The road to a successful committee

1. The Charge Disengagement Resort (members only) The road to a successful committee Mountains of work Distraction Point Disorganization Swamp Successful committee

2. Goals of this workshop: • Discuss the types and functions of committees • Explore committee missions and charges • Explore the responsibilities of the chairperson • Discuss the committee’s make-up • Discuss how to compile an agenda • Strategize on ways to accomplish the committee’s work • Discuss how to conduct a meeting, from opening to adjournment

3. Definition of a committee According to Merriam-Webster: • “a body of persons delegated to consider, investigate, take action on, or report on some matter; • “a self-constituted organization for the promotion of a commonobject “

4. Meeting vs Committee Meeting • May or may not have a chair • Participants • May or may not vote • Inform a group • Responsible to stakeholders? • May or may not have minutes Committee • Chair, secretary • Participants • Voting • Tasks • Informative • Responsible to stakeholders • Minutes generated Has structure

5. Activity I: Why have committees? • It’s more effective to put heads together. • Committees: • Are more efficient than trying to accomplish the a charge with the full array of stakeholders • Often develop solutions not previously considered by an individual • Distribute a workload that would be too much for a single individual……see next slide for more

6. Committees also: • Promote a more balanced outcome • May serve as training for future leaders in the community • Create faculty buy-in for the missions of the college.

7. Costs vs benefits of using committee governance Costs • Time-consuming • Hard work Benefits • Maintains quality of product (accreditation approval) • Provides diverse points of view • More brain power, better solutions • Promotes stakeholder investment IF stakeholders believe they have a voice So be respectful of people’s time and efforts. Say “thanks” to the members/attendees

8. For an effective committee… • Committees need structure: • Chair • Secretary • Other positions, if needed (i.e., co-chair, treasurer, parliamentarian) • Every committee needs to have a mission and a charge. • Yogi Berra said “if you don’t know where you are going, you end up somewhere else”.

9. Mission and charge • How does a mission differ from a charge? • Both should be clear and compelling. • Which issues need to be addressed? • What is the scope? • Why is this committee necessary? Mission:Charge: Fill a Provost’s position-----------------------------------------------review, interview, present three excellent candidates

10. Who gives a charge to a committee? • Administrators • Indirectly, an accrediting agency • Committee Chairperson • Who needs to ALSO know the charges? • Anyone else with a role in choosing the committee membership

11. Get SMARTwhen you charge • S=SPECIFIC, (SCOPE) • M=MEASURABLE • A=ATTAINABLE • R=REALISTIC • T=TIME FRAME

12. Populating the committee • Look for faculty with skills that align with committee charges • Keep in mind that diversity is a good thing • Select those who can make time for a committee with a labor-intensive, big charge • Check the committee assignment list so that a particular faculty member isn’t overburdened by committee work

13. The chairperson

14. Before the meeting • Schedule a meeting: consider a standing meeting schedule (every Friday at 9 AM). • Easier to cancel than to schedule • Schedule so that everyone can plan and manage tasks • Consider alternate meeting sites (two campuses) • Announcing the meeting: have some sort of RSVP- • Consider an email with a reply notification • Attachments • Need a quorum • Prepare the agenda

15. During the meeting During the meeting • Appoint a timekeeper and a note-taker (digital recorder is helpful as well) • Jot down who speaks next so that hands may be put down • Responsible for moving the group through the goals of the committee charges • Listen • Rephrase the views on the table • Break down the charge into do-able tasks • Set deadlines for tasks • Ask for opinions from different points of view • Make sure everyone speaks • Watch body language (yawning, checking phones, fidgeting) • Make minor judgment calls

16. After the meeting: • Remind committee members of tasks and deadlines before the next meeting by email. • Send rough draft of meeting notes • Begin preparing for the next meeting

17. The AGENDA “Failing to plan is planning to fail”- from MindTools.com

18. Preparing the agenda • Approval of the minutes • Committee reports • “Old” or “Unfinished business • Time-sensitive item. Otherwise… • Start with an item likely to have the least controversy and the easiest vote • Follow with the hardest item on the agenda • Set approximate times for each bullet point on the agenda • Be sure to add time for Q & A, discussion • Is this item likely to be controversial? • Solicit new business items • Send agenda in advance of the meeting

19. Conducting the meeting

20. The Meeting • Start the meeting on time • Review the charges of the committee to focus the energy • Request that everyone write down their opinions on the agenda items before the business commences • Committee votes may stay more true to what they write down rather than yield to strong personalities • Stick to the agenda and times allotted for each item

21. Minutes • Appoint, elect a recorder • If tasks were assigned, send out meeting notes to assignees as a reminder • Assigned-tasks are reiterated, allowing plenty of time to accomplish them • Share the approved minutes with the administration and departmental chairs

22. How can you engage your members? • Have committee members do a SWOT analysis or • Lightning-round brainstorming or nominal group exercise • Give each member a task or assign them to a sub-committee that supports the committee’s work • Be sure each member speaks at the meeting. • Press for an opinion, if someone has been disengaged • Request people limit use of computers, iPads, smart phones to meeting business

23. Sub-committees or task forces • What about a large or complex charge/goal? • Assign parts of the goal to small groups • Be sure there is diversity in the sub-groups • Designate a sub-group leader to keep projects on task and to prepare summary reports • Set a realistic deadline for tasks

24. Meeting reports • The meeting reports from sub-committees should be submitted to the Chair and circulated several days (3-5) in advance of the meeting • The meeting is NOT the time to read these reports. • The meeting IS the TIME to discuss these reports and vote on outcomes

25. The meeting discussion • For each action item: • As needed, the Chairperson should rephrase the discussion so that the consensus view is clearly & succinctly stated • Help the group move towards closure of items that need a decision and vote

26. New business • Make a note if new issues that come up and discuss if there is time or put them on the next meeting’s agenda as “new business”

27. Committee Meeting Wrap-up • Announcements (remember to add time for this) • Check with secretary regarding questions he/she might have for minutes, especially “new business” • Review action items • Confirm next meeting date, time and location

28. Finish the meeting on time Be respectful of people’s time and schedules

29. Responsibilities of committee members • If you RSVP, make every effort to attend meetings and arrive on time. • Read pre-meeting material and make notes before the meeting so that business can be discussed and voted upon. • Try not to agree to attend meetings scheduled so close together during a day that you have to leave on early to attend another • If you agree to a task, perform task prior to due date submit a report to chair before the meeting • Unless there are emergencies, make every attempt to put electronic devices aside during the meeting • Be respectful to everyone on the committee, even if you disagree (“agree to disagree”) • But, voice your opinion • Report back to your department, during departmental meetings

30. Impediments to a great team • Chairs or members who find it difficult to delegate or relinquish control, respectively • Conflicts between members • Not knowing each other well enough • Communication skills of the group • Resistance to collaboration by any member • Resistance to change by any member • Lack confidence in the administration and process

31. Members disengage WHEN: • there is no charge to the committee, • the Chair is unprepared, • the Chair does not control the meeting, • a committee is perceived to only record a vote pro forma, • committee members do not have a say, • committee members do not trust the chair, • some committee members are frequently absent, • some committee members are distracted by their electronics or side conversations, • charges become stagnant

32. Assessment of the committees • Ask your committee members! • What works, what doesn’t. • What can be improved.