Leadership and managerial effectiveness skills add to the qualities and competencies that distinguish a successful chairperson from the ordinary middle and top management. This article will explain what makes an effective chairperson.
The role of a chairperson in corporate management
The chairperson, whose main function is to integrate the group and facilitate the efficient running of the meeting, is often referred to as the “facilitator” chairperson. The chairman can perform various functions. The roles of a traditional chair of a formal meeting and those of a chair facilitator leading an informal or consensus meeting are different. However, it should be noted that the listed functions are typical for chairs of both types.
The chairman presiding over the meeting must:
- Prepare in advance for your role (read the agenda, view the list of speakers and the draft resolution)
- Be punctual
- Start a meeting at a fixed time
- Ensure that all formalities are observed (keeping records, etc.)
- Supervise the maintenance of order in the hall
- Work and lead the meeting solely on the agenda
- Represent speakers, if necessary
- Follow the rules of speaking
- Lead and direct the discussion; if necessary, ask clarifying questions to the speaker
- Make a final speech, summing up the results of the meeting, and recall the date of the next event.
The result of the meeting is naturally the tasks assigned to employees or nothing (in the case of an informative meeting). Otherwise, the chairman of the meeting has complete freedom, which is inconvenient and unprofitable to limit something. It follows from this that the board software for automating meetings should have an optimal set of ready-made functionality related directly to meetings, the most flexible customization options, and BPM tools. In this case, a compromise between a system that tries to put things in order in the organization’s business processes and the creative freedom of its employees will be found.
3 Laws of effective board meeting every chairperson should know
- Prepare for the meeting
Invite only those participants who can help achieve the goal. Choose a suitable location for the meeting and provide the necessary equipment. Prepare an agenda. Schedule meetings between thirty minutes and two hours, and always schedule fewer tasks than the group can complete. Try to keep the meeting as short as possible, as far as the goals to be achieved allow. Gather all the information you need for the meeting ahead of time.
- Follow the rules of the meeting
Always start on time. Start simple. Quick success often drives the success of the entire meeting. Keep minutes of the meeting. Note each participant’s contribution. Try to give everyone a chance to speak and be grateful for people willing to discuss a difficult issue. Highlight and summarize meeting milestones.
- End the meeting with a debrief
Don’t go over a set time limit: make a promise to yourself to finish on time. Keep track of the time or ask one of the participants to do so. Remind the group how much time is left and how many issues are still outstanding. If time is running out, choose priority tasks, and set aside the rest. The benchmark for the end of the meeting can be when all the goals are achieved or attempt to achieve them have exhausted themselves, or the time has run out.