QUESTION:
We liked those tips for running an effective meeting that you gave two weeks ago. Do you have any more tips for running an effective meeting?

OUR ANSWER FROM HORTYSPRINGER ATTORNEY NICHOLAS CALABRESE:
Sure, let’s get right to them!

The first tip deals with post-meeting tasks.  The meeting attendees should have clear goals and assigned tasks after leaving the meeting.  For example, does research need to be done?  Be clear on the specific issue that is to be researched, how it is to be presented (a memo?  Oral report?), when it is due (one week prior to the next meeting?  At the next meeting?) and to whom the results are to be reported (the chair?  Everyone on the committee?).

The second one deals with how a chair keeps order at a meeting.  By strict adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order?  No!  We recommend that Robert’s Rules be looked to for guidance, but not be binding, and that the chair reserve the power to make all definitive procedural rulings.  Why?  Because if there is a parliamentarian on the committee, he or she can dominate the discussion just because he or she knows Robert’s Rules inside and out.  Also, it’s impractical to expect everyone on the committee to know all of the rules, and we don’t want to put them at a disadvantage during meetings.  So, don’t get bogged down in Robert’s Rules – think fundamental fairness.

The last one deals with how to record what happened at a meeting.  You should have someone take notes to prepare the minutes of the meeting.  The minutes record the decisions of the committee.  We’ll save what should be in minutes, and what should be left out of minutes, in a future Question of the Week, which hopefully, won’t be in two weeks.

If you have a quick question about this, e-mail Nick Calabrese at ncalabrese@hortyspringer.com.