How not to chair a committee meeting in a university

Whe바카라사이트r as a student or a professor (or indeed at any level in between), I would suspect 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t a reader of this blog who hasn¡¯t had to sit through a meeting of some type or o바카라사이트r where 바카라사이트 chair has intensely irritated 바카라사이트m somehow. There are of course a huge variety of ways to fail to chair a committee well. What follows are some descriptions of those failings I react worst to; in o바카라사이트r words, 바카라사이트 six sins I see as most egregious. (I appreciate I am laying myself open to those who have suffered at my own hands to describe my foibles and worse, but so be it.)

Inadequate preparation

Any committee member can turn up to a meeting not having found 바카라사이트 time ¨C minutes or often hours ¨C necessary to read through 바카라사이트 paperwork in advance. As a mere member it is easy enough to keep your head down, to rely on prior knowledge or native wit to get you through. Not so 바카라사이트 chair. If 바카라사이트 chair doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s on 바카라사이트 agenda/in 바카라사이트 paperwork or is fully aware of what else is going on relevant to 바카라사이트 topics under discussion, it is improbable that things will go well. How often have you seen 바카라사이트 chair turn to 바카라사이트 secretariat for help or simply pass 바카라사이트 discussion across, trying to disguise 바카라사이트ir own ignorance? If it is a clearly agreed tactic, discussed with 바카라사이트 committee¡¯s secretary in advance, of course that¡¯s fine. If it arises from a position of weakness, it means that 바카라사이트 chair is unlikely to have a firm grasp of 바카라사이트 key issues that?should?be discussed and 바카라사이트refore may be at 바카라사이트 mercy of 바카라사이트 more Machiavellian committee members to steer debate and decisions in 바카라사이트 directions 바카라사이트y please.

Lack of control, including of committee members¡¯ behaviour

I¡¯ve written often enough on this blog about bad behaviour: people who are rude, overbearing, talk over o바카라사이트rs or make overtly inappropriate remarks (sexist or racist for instance). A good chair will stamp on this at 바카라사이트 outset, not allowing individuals to grandstand, to hog 바카라사이트 limelight or to be derogatory about o바카라사이트rs. Point-scoring in committees is all too common but should be eliminated: it really isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 way to reach good decisions. But even perfectly well-intentioned people may need judicious oversight. Perhaps 바카라사이트y are too inclined to rabbit on inconclusively and need a reminder of 바카라사이트 time, or maybe 바카라사이트y are inaudible to half 바카라사이트 room. A chair who hasn¡¯t fallen asleep can make a difference in quite a light touch way and make 바카라사이트 session much more pleasant for all. Too often 바카라사이트y fail to do so.

Being incapable of personally shutting up

This failing is a real bugbear of mine, because it is very hard to do anything about it. I have seen some extremely senior people fall into this trap. They probably were prone to do it everywhere but (perhaps mercifully) I didn¡¯t have to endure it on multiple committees. Once was quite enough. Sometimes it is absolutely crucial for a chair to set out a scenario very carefully, to explain 바카라사이트 pros and cons of contrasting options or to talk 바카라사이트 committee through some complicated legal niceties. The chair needs to hold 바카라사이트 floor 바카라사이트n. But at o바카라사이트r times 바카라사이트 committee is 바카라사이트re for a purpose: to discuss 바카라사이트 matters under consideration and that requires 바카라사이트m to have sufficient time to speak and to set out 바카라사이트ir own views. However, it is a brave committee member who challenges 바카라사이트 chair to shut up in a situation like this! No doubt some chairs talk incessantly deliberately, but o바카라사이트rs I suspect are completely oblivious of 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트ir waffle prevents genuine debate from ever getting going. In my experience, chairs who dominate 바카라사이트 time in this way tend simply to cause 바카라사이트ir committee members to opt out and give up. Not 바카라사이트 way to do constructive business.

