Within any club or organisation, meetings between committee members and general members are vital for the maintenance of effective communication and democracy. The purpose of meetings is not only to share ideas and to reach a common agreement among members, but also to make decisions and appoint the right people to carry out these decisions.
There are several different types of meetings which an organisation may conduct and they are commonly outlined in the constitution.
In summary the various types of meetings are:
It is impossible to run a club smoothly without holding these meetings. There is no need for all members to attend all meetings, this is both impossible and inefficient.
Usually the bulk of the members attend only the Annual General Meeting, where they elect a committee to look after their interest for the rest of the year. An exception to this is when a vital matter arises and needs urgent discussion by the whole club. In such cases a Special (or Extraordinary) General Meeting can be held.
The club rules should specify how, when and why annual, committee and special meetings should be held. There is no need to specify the procedures to follow for less formal gatherings, such as the invitation of a speaker to the club, barbecues or picnics.
It is important that formal meetings are conducted under the club rules. There are good reasons for having rules - they prevent argument and potential division between members and ensure every member has the same opportunity to contribute and be heard.
However make sure that when you hold meetings that those attending and the club are benefiting from it. Think of it this way -
A meeting of 10 key members at which 15 minutes is taken up in late coming and chitchat may take 2 hours and 20 minutes of member's time. Work out the time spent in meeting and multiply it by the hourly salary of each participant. Do your meetings bring that much benefit to the club?
If a club follows the correct procedures for a meeting, they will tend to flow smoothly, run on time and be an effective and fair source for decision making. In some cases there are now defined procedures and in other cases the procedures are so defined and restrictive that both groups achieve the same result - virtually no worthwhile decisions. Meeting procedures are set up to:
Annual General Meetings (AGM)
The club rules should stipulate those matters which should be discussed at the AGM. All other matters come under the classification of special business. These should be considered at a special meeting unless members have given prior notice they want it to be discussed at the annual meeting.
Members review the plan of the club over the past year and facilitate the planning for the forthcoming year at the annual meeting. This structure of an AGM has been well tried and tested by community based organisations:
The chairperson
welcomes everyone and outlines events of the past year.
Apologies: The Secretary reads out apologies from those unable
to attend. A motion that these be accepted is moved and carried.
Minutes of the last meeting: The minutes for last year's annual
meeting are read. A motion these be accepted is moved and carried.
Matters arising: Any matters arising from last year's minutes are
dealt with.
Correspondence: All correspondence bar letters of apologies will
be remits, notices of motion and should therefore be on the agenda in
the appropriate place.
Report from the Chair: The chairperson should deliver the Annual
Report on the activities of the year. It should include information on
the club review and plans for the future. Discussion on the report can
proceed once it has been moved, the report been adopted, and a seconder
to the motion has been found. If the secretary intends to give a report
this is the appropriate point in the meeting.
Annual Statement of Audited Accounts (or Treasurer’ s Report): The
treasurer presents the balance sheet and annual statement of accounts
which have been approved by the auditor. He or she should move they be
adopted. Discussion can take place once the motion finds a seconder.
Election of new members: In some clubs members can only join through
being elected. This is normally carried out verbally but there may be
cases when a secret ballot is required.
Reports from sub-committee or other delegated persons: Such reports
should outline activities carried out any may present recommendations
for the meeting to consider for adoption.
Election of officers: At this point the chairperson, secretary,
treasurer and incoming committee should be elected. There are a number
of ways this can be carried out. Outgoing committee members should be
thanked for their service.
Election of auditor: Usually the auditor has been approached prior
to the meeting and agreed to take the job provided the club members are
agreeable.
Optional guest speaker: The guest speaker should be a relevant
personality and time for questioning should be made available. Pass a
vote of thanks to the speaker.
Motions on notice: There is provision for motions presented a set
period before the meeting to be considered. The motions should appear
on the agenda with a brief outline as to the purpose of the remit so members
can be well prepared for any debate on the issue. Motions can be amended
at the meeting before being put.
General business: Matters not already covered fall under general
business. These are usually items which can be swiftly dealt with.
Date of next meeting:
Close: The chairman can now declare the meeting closed. He should
stand up to indicate the end of the official business.
1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Confirmation of previous Minutes (or Minutes of the last meeting)
4. Minutes are signed as a true and correct record
5. Matters Arising not on the agenda
6. Inward and Outward Correspondence
7. President or Chairperson's report
8. Financial Report Accounts for payment, income received
9. Committee reports in order of need for discussion
10. Special Projects
11. General Business
12. Closure and date of next meeting
Special Meetings
The timing and reason for calling special meetings must fall within the scope of the rules. Notices of a special meeting must clearly outline the urgent business to be considered and any motions to be considered. There may be a need to include proxy voting forms for those members unable to attend.
