Annual Steering Committee Meeting Guidelines (Revised in 2005 based on Notes from Jenn Hosek)

Prior to SC Meeting:

• By Labor Day weekend: ask for requests for items for the SC meeting. Youmight also ask for suggestions for the items for the Business meeting
• Draft a SC agenda, using the one from the previous year as a template.
• Read through previous SC and BM agendas and minutes, as well as the Newsletter, in order to be sure that you are not leaving anything out. If there are tasks that people were supposed to have done over the last year, write these people to get an update of the status of these projects,as appropriate. Also, think about whether they should report on these tasks at the SCM, you should report on them (quicker perhaps), or whether the task does not need to be reported on at all.
• Send Agenda to P and VP for first round of approval.
• Send Agenda to all of Steering for approval. Give them a deadline for approval.
• A couple weeks prior to the meeting, send a reminder to Steering to bring necessary documentation for the various parts of the meeting that they are addressing. Figure out how many people will be attending so that these members can make the appropriate number of (hopefully double-sided) copies.
• Bring computer and printer to conference.
• Be sure that you will be able to work the projector so that you can project the agenda of the BusinessMeeting onto the screen during the Business Meeting. You may need cables. J and J have historically brought items such as projector, cable, flipcharts, pens, etc.
• Bring copies of the Agenda, relevant supporting documents and the Steering Committee Responsibilities and Duties 2004 (check to see if it needs to beupdated) to the SC meeting.

At the SC meeting:

• Be aware of time and remind others of the time. Each person must strive to be succinct and trenchant.
• Consider tabling issues forthe next meeting, or creating committees to deal with issues raised.
• Be sure that you have a strong sense of all of the issues that will be raised in the BM and who will speak to them.
• Be sure that the appropriate person is taking notes of the SC meeting. Mention to that person the value of writing the minutes that very afternoonin order to ensure that they get done and are accurate.
• Be sure to choose people who will put up the sheets of paper on which attendees will suggest panels.

After the SC meeting:

• Revise the draft of the BM agenda that you have begunprior to the SC meeting.
• Use the agenda from the previous years as a mode land to make sure that you are not leaving anything out. You will have to wait to finish the draft until after the panel possibilities are all in.
• Get the president to ok the agenda.Make enough copies of the agenda for all the attendees. As you can see, I made a copy of the BM agenda for Michelle and myself and another one for projection and distribution. This kept me on track andon-time, even in the heat of the moment.
• Make enough ballots for everyone.

At the Business Meeting:

• Select people who will help with the voting.
• Bring the ballots.
• Project the agenda.
• Be sure that you knowwhere you want to go in order to keep the meeting moving forward.
• Divide responsibilities clearly with your partner.
• Don't indulge in extraneous comments.

Return to Protocols for Duties of Steering Committee Members