Most meetings are led by a Chairperson. In many cases, this is the President of the board or a committee Chair. Some boards prefer to rotate this job. The responsibilities of the Chairperson normally include the following:

• Develop the agenda- usually in conjunction with the Executive Director- or ensure that it is prepared and circulated
• Prepare and circulate agenda with written background information in advance. Ensure that the people responsible for agenda items know what they need to do
• Chair the meeting (more details on this below)
• Evaluate the meeting: get the input of board members on what went well and what needs improvement and use this to alter procedures; change the method of Chairing and plan future board meetings as needed
• Follow-up with people assigned to complete tasks for the next meeting

 

Eight skills for chairing effective meetings:

 

     1.   Encouraging and equalizing participation of all board members

     2.   Allowing all relevant views and information to be aired

     3.   Clarifying and rephrasing points/ views expressed by board members

     4.   Summarizing points and testing for agreement

     5.   Keeping board members on topic

     6.   Keeping the meeting on schedule

     7.   Managing conflicts that arise during the meeting

     8.   Ensuring decisions are made clearly and explicitly (by vote or consensus)- so that there is no

           room left for interpretation

 

Boards using traditional parliamentary procedures require a Chair who understands the rules of procedure. Boards using a consensus model of decision-making require a Chair who will summarize each stage of the discussion until consensus is reached.

 

Please see Meeting Procedures for information on Conflict Management and Decision-Making Procedures

 

 

Encourage and Equalize Participation

 

To encourage participation:

• Create a warm and open atmosphere;
• Respond positively to debate and creative thinking;
• Draw out a range of views and encourage diversity of opinion;
• Challenge members to think innovatively by going beyond the usual questions and approach;
• Provide opportunities for all members to contribute;
• View conflict in a positive light by managing it effectively;
• Clarify and recap discussion to help move toward consensus;
• Summarize decisions of the group.

An effective Chairperson recognizes and addresses the varied needs of board and committee members.

 

Different factors affect peoples’ willingness and ability to contribute to meetings:

 

Ø       The need for recognition: Everyone likes to feel appreciated. Offer congratulations on a task completed or thanks for a particular contribution. Acknowledge special skills and strengths.

 

Ø       The need for learning and development: Some people join organizations for personal growth. Provide opportunities for development and for discussion of new concepts and ideas. Encourage individuals to take on responsibilities that stretch and build on their expertise.

 

Ø       The need for social interaction: Some members will work more effectively if they are given opportunities to get to know their fellow committee or board members. Arrange social events outside board meetings. Provide some time before or after meetings for members to interact informally if they choose. Share personal information about yourself at relevant moments in meetings, and welcome this behaviour in others. (However, it is important to recognize that not all members will feel equally comfortable doing this - don't force it or allow it to take up excessive time at meetings.)

 

Ø       The need for accomplishment: Most members will derive satisfaction from completing tasks, both as a group and individually. Assign individual responsibilities and acknowledge members’ work. Ensure that all members have something to do.

 

To equalize participation:

 

The Chair should be aware of who is speaking repeatedly and who is not speaking at all. Some participants may speak more or less than others for a variety of reasons: their knowledge of the issue, their level of interest in it, their confidence in group sessions, etc.

 

A variety of techniques can equalize participation and encourage full involvement:

• The direct approach is to simply ask silent members if they have anything to say and request that dominating members refrain from speaking at times.
• Rounds are an effective way to balance participation while not singling out quiet people.
• Observe the pace of proceedings. Sometimes the pace affects people's level of participation- those who are not participating simply need some breathing space to formulate their ideas and put them forward. You can address this problem by occasionally asking the group to sit quietly for a time while they think about a particular issue at hand – it's easy if you formulate a question for them to consider. Restart the discussion by asking the quieter members if they have any comments.

 

Clarify and Rephrase

 

At certain times in the discussion board members may not understand each other or may talk past each other. Feelings usually intensify if the miscommunication continues. The Board Chair needs to help clarify what is being said, essentially acting as an interpreter. In many cases, all that is required is to rephrase or paraphrase what one or two board members have said so that everyone understands their point. Always be sure to check your interpretation with the speaker for accuracy.

 

Example: "If I understand you, Eleanor, your point is that, although these programs are necessary, they are inappropriate for our organization and should be delivered by another agency. Is that right?"

 

At other times, the board discussion has moved along from its original starting point to a new stage, but is still within the parameters of the established agenda. Just to ensure everyone in the group is clear, it might be helpful to articulate the topic currently being discussed and check it with the group.

 

Example: "We seem to have finished questions of clarification to Beth, and are now moving into debate about the pro's and con's of her proposal. Have we answered all of the questions regarding clarification?"

 

Summarize and Test for Agreement

After the Chair articulates what is being said, he or she should follow up with a summary or reformulation of the discussion. The Chair does this when, in his or her view, the board is ready to move to the next stage on a topic: the discussion is starting to drag, people are repeating points already made, there seems to be confusion, or participants are moving in different directions. Try to anticipate at which point this intervention is needed and move quickly before it becomes overdue and the group gets restless.

 

Summaries help the group see how close they are to agreement, refocus the discussion, and move the pace along. Good summaries can often help board members realize that they have actually reached agreement in a discussion that seemed complicated and impossible to resolve. Summaries can also identify the areas of disagreement, which helps participants be aware of the real issues that have to be resolved.

 

As with paraphrasing, it is important to check the accuracy of your summary with the group. Sometimes it is helpful to use the summary or testing of consensus to give participants a last chance to offer their views before moving to the next stage or topic. When testing for agreement, be sure to fully state the proposal that you are testing. Don't assume everyone knows it by a short-hand title.

 

Keep on Topic

It is common for a group to get side-tracked or to go into unnecessary detail on an issue. At these points, the Chair is responsible for interrupting the discussion and bringing the Board back to its primary purpose. This can be done by -

 

·         Reminding participants of the agreed-upon agenda and purpose,

·         Making your comment in a way that acknowledges the usefulness of the views being contributed, but suggests that this is not the best forum in which to express them. You might suggest how this view could be channeled to the appropriate person or body (e.g. letter, committee discussion)

 

Be gentle but firm, and use eye contact to make a friendly connection with the person you cut off. Once reminded, board members will often keep themselves on track. Other times, you will have to be persistent. Developing a good agenda can also assist a Chair in keeping on topic.