Advisor Information

The general meeting of the organization may be the only time that the entire group gets together as a whole. Many times, students will want to socialize throughout the meeting, sometimes creating a distraction for the officers presenting reports to the body. As an advisor, you should encourage the members to have an effective and efficient meeting. If people are not listening or paying attention, they may miss important information about upcoming activities. The following six steps can help officers with running an effective meeting.

1. Define the purpose of the meeting.
2. Remain flexible during the meeting depending upon discussion and members’ issues.
3. Prepare an agenda with time frames.
4. Engage members in discussion.
5. Clarify the important issues.
6. Summarize discussions and develop plans of action.

If the officers appear efficient and useful with their time, this may carry over to the entire group. When group members know that the meeting will last a certain length of time they may be more willing to stay attentive throughout its duration. You could encourage the officers to try to have the meeting in 45 minutes and leave 15 minutes for socializing at the end. Under this timeline, group members would be there for just an hour and have had time to get the information they need and socialize with friends. Members will feel much better about the officers and the organization if meetings are efficient and effective.