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Over the past three sessions we have been talking about the components of a good meeting.

Effective meetings don͛t just happen ʹ they take preparation, work, and follow-up.

Let͛s talk about the ABC͛s of effective meetings.

Effective meetings take : dequate planning and preparation; : ehaviors that foster group

interaction; and : ommunication, the key to success.

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The first step in planning is to determine the purpose of the meeting. Is it a regular policy

development, decision-making meeting or, is the need to provide information to members or

the public? What about a meeting to gather input? Each of these meeting types dictates how

the meeting will be run and who should be there.

Once the purpose of the meeting has been decided, the next question is, ͞Who should be

there?͟ Is it only regular members, or are there others that will be interested in or affected by

your agenda? If so, it is best they be present when the matter is being considered rather than
raising alarms later. If there are matters on which you will need more information, perhaps you

should consider asking experts or those with experience and knowledge to join the meeting.

And be sure to include any decision-makers that will have an interest or later be asked to rule

on decisions being made. If the meeting will be held to provide information to the public or

constituents or gather input from them, determine who to target and how to notify them of the

meeting. And last, it is best not to mix types of meetings, but rather clearly segment or separate

policy, informational, and input components to eliminate confusion.

Depending on the type of meeting planned, the meeting may be structured in various manners.

Alternatives to parliamentary meetings include guest speakers, videos, brainstorming sessions,

panel sessions, discussion groups, demonstrations, etc. Determine who will lead each part of

the meeting and what the expected outcomes will be.

Next, determine the time and place for the meeting. The optimum length of time for a meeting

in today͛s society is one hour, with a maximum of two hours. If your meetings regularly take

longer, you might want to rethink your structure, content, and facilitation. Be sure to allow for

breaks or activities in longer meetings which will restore the energy level. The meeting place is

also important. Think about the convenience of attendees, allowing for plenty of space. Just

because your group has always met at a certain location doesn͛t mean it is the best location.

Now that the purpose, people, place, and time have been settled, it is time to prepare a

meeting agenda. The components of an agenda would include: the title and purpose of the
meeting; any opening ceremonies; introductions, if needed; approval of the agenda; reading

and approval of the previous meeting minutes; the treasurer͛s report; committee reports;

announcements; old business, which includes any items not completed at the last meeting and

needing further determination; new business, which includes items in your strategic plan or

coming up on your annual calendar of tasks or actions, as well as any new issues which have

arisen. In addition to these items for the agenda, you may need to list executive sessions and

breaks. Be sure to end with the next meeting date, time, and location.

When listing the old and new business items, one practice that will help to keep your meeting

moving and avoid continuous overruns, is to list a time to address each subject. If the issue is

not settled within the allotted time, the group either tables it for the next meeting or

determines what else to cut in order to continue on this issue in overtime. This practice takes

strong attention to the time by the chair of the meeting, but will come to be appreciated by

meeting participants.

Questions which should be asked before preparing the agenda would be:

' Are the minutes ready?

' Is the treasurer͛s report ready?

' Are there any proposals from officers?

' Are there any proposals or reports from standing or special committees?

' What items were not reached or postponed at the last meeting?

' Is there anything coming up on the annual planning calendar?

 ' What items support the strategic plan?

' Does this meeting promote progress toward the group͛s mission?

' Are there any surprises that might be in the wind?

Bill Taylor
Weston County Extension Office

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