Chairing Meetings is an often overlooked and misunderstood role within meetings. Many people assume that if they are successful in Chairing a meeting, then they are also successful in the larger scheme of things i.e. Chairing Meetings should be used as an opportunity to reinforce positive concepts and activities, get input from attendees and get everyone talking! But unfortunately, this is rarely what happens.
It's well known that Chairing Meetings can be highly stressful. The whole point of a meeting is to kick off a discussion or debate, so make sure you're prepared. This doesn't just mean the obvious things good name cards, agenda etc. Remember, that at a Chairing Meeting, your role is critical. You have to be able to get through the agenda quickly and effectively, take charge in discussions and ensure that all attendees understand the agenda. So, what is the best way to prepare for chairing meetings?
First of all, make sure you've prepared adequately for the meeting both in terms of topics and time spent speaking. If you've gone through the minutes of the meeting, it's a good idea to read it again to check for any unclear wording and to make sure that everyone understands the meaning of the minutes. If you can't speak directly to each individual attendee, consider taking notes to make sure they understand what's being said at each point so they can give feedback later on.
Next, make sure you've prepared well for questions beforehand. Chairing Meetings are all about answering questions, but make sure you've got the knowledge and ability to answer them! In most cases, there will be other attendees at these meetings, so make sure you've got other speakers who can highlight the topic and make decisions for you. Sometimes, it can be difficult to keep all viewpoints represented at a meeting of hundreds of people, so consider delegating some of this responsibility to other's someone who's more familiar with the subject matter. If you have time before the meeting begins, plan to do some research beforehand on the topic and ensure that you understand it completely.
Lastly, you should be prepared for lively debate on all issues. The key to chairing meetings is not to close the door to constructive debate, but rather, to welcome it. This means that even if there's plenty of room for discussion, you should understand your role as facilitator and be willing to let people argue it out if that's how you see it fit. After all, the point of these meetings is to listen to and hear out suggestions, not drown them in prolonged arguments. The more you learn about a certain issue or concern, the more effective you'll be at putting forward opinions.
In addition, you need to get the group to focus on the topic at hand. In most cases, the focus of these meetings isn't so much on the outcome as it is on developing a clear direction for the organization. If everyone isn't on the same page, you'll find that progress is almost impossible especially in terms of implementation. When planning these meetings, you should focus on drawing up an agenda and then getting members to agree on it. Once you've created a consensus, you're ready to move forward.
When it comes to actual meetings, keep things moving forward by summarizing everyone's thoughts and suggesting a course of action. Then, take minutes of the entire meeting and give everyone a chance to revise what was said. It's also a good idea to go back over what was covered so you can see where the greatest issues were discussed. Give everyone a chance to offer new thoughts and possibilities, but keep the bulk of the meeting focused on implementing the changes that will result. In order to have an effective meeting, you must give everyone a chance to voice their concerns. After all, you only get one chance to make a positive impact on your organization.
The key to keeping everyone on track is to have an agenda you can follow along with the time limit. Stick to this rule and you'll be able to successfully implement changes. This way you can ensure that positive changes actually happen rather than being simply suggested or discussed.
