​Effective Meetings in Student Leadership

​Effective Meetings in Student Leadership

By Josefine Pettit

Open Ended

What makes a meeting effective?

• Purpose: Every meeting needs a clear goal

• Key meeting roles:

  • Presidents/Vice Presidents: Guides the discussion

  • Secretary: Takes notes

  • Members: Active participants

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​What Makes a Meeting Work?

• Basic meeting flow:

  1. Roll Call

  2. Call to order

  3. Mintutes

  4. New Business

  5. Committee's Report

  6. Treasure's Report

  7. Adjourn

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Basic meeting flow:

Reorder

Put the basic meeting flow in order

• Roll Call/ Call to order

• Minutes

• New Business/Committees Report

• Treasure's Report

• Adjourn

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

• Speaking rules:

  1. Raise your hand

  2. Wait to be called on

  3. One person talks at a time

​

​Parliamentary Procedure Made Simple

• Motion: "I move that…"

• Second: Another person must agree

• Discussion: Share thoughts

• Vote: Decide as a group

​

​Making Decisions

• • To start something new

  • To change a plan

  • To end the discussion

​

Common motions:

Open Ended

Why is it important to raise your hand

1. Meeting Title & Date

2. Start & End Time

3. Attendance

4. Old Business

   • Updates from last time

5. New Business

   • Today's topics

6. Next Steps

   • Tasks and who does what

​

Creating a Strong Agenda

Audio Response

Create an audio response that discuss the importance of creating a strong agenda

Open Audio Recorder

• Start and end on time

• Listen to everyone's ideas

• Stay focused on the topic

• Take good notes

• Summarize decisions

• Follow up on tasks

• Be respectful

• Keep track of time

​

Tips for Great Meetings

Guided Practice: Parliamentary Procedure

1. Form Groups – Work in small groups. Each person has a role: President, Vice President, Secretary, Timekeeper, or Member.

2. Get Your Scenario – Your group will receive a scenario (like planning Spirit Week or a fundraiser).

3. Write an Agenda – Work together to list 3 items you’ll discuss. The Secretary should write it down in agenda format.

4. Run a Mock Meeting – The President leads the meeting using Parliamentary Procedure. Members make motions, discuss, and vote.

5. Stay in Role – Everyone should participate and use their assigned role.

6. Practice & Feedback – I’ll walk around to give tips and feedback as you go.

7. Reflect – Afterward, we’ll share what went well and what could improve.

Open Ended

How can these skills be applied outside of school?