Taking firm, but polite control is imperative. I'm copying in some suggestions I posted from a discussion awhile back. Perhaps some of these strategies might help you.
In conjunction with my work, I'm involved in many committees, educational sessions, and work groups. Often the leaders will have a poster with key reminder points. If someone violates a procedural item, the leader can gently (or not so gently) point to it and get people back on track.
So consider these strategies:
- 1) Agenda - always have one and follow it
- 2) Goal/Mission statement - have poster displayed or include on the top of the agenda
- 3) Meeting Rules - bulleted poster
- 4) Parking lot - flip chart pad (or could just be area in secretary's notes) where you jot things down that are off topic or out of order, but not necessarily out of scope.
- 5) Opening remarks - always start with the goal or mission of the group and cover the "rules" of the meeting. Explain that you will be sticking to the agenda and timeline. Any items relevent, but out of order will be handled at the end if there's time (Parking Lot). Subjects not pertinent to the meeting/PTO's function won't be covered.
Be pleasant, but firm and enforce this plan.
For the poster, keep it simple. Something like:
Meeting Success Strategies
- Start/end on time
- Follow the agenda
- Show respect for other viewpoints and ideas
- Keep discussions meaningful but brief
Your opening remarks will go into slightly more detail as you cover each point on the poster. You can figure out what "rules" you want on the sign, but probably no more than 6, and short phrases.
Stay upbeat and matter-of-fact. You don't want to lecture them or spend too much time. This is just a 5 minute intro that sets the stage for everyone.