Leading a meeting

I asked for some advice about leading a meeting and some of the advice I got was personal and addressed a few mistakes I had made but a lot of it was very useful. It is that advice I will be sharing with you today.

The first is check out Robert’s rules of order – http://www.robertsrules.org

The second is having a detailed agenda/ plan that can be circulated before the meeting, having a piece of paper in everyone’s hands can be a helpful focus.

The Third is to make sure everyone is heard, or at least feels like they are heard.

• One way is when someone gets off topic but it still is a good idea write it down and make sure you discuss it later in the meeting or if it is something that you will discuss later make a note and make sure it does get discussed.
• The other is thanking those who have participated in the discussion at the end of the meeting.

The Fourth is that social time is a good thing so try to fit that in. Either before the meeting starts or after. I like after just because it can be the carrot especially if you organize a treat for after like home baked goods or a catered lunch.

These all worked for me but I also was without a boss, an official title, or others with any official schooling. If you have those things some of the following tips may be helpful.

Have an ally on the board/ in the meeting someone to back you up and make it so you are not the only bad guy. You can also start the meeting with a reminder of the time you have to complete the agenda and a plea to stick to the agenda/ topic.

Another option is if your members make it super hard to get things done, not just in the meeting but in the whole of the museum running you could always look into a board development workshop  (http://culture.alberta.ca/community/programs-and-services/board-development/) or their resources like Meetings that Work but they have others that could be useful.

The other thing is that having a collection policy can be a great thing to fall back on.

I just want to say a big thank you to all those who took the time to send me advice.

The Post boxes

Before

After

Singer Sewing Machine

Before

and after

The Piano Corner

Before

And the After

Before and after Kitchen

So it has been a while since I have posted on here, I have been busy. I was doing a lot of the paperwork, learning and making mistakes. but I wanted to share a few of my before and afters and see what you guys think.

So we will start with the biggest change the kitchen display.

Here is the before

And this is after

Brochure

I am working on creating a brochure for the museum with pretty pictures and all the information. I do not feel very creative at the moment. At least I have a few more days before I go to finish the paperwork and need to hand in a prototype.

Letterhead designs

Bake sale poster

Membership

On my last visit to the museum, I also delivered the membership cards they asked me for. I did give them a bunch of ideas but in the end, they chose this one.  the background I used is this one just cropped a bit.

Enjoy

I apologize for the poor quality of some of these pictures I was taking them with my cell phone. If you have any questions I will answer all of them to the best of my ability, and if I don’t know I will be sure to ask.