Conducting the Meeting
A few years ago, a safety workshop student mentioned that the first safety committee meeting he ever conducted was an absolute disaster.
Conducting meetings gets better with time if you adopt best practices.
He didn't have a clue what to do, so he stumbled through the meeting as best he could. But, his fellow committee members were patient and gave him some patient support.
After a few months of trial and tribulation, he mastered the process, and is now much more confident and competent in running the meetings. Below are his best practice suggestions for conducting successful meetings.
- Arrive early, so you can be ready when others arrive.
- Set up the room to facilitate group communications.
- Refreshments? Why not! A small investment that can have large returns.
- Start on time. Don't wait for stragglers because it only promotes lateness.
- State purpose and objectives. Helps others focus and stay on target.
- Establish time limits. Very important for planning.
- Set and/or re-establish ground rules. A poster or handouts work great for this.
- Review the agenda and set priorities.
- Stick to the agenda. This should be one of the ground rules. Don't allow off-topic discussions.
- Assign responsibilities and completion dates. Make sure they are entered into the minutes.
- Summarize agreements on assignments and completion dates.
- Limit interruptions. Intervene early, or interruptions will proliferate.
- Review assignments to clarify expectations.
- Keep minutes or a written record.
- Close on time or before if possible. This is important to everyone.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
8-5. Which activity is considered a best practice for conducting successful safety committee meetings?
You forgot to answer the question!