The President is the club leader and has overall responsibility for the club’s administration. The President controls the discussion that takes place at meetings of the committee. To do this they should give direction without being dictatorial or biased.
An effective President is:
- Unbiased and impartial on all issues
- Well informed about the purpose of the meetings and items to be covered
- Attentive and able to summarise the main points of a discussion
- Able to avoid repetition, arguments, interruptions and deviations from the matter at hand
- Well informed of the rules and procedure for the particular type of meeting being held and to allow for relevant debate
- Able to delegate
To be a successful and effective Chairperson always remember to be fair, decisive and to exercise good management practices. These skills come with practice.
Roles and Responsibilities
The President should:
- Be well informed of all club activities
- Be aware of club direction and plans of club members
- Have a good working knowledge of the club constitution, club rules and the duties of all office holders and sub‐committees
- Manage committee and/or executive meetings
- Manage the club Annual General Meeting
- Represent the club at local, regional, state and national levels where appropriate
