipped with their respective reports on the D-day.
• The chair should see to it that the secretary has sent proper invitations to all concerned. Make sure the minutes of the previous meeting is ready to be presented.
• If there is a chief guest for the meeting, he should ascertain that proper invitations have been sent and follow up calls done. Call the guest personally and invite him to the meeting.
• The seating should be so arranged that the chair should be able to see everyone present in the room. This will ensure that no one is ignored during the discussions.
• Chair should have a handbook of Robert’s Rule of Order with him and an elementary knowledge of the types of meeting motions to guide him confidently through the meeting.

Members: Preparations Before Meeting

Members also should prepare for the meeting. Reports should be prepared well in advance, printed and sufficient copies made before the meeting. After presenting a report, it should be concluded with a motion on what action may be taken. Members should be well versed with the parliamentary procedures and have an elementary knowledge of different types of formal meeting motions and their applications in the context of the current meeting.

How to Conduct a Successful Meeting

In addition to the above preparations by the chair and members before the meeting begins, certain guidelines on how to conduct a successful meeting is worth a comprehensive review. This involves the proper implementation of the agenda and following the principles of the formal meeting procedures as laid down by the Robert’s Rule of Order.