What is a committee meeting?

What is a committee? 

A committee can be lots of different things. At work, you might see them formed to deal with projects or advise C-level management on possible changes. Even away from work, you’re likely to come across them in your local HMA, kid’s sports team or school. They’re everywhere. 

That’s because it’s one of the easiest ways for a group of people to come together to either tackle a problem that needs lots of voices and expertise or manage an organization that can’t be done by one person alone. In government, lawmakers use them to scrutinize legislation and in business, companies use them to tackle specific issues either in one particular area or for the organization as a whole.

Depending on what the committee is for will determine how long it exists. An advisory committee may only exist until a specific project is complete. Whereas a management committee involved in the day-to-day running of a business will exist as long as the company does.

What is a committee meeting? 

It may not surprise you to learn that in the same way committees come in all different shapes and sizes, so too do their meetings. 

In government, for example, committee meetings will have a very formal structure. Where things like frequency, quorum and records are likely set by legislation. In business, they may take place once a quarter to check in on a project's process or provide feedback. There’s really not one single format to label as the template for all.

Generally though, attendees are experts in relevant fields, team members involved in a project (under discussion), organization leaders or someone who can help fill in blanks and offer a solution. For instance, a steering committee only involves the project's leadership, along with advisors who can help give context to the research.

Like other types of meetings, preparation is the key to success.

Make sure you send your agenda to all attendees well ahead of time. Not only will this ensure everyone is prepared, but they can ask questions about specific points and offer suggestions that might help moves things forward. 

Know who the meeting chair is, what the goals of the meeting are and who is taking minutes. This will keep everything on time and stop items from being missed. If your committee is legally bound to a particular procedure - make sure you know what it is and that it’s being fulfilled.

How to schedule a committee meeting 

Whether it’s your local soccer team or a Select Committee of the Senate, finding a time that everyone can agree upon is hard. That’s where Doodle comes in.

Using Group Poll you can select the location, add any pre-meeting notes and offer a range of times to your participants. They’ll decide what works for them and within minutes you’ll have a date that works for everyone. 

Doodle Professional also lets you add your own branding to meeting invites, gets rid of ads, lets you set deadlines and reminders and add your favorite video conferencing tool.

If you are holding your meeting virtually, video conferencing links are automatically added to the email that’s sent when a time is selected. With a Professional account that includes Microsoft Team, Google Meet and Webex.

Doodle makes it easy for you to get your committee to get together in minutes without rounds of email back and forth. Try it for free today - no credit card required.