Generally, officers are involved in running two kinds of meetings: general membership meetings and business meetings. They are covered in that order.

Membership Meetings

General meetings of a society are often broken into at least three separate parts: business, program, and social. Depending on your group’s location and practice, observing may follow the formal meeting or be included as part of the social activity.

The program is usually devoted to some topic of interest to the membership. A society program committee may be charged with establishing suitable topics and finding appropriate speakers/presenters. If the program is to be given by a guest speaker, it is often presented first so the speaker can leave at its conclusion and not have to listen to society business in which s/he may have little interest. This is particularly important when some of the business might be controversial and evoke prolonged debate.

All business meetings should follow a prescribed agenda as discussed below. This applies to the business portion of a general meeting as well. It helps to keep the meeting flowing and allows the President to budget time for each topic on the agenda.

The social part of a general meeting often begins before the meeting itself. As members arrive, they will naturally congregate in groups to discuss items of common interest. A second part of the socializing usually follows the formal meeting. Refreshments may be served and members have an opportunity to network among the group to have questions addressed in an informal setting. For some members, this informal give-and-take is the most valuable part of their society membership.

Business Meetings

One of the most important functions for an officer is to preside at a business meeting. Often seen as "a necessary evil," such meetings are vital to the smooth operation of a club or society. Business meetings may be a part of a general membership meeting, as mentioned above, or a separate meeting of the officers or governing board.

Effective meetings do not "just happen." They must be well planned and conducted in a fair, timely manner.

Planning

Always prepare an agenda of the items to be discussed. An outline of a typical agenda is given below. The specifics of an agenda will depend on the purpose of the meeting. By referring to the agenda, the leader makes sure that all topics are covered and that appropriate time is budgeted for each. The time budget is important: without it, a meeting may get "bogged down" in one area without leaving time for discussion in other areas.

One of the great advantages of being the president or meeting leader is that you control the agenda. Not only do you control the content for a particular meeting, you also control the time allocations. If some item is taking longer than you budgeted for discussion, you can either redistribute your time allocations or suggest that the item be carried over to a future meeting, perhaps one devoted exclusively to that item if the interest seems sufficient.

Typical Agenda:

1. Call to order.
2. Secretary’s report.
3. Treasurer’s report.
4. Committee reports.
5. Old business.
6. New business.
7. Adjourn.

The secretary’s report is usually a reading of the minutes from the last meeting followed by a motion to accept or amend the minutes. Often, the reading of the minutes can be skipped, especially if the minutes have been published in the organization’s newsletter. In that case, a motion to accept the minutes "as published" would be in order. The treasurer’s report is a summary of income and expenses since the last meeting, concluding with the balance in the treasury as of the current meeting. The treasurer’s report should also be accepted via a motion. Old business consists of items carried over from prior meetings. New business consists of new items being introduced for the first time.

Whenever possible, publish the agenda with the meeting notice. This gives people a chance to decide if there are items of sufficient interest for them to attend. (You can be sure that having "dues" as an agenda item will assure good attendance!) More important, it gives attendees a chance to think about items of interest and, if necessary, to research them prior to the meeting. A well thought out discussion is much more valuable and is less likely to lead to unexpected results than an impromptu discussion. Some people are less able than others to "think on their feet," especially during heated discussion, and will welcome the opportunity to "mull things over" before the meeting.

Running the Meeting

Almost all organizations refer to Robert’s Rules of Order as the parliamentary guide for running meetings. Almost no organization follows "Robert’s Rules" in the strictest sense. Still, the guiding principle, originally laid down by General Henry M. Robert, is the mainstay of most structured groups today: all shall be heard, but the majority shall decide. Your key job as meeting leader is to ensure the first part, that all are heard who wish to be before the group is asked to decide. The right to be heard is a "freebie reward" for participants in the meeting. Of course, in order to get the "reward," individuals must first participate.

Often, the leader’s behavior may influence participation more than any other single variable. There are two main reasons for not participating. First is the fear of retribution by an organization’s culture or an evaluative leader. Second is the natural introversion of some people. You can help overcome both fears by actively encouraging others to participate. When organizing an agenda, put "safe" subjects ahead of known controversial topics. This will help set the mood for participation by everyone. If you think it is appropriate, ask individuals for their thoughts on a topic, especially individuals who have not yet spoken.

Participation may increase if the group adopts and publicizes meeting groundrules. This may be a short or long list of rules describing how meetings are to be conducted, sort of your own "Rules of Order." They can cover such simple items as "meetings will start on time" and "only one person will speak at a time." But they can also cover "we will treat each other as equals" and "it’s OK to present another point of view." Often, the rules are developed over time in response to particular difficulties experienced by the group. If members know these groundrules up-front, they may be willing to participate more openly.

The meeting should run smoothly if you have done your homework beforehand. While preparing the agenda, review their expected input with key members, especially anyone who has asked for an item to be included on the agenda. This not only avoids surprises (at least for you), it also helps you allocate time for the agenda item and it prompts the member to be prepared.

At some point, each topic on the agenda must be brought to closure so that you can proceed to the next item. In many cases, this happens naturally as discussion dies and someone "calls the question" (asks for a vote). If you notice that a consensus is developing, make it visible to the group and ask for agreement. Less formal is to offer a "trial balloon" and ask, "It seems from the discussion that we should …" This is particularly effective if you notice that speakers are repeating themselves and not offering new thoughts or suggestions. Riskier but very effective for getting commitment is to ask some else to summarize the decision prior to a vote.

Remember that it is not necessary to reach unanimity (unless specifically required in bylaws), only a consensus. The consensus may not be an individual’s personal choice, but it is something with which s/he can live. Everyone has some minimum acceptance criteria on any issue. Realize that the majority decision may not be acceptable to everyone.

At the conclusion of the meeting, thank everyone for participating. This is hobby activity. They did not have to be here, but they were willing to give up some other activity to come to this meeting. A simple "thank you" will let the members know that they were appreciated and will encourage future participation.

Dealing with Difficult Participants

It is a rare organization that does not have one or two members who are difficult to deal with during a meeting. Note that difficulty does not necessarily mean conflict, which will be discussed in a later chapter.

Difficult participants probably do not feel they are being difficult, only that the group is ignoring their position. They may be seeking greater attention. In either case, actively listening and repeating their points may satisfy their need, "Let me be sure I understand, are you saying …" Never get into one-up-manship with a difficult participant. Doing so may alienate others in the group if you are perceived to be unfair.

Three types of difficult participants are most common. Specific suggestions for dealing with them follow.

The Long-Winded Participant

The Expert

The Negativist

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