Speaker Coordination

The Speaker Coordination Committee shall:

• Plan educational calendar for the year

• Determine educational wants and needs of members (i.e., verbal and written surveys)

• Seek out and coordinate speakers and lecturers that are relevant to the residential industry, submit planned speakers to Executive Committee for approval.

• Notify Communications Chair of speaker’s biographies and topic description for promotional purposes.

• Coordinate the scheduling of national courses (if offered)

• Work with other chapters to provide combined educational events and state or regional conferences

• Arranges for continuing education credit (if applicable)

• Undertake responsibility for other such activities as deemed appropriate by the committee.

• Serve a term of one year commencing with the beginning of the calendar year.

Committee Procedures

• All committee meeting handouts should include the mission statement, strategic goal objectives, action steps, and the committee budget.

• Chairs should keep the committee and subcommittee sections of the Policy and Procedures manual up-to-date. If a change is made, send a copy to the Chief Executive Officer so it can be distributed to the entire Board.

• Committee recommendations and goals should be written and passed to the next committee chair.

• Keep in mind that the membership list of NARPM® is for our own internal use exclusively. It is not to be made public without express permission from the Board.

• Notify the President at least 2 weeks in advance of how much time you will need on the agenda for Board meeting. Any action taken by the committee and motion passed need to be reported to the Board.

• A quorum must be present in order to pass motions

Things to consider when establishing your committee:

• Committee Responsibility – What are the main responsibilities of the committee

• Committee Deliverable – What will be the end result, program or service that will be delivered by the committee

• Committee Goal – What are the measurable goals for the committee's work

• Orientation – Taking time to adequately orient members helps start the committee on the right track.

  • Provide information and clearly define:

o Committee purpose and expectations

o Structure, reporting procedure, roles and responsibilities

o Individual member’s expectations.

Signs of a Well-Functioning Committee

• Purpose of the committee is clear to all.

• Meetings are run effectively and efficiently-on time and on schedule

• Good communication and camaraderie amongst committee members.

• Good preparation on the part of the Chair and committee members.

• The committee members are committed

• Minutes are complete and concise.

• The work of the committee is being completed on time

• The work of the committee is accepted and makes a valuable contribution to the chapter.

Running An Effective Committee:

Having effective Committee meetings are necessary for productive decision making and implementing the goals and objectives of the Committee. The challenge is that running a purposeful and participative meeting can be difficult at times but it is imperative in order to avoid these common meeting killers:

• • Wasting valuable meeting time

  • Long discussions with no conclusion

  • Low attendance

  • Uneven participation – One person dominates the conversation

  • Unwillingness to provide feedback

These issues can be easily addressed in a meeting if they are well planned with an agenda, have a clear purpose, are effectively chaired and are focused on decision-making. By using simple steps, your committee meetings will have active participants and amazing results. Please, never have a meeting for meeting sake. All meetings should serve a purpose with clear goals and objectives to be accomplished.

Committee Meeting Notice: Notify all Committee Members at least one week prior to the meeting.

Tips for effective meetings: (Chairperson)

Before the Meeting

• PLAN THE AGENDA - Include items brought to you by other members.

• Identify which agenda items are for information, discussion or a decision.

• Be well briefed about each item, and actions taken since the last meeting.

• Ensure all supporting documents (including the last meeting's minutes) are sent out with the agenda beforehand no later than 3 days prior to the meeting.

• Arrive in good time before the meeting is due to start.

During the Meeting

• Start the meeting. Welcome any new members. Make any necessary introductions.

• Set the scene. State the purpose and overview with Vision and Mission of NARPM®

• Try to be brief when making a point.

• Maintain control of the meeting by sticking to the agenda and use time effectively

• Allow for flexibility and freedom of expression

• Ensure full participation by drawing out quieter members and discouraging those who are monopolizing the meeting

• Ensure everyone understands what is being discussed.

• Ensure that decisions are recorded, together with who is going to implement them.

• Remember that above all you are there to guide the meeting

• Steer members to work harmoniously and purposefully as a team

• Keep an eye on time.

When setting goals and priorities for tasks consider the following:

• What additional information is needed?

• What will be the biggest challenges in achieving this goal or initiative?

• Has someone else or another organization had a similar experience?

• Is there a success story in another organization on a similar problem?

• Is a staff resource person needed to advise the committee?

• What experience will be necessary to solve the committee assignment?