Special meetings are usually only for major changes to constitutions/rules. Check your club's constitution for ruling on voting by proxy and the type of voting form to be used.
Committee Meetings
The primary committee is the management committee elected at the AGM. It in turn appoints other committees and gives them tasks and job descriptions, determined in consultation with the relevant committee. Club rules outline the structure of committees. The rules should state how the committee is elected, how it should function, how often it should meet, how long members should serve and who is eligible to serve on the committee.
Many clubs have a meeting time which has been etched in tradition - for example 7.30pm at the clubrooms on the first Wednesday of each month. There is, therefore, no need to send out reminder notices. Whatever the tradition it is better to keep matters formal. The club secretary should issue a notice of the meeting attaching the agenda, minutes of the last meeting, the financial statement and written material related to important items due to be considered at the meeting.
By nature, committee members tend to be people with heavy workloads in their everyday life. Keep them in touch with what is happening. It is poor administration to drop major issues on committee members and expect them to make a reasoned decision at a moment's notice.
To prevent decision making falling into the hands of too few, the constitution should specify a quorum (a minimum number of people required to give a meeting the ability to make legal decisions). The chairperson should not allow a meeting to proceed unless a quorum is present. He should adjourn the meeting if the numbers fall below that of a quorum at any stage of the meeting. Discussion can still take place but any decision must be ratified when a quorum is present.
Social Meetings
As social meetings are generally informal, the need for written advice is lessened. Often social functions are held regularly at the same time and place. For one-off social or educational meetings, written advice to all members should be adopted.
Social meetings can make a big contribution to the well-being of the club, bonding members and boosting morale. Well organised social functions which offer the chance for enjoyment and discussion in enjoyable surroundings are best.
Before the Meeting
At the Meeting
Motions
The Rules of Debate require that all business be put forward as a positive statement of action called a "motion". A motion is a formal recommendation put to a meeting for debate and consideration.
Understanding Motions
All items of business or issues requiring a decision must be presented to the meeting as motions which if passed, will then become resolutions.
All motions should be proposed by the "mover" in front of the chairperson and then supported (seconded) by another committee member before any discussion can take place on the item. Example: "Club fees should be increased by 15% next year".
The proposer then explains the motion to support it. The seconder has the right to speak immediately or wait till the end of the debate.
The chairperson then calls for speakers alternately for and against the motion. At the end of the debate, the proposer can reply. A vote is taken. The secretary should record the motion, who proposed and seconded it and whether it was carried.
Summary
Amendments
Any speaker can move an amendment to the motion. When this happens, people speak for and against the amended motion. The amendment must be put before voting on the original motion. If the amended motion is carried, the debate continues on the amended motion. If the amended motion is lost, discussion moves back to the original motion.
Summary
Procedural Motions
Procedural Motions are used to speed things up. Generally, a procedural motion is voted on immediately. If "that the questions now be put" is passed, then a vote is taken on the motion without further discussion.
Debate can be terminated by passing "that the meeting proceed to the next business" or "that the meeting is adjourned". Individual speeches can be shortened by the motion "that speakers be limited to five minutes each".
If the chairperson feels that a consensus cannot be reached the motion can be allocated to a group/committee for review and reopened at the next meeting. It may happen that the acceptance or decline of a motion may not have settled matters - in this case it is better that the issue be referred to a working group.
Where a motion is voted on and votes are equal the chairperson may have a casting vote. In general this casting vote is for the "status quo", i.e. the position that existed prior and which the motion seeks to change.
Voting at Meetings
The Chairperson must have a clear understanding of the voting right of members. (See your club's constitution). There are several ways of voting. Choose the one most appropriate to your situation - don't opt for a secret ballot when you know everyone in the room agrees on an issue.
General agreement - why put it to the vote if it seems everyone is in agreement? The Chairperson can say "Do we all agree that...? Does anyone disagree?"
Verbal - the chairperson asks people to raise their hand to either "aye" or "no" and counts the hands. This is useful where a precise vote count is required.
Show of hands - the chairperson asks people to raise their hand to either "aye" or "no" and counts the hands. This is useful where a precise vote count is required.
Individual vote - the chairperson asks each person in turn for their view. This is better suited to small groups - it prevents anyone from fence-sitting.
Secret ballot - individuals vote on paper and two elected people - often committee members - count the votes. Suitable for elections.
Proxy - individuals who are absent can give someone else the power to cast their vote. Proxy votes are permitted only if the constitution allows for them and are usually bound by strict rules to prevent unfair lobbying e.g. votes may be cast only in writing a week in advance.
Postal - again, these are only permitted if the constitution allows them. The member should be sure of their position on an issue as they will not get to hear all the arguments.