Manage Meetings
Best practice for meeting procedures
 Prepare for meetings
 Conduct meetings
 Follow-up meetings
Do Meetings Matter?
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Why do you think you attend meetings?
By attending a meeting you have the chance to have
your say in what goes on at your club.
Do you think meetings waste your time?
Meetings do take up your time however without a
means of communication a club can not function.
Who should attend a meeting?
Any financial member of a club may attend a member
however the Associations constitution states that you
must be 18 years of age to vote.
Types of Meetings
There are only a few types of meetings at
Pony Club
 General Meeting (usually monthly), Annual
General Meeting (AGM) and Special General
Meeting
 Management or Executive Committee meetings
 Sub committee meetings
 Information sessions
Planning for Meetings
 Venue – Ensure it is suitable for the number
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attending.
Seating – Ensure that there are enough seats for
everyone.
Time-frames – Have a time-frame in mind don’t
let the meeting drag on all night.
Info to be presented and how? – Do you need
handouts?
How you inform attendees – Via hard copy
agenda, email agenda?
Specific roles of attendees – Who is responsible
for what job?
Successful Meetings
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Start on time
Pre-distribute the agenda
Timeframes attached to agenda items
Focus on objectives
Chaired by elected person who clarifies and avoids
unnecessary debate
Accept apologies for those un-attendees
Kept on track by chairperson
Results oriented
End on time and on a positive note
Minutes are distributed in a timely manner with items
to be actioned
Agenda
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Statement of the meetings purpose
Date, time, place, and location
Welcome
Minutes of the previous meeting
Matters of business arriving from previous
meeting
Correspondence
Reports
Major agenda items
General business
Dates of next meeting
Agenda
At the Meeting
 Call to order
 Minutes
 Business Arising
 Officer’s reports
 Committee reports
 New businesses
 Special interest programs
 Announcements
 Adjournment
Meeting Protocol
The style and structure of any meeting will depend
on:
 Its purpose – is this a monthly meeting to keep
members up to date or is it an AGM.
 The number of participants – do you require a
larger meeting room for an AGM
 Special needs of participants
Meeting Protocol
Steps to ensure meeting appropriate protocol:
 Make a list of all people who are expected to
attend
 What timeframes are involved
 What formalities are involved
 Ensure all members are aware that the meeting is
scheduled.
Meeting Confirmation
It’s a good idea to
confirm any
bookings e.g. venue,
equipment etc. a few
days prior to prevent
mishaps on the day.
Conducting Meetings
Roles within meetings:
 Chairperson – what is his/her role? A Chairperson
should be well respected and have control of the
meeting at all times, they should also be impartial
and keep any personal opinions out of the meeting.
The Chairperson should steer the meeting through
an Agenda and limit the time that speakers have so
that the meeting can finish on time.
 Recorder (minute taker) – what is his/her role? – A
minute taker should confer with the Chairperson to
ensure that they know what details need to be
recorded. They should keep an accurate record of
the meeting and follow the agenda where possible.
Conducting Meetings
 Participants – what is their role? –
Should always be respectful of
other participants and observe
meeting protocol of either
standing or raising their hands if
they wish to speak and always
speak through the chair.
Conducting Meetings
 What can be done if a meeting deviates from its planned
agenda? If the meeting is deviating from the planned
agenda the Chair should guide the meeting back to the
correct topic.
 Who do you think should chair meetings – why? – A
Chairperson should be capable of guiding a meeting and
keeping things under control.
 How long should meetings last – why? Meetings should be
kept to as short a time as possible, it is easier to get a
consensus if people are focused and not bored. It is better
to have more frequent meetings than really long meetings.
 How can you encourage participation in meetings? The
Chairperson should remind people that they are part of the
meeting process and encourage input.
Recording Minutes
Accurate recording is essential:
 Provides a transcript of the meeting
 Provides accurate record of what has been
said by whom
 Allows people to review what they said
and committed to
 Can be referred to in any disputes
 Informs those members who couldn’t
attend
 Used to check progress toward completion
of actionable items
Recording Minutes
Minutes should include:
Items for discussion
Decisions
Actions
Timelines
Persons responsible for actions
Minutes
Follow-up Meetings
Before distributing minutes, check for:
 Suitability of tone and communication
style with the Chairperson
 Readability, grammar, spelling, etc.
 Sequencing and structure
 Organisational requirements
 Discriminatory language
 Jargon that may not be understood by all.
Conclusion:
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Prepare for meetings – preparation and
notifications of meetings is essential to good
communication within a club.
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Conduct meetings – make sure that meetings are
professionally run and that all participants have a
chance to have their say. Ensure that the meeting
keeps to the agenda and runs to projected time
frames.
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Follow-up meetings – it is essential that all
actionable items are attended to as soon as possible
and followed up before the next meeting.