Meetings

The purpose of meetings is to:

• have more perspectives and suggestions to ensure better considered decisions can be made
• to build committment to an outcome by involving people in the decision-making process.

Roles in meetings

The Chair:

• makes sure that everyone behaves in an orderly manner and has the opportunity to speak
• guides the discussion towards achieving the goals of the meeting by:
• keeping track of the arguments presented
• summing up the discussion at appropriate times and relating it to the initial issue
• preventing people from interrupting each other
• encouraging quiet people to speak
• deciding who will speak
• setting time limits.

The Secretary:

• makes preparations for the meeting such as room bookings, sending out notices of meetings, agendas, minutes
• keeps minutes of meeting
• answers, reports and files correspondence
• files all minutes and documents
• advises Chair on correct procedures.

Meetings promote discussion and collaboration

All meeting participants should help to:

• summarise if a stalemate is reached
• diagnose any problems that have emerged
• focus on reality, eg, budget constraints
• comment on progress of discussion
• release tension if the meeting is tense.

Sample Agenda

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All participants of a meeting should be familiar with the agenda before attending the meeting to enable full participation. The basic procedure for meeting is as follows:

• Apologies
• Minutes of previous meeting
• Matters arising from the minutes
• Correspondence
• Manager's report
• Treasurer's report
• Major agenda items
• Elections
• General Business
• Date of next meeting