Get the most from Meetings

As you will be attending meetings/committees to represent students it is very important that you understand how they work and how to get yourself heard. If you’re unsure about the etiquette of a particular meeting, seek advice from the relevant Secretary, Chair or the Student Rep Support Team.

Structure

Some committees are more formal than others, eg Senate is the most formal meeting a rep can attend and a programme open meeting is probably the least formal. Most meetings are structured in the following way:

1. Apologies for absence.

2. Minutes: (notes) of the last meeting are checked for accuracy.

3. Matters arising: any action points from the last meeting not covered elsewhere on the agenda are discussed.

4. Reports: these may be received from members of the committee on specific issues. You should be given the opportunity to give a verbal report (or submit a written one in advance if you’re unable to attend) – if this does not happen, ask your secretary to timetable a report section for reps at each meeting.

5. Any other Business (AOB): this section is only supposed to be used to make brief points that didn’t fit elsewhere in the agenda and cannot wait until the next meeting. If you think of an important issue for discussion, ask during AOB that it be timetabled for discussion at the next meeting.

Key players

The Chair is responsible for the flow of the meeting, which means ensuring that all agenda items are covered within the timescale set for the meeting. The Chair is usually the person to whom you address any questions or comments so it’s a good idea to sit somewhere where you can be clearly seen by them. When you would like to say something you will need to indicate this to the Chair by raising your hand slightly.

Secretary

The secretary is responsible for sending out committee papers and keeping minutes during each meeting.

Prior to a meeting…

…consult

If you are a Department/Subject Rep, you need to consult as many different students as possible, and it’s really important to know both the minority and majority view as it’s up to you to express both sides. If you are a School Rep, you need to make sure you’ve consulted with all the Department/Subject Reps in the appropriate year of of your School, in order to effectively represent student opinion at School level meetings.

…find out who the committee secretary is

You will need to find out the names of the secretaries for the committees you attend – ask in your department office. If you have items that you wish specifically to discuss at a meeting, it is the secretary you will need to contact to request that your item be timetabled on the agenda. Agenda items normally need to be submitted several days in advance of the meeting – check the deadline for your own committee with the secretary. If you are aware that you will be unable to attend a particular meeting, it is the committee secretary that you should contact prior to the meeting to send your apologies.

…read the committee papers and minutes

You should have access to committee papers several days in advance of each meeting. Depending on your department, these will be put in your pigeonhole or sent via email or published on Sussex Direct. It is very important that you read the papers in advance of the meeting so you know the issues to be discussed. This will give you the chance to canvass student opinion on relevant matters and prepare any questions you’d like to raise.

If you are sent papers by email/Sussex Direct, you should not print these out. The secretary to your meeting should ensure that you receive hard copies as well.

Tips for reading papers

• set aside plenty of time to read them;
• when the papers arrive always check the agenda first to establish the content of the meeting;
• make a note of any initial questions you have;
• read summaries, recommendations and conclusions to the papers first;
• create your own code to mark useful sections, for example:

• remember the student perspective, not just your own, if you’re unsure what it is, get feed-in from the students you represent;
• re-read the papers to check understanding;
• identify how you want to tackle each item and prioritise the issues on which you want to speak;
• if unsure on any item contact the USSU Education Officer for help; and
• once you have read the papers, it’s a good idea to contact the other reps that will be attending to arrange a pre-meeting to discuss issues of general concern and find out if there are any areas of conflict e.g. between different years. You may also decide to assign one rep as spokesperson for a particular item during a pre-meeting.

Always explain an absence

If you are unable to attend, always send your apologies and check that the apology is included in the minutes (minuted). This way committee members won’t think you didn’t attend because you’re uncommitted. Where possible, send in a written report to the secretary and ask that it be circulated to the members or read out to the committee, and minuted accordingly. You could also meet up with another rep who is attending the meeting so that they can raise the issues you have.

During a meeting…

…know who is who

You’ll find members of the committee more responsive to you when you address them by name. It’s much more effective to say ‘I agree with what John said…’ rather than ‘I agree with what the man sitting opposite in the red shirt said’. A useful tip is to make a pictorial diagram which names each person and where they are sitting at the start of the meeting, this way you can subtly refer to the diagram whenever you want to address someone by name. Note: where introductions don’t happen, you can always ask the Chair to ask everyone to introduce him/herself at the start of the meeting. You can check the memberships of University committees online

…timing

Be aware of the flow of a meeting to gauge when it will be the most appropriate time to raise your point. If you miss the time, or it never arises, you can try again during the ‘Any Other Business (AOB)’ section at the end of the meeting.

…listen

Actively listen to what people are saying, either make mental notes of the key things they say or jot them down.

…encourage

Encourage others with the body language you use, e.g. use verbal nods to agree with someone.

…report on any action you have taken since the last meeting.

…participate!

As a rep you have the right to be at the meeting and a right to be heard. Remember that your view is important and you will often be putting forward a viewpoint that may not otherwise be considered.

…never be afraid to ask

There’s little worse than not being able to follow the discussion because you’ve not understood the use of jargon or acronym. Ask straight away for an explanation, it’s likely to be an oversight from a group of people familiar with having used the terminology for a long time. You’ll probably find that other newer members (and sometimes established group members as well) are relieved that you were bold enough to ask something they too were unsure of.

…make your own notes

Even where minutes are taken, it is still a good idea to make a few notes as the meeting goes along. You may need to take action before the minutes are circulated, and it’s a way of checking your understanding of the meeting against the minutes when they arrive. They will also help you remember action that you need to take and action that others have agreed to which you can chase after the meeting.

…do not be scared to put the opposing view

Have your say, be clear and be rational. Avoid getting angry, irritated or loud, as this will undermine the point you are trying to make.

…have a positive attitude

You are more likely to be listened to if you present solutions to problems than if you are just seen as complaining about everything.

…know when to stop!

When you feel passionate about a particular issue there’s a danger that you will jump in on the discussion all the time. This can alienate people, especially when they don’t share the same passion as you. Take your turn to speak in sensible ‘chunks’, so as to let others contribute as well. There are times when you need to be fairly persistent, but try to steer clear of being the person that goes on about the same issue at every meeting; it’ll dilute your effectiveness at future meetings.

…cultivate allies

The nature of group dynamics is that various alliances will form between individual members of larger groups. Make this work for you: cultivate allies with those who appear similarly minded to you (you’ll notice them expressing verbal or non-verbal agreement with your contributions) and then talk to them outside of meetings – you can bet this is happening amongst other group members anyway!

After a meeting…

…feedback

It is absolutely vital that you feedback to the students in your School and/or Department exactly what happened at the meeting.

…action

Make sure that you carry out any action points you have agreed to, this may require meeting with the other reps who attended e.g. in the case of group action.

…organise

File away your committee papers carefully for next time.

…spread the word!

Where you come across an issue you believe affects more than just your department (i.e. the whole School or University-wide), let the Students’ Union Education Officer know asap.