Getting involved as a member on committees is a wonderful way to meet people and make new contacts. However, if you are not comfortable with how to handle yourself in these meetings you could be wasting your time and your opportunity to benefit from such interactions.
Having served on many committees I have witnessed many interactions that are either positive or negative in nature. Let me state at the outset that it is important that every member of the committee should have a role to play in that committee and that every other committee member respects that role and that person’s right to participate.
You must also understand that some committee members will prefer to think about things in very different ways to other members and that this too must be respected. They are not necessarily stupid or slow, careless or reckless. The brain operates in four distinct quadrants according to Ned Herrmann in his book “The Whole Brain Business Book”[1]. There are the two hemispheres that most of us already know about which is the left and the right brain, but Ned Herrmann has established that each hemisphere is divided into an upper and lower quadrant. Read his book, it is incredibly interesting and is applicable to understanding what mental processes turn people on and what processes turn them off. As a salesperson you need to appeal to the analytical or emotional preferences of your prospect to satisfy their needs.
Quite often you will come across a committee member who is highly analytical and who demands every fact no matter how relevant or irrelevant before venturing an opinion or recommending a decision. This member is often process driven and can sometimes come across as unfeeling or uncaring as his decisions are usually not based on people or their emotions. These are your left-brained thinkers.
On the other hand we have the upper right brained thinkers who will want two or three quick facts only before they are ready to make a decision, the lower right brained people will often consider the human and emotional element when making their decisions. Can you imagine a committee set up to service a community and such a committee is made up of only left-brain thinkers? How different will the decisions be that they make when compared to the decisions proposed by the right brain thinkers?
Any committee should be constituted to include an equal number of people from each quadrant so that a balanced decision would result that would take into account all members of a community, not just the analytics or the people persons. You must anticipate that there will be some conflict in these committees as many of the traits of each left or right brain thinker can annoy the other, but each has a valuable role to play. So if the analytic is taking his time over what appears to be a simple decision their analytical brain will stand you in good stead when they often pick up on and raise a point that no-one thought of because no-one else bothered to comprehensively study the rules or Constitution adopted by that committee.
How to be the consummate professional in any meeting
The first and most obvious point is to be well prepared. Create and distribute an agenda if you are presiding over the meeting or ask to have specific topics included in the distributed agenda if you are not.
If you arrive at a meeting unprepared you will be perceived as being lazy or disinterested. Show your interest by bringing forward new ideas, new contacts and new opportunities for the meeting to consider. This demonstrates that you have initiative which is a valuable commodity in any committee.
Try and look at more than one solution to any given problem or issue, and allow fellow members to finish with their proposals before you put forward your thoughts. Consider their contribution with an open mind especially if it contrasts with your proposal that is on the table or that you are about to put forward. If you are going to reject or argue against a proposal, always offer an alternative solution or rather keep quiet if you have none. This makes you appear knowledgeable and considerate rather than destructive or objectionable. What you should strive for, is for your fellow committee members and the people served by the committee to view you as an authority or expert rather than some-one who merely gives an unsubstantiated opinion. Remember the famous words uttered by Clint Eastwood “Opinions are like assholes – everybody has one!”
Being an efficient and effective contributor will make you a valuable member of any committee. That said, take note of the following tips to increase your efficiency and effectiveness to elevated levels:-
· Listen more than you talk, take note of the message nature has given you. One mouth – two ears! This means you should listen twice as much as you talk.
· If you are operating as a member of a committee, do not become frustrated with or start to antagonize fellow committee members who do not share the same opinions as you.
· Never make exaggerated claims or statements, especially as you might be called upon to back them up. When you cannot substantiate your claims you will lose credibility and your effectiveness will be diminished, perhaps permanently and you might be asked to leave the committee.
If no-one is buying your solution and you know that other proposals are stronger than yours, drop your solution and discuss the merits of the stronger solution. This shows that you are open- minded and prepared to consider other opinions. Many people will then respond by considering your opinions too.
· Make sure everyone understands what you are saying especially when it comes to technical terms or colloquial slang. If you do not understand the terminology or the slang that is being used, ask for its meaning. Not only does it show that you are paying attention, but you will often find that other members will appreciate that you have asked. The meaning of the term or word may well have enlightened them as well.
· Have a good night’s sleep before the meeting so that you do not struggle to stay awake during the meeting, especially if the meetings tend to be long drawn out ones.
· Don’t take alcohol into a meeting. If you need refreshment, rather take a soft-drink or water. You need a clear head to make good decisions.
· Don’t be late for the meeting. Not only does it show disrespect but it also disrupts everyone else. Watch what happens to latecomers in terms of their first contribution at the meeting, they either don’t contribute until the next agenda item is discussed because they fear being embarrassed by asking about something already covered. Those brash enough to soldier on will go right on ahead and raise that point that was already covered and add to their embarrassment of having arrived late.
· In some committees this next point might seem a little old fashioned, but nonetheless you should always address any comments you might have to the chairperson of that committee. This protocol minimizes direct confrontation with other members of the committee and also shows respect for the elected official.
To facilitate the smooth flow of the discussion and to eliminate confusion, you should state your support or disagreement of an idea by saying so before adding your own point of view.
For example,
“I disagree with Bill
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I think that…”
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“I agree with Bill
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but I also think that…”
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· Always focus on the bigger picture. Don’t get embroiled in insignificant arguments or trivial points. People who get stuck on these issues are just not ready for bigger things and believe me, this gets noticed by the more astute committee members.
· In line with the previous point, only committee members who can add value to the issues set for discussion should attend the meetings unless there are set quorums that need to be met. This avoids time wasting and having to hear the opinions of committee members who are unable to contribute effectively due to their lack of expertise or experience with those discussion issues. By encouraging this, the meeting is able to proceed at a good pace and hence accomplish what it needs to accomplish and thereafter put committee members and others back to work to implement the finalized decisions. This does not mean that the remaining members are not invited to attend the meeting, but rather that they are asked to attend only if they have something to contribute.
· Any agreements made, tasks assigned or taken responsibility for by committee members must be recorded in the minutes and then acted upon by the committee member so appointed to act. These minutes must be made available in written format as soon as is humanly possible after the meeting. Any failure to act on these agreements and tasks must result in a reprimand by the chairperson and must be supported by the fellow committee members. There is no point to having meetings about meetings and propagating much talk which results in no action. Why bother with meetings in the first place if nothing is ever going to be achieved? Committee members who consistently fail to perform should be replaced as they are holding back the progress of the group. Further to this, where a committee represents a number of varied interests and lobby groups, the committee members must treat all decisions as made by the group as a whole unless they have placed on record their disagreement. Notwithstanding this, and to avoid lobby groups from placing undue pressure on committee members which would compromise the decisions of the committee as a whole, no committee member should single out or broadcast individual comments made by any serving committee members in arriving at the final decision . Any committee member with a vested business interest in any topic under consideration must disclose this interest upon joining the committee and especially if the committee is deciding on an issue that would place him or her in a position of ‘conflict of interest’. If necessary, they may be required to remove themselves from the discussions. This should be noted in the minutes.
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