8/10/2019 Role of Chairperson

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Meetings 2: the role o f the chairperson

Before the meeting

Hilary Rhodes is a management consultant

who specializes in meeting skills:

A go od chairperson has to be a good

organizer. Wh at they d o before the meeting

is as im port ant as the meeting itself. They

should ma ke sure the agen da (the list of

things t o be d iscussed) is complete by

asking those involved wh at sho uld be on it

an d then circulating (distributing) it to

everyone concerned. They should check

the venue, making sure the room will be

free, with out interruptions, until the end

of the meeting.

During the meeting

Th e chairperson should be a good timekeeper. They should start the meeting on

time, without waiting for latecomers.

They should app oint a minute-taker t o take the minutes, making sure that op inions

and action points (wh ere participants agree to d o somethin g) are noted.

They should m ake sure each point o n the agenda is allocated the time it deserves and

should keep to the timetable. When the time allocated to o ne point is up, the chair

should m ake sure that discussion moves o n to the ne xt point, even if th e issue has

not been completely covered or resolved (decided).

The chair should make sure that each participant has the chance to m ake their point,

and should deal tactfully with disagreements, making sure that each side feels their

point of view has been noted. They shou ld also try to avoid digressions, w here

people get off the point.

Finally, they sho uld ensure th e meeting finishes on time, or early.

Follow up

After som e meetings, it s necessary for th e minu tes t o be circulate d, especially if the re

are action points that particular people are responsible for.

At the next meeting, the chair shou ld ask for the minutes t o be read o ut an d see if all

agree that it is an accurate record of wh at h appened, and see if there are any m atters

arising (any points from the last meeting th at need t o be discussed). And they sho uld

check w hat progress has been ma de o n the action points fro m the previous meeting.

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usiness Vocabulary in Use

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55 1

Replace the under l ined phrases in th i s a r t ic le wi th th e cor rec t express ions f rom

A

a n d B opposi te.

donytknow how

to chair a meeting

I ve been asked to chair a meeting about the Christmas

office party, but

I m

incred ibly nervous as I ve never

chaired one before. Is there a secret for success?

have chaired a meeting

bu t as you've probably b een to lots you'll have

seen i t don e well and badly Th ink about the

things that please and annoy you and build

on them. 1) Make sure everyone has the

ziienda well in advance, and check that you

know enough about the par t i c ipants and

issues to be discussed. Arrange for the

(2)

room to be cool rather than wa rm; people will

be less likely to go to sleep.

See yourself as a referee whose job it is to

ensure fair play through careful watching and

listening. You must ensure that the timid have

a chance to

3)

ay what they want; deal

4)

in

a diploma tic with the argumentative an d

to be kind to the

5)

person you have asked-

take notes. Getting that individu al on your side

is essential if you want the record to reflect

your desired outcomes. It's normal to suggest

what should be left out of the minutes and

how any difficult bits should be phrased . Make

sure you stick to the 6) time you ~h ave ll

for each

p o i ~ ~ ~

nd keep things moving by not

letting people 7) xa nd ero ff the subject . Get

decisions made and recorded, even

i

it5 only

to postpone matters until the next meeting. If

someone is being difficult, defuse things by

offering to continue the discussion personally

at a more app ropriate time.

If the meeting is likely to be more than a

cou ple of ho urs long, try to include a break at

the mid-point; i t acts as a marker and stops

people getting restless.

Aim to leave everyone feeling they have

had a chance to say what they wanted to Tay

an d gain la5ting an d well-deserved popu larity

by fini5hing 8) w h en yo u said th e m e e t a

would finish

55 2

L o o k a t

A,

B a n d

C

oppos it e . Ma t ch t he ve rbs

1-7)

w i t h t he n ouns ( a-g) t ha t t hey go w i t h .

1

t a k e

a

a minute- taker

2

a p p o i n t b t he mi nu t e s

circulate

c

t ime

al locate

d

t he agenda

5

m o v e o n

e

t o t h e n e x t p o i n t

6 avo i d f o n t i me

7

finish digressions

usiness Vocabu lary in U se 9