Getting the Most From Your Meeting

Are your association members attending your meetings? What do they want from your association? Are they more interested in education than business meetings? If your association is experiencing poor attendance, find out what the members want and why they do or do not attend. Today many people are more time and family conscious. It may be time to evaluate the association’s meeting structure to see what alternatives will motivate members to be active participants. Consider lunch time educational sessions to interest those members who will not attend evening meetings. Ask members if they want a meeting or educational speaker each month. When you try to find out what the members want, you not only involve them, but you also let them know you are interested in their ideas.

If only a few members accept the majority of the association’s responsibilities, these members may be prime candidates for “member burnout.” This is not unusual, but it is very serious. Associations with only a few doing the job of many must carefully evaluate the value and importance of each job, each responsibility, each program, and each event.

Poor attendance is often a symptom of uninteresting programs, lack of leadership, or unfriendly members. Poor attendance may also be an indicator that the members in your association have alternate desires to what the association is providing at its meetings. Perhaps less business and more education is the solution. Good leaders will explore many alternatives and take steps to implement change. Change for the sake of change will not be the solution, but change for the sake of the success of the association may make a very positive difference.

Successful meetings are not accidents. They are planned and prepared for. Successful associations are also the result of thoughtful planning and preparation. (See Planning Your Meetings for more details.)

A few helpful hints:

• Always start meetings at the scheduled time; don’t wait for the member who is always late.
• Don’t take the time of those who arrived on time to bring the latecomer up to date on meeting progress.
• Announce expected adjournment time; members with family and other responsibilities will appreciate knowing how long to plan for childcare, etc.
• Conduct only the necessary business; do not force members to consider the business which can be more efficiently handled by the board; members want to have a voice but do not want to be taken advantage of.
• Be sure all reports are positive, upbeat, and informative. Do not require reports from those committees that have nothing to report.
• Always include information about your state and national associations. Many members are unable to actively participate in their professional association at all three levels. It is vital to their understanding and appreciation of their tri-level professional membership that associations provide state and national information regularly.
• Welcome new members; introduce them to others; discourage cliques among members — it is not unusual for members from the same firms or offices to congregate together; new members often feel isolated and on the outside. Successful associations make all members feel equal and important.
• Avoid the outdated tradition of “initiating” new members. A simple handshake and presentation of a new member packet of materials will be far more effective. Your association is neither a sorority nor a social club; a professional welcome will convey the appropriate message to new members.
• Communicate teamwork and team spirit in all you do.
• Telephone members to remind them of meetings.
• Have greeters at the door to make guests welcome.
• Make sure members, guests, and speakers interact.
• Have officers sit at different tables instead of all at one table; it looks like a clique!
• Write a letter to members who have missed three meetings inquiring as to absence–something that we can do?
• Have nametags distinguishing members, guests, and speakers.

Choose a Good Meeting Site: A good meeting site can help ensure that people and speakers interact. It can create a sense of professionalism and relaxation. Choose locations for:

• Convenience and/or location — some associations always meet in the same location so no one has to think about where the meeting is each time. Other associations prefer to move the location around to make it convenient for the most number of members. Suggestion: Poll your membership to see what your members prefer.
• Comfort — if you meet at the end of the day or early evening, this is particularly important. Few will come if the site does not allow for some comfortable social activity.
• Neutrality — if there are problems to be discussed, make sure the playing ground is level.
• Make sure parking is safe and validate to cut costs of attendance at meeting.

A poor facility carries a message to potential members that we are not professional. If we are to attract the best in the industry as well as interest the best of the young people, we must present a professional image to the legal community and the general public.

The arrangement of the room depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to:

• Create face-to-face communication, group interaction — use U-shape table arrangement.
• Create a training or instruction meeting — set up a classroom arrangement in herringbone pattern.
• This permits participants to see one another and provides workspace.
• Pack in the people — use an auditorium or theater arrangement.
• Discourage discussion, group interaction — auditorium or theater arrangement
• Make presentations — set up an amphitheater style. It allows speakers to be extremely close to every member in audience. (Not suitable for day-long meetings where note taking is required.)
• Encourage mix and mingle — a few chairs in small groups or around small tables; leave large open spaces in the center of the room.

State Guidelines: Have chapters bid to sponsor state meetings. The presentation should include proposed dates, hotel room rates, and special functions planned. Meet with several hotels to compare available meeting room space, sleeping rooms, parking rates, and food prices.

1. Sleeping Rooms

a. Obtain price of rooms for single, double, triple, and quadruple occupancy.

b. DO NOT GUARANTEE use of rooms without prior approval.

2. Try to obtain meeting rooms at no charge.

The chapter should choose a member to serve as the meeting chairman. This member is someone who is able to work well with the chapter members, is prompt to attention to duties, and is dedicated to a well-planned meeting. The meeting chairman will work closely with the state president and meetings coordinator in planning all of the meeting activities and will report regularly to state president, meetings coordinator, and chapter board of directors.

In the following pages, there are copies of additional tools to help you with planning local and state meetings and a sample hotel/meetings contract.