Are you chairing a committee, design team, task force, or work group? If so, these resources may help you, especially if you have never chaired a committee before.

• See Dennis Gibbons' outstanding Chairperson 101 PowerPoint on best practices for chairing a committee
• College Senate Committee Chairperson's Guidelines: Taken from the Senate bylaws
• Senate Committee Report Form: Use this form for your semi-annual or annual reports to the Senate.

Websites and PDFs

Guidelines for Chairing a Committee Meeting: Includes guidelines for committee members as well; from the North Carolina Water Works Association

The Official Robert's Rules of Order

Parliamentary Procedure for Meetings: Nice summary of Robert's Rules from the city of Portland, Ore., website

Microsoft Templates for Meeting Agendas

Videos

Bad Practices in Meetings (1:58 min.)

How to Lead Meetings That People Enjoy Attending (7:19 min.)

How to Practice Proper Business Meeting Etiquette (2:03 min.)

Meeting from Hell! Running a Meeting or Drowning in Chaos? (2:04 min.)

Robert's Rules of Order: How to Be an Effective Chair (What to Say When...) (7:53 min.)

6 Secrets of Effective Meetings (3:31 min.)

Books

Try these books from the MVCC Libraries for guidelines on chairing a committee or running a meeting.

Debelak, Don. Perfect Phrases for Meetings. (HF 5734.5 .D43 2008)
Jennings, C. Alan. Robert's Rules for Dummies. (JF 515 .J4 2005)
Robert, Henry M. Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. 11th ed. (JF 515 .R692 2011) (also available in Rome)
Henkel, Shri L. Successful Meetings: How to Plan, Prepare, and Execute Top-Notch Business Meetings. (HF 5734.5 .H46 2007)
Hofmann, Jennifer. The Synchronous Trainer's Survival Guide: Successful Live and Online Courses, Meetings, and Events. (LB 1027.47 .H64 2004)
Kirkpatrick, Donald L. How to Conduct Productive Meetings: Strategies, Tips, and Tools to Ensure Your Next Meeting is Well Planned and Effective. (HF 57334.5 .K56 2006)

How to Take Minutes

It is recommended that, if possible, minutes should be taken by someone who is not a member of the committee, so that members can devote their full attention to the business at-hand. However, in the case of award and promotion committees, this may not be feasible due to privacy issues.

Websites

How to Take Minutes
Microsoft Templates for Minutes
Tips for Excellent Minute Taking                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Videos

How to Take Minutes at a Business Meeting (1:36 min.)
Robert's Rules Revealed Episode 5: What to Include in the Minutes (4:50 min.)
Robert's Rules Revealed Episode 9: How to Make Sure Your Meeting Minutes Are Legal (4:52 min.)