Meetings and Robert's Rules Archive

The articles below have tons of information and ideas on how to run effective parent group meetings. When you're done reading, head over to the Message Boards to connect with other leaders facing the same challenges.

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• Boost Meeting Attendance - Do you struggle to get people to come to meetings? The problem might be publicity or timing—or it might be the meetings themselves.
• Meeting Minutes Dos and Don'ts - Minutes are a legal document that creates an important record of your decisions. Use these guidelines for when to take minutes and what to record.
• The Secret to Successful Leadership - The most overlooked skill—delegation—might just be the best one you'll ever learn.
• Successful Meetings: 14 Tips - Done right, meetings help keep the group cohesive and on track. Done wrong, they can become a time pit and involvement killer.
• Meeting Minutes: Just the Facts - Keeping complete and accurate minutes is an important legal obligation. Here's why certain types of information should—or shouldn't—be included.
• My First Meeting: Presidents Remember -  Parent group presidents recall the worrying, the nerves, and the lessons learned from their first time wielding a gavel.
• Taking Aim at the Head Table - It's time to update the old meeting model where officers sit at the front of the room and everybody else makes up the audience.
• Put Meetings in Perspective - You probably spend a lot of time trying to get people to attend your meetings. But is that really how you want parents to spend their limited volunteer time?
• Robert's Rules: What You Should Know - Robert's Rules do help you run an effective meeting. And you don't have to know a whole book's worth of details—just a few key concepts.
• 9-Point Meeting Checklist - Follow these simple steps to make your meetings painless as well as productive.
• Measuring Meetings - There are much better ways to gauge the success of your parent group than counting how many seats get filled to go through a monthly agenda.
• Public Speaking: Overcome the Jitters - Some advance preparation and a few best practices will help your next presentation go smoothly despite any butterflies.