Guidelines for Success

Running Effective Meetings

Before the Meeting

Remember: A good organizer is inclusive in each and every effort.

• Make sure you have a set location and time for meetings. If possible, pass out a monthly schedule of meetings and events to each member, as well as post the schedule in a public place. Consistency will encourage membership.
• Schedule meetings at convenient times. Afternoon/after-school meetings are easiest for students. To keep attendance high, try to schedule mid-week meetings (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday).
• Publicize your meetings throughout the school building or community center where meetings are held. Place meeting reminders in the school or local newspaper, during the morning announcements, or in any other forum that reaches the student body.

During the Meeting

Remember: Good meetings don’t just happen—they are carefully planned.

Meeting Agenda

A clear agenda should be set for every the meeting, then distributed to all members. The goals of the meeting need to be clearly set out by the core group of organizers. Also, you will want the group to understand why there is a need for each and every one of them as members. A group loses momentum quickly unless people have a real idea of the nature and importance of their responsibilities to the group.

The agenda always includes: introductions or check-in, an ice breaker or question that all answer, additions and approval of the agenda, times to be used for each item on the agenda shown at the side of the listing, at the end a review of the meeting and the time and place of the next meeting.

The Roles

For each meeting, it’s a good idea to assign a couple of roles to group members:

• Facilitator: keeps the group on track. Responsibilities include:
  • moving the group along;
  • summarizing what has happened for the group;
  • encouraging as many people as possible to participate in the discussion;
  • ensuring that the discussion remains friendly, focused, and constructive; and
  • when decisions need to be made, making sure the group understands the decision before the group, and that people are comfortable with how the decision has been made.

The facilitator can be the group President/Chair, or can be another designated group member.

• Co-facilitator: shares the above duties with the facilitator, and keeps a list of people in the group. Gender-balanced facilitation is often a good idea to avoid domination of discussion by either gender.
• Timekeeper: keeps track of how much time has elapsed in each segment of discussion of a meeting. He or she should give "time warnings": halfway mark, 15 minutes left, 5 minutes left, etc. Stick to your time limits; the meeting participants may have other things to do and will appreciate ending at the agreed time.
• Secretary: takes notes on the main points and makes them available to all who attended and missed the meeting. The Secretary writes down Actions that students commit to doing, what they are and by when.

Meeting Activities

Decide beforehand what the meeting’s overall goal will be. The meeting should have a flow to it. For example, here’s an idea of how a problem-solving meeting might run:

• Problem Identification: Provide a brief overview of the problem, the issues involved, and why the problem is important to the group.
• Brainstorming session: Have group members throw out strategy ideas, with the secretary taking notes. The facilitators should remember that this session is open to all suggestions; criticism and clarification will come later.
• Identify realistic strategies: Here is where the list becomes condensed. Ask the group to consider each of the points made in turn. Ask the hard question: is this realistic? Do we have the resources? Do we have the time?
• Wrap-Up: Encourage people to make REAL commitments to accomplish the overall goal(s) using one of the suggested strategies.
• Do a MINI-ACTION: You’re a group that does things, right? Spend 10-15 minutes creating posters for an upcoming event, writing letter to the editor/public official about your project, or recycling in your building.

Additional Items

Other ideas for running a smooth, effective meeting:

• Try an icebreaker activity to help bring the group closer together. Introductions are a must, both for old and new members. Activity options include games, or a BRIEF roundtable sharing of a recent relevant experience.
• Move steadily through the agenda items, being sure to adhere strictly to time limits. But be sensitive facilitators! Remember, your responsibility is to the group and its work. If an issue needs further discussion, set up a special topic discussion for a future meeting.
• Be visual! Use a flip chart or a writing board to put up your group’s thoughts, discussions, and other items.
• End on upbeat note. Thank all the group members, especially those who took on special roles. The group has done a good job; they should know that.

Thank you National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org, for the above information.