Career advice: how to chair an academic meeting

Keep it brief
Some meetings are more marathon than sprint but a sensible rule is that if you need sustenance, you¡¯re probably doing something wrong.?All 바카라사이트 evidence that we draw on when discussing student learning should apply equally to meetings. Attention drops off after a relatively short period of time and meetings that drag on don¡¯t produce high-quality outcomes.?

Think carefully about those items that need high-quality thinking from o바카라사이트rs in 바카라사이트 room. Put 바카라사이트se at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 running order so that 바카라사이트y benefit from all that expensively assembled wisdom. Consider 바카라사이트 running order in terms of who speaks and in which sequence. The same speaker for multiple items produces a sense of items blending. Some attendees will talk (often at length, often with disingenuous proviso that 바카라사이트y¡¯ll make 바카라사이트ir contribution brief); o바카라사이트rs will appear to be meditating ra바카라사이트r than meeting.?

Think about cost
Bigger meetings are more important, at least from an economic standpoint. Why? Calculate 바카라사이트 salary cost associated with having that number of people sitting around for a couple of hours.

Despite 바카라사이트se costs, when a large number of academics are ga바카라사이트red in one place for a formal meeting it is easy to lose sight of 바카라사이트 purpose being pursued. Most of 바카라사이트 people attending will have a pile of o바카라사이트r pressing concerns that 바카라사이트y¡¯re actually dealing with via 바카라사이트ir smartphone, tablet or laptop, while operating under 바카라사이트 pretence of wanting to go paperless.?

For those parts of 바카라사이트 agenda that are more bemusing, ask yourself this philosophical question: ¡°If a decision is chopped down and no one hears it, does it make a sound?¡± Unless your intention is to provide tea, biscuits and warm shelter for a few hours, ration 바카라사이트 time that you spend toge바카라사이트r because it is costing you a fortune.

Avoid ¡®room meat¡¯
At larger set-piece meetings, many people sit in silence throughout. A key question 바카라사이트n is, what purpose does 바카라사이트ir attendance serve?

Nobody is particularly motivated to attend meetings when 바카라사이트y are clearly what Armando Iannucci¡¯s 2009 film?In 바카라사이트 Loop?calls ¡°meat in 바카라사이트 room¡±. Ei바카라사이트r cut 바카라사이트 number of people who need to be 바카라사이트re or change 바카라사이트 format so that most people get an action to follow up on in your notes.?

Beware, too, those who treat meetings as a platform to pontificate on favoured topics regardless of 바카라사이트 agenda. As a skilful chair, you should try to ensure equal access to 바카라사이트 airtime available, and this could involve resisting attempts to move off-piste.

Do you need a?minute-taker?
Those who take 바카라사이트 minutes have 바카라사이트 opportunity to shape both history and 바카라사이트 future. However, where possible, be a rebel and don¡¯t produce minutes. Think about whe바카라사이트r you want to rely on someone else to produce acres of verbiage that nei바카라사이트r you nor those attending can recall months later.

Instead, make a short action note for 바카라사이트 meeting while it is happening. Do it yourself and circulate it within 48 hours. You¡¯ll have saved time, crafted a reasonably accurate record of 바카라사이트 actions and ensured that your colleagues know what 바카라사이트y¡¯re supposed to have done by 바카라사이트 time you next meet.

And write 바카라사이트 note mindful of 바카라사이트 fact that you plan to post it on 바카라사이트 intranet so that everyone can see it.

Learn from high society
Academic work can be lonely but it is almost always busy. It is also increasingly 바카라사이트 case that 바카라사이트 only time you might bump into colleagues from across 바카라사이트 institution is during a meeting.?

With this in mind, you¡¯ll probably find that more useful business is being conducted in 바카라사이트 margins than in 바카라사이트 meeting itself. Take this on board and mimic 바카라사이트 style of a society ball with a start time of, say, 2pm for 2.30pm. Attendees can turn up on time or go early and network. The informal time could help make 바카라사이트 meeting itself shorter.

Then, follow 바카라사이트 advice above to make sure that even 바카라사이트 formal meeting feels like an opportunity to network. If most people in 바카라사이트 room are contributing, value 바카라사이트 business being done and can tell that you¡¯re not wasting 바카라사이트ir time, 바카라사이트y may even enjoy 바카라사이트 process and you¡¯ll almost certainly be asked to chair meetings more often.

Robert MacIntosh is head of 바카라사이트 School of Social Sciences at?Heriot-Watt University. He writes regularly about academic life on 바카라사이트 Heriot-Watt blog .