Good practice library

Information and ideas for boards and committees

< Chairing a committee

15 tips for chairing committees effectively

  1. Always lead by example
  2. Carefully plan your agenda; think of an agenda as a roadmap that will ensure your meeting serves its purpose
  3. Know where you are going; review the meeting objectives and desired outcomes in your opening remarks
  4. Make sure everyone participates in the discussion
  5. Anyone who voices a problem must also offer a potential solution
  6. Ensure that committee members take ownership in desired outcomes by inviting them to do something to support the goals of the committee
  7. Delegate but have realistic expectations of the amount of work that should be asked from each members given their respective responsibilities
  8. Provide an agenda at least 4 days prior to the meeting date
  9. Indicate business items to be discussed versus decided upon (discussion items vs. decision items)
  10. Summarize the key takeaways at the end of the meeting and assign tasks with clear deadlines
  11. Circulate minutes no later than 10 days following the meeting
  12. Chairs can also send a quick “to do list” summary the day after the meeting by email
  13. Evaluate your committee regularly by performing a self-evaluation
  14. Say thank you often and celebrate successes
  15. Have fun, don’t take yourself too seriously