Tips for Chairing a Chapter Meeting

Leading the Way Guide Contents

An effective chapter leader will conduct meetings in a way that will encourage participation by all
attendees in a creative yet structured, efficient manner. While some leaders prefer to strictly follow “Roberts Rules of Order,” others do not use rules of parliamentary procedure whatsoever. On the one hand, some creativity is stifled by the “Rules,” while on the other hand, a lack of order results in “meeting chaos” with no actionable items. Perhaps the most effective way to conduct a meeting is somewhere in between these diverse approaches.

The following suggestions incorporate some parliamentary procedures and some practical experience that may help you conduct effective and efficient meetings.

• Provide structure to the meeting by creating an agenda that is distributed to the attendees in advance of the meeting.
• Review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting and ask the attendees if they wish to follow the agenda as outlined or to make changes. Once agreed upon, stick to the agenda.
• Once the agenda has been approved by the attendees, a motion is not required on each agenda item to initiate discussion.
• When reports are presented (e.g., financial, membership, committee), the reports may be
  “accepted as presented” if there are no corrections, additions or deletions, even though there may be questions and/or discussion about the report. If the report is changed in any way, then a motion with a second is required and a vote should be taken.
• On items of business, try to use a consensus approach on non-controversial decisions. This encourages the group process and allows for “buy-in,” even by those opposed to the decision, at a later date without alienating them by a vote. The chair asks if there is any objection to adopting or approving the discussion item. If none, then the minutes reflects that “it was the consensus of the committee that…”

• On items of business where there is no clear agreement on a single course of action, use a motion, second and vote to conduct the business. Such a motion may be amended and debated. The chair asks for a motion. The person making the motion states, “I move that…” A person “seconds” the motion and then the chair moderates the discussion. When all sides have been heard, the chair calls for the vote with a majority needed for passage. The minutes should reflect who made the motion, who seconded the motion, any key points on all sides of the debate and the results of the vote (e.g., passed or failed).
• Every effort should be made to avoid a roll-call vote of the meeting attendees or to record in the minutes the number or who voted for and against a measure. Doing so can result in a division of the group and may affect future discussions and decisions.
• When all of the agenda items have been addressed by the group, the chair may ask for any further business. If there is no further business and no objections, the chair may adjourn the meeting. The minutes would reflect that “with no further business and without objection, the meeting adjourned.”
• If the meeting is ended prior to all agenda items being discussed, the chair would ask for a motion to adjourn the meeting. The person making the motion states, “I move to adjourn the meeting.” This motion requires a second, is not amendable and not debatable. The chair then conducts the vote on adjournment which requires a majority to pass.