Glossary
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Committee meeting
Committee meetings are held to take decisions concerning the management of the association. They should take place regularly and as often as necessary. They are convened and conducted by the chairperson. As a rule, there should be a list of agenda items and it should be clear which topics will be discussed and which decisions are to be made. A record shall be prepared of the resolutions that have been passed. Persons that are not committee members may participate in committee meetings, too, e.g. the executive manager or the secretary. They have no voting rights and are not allowed to participate in any decisions, however, they may participate in the discussion in an advisory capacity.
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.
