Starting a community group

The key tasks of the chair during the meeting are:

• getting through the business on time
• involving everyone
• reaching decisions
• dealing with difficult people.

Here are some tips on each of these areas:
 
1.    Getting through the business

It's very frustrating for everyone if a meeting doesn't deal with the business it needs to, or if it drags on for hours. People leave feeling demoralised and irritated - and quite possibly won't come back.  Here are a few tips:

• have a clear agenda with rough timings
• briefly introduce each agenda item (or get someone else to)
• never assume people know what you're talking about. Take time to go over the issues and explain why you are discussing them
• always keep an eye on the time and move items on if necessary. Make sure you've got a watch or can see a clock
• stick to the agenda item under discussion. If people try to raise other issues, or go off-topic, acknowledge them, but don't get drawn in, e.g. "That's an important point which we can come back to later..."
• stop private conversations and asides as soon as they start
• tell the meeting what decisions you are making and why - e.g. "I'm going to give this discussion another 5 minutes and then draw it to a close."

Remember:

• do not use your position as an opportunity to impose your views. You are there to facilitate the meeting, not dominate it
• keep an overview - remember your role as chair
• listen to other people
• make sure all viewpoints get heard - including those you disagree with
• do not be under-assertive. You've been given a role, and people will be looking to you. Do not be afraid of speaking out.

2.    Involving everyone

Have you ever been at a meeting where no one spoke out against a particular proposal, but you discover afterwards that lots of people didn't agree with it? This happens far too often and means there will only be half-hearted support for the group's decisions.

You want to hear everyone's views, and make sure everyone is included and involved in the meeting.  There are two sides to this:

• restraining those who talk too much
• encouraging those who are quiet, nervous, or new to meetings.

Ideally, you want an atmosphere where there can be genuine debate and discussion. People should be able to disagree with each other and listen to different opinions in a way that is constructive and moves everyone on.  This takes time to develop, and requires the involvement of the whole group, but there are things the chair can do to help:

Some tips on involving people:

• if lots of people want to speak, keep a list of whose turn it is to speak next to remind you. Make sure people know you have noticed that they want to speak
• stop people from talking for too long. Be firm and consistent but not aggressive. If someone is talking for a long time, interrupt them and say something like "thank you for your contribution, you've raised some interesting points. I'm going to stop you there for the moment so other people can comment on this issue."
• give preference to people who haven't spoken before. Say something like "I know you've got your hand up, John, but I'm going to take Mary first as she hasn't spoken yet."
• give opportunities to everyone to put forward their point of view. Ask questions to draw people out, for instance "Does anyone else have any thoughts on this issue?" or " Is there anyone who hasn't spoken yet who would like to say something?"
• try going round each person in turn to get their views on a topic, but remember that this will only work in a small meeting
• stop people from interrupting. Step in immediately with, "Hold on, let x finish what they have to say". Make sure you don't forget to come back to the person who interrupted when it's their turn
• make sure you don't ignore people who have their hands up in favour of those who are interrupting
• listen carefully to what people are saying, and make sure their suggestions and considered by the meeting
• make sure people expressing unpopular or minority views get heard properly and aren't intimidated out of saying what they think.

3.    Reaching decisions

It's easy for discussions to wander around and then drift away without any decision or action agreed. Or discussions get bogged down, with no one taking responsibility for finding a way through.

The chair needs to keep an overview and help the meeting to reach decisions. Don't worry if you can't do this straight away - it's one of the most difficult bits of chairing, and it takes confidence and practice to do well.

A few tips:

• listen carefully to the discussion and jot down key points
• at the start of a discussion, remind people what the issue is, and what decisions need to be made
• see if you can pull together the points people are making and suggest a constructive way forward. For instance, you might begin 'It seems we agree that..."
• if there are two or three different points of view, try to summarise each one and present them clearly to the meeting
• before you move on to the next item, go over what has been agreed. This is a way of checking you did all agree the same thing and helps the minute-taker to get a clear record
• before you move on, check that you've decided who will do whatever it is you've agreed on. If you don't, either nothing will happen, or the person who always does everything will end up with yet another task
• do not assume silence means agreement. Make sure people have been able to say what they think.

4.    Dealing with difficult people

The chair can have to deal with 'difficult' people - the person who talks non-stop, or the person who 'knows it all', or the person who is just focused on one particular issue. There are no easy answers, but the general way you conduct the meeting will make a difference.

Here are some tips. Remember that the majority of people at the meeting will be supporting your efforts.

• remind people of the meeting rules, and that everyone has agreed to these
• be firm and consistent - don't allow difficult people to get away with things and then come down hard on people you find easier
• when two people get into a heated discussion, summarise the points made by each, then move the focus away from the individuals by asking what other people think about the issues
• when someone keeps repeating the same point, assure them that their point has been heard, and then turn the discussion back to the group
• if someone is continually criticising try to turn the question round to them, for instance "what suggestions do you have for how this could be improved?" or "what would you do in this situation?"
• on rare occasions you may have to deal with someone who is really disruptive in a meeting and won't listen to any of your helpful suggestions. If this happens, try asking the group for support - e.g. 'do people want to spend more time on this discussion or move on to the next topic?' This will make it clear to the person involved that everyone, not just the chairperson, wants to move on