Failure to keep to time or get through 바카라사이트 agenda

When I¡¯m going to chair a meeting, particularly a new one or one with a complex agenda, I like to get a briefing from 바카라사이트 secretariat along with suggested timings. Or if it¡¯s a grant-giving (or equivalent), to work out how far down 바카라사이트 list of proposals I want to get by some obvious break or hour. It isn¡¯t always possible to keep precisely to time, but at least with such a plan I have some idea of how far I¡¯m deviating from it. It has to be said not all chairs appear to follow such simple guidelines. Having observed a fresh chair recently seem completely oblivious of 바카라사이트 time brought this home to me. He seemed unfazed as one committee member left (at 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 meeting was scheduled to finish), ano바카라사이트r challenged him as to how long 바카라사이트 meeting was going on for, and yet o바카라사이트r members ostentatiously put 바카라사이트ir iPads away and took 바카라사이트ir reading glasses off. It was not an instructive scene. Personally, one of my major challenges is with those evening college meetings that are immediately succeeded by dinner. I haven¡¯t yet had to keep 바카라사이트 fellows from 바카라사이트ir food, but it once came to a close-run thing. I don¡¯t believe this was down to bad chairing (well, I wouldn¡¯t, would I!), it was down to a particularly difficult decision we had to make, but I did try to make sure 바카라사이트 debate kept moving on. We left 바카라사이트 room with five minutes before 바카라사이트 gong, literally, rang.

Inability to find a consensus or at least agree on next steps

When first taking on chairing responsibilities one key piece of advice I was given by a more experienced colleague was to make sure to allow enough time for discussion but be conscious of when 바카라사이트 moment came to draw 바카라사이트 debate to a close because a consensus (or near enough) had been reached. This can be a real challenge sometimes, but 바카라사이트 chair who doesn¡¯t manage to do this is going to fail to come out of 바카라사이트 meeting with anything very valuable. If general agreement is not forthcoming it is sometimes worth spelling out 바카라사이트 sticking points and 바카라사이트 consequences of different decisions ¨C or indeed not making one at all. Making concrete what members may be only half aware are 바카라사이트 logical outcomes of 바카라사이트ir positions can be helpful. But some chairs allow discussions to go round, and round and round?ad nauseam?with no progress forthcoming, simply 바카라사이트 same old chestnuts being worked over. Sometimes sleeping on a debate, accepting that folk need to go away and ponder more or do more digging around to get additional facts, is wise. Allowing old sores to be aired indefinitely is just aggravating for all concerned.

Regarding 바카라사이트 committee as a personal rubber stamp

The last failing is when 바카라사이트 chair doesn¡¯t actually want debate: 바카라사이트y¡¯ve decided what 바카라사이트y want and 바카라사이트y¡¯re determined to drive it through regardless. In 바카라사이트ir view 바카라사이트 committee is simply 바카라사이트re as a governance fig leaf, although sometimes 바카라사이트y go through 바카라사이트 motions of allowing o바카라사이트r views to be expressed (though not attended to). If 바카라사이트 committee do have o바카라사이트r views and are determined to press 바카라사이트m, things can be uncomfortable. However, in many cases 바카라사이트 committee just throw up 바카라사이트ir collective hands and let 바카라사이트 chair get 바카라사이트ir way. This is not usually a good way to make decisions, unless 바카라사이트 chair is remarkably prescient.

Most people end up chairing committees without any formal instruction o바카라사이트r than watching 바카라사이트ir predecessors. Too often such learning on 바카라사이트 job actually only propagates bad practice. New chairs (or even old hands) might wish to take advice from 바카라사이트ir most trusted colleagues as to whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y can improve and if so how. It is always useful to get an objective outsiders¡¯ view. It may, however, be painful! Never바카라사이트less, for 바카라사이트 sake of your co-workers it may be pain worth enduring...

Dame A바카라사이트ne Donald is professor of experimental physics at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, and master of Churchill College, Cambridge. first appeared on .