Unlocking Committee Potential: 11 Meeting Management Tips, Tricks & Strategies for Staff Liaisons

Photo courtesy of iStock/rfranca

In the world of associations, committees play an essential role in driving organizational goals, fostering member engagement, and ensuring that strategic priorities remain aligned with the association’s mission. For staff liaisons, working effectively with these committees is critical. Successful staff liaisons must balance influence and support, build rapport, and encourage active participation. The following 11 meeting management tips, tricks, and strategies presented by yours truly at the recent TSAE New Ideas Conference are intended to help staff liaisons unlock committee potential and achieve meaningful results.

1. Defining the Staff Liaison Role
The role of a staff liaison is multi-faceted, requiring a blend of administrative oversight, strategic alignment, and active facilitation. The primary responsibilities include:

• Ensuring committee activities align with organizational goals.
• Acting as a conduit for information between the committee and association leadership.
• Procuring resources and providing guidance to keep the committee on track.
• Building continuity from meeting to meeting to both build and maintain momentum.

While the liaison supports the committee, they should avoid steering discussions toward pre-determined outcomes. Instead, the focus should be on empowering volunteer leaders to make key decisions, positioning the liaison as a strategic partner and resource provider rather than a decision-maker.

2. Key Committee Roles and Responsibilities
Successful committees thrive on well-defined roles for each member. While each organization will differ, following are some common leadership roles and their associated responsibilities:

• Chair: Guides the committee's direction, leads meetings, and ensures alignment with the strategic plan.
• Vice Chair: Assists with agenda setting, drafts minutes, and supports the chair in maintaining committee progress.
• Board Liaison: Informs the committee of board decisions and relays committee motions back to the board.
• Ex-Officio: Acts as a non-voting liaison, fostering collaboration between two or more committees and keeping initiatives aligned.

Each committee member plays an active role, from attending meetings to participating in discussions and carrying out assignments. By clearly delineating these roles and responsibilities, the committee can operate more efficiently and maintain a consistent focus on strategic priorities.

3. Creating a Collaborative Working Relationship
Building a productive partnership between the staff liaison and the committee (particularly the committee’s leadership team) requires trust, respect, and open communication. The staff liaison should actively foster this environment through:

• Cheerleading: Recognizing and celebrating milestones to keep morale high.
• Boundary Setting: Being transparent about organizational limitations and defining where committee leadership begins and ends.
• Bridge Building: Establishing mutual respect and rapport with volunteers, which can lead to a more fruitful collaboration.

Regular check-ins are an invaluable tool to maintain alignment, ensure ongoing momentum, and address any issues early on. Staff liaisons should choose communication methods—whether email, phone, text, or video call—based on the urgency and preferences of the committee and its leaders.

4. Recruiting and Selecting Volunteers
A well-rounded and diverse volunteer pool is essential for committee success. The process should begin with a clear call for volunteers, highlighting the impact of the role, time commitments, and selection criteria. When choosing volunteers, consider factors such as:

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Ensure the committee reflects a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
• Relevant Skills: Seek individuals whose expertise aligns with the committee’s goals.
• Motivation and Availability: Assess each candidate’s willingness and capacity to commit to the role.

This approach will help create a representative, engaged, and capable committee ready to tackle its objectives.

5. Setting Clear Goals and Metrics
Defined goals give committees direction and purpose. By aligning committee activities with the broader strategic goals of the organization, staff liaisons help ensure that time and resources are utilized effectively. SMART goals are particularly useful as they are:

• Specific: Clearly state the objective and expected outcome.
• Measurable: Define metrics to track progress.
• Achievable: Set realistic targets.
• Relevant: Align with the strategic goals of the organization.
• Time-bound: Establish deadlines for accountability.

Examples of SMART goals include increasing member engagement in quarterly webinars by 20% within six months or increasing total membership by 10% within the next fiscal year by launching two new recruitment campaigns.

6. Structuring Effective Meetings
Meeting agendas are the backbone of productive committee work. An effective agenda should include:

• Date and time
• Key statements such as mission and vision
• Review of minutes and updates from the board liaison
• Strategic discussions, as well as old and new business
• Future meeting reminders and next steps

In addition to the agenda, taking minutes accurately is essential. Minutes should document key decisions and action items, ensuring that all participants are accountable and that there is a record of progress. Distributing minutes promptly allows for timely follow-ups and generates momentum between meetings.

7. Encouraging Meaningful Participation
Fostering an inclusive environment is crucial for engagement. Techniques for meaningful participation include:

• Rotating Facilitation Roles: Sharing meeting leadership responsibilities can engage members and provide them with a sense of ownership.
• Breaking into Small Groups: Smaller group discussions foster more intimate conversations and encourage broader participation.
• Anonymous Input Tools: Tools like online polls or whiteboards allow members to contribute ideas without the pressure of speaking aloud.
• Asking Better Questions: Open-ended questions can also stimulate deeper discussions, enabling members to share their perspectives in a more thoughtful and engaged manner.

8. Using the RACI Model for Accountability
The RACI model—Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed—helps clarify roles for specific tasks within the committee. This framework not only facilitates efficient task distribution but also ensures that everyone knows their role in achieving the committee’s goals. This structured approach can streamline decision-making and keep projects on track.

9. Optimizing Virtual Meetings
Virtual meetings present unique challenges, such as potential multitasking or a majority of participants off camera. Staff liaisons can optimize virtual committee work by:

• Using interactive tools like Zoom polls and breakout rooms.
• Establishing meeting norms, such as muting when not speaking.
• Prioritizing accessibility by enabling closed captioning and providing recordings.
• Keeping meetings short, with focused agendas to avoid participant burnout.

10. Leveraging Ad Hoc Volunteers
Ad hoc volunteers can provide the necessary flexibility for project-based tasks. These volunteers offer diverse skills and perspectives, reduce burnout among long-term volunteers, and allow for quick responses to immediate needs. To effectively engage ad hoc volunteers, keep onboarding simple, define clear expectations, and recognize their contributions publicly and/or privately to encourage future participation.

11. Reflection and Next Steps
Unlocking committee potential is an ongoing process that requires intentionality and continuous improvement. As staff liaisons, it’s valuable to regularly reflect on what strategies are working well and where there’s room for enhancement. Consider which techniques might have the biggest impact with the least effort, and think about any additional resources that could further empower your committee work. By fostering an environment of trust, collaboration, and shared purpose, staff liaisons can play an instrumental role in helping committees achieve their full potential.