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It is important to know the different roles that need to be fulfilled to make sure that a meeting runs smoothly.

The key roles in a meeting are:

▪ The chair, who works with other colleagues to help prepare the agenda, welcomes newcomers, builds good relationships with participants, keeps the meeting on track and reviews progress, stimulates discussion, summarizes and then makes decisions. This role is important and we devote a whole section to this: see here.

▪ The coordinator/secretary, who plans the venue and time, invites the relevant participants, agrees the agenda with the chair, sends out the agenda and any papers and reports before the meeting, prepares the room for the meeting and makes arrangements for refreshments, etc.

▪ The minute-taker, who will work with the chair to ensure that a full statement of what is agreed at the meeting is recorded. The minute-taker will not write down every word, just significant matters, and will write up the minutes as soon as possible after the meeting, check with the chair that they accurately reflect the content of the meeting and send out the minutes as soon as possible after the meeting. Again this role is crucial and we devote a whole section to this: see here.

▪ Every participant has a role to play in the meeting by preparing themselves and reading the material in advance of the meeting and listening well and responding positively. If you leave a meeting thinking that it was a waste of time, then you are partly responsible: each person has a role to play.

When you are next in a meeting in which you do not feel involved, think of what you can do positively to move the meeting on … and do it.

Whatever your role – chair, coordinator/secretary, minute-taker or participant – each person has an important role to play to make sure that the meeting is successful.