The first meeting of the year is always the longest because you have so much new stuff to cover. Then once the year gets going, it's easy enough to keep meetings to around one hour.
I agree that you should make an agenda and follow it. I use the same format every month so everyone knows what to expect:
Call to Order
Minutes
Treasurer's Report
Committee Reports (in alphabetical order)
Old Business
New Business
Adjournment
I rarely got requests from people who wanted to be bumped up on the agenda and then it was usually for a very good reason. I've found that most people who want to talk early also want to leave early. I thinks it's ok from time to time for a real hardship but not every month.
And Shawn is exactly right to suggest that you delegate parliamentarian duties to someone. It's hard enough to run a meeting and keep everyone focused. Enlist your VP to help you keep things on topic and moving smoothly. Otherwise, before you know it, you'll go from talking about Spirit Wear to which washer/dryer sets are on sale at Sears this week. Oh yeah, it happens......
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
Print out an agenda
-- pass it out beforehand (wed packet, email, before mtg, etc)
--post it at school beforehand
--dont be afraid to table something till board mtg- get consensus, info/input to/from members - board can still move to vote on it based on members input/advice or put out again for member vote(s)
and designate someone to be the 'Excuse me we need to stay on topic, we ahve a lot of business and information to attend to - all questions and concerns not directly related to business/topic at hand- will be addressed at the end of the mtg or please put it in writing so it will be addressed"
-- print that at the bottom of agenda.
<font size=""1""><font color="#"black"">Liberalism is not an affilation its a curable disease. </font></font><br /><br><font color="#"gray"">~Wisdom of Shawnshuefus</font><br /><br><font color="#"blue""><font size=""1"">The punishment which the wise suffer, who refuse to take part in government, is...
This Thursday is our first general PTO meeting. I am nervous! We have a few people who would like to be at the begining of the meeting to discuss their business and a few who "really like to stay with the adgenda"(i can't blame them, it's easier to take minutes). A few people also told me how important it is to stay at about an hour for the meeting time. I think I can make everything smooth except the meeting time,as there is alot to cover at the begining of the year...budgets, commitee chairpeople , etc. Does any one have any advice? :confused:
