Having a well-attended, purposeful meeting is difficult in todays’ world. With instantaneous expectations and a scarcity of time the challenge becomes even more relevant.
Dr. Kris Baack
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
There are many ways people come together to conduct their work/business. Most student organizations have regularly scheduled times they gather.
Before you schedule a meeting or meetings, it is vital to determine the purpose of your gathering. As a president, chair, or positional leader you should begin by ensuring your meeting has a purpose.
Do not have a meeting, to just “have a meeting.” Always have an agenda. There are various types of appropriate examples for you to use as a template If you do not have business to attend to, cancel the meeting.
Meetings should last one hour or less and be held to:
- Brainstorm – using everyone’s collective brains to share ideas, resolve an issue, or establish a new endeavor; and
- Decision making – a vote or other means to determine an outcome.
- Business Issues – where you need the entire membership
Meetings should not be held to:
- Disseminate basic information – this is a waste of time in today’s digital era.
- Conduct activities or work that a committee or ad hoc group could handle.
- Have retreats, transitions, team building, etc. These should be scheduled separately from meetings because they are not meetings per se and will last longer than one hour. Retreats for team building or goal setting, etc., should be activities scheduled when your membership can spend the necessary time required for those activities.
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There are many ways people come together to conduct their work/business. Most student organizations have regularly scheduled times they gather.
Before you schedule a meeting or meetings, it is vital to determine the purpose of your gathering. As a president, chair, or positional leader you should begin by ensuring your meeting has a purpose.
Do not have a meeting, to just “have a meeting.” Always have an agenda. There are various types of appropriate examples for you to use as a template If you do not have business to attend to, cancel the meeting.
Meetings should last one hour or less and be held to:
- Brainstorm – using everyone’s collective brains to share ideas, resolve an issue, or establish a new endeavor; and
- Decision making – a vote or other means to determine an outcome.
- Business Issues – where you need the entire membership
Meetings should not be held to:
- Disseminate basic information – this is a waste of time in today’s digital era.
- Conduct activities or work that a committee or ad hoc group could handle.
- Have retreats, transitions, team building, etc. These should be scheduled separately from meetings because they are not meetings per se and will last longer than one hour. Retreats for team building or goal setting, etc., should be activities scheduled when your membership can spend the necessary time required for those activities.