Effective meetings

School Councils

Planning for effective meetings • Planning

What do you want from the meeting?What do you need to achieve?

• Notifying people

Who is invited? Set a date and time

• Preparation

Make an agenda

Decide what needs to be decided, what needs to be discussed, what needs to be advised

Allow time for each agenda item

Effective meetings (continued)• Meeting processes

Controlling the meeting

Understanding roles

• Keeping a record

Keeping notes from the meeting

What to do with action items (decisions)

Roles• Chairperson/convenor

Prepares and runs the meeting

Ensures the meeting stays on track and on time

• Secretary/recorder

Keeps notes (minutes) during the meeting and writes them up after the meeting

• Meeting participants

Have a say, stay involved, listen to each other

Quorum• A quorum is the number of people required to be present at a meeting

before a valid decision can be made

• A quorum is achieved at a school council meeting if not less than one half of the members of the school council currently holding office are present and a majority of the members present are not DEECD employees

• A parent member who is also a DEECD employee is counted as a DEECD representative for quorum purposes

• In the event of a tied vote, the presiding member has a second or a casting vote.

Members’ responsibilities

• Be on time or send an apology if you are unable to attend

• Listen without interrupting

• Listen to understand

• Think before you speak

• Don’t speak for the sake of it

• Be fair in your criticism

• Make sure you understand what’s been decided

More on the people side• Set and agree on the rules of how the meeting is to

work

What behaviour is allowed, what is not allowed

Open or closed meeting

• Be clear on roles - especially the chairperson’s role

• Manage time

The meeting itself• Open the meeting

Welcome everyone

Ensure people have received their papers

• Conduct the discussion

See next slide

• Summarise the meeting

Point out main discussions and any decisions made

• Close the meeting

Thank people for coming

Structure of a discussion• State the issue or topic of discussion

• Hear the facts

• Listen to people’s arguments, experiences, opinions

• Reach a conclusion on what’s wanted

• Make a decision

• Record the decision

Minutes of the meetingThe minutes of the meeting must record:

• date, time, place of meeting, attendees and chairperson and apologies received

• agenda items discussed

• all decisions including the names of the movers, seconders and if decision carried or rejected

• time the meeting ended

• date, time and place of next meeting

Meeting checklist• People notified - time, date, venue

• Agenda set and sent in advance

• Discussion papers sent in advance with a recommendation on what is required from the meeting – e.g.

For information

For a decision- that is, a recommendation

• Check any actions required following last meeting

For more information• http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management

/governance/schoolcouncils/role.htm

(What is a school council and what does it do?)

• http://www.ourcommunity.com.au for Help Sheets on running a meeting