Chairing (running) Meetings


Chairing (running) Meetings
Chairing (running) Meetings
Chairing (running) Meetings

Chairing (running) Meetings
This can be one of the most rewarding experiences at work and as such I strongly
recommend that you Chair (or run) as many meetings as possible.  There are a number of
benefits in chairing meetings as follows:
You mature fast.  Yes, this is pretty much an automatic process.  The first time you
chair a meeting (just like the first time you present) you may feel quite nervous.  But
as long as you prepare for meetings beforehand, don’t bluff your way out of difficult
situations and treat the participants with respect, things should be fine.
You learn to make decisions and direct people.  The Chair will often be looked
upon as the person who makes the final decisions (even if this isn’t the real purpose
of their role). But perhaps even more importantly the Chair should direct the
conversation, ensure that all the relevant arguments are heard and that air-time is
properly distributed amongst the group.
You become better at time-keeping.  Although as Chair you could always appoint
someone as timekeeper it is your responsibility to ensure that the meeting runs to
the allotted time and that all the items on the agenda are discussed.   You should
think hard before the meeting about the length of time each topic requires and
ensure that the time set aside for discussion is sufficient.  From my experience
meetings often overrun and if they don’t you still find that there was insufficient time
to discuss some of the agenda items.  It’s your job to ensure that this does not
happen.  After all, others may have prepared thoroughly about a topic that is very
important to them.  They’ll be disappointed and may not see you in a good light.  So
what are the tips to ensure a meeting runs on time:
o Be clear about the rules on timing.  No overruns.  If a discussion looks like it
will blow out of all proportion then it’s probably best to take it ‘off-line’ and
have the relevant individuals (perhaps a sub-group of the original meeting)
look into it further.  If you are tight on the timings those involved in your
meetings will be forced to get better with their own conciseness.
o Allow enough time for a topic to be discussed.  Don’t tag on an extra item at
the base of the agenda with a 10 minute slot if it is clearly going to last
longer.  In fact, spend some time making sure that the time slot available for
each agenda item is sufficient (and whatever you do make sure you get buyin on the length of the time slot from the individual).
You learn to set action points.  One of the joys of being a Chair is that you can
summarize all the action points at the end of the meeting and ensure that each point
has:
o A clear and concise note of the action to be taken.o The name of the person responsible to get the job done.
o A deadline for completion and where, when and how progress and completion
is communicated to the group.
You learn to be inclusive.  As the Chair you should ensure that all the relevant
points of view are taken on board.  If you have one or two individuals in the meeting
that hog the limelight during ‘open discussion’ this could prove to be destructive as
other points of view are not brought up for consideration.  With that in mind, you
should prompt the quieter members of the group to add their thoughts.  If it is
obvious that certain members literally have nothing of value to add then they are
probably at their limit in terms of intellectual capacity or (more likely) do not have
experience in that particular field.  So my advice is to be inclusive, but apply fairness
to ensure that discussion continues to flow and that nobody feels that they have
been shut out of the conversation.
There are two sides to every story - part 2 (for Part 1 see ‘Managing staff’). 
This principle doesn’t only relate to the chairing of meetings.  Any complaint,
argument or issue raised should be considered with an open, balanced and fair
approach.  On many occasions an issue or complaint is raised that at face value
demonstrates, or at least implies, that a wrong has been performed or that an
injustice has taken place.  However, a fair Chair (or indeed any fair individual) will
seek out all the facts from all the relevant parties and only draw a conclusion once
they have sufficient evidence to do so (just like being in a Court of Law).  The
process may or may not be lengthy; depending upon the issue at hand, but all
parties should feel that their opinions and evidence have been taken into account
and that the decision made is both just and fair.  I’m sure we can all think of
situations where we have shot from the hip and then lived to regret our initial
decision which was taken without knowing the full circumstances.  Remember, there
are two sides to every story, so hear both first before taking action.
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