Meeting Objectively: A Handbook for Those Who Wish That Meetings Could Achieve More

By John Sleigh

If you have ever been at a meeting and wondered “what are we doing here?” then this may be all you need. Meeting Objectively could make that feeling disappear. If you and the others attending follow some simple guidelines the meetings you attend will run more smoothly and achieve the objectives.

There may not be a need to run every meeting strictly to a set process. Courtesy, respect, cooperation, shared objectives are just some of the ingredients in the recipe for Meeting Objectively. But when there are disagreements or even just alternatives, it is wise to have a process to sort them out. That is when knowing the rules can be helpful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jan 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796009576

John Sleigh

John Sleigh is the author of Making Learning Fun (1990), Making Team Learning Fun (1994) and more recently ASESSMENT thAT WORKs (2018). He shares the techniques that he has adopted and developed in his career as an employee, supervisor, trainer, manager, mentor and regulator. John's material can be used in a wide range of subject areas.

Book preview

MEETINGS

People come together as a group to make things happen. It may be company making life easier for everyone, a government protecting everyone’s interest or a neighbourhood preparing for the bushfire season.

Meetings may be convened to make decisions, to gather information or to make information available. All three purposes may be achieved at different times in the same meeting.

As soon as we have a group, there are different ideas about the best way to do it. That is both the advantage and disadvantage of working together. One of the group members will emerge as a leader, a person who can get things done. Then another will see a better way. Meetings are a civilised way of dealing with the alternatives.

The rules for running an organisation or conducting a meeting can get pretty complicated, but if you remember these few basics, you will be able to meet the expectations of the majority of your members.

After many decades of attending meetings, and getting things done, I have put into writing a few simple thoughts that may help reduce the tensions that meetings create.

There are other books on the subject, but over the years expanded editions have become heavier, and some have become so heavy that they are used as a weapon. In this book I explain why, rather than just setting out what.

It is true that not every meeting must be run strictly to a process. One of the fundamental principles in this book is "The will of the meeting prevails if the constitution or bylaws are not breached." The advantage of knowing the rules is that you can also make an informed decision on when to relax them.

I trust that this will make it more pleasant for a group of interested, committed, caring, sensitive, sensible, considerate, polite, mature, well-mannered, competent people to make things happen.

THE FUNDAMENTALS

If you follow these five rules, then a meeting will run smoothly.

1. The will of the meeting prevails if the constitution or bylaws are not breached

2. The constitution and other governing documents must always be followed

3. The chair is neutral on all issues

4. Only one item is dealt with at a meeting at any one time

5. Once an item has been dealt with at a meeting, the decision cannot be reversed at that meeting.

The purpose of this book is to explain these rules more fully.

The will of the meeting

prevails if the constitution or

bylaws are not breached

An organisation’s governing documents set out some matters that are not negotiable. They are the basis of the organisation. Most other matters can be altered at the will of the meeting.

Even the constitution can be changed, but it will usually require a major process. If the group is affiliated with a large organisation, the constitution may only be able to be changed if the change is approved by a majority of clubs. There will usually be exceptions, such as meeting arrangements like time and date or local fees.

There may also be Bylaws, which may be governed by the decisions at a high level and standing orders which affect the way that meetings are conducted. It may be possible to set aside standing orders while a particular matter is discussed, but this would not affect constitutional provisions or bylaws, which may require a quorum, or a notice in advance of the meeting for certain matters to be raised.

Otherwise, the call of the chair governs the meeting, unless someone dissents from the chair’s ruling. Then the question is put to a vote of the meeting.

The constitution and other

governing documents must

always be followed

A group’s constitution will set out

• the reasons the organisation exists

• who is eligible to join

• the process that must be followed to join

• the obligations, rights