Engaging and Productive Club Meetings

Thinking Points

• What makes an interesting meeting?• What is the dedication level of the

participants?• What is the message you want to impart?• How will this impact our members/club?• How will this impact the leader?

The Role of the Leader

• Great meetings start with the leader• Being organized• Having a vision• Involving others• Thinking outside the box• Open to new ideas• Using tools• Ask for help

Know Your Audience and Yourself

• Various levels of commitment– Episodic– Relationship– Servant Leader

• Various times of life

• No judgment or guilt

• Realistic goals

Engage Your Members

Why did members disengage or quit?

What made members feel most supported?

What are the most important retention factors?

Deliver the Benefits

• Developing one’s career• Enhancing personal development• Engaging in social interaction, meeting and

making new friends• Learning new skills; practicing underused

abilities• Coping with inner conflicts or past/current

crisis

Understand Your Members Needs

The 5 Love Languages

•Quality Time

•Words of Affirmation

•Gifts

•Acts of Service

•Physical Touch

Know What Your Needs Are

Celebrate!•Know what makes you feel loved.•Can you offer love if you don’t feel loved?•Learn how to love others in their language.•Coach – Use powerful questions.

Effective Leaders Are:

• Inspiring– Visionary, Supportive Coach, Effective

communicator, role models integrity.

• Stewards– Member focused, results oriented,

demonstrates sound judgement.

• Effective Problem Solvers– Analytical thinkers, innovative, systems

thinkers.

#1 Cheerleader

Symptoms of the Pseudo Leader

• Encourage “old thinking”

• Knee jerk reactions

• Low tolerance for criticism

• Works to stifle independent thinking

• Unable to define or show integrity

• Manipulate people and situations

• Inner circle of supporters that will be “yes” people.

• Do not ask for honest feedback

Founders Syndrome

• Because we have always done it that way.

• Club is reactive instead of proactive.

• High turnover of members.

• Conflict

• Completely resistant to new ideas and change.

Ask What They Want

• Implement new meeting strategies with a conversation and “by-in” from the team.

• Once something new is tried, ask for feedback.

• Be open to trying to accommodate what they tell you they need even if it doesn’t appeal to you.

• Bring in others to help you get started.

Tools For Great Meetings

• Consent Agenda

• Visuals

• Education Topics

• Provide A Counterpoint (healthy debate)

• Be On Time

• Ask The Least Heard

Visuals

• Show a video

• Create a map of a remote Zonta location

• Show photos of a club event.

• Visuals encourage discussion.

Education Topics

• Talk about clubs in recently affected areas of the world.

• Talk about our relationship with the UN.

• Talk about the current status of our International Service Projects.

• Talk about our scholarships.

Most Important

Ask others to present at future meeting!

Healthy Debate

• Asking good questions.

• Provide a counterpoint.

• Encourage open honest discussion.

• No you’s or I’s

• Debate in the meeting walk out arm in arm.

• Nothing personal.

Be On Time

• Make sure your agendas are reasonable.

• Start on time / end on time.

• If you can’t ask permission to continue or to table for later.

Baby Judge

• Ask the newest person or the person that doesn’t say much what their opinion is first before any of the others speak.

• Know your members, do not embarrass them.

• Allow them to ask questions.

• Try not to use acronyms.

Use Technology

• Be open to technology and bring members in who may not be using it now.

• Be thoughtful of who you are trying to attract.

• Let tech savy members contribute by teaching.

Ask For Feedback

• Survey monkey

• Written survey

• Email

• Be open to what is said

• Respond as best as possible

HAVE FUN!

Celebrate Your Opportunity

www.zonta.org

Thank you!