How-to Guides - Community Resource Kit

formal meetings

Formal meetings are often required by a group's constitution or rules. They have established agendas and procedures. The agenda deals with what's to be covered at the meeting, while procedures cover how that's to be done.

annual general meeting (AGM)

A common example of a formal meeting is an organisation's annual general meeting (or AGM). AGMs are usually a reporting requirement for any type of organisation. They are also important as they provide an opportunity for all those who have an interest in the organisation e.g. customers, clients, employees, committee members and suppliers (collectively called stakeholders), to review the state of the organisation and to report on performance on an annual basis.

For more information on AGMs for different organisational structures such as charitable trusts, incorporated societies and various Māori structures, refer to the following Te Puni Kokiri link — http://governance.tpk.govt.nz/what/agm.aspx.

Agendas

The basis of any meeting is the agenda. An agenda gives a meeting direction, structure and purpose. The responsibility for preparing the agenda lies ultimately with the secretary with some assistance from the chairperson (and treasurer) where appropriate.

The AGM agenda will depend on the legal structure of an organisation, how actively it's been operating over the last year and how much engagement the board is seeking from those using the services provided.

Regardless of which type of agenda is chosen, preparation is vital so that the meeting runs smoothly and achieves what's needed. The chair, in particular, needs to be well-briefed and prepared to manage the proceedings to meet its objectives.

(From Annual General Meetings, Te Puni Kokiri website).
 

Procedures

As mentioned earlier, there are established procedures for conducting formal meetings. These procedures might be recorded in an organisation's constitution or rules or be established more informally by the usual customs of the group. The procedures can cover a huge variety of matters but some more common aspects include:

• voting rights — who's entitled to vote
• quorums — the minimum number of people required to make a decision
• motions and resolutions — moving and seconding motions etc
• points of order.

Voting rights

Voting at formal meetings can be by a voice vote (if the issue is not very contentious), a show of hands (if a voice vote is not decisive), or a ballot (especially if there are more than two outcomes, as when electing officers).

In the case of a ballot, two scrutineers are appointed (one from each opposing faction, if any) and they give each member a slip of paper with a list of candidates on it. Members cross off names of candidates they do not support, then the slips are collected by the scrutineers and counted outside the meeting room. After counting is completed, the chair moves that ballot papers be destroyed. In the event of a tied vote the chair has the final (or casting) vote.

Quorums

The rules governing groups generally require a quorum, or minimum number of people, to be present before a meeting can be held. This is usually, but not always, a third of the membership. If a quorum is lost during the meeting, it's declared closed. Decisions at meetings are valid only if there is a quorum present.

Motions and resolutions

A motion is a formal recommendation put by a member to a meeting for debate and consideration, by saying "I move that...". There are two types of motions: those that deal with the business of the organisation itself (substantive motions) and those that deal with the way the meeting is run (procedural motions). Each motion put (except motions "from the chair") has to be supported (seconded) by another person before it's open for discussion. The chair then asks the proposer to speak to the motion. Other members can add to this discussion.

If there is no discussion, the motion is then put to the meeting for a decision, and members indicate (by vote) whether they agree or disagree with it. All motions should be minuted. If a substantive motion is passed, it becomes a resolution.

Motions can be amended before they have been voted on — the same procedure is used as when the motion was originally put, but the mover and the seconder of an amendment should not be the same as those of the original motion. If an amendment is not contentious (such as the correction of a name) and is acceptable to the mover and the seconder of the original motion, it may be incorporated without a vote. An amendment can not be accepted if it goes against the general intention of the original motion.

If an amendment is moved, it should be dealt with before the main (substantive) motion. The meeting then returns to the motion (amended or not) that was first discussed. If the amendment is carried it is incorporated into the motion, which is then further discussed (and, if required, motions can be put to further amend it).

All this is illustrated in the following flowchart.

Motions and amendments flowchart

decision rules

In addition to the different procedures involved in making decisions, groups can also have different decision rules. A decision rule is the approach used to mark the choice that is made. How decisions are reached can be as important as the decisions themselves, especially when the long-term health of the group is considered. There are no perfect decision-making rules — all can lead to situations where either no or inconsistent decisions are made.

The advantages and disadvantages of three useful decision rules are set out in the table below (adapted from Seizing the Moment II: Turning Community Ideas into Action).

Other less desirable group decision rules are:

• plurity — where the largest block in a group decides, even if it falls short of a majority
• dictatorship — where one individual determines the course of action.

These are less desirable because they don't require the involvement of the broader group to determine a choice. This means there is no real commitment to the course of action chosen, which can lead to problems later on down the track during the implementation phase of a decision.

difficulties in decision-making

Why do difficulties arise?

Managing conflict in a group

During meetings, conflict within a group can arise. But conflict and disagreement can be seen as positive learning opportunities. By debating issues, we are able to more easily understand and resolve them. For this reason, conflict should not be ignored, minimised or suppressed.

Resolving conflict

Although there is no one right way to resolve conflict that may arise during meetings, some key elements should be observed:

• allow enough time to deal with conflict
• define the issue in terms that are clear, neutral and acceptable to all parties in conflict
• have at least one person give special attention to the process — someone uninvolved
• use reflective listening to explore the issues: check out what you think is being said at regular points
• have parties to the conflict identify their points of view and what their ideal solutions would be.

To pre-empt irresolvable conflict arising during a meeting, try some of these techniques:

• set ground rules for the meeting
• agree on goals
• agree on a plan
• be clear about the way that decisions will be made (e.g. by consensus)
• offer the freedom to express feelings safely
• give constructive feedback
• define the issues
• group the options in broad categories
• rank ideas (e.g. each person chooses their three most favoured options)
• break into small groups to re-examine remaining ideas, and report back to the full meeting
• brainstorm solutions by listing possible ways of dealing with the matter
• try out an idea then evaluate it
• suspend judgement — withhold opinions until more information has been obtained
• compromise
• agree to abide by a majority vote
• agree to differ.

Mediation

Mediation is a process of resolving conflict that can be used when the level of conflict within the group is beyond the group's ability to resolve it. In these circumstances, it's useful to bring in a neutral third party to mediate (i.e. a mediator). Their role is to clarify the source of the dispute, facilitate the group identifying solutions for themselves, and establish a course of action when a particular solution is identified. The mediator should not inflict their own point of view on the group.

hui Māori

Hui Māori are another instance of a formal meeting. Below is an example of how a hui on a marae may be organised. However, it is important to note that there are other ways of conducting hui Māori on and off the marae. This is dealt with briefly in the "Flexibility of Hui Māori" section.

Example of a hui held on a marae

Flexibility of Hui Māori

Joan Metge, in her book Kōrero Tahi: Talking Together, illustrates alternative procedures for conducting hui Māori that can be adapted to different situations from small group discussions to conference-type settings.

Tikanga (rules)

According to Metge, the tikanga (rules) governing discussion at hui Māori are not hard-and-fast directives (though the inexperienced are tempted to treat them as such). They are flexible guidelines that both encourage and require modification according to different circumstances e.g. whether the hui is being held on or off a marae complex or whether visitors are present or not.

Despite this flexibility, Metge mentions five rules of basic importance at hui Māori:

• the use of physical space to express and mediate social relationships
• the making of a distinction between tangata whenua (people of the land) and manuhiri (visitors)
• the framing of discussion with karakia (prayer) and with ceremonials of greeting and farewell
• the vesting of responsibility for the management of discussion in participants as a group
• the appropriate use of one, two or three distinct modes of discussion.

An example of flexibility

One of the examples Metge uses to illustrate how hui Māori can be adapted, is the pōwhiri. This is the welcome ceremony specifically designed to introduce individuals and groups to each other to reduce feelings of strangeness, anxiety or hostility, so that everyone involved feels comfortable enough to engage in discussion.

Metge advocates that in a marae setting, rather than the speeches being entirely or mainly in Māori, organisers of the hui could consider providing English translations or summaries of the speeches either during or after the powhiri. This used to be common on marae and in such situations as the Māori Land Court sittings where Pakeha were present. However, this practice has fallen out of favour in a drive to extend the use of te reo Māori (Māori language).

For venues other than marae, a welcome ceremony could be designed that uses the English language but also recognises the status of Māori as an official language and the presence of speakers of other languages. For example, the Māori language could be used to begin and end the ceremony with karanga (call of welcome) and karakia (prayer) and again in the first speech and in waiata. Then speakers from minority groups could be invited to use their own languages in speeches and songs, provided they explain the content in English.

Such adaptations are possible throughout other parts of the hui (refer to Joan Metge's Kōrero Tahi: Talking Together for further details).

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