Chairing Meetings and Making Motions

Committee Meeting Expectations and Experiences in Remote

Zoom committee meetings, over a COVID year, can lead to a unique set of distractions. As a committee chair, your role is to steward, lead, and guide an effective meeting that stays focused (people) and follows protocol (process). All of us struggle to remain camera-centric. This post offers a couple of ideas and a few reminders toward meeting efficiency.

Committee meetings are about people and process; both need to be in sync. After allowing the participants a few minutes to visit, the chair signals the meeting start.

Indirect Intervention

An indirect intervention at the meeting start brings people in who may be distracted. A statement such as, “Your complete attention is important to our collaborative effort. We want and need your input. Please do not text, go off-camera, or multi-task during our meeting. Let’s get to work.” An indirect intervention at the meeting end might remind everyone about the next meeting’s participation expectations.

A direct intervention names someone who may be late, off-camera, or distracted. A direct intervention feels awkward; your tone brings the person back to the meeting, not to criticize. For example, “Kelly, please leave your camera on; we will have a stronger meeting with your input. Thanks.”

As chair, if a couple of people are distracted, sidebar chatting, or if someone is answering email, the others in the meeting will take this as a cue either that they can semi-participate or, worse, that you’re not effective at leading meetings.

Let’s look at the simple motions process and point of order.

Motions

Motions are a proposal of action. All committee members have the right to speak, make motions, advocate a position, and vote.

Making a Motion

• “I move…” State the specific motion so that there is no uncertainty as to what is being decided. The person who makes a motion has the right to speak first, once recognized by the chair.
• No one has the right to speak a second time until everyone who wishes to speak for the first time has the opportunity to do so. This essential element of a motion deters anyone from dominating and encourages inclusion.

Seconding the Motion

• “I second the motion.” Once a motion is made, it can’t be discussed until seconded. A second doesn’t mean the seconder agrees with the motion. A second indicates the motion is worthy of consideration.
• If no one feels the notion is worthy of discussion, it does not have to be seconded. In that case, the chair says, “The motion dies for lack of a seconder.”

Discussing the motion

• All comments are made through the chair, whose priority it is for the discussion to be fair, balanced, and efficient.
• Once the chair believes sufficient discussion has taken place, the chair calls for the vote.

Voting on the Motion

• The vote can be a show of hands. On Zoom, some people can use the thumbs up icon, and some can’t. Have everyone raise their hand for you to see in gallery mode screen or call names if the meeting is small and you’re feeling pressed to scroll through to validate the vote. You have time. In rare cases of confidentiality or sensitive matters, the vote is held by secret ballot, per established or approved protocol.
• Once the vote is taken, the chair announces the result of the motion, “The motion is carried.”

Point of Order

You’re in a meeting, and the motion is incorrect, or the above guidelines are not followed clearly. As in, one person or two dominate motion discussion. With clear volume, state “Point of Order.” The chair is obligated to stop the meeting and ask you, “Please state your point.” Next, explain what you believe is violated. In this case, “Each person has the opportunity to speak before anyone speaks a second time.” The chair responds with, “Your point is well taken” or “Your point is not well taken” and moves forward accordingly. Point of order regards the process, what you believe has been violated. It has nothing to do with opinion. The chair should be gracious; everyone wants the meeting to be fair and effective.

Most committee meetings do not have difficult members; however, we’re all so tired of Zoom that an issue with drifting attention is real. A chair who is organized, engaging, and stays on schedule communicates respect for everyone’s time and encourages worthwhile participation. We have all been in atrocious meetings, particularly well-intended webinars, in the last year. Let’s regroup and consider meetings as necessary to shared governance, reasonable to contribute to, and a good use of our ideas and time.

Thanks, Kelly