Lauded for its accessible format and humorous writing style, Effective Meetings: Improving Group Decision Making, offers practical strategies for running effective meetings by highlighting the processes involved in decision making and the ways individuals contribute to making better quality decisions as a group.

The Third Edition of this brief text begins with guidelines for effective decision making, then covers topics that include member recruitment, meeting preparation, agenda building, and the positions and roles required for effective meeting outcomes. Subsequent chapters deal with electronic meeting formats, the chair and participants, and the various types of meeting groups such as boards, advisory groups, and staff groups.

Author John E. Tropman teaches at the University of Michigan in the School of Social Work, the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and the Executive Education Programs. Dr. Tropman also works with for-profit, nonprofit, and government entities in a consultative capacity.

The Chair

The chair

The phone rang, and Marcia Waggoneer found herself talking to her old friend, Armondo Gloxman. “Marcia,” Armondo said, “the nominating committee of the board would like to put your name in as chairperson for the coming year. We hope you will agree.”

“Chair!” Marcia thought. “I have been interested—but I really have no idea what I am supposed to do as chair.”

“Armondo,” she asked, “What does the committee have in mind for the tasks and responsibility of a chair?”

“Oh, it's not much,” Armondo replied. “Just show up at meetings with your whip, chair, and leather boots, and keep the group in line. It's a breeze.”

Most of us think that the chair is a kind of group lion tamer and the participants are rapacious ...

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