Glossary
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Chairperson
The most important committee office is that of the chairperson. This person must hold the reins and ensure that the committee is able to work and performs its duties. However, he/she does not have to do everything him/herself. The chairperson supervises current matters and directs the committee meetings. He/she is available as a contact person for the outside public and must represent the association in important matters. If there is an administrative office, a secretariat or a commercial business, the distribution of responsibilities must be clear to the general public. The chairperson is elected by the general meeting. The chairperson is part of the committee; he/she shares the committee’s overall responsibility and does not have more rights than the other committee members.
Question
I have recently been elected to the committee of an association, have assumed the role of secretary and take the minutes during meetings. The chairperson is now requesting that parallel minutes also always be taken, meaning that two people take minutes to make sure everything is recorded. I find the work that this entails to be excessive and believe it shows a lack of trust. Furthermore, we approve the minutes at the start of meetings so that it is possible for any corrections or additions to be made. Do I have to accept this instruction?
Answer
I completely understand how you feel here. I would like to make the following comments in this regard:
- When it comes to taking minutes, the amount of effort involved should be limited. You need to take into account what purpose the minutes fulfil. In most cases, the objective is to record resolutions in a manner that makes them comprehensible. In the vast majority of cases, verbatim minutes are not required. Given the lack of resources within committees and where the agenda contains "innocuous" items, taking parallel minutes doesn't make sense.
- The chairperson is not allowed to rule on everything on their own authority. If anything, I would ask for a discussion and, where necessary, a vote on the taking of minutes within the committee.
- The ability to delegate is an important prerequisite for performing the role of chairperson. This enables the chairperson not only to reduce their workload, but also to gain motivated committee members.
