We re counting on everybody here to suggest areas

“We ‟ re counting on everybody here to suggest areas where we can cut losses. Once
we ‟ ve come up with ideas, I ‟ ll ask each of you to work out a schedule for putting the
ideas to work in your department.”
Preview the Meeting If you have not already done so, outline how the meeting will run.
For instance:
“We ‟ ll begin by hearing the reports from Tom and Chris. Then we ‟ ll all work together to
brainstorm a list of ways to cut losses. The goal here will be to get as many ideas as
possible. Once we ‟ ve come up with a list, we can decide which ideas to use and how to
make them work.”
Identify Time Constraints Clarify how much time is available to prevent wasting time. In
some cases, it ‟ s only necessary to remind the group of how much time can be spent in
the meeting as a whole (“We can develop this list between now and 11 o ‟ clock if we
keep on track”). In other cases, it can be useful to preview the time available for each
agenda item:
“Tom and Chris have promised to keep their remarks brief, so by 10 o ‟ clock we should
be ready to start brainstorming. If we get our list put together by 10:30, we ‟ ll still have a
half hour to talk about which ideas to try and how to put them into action.”
Following these guidelines will get your meeting off to a good start. Even if you are not
in charge of the meeting, you can still make sure that the opening is a good one by asking
questions that will get the leader to share the kind of information just listed:
“How much time do you expect we ‟ ll need?”
“How far do you expect we ‟ ll get today!”
Part Four Working in Groups Effective Meetings Chapter 9
“What can we do to help solve the problem?”
And so on.
Conducting Business
No meeting will be successful without committed, talented participants. But even the best
attendees do not guarantee success. Someone – either the leader or a responsible member
– has to be sure that all important business is covered in a way that takes advantage of the
talents of everyone present.
Parliamentary Procedure Parliamentary procedure is a set of rules that governs the way

groups conduct business and make decisions in meetings. The term may bring up images
of legislators using obscure rules to achieve political goals. (“Madam Chairperson, I
move we set aside the order of business and refer this motion to the committee of the
whole …”)
While parliamentary procedure can be a form of gamesmanship, when used sensibly it
can be a useful tool for managing group meetings. This approach can keep discussions
clear and efficient while safeguarding the rights of everyone involved in deliberations.
When to use parliamentary procedure There are several situations when parliamentary
procedure is an appropriate way to operate a meeting:
 When a group’s decisions will be of interest to an external audience. This approach
provides a record of the group ‟ s operations (the “minutes” of meetings), so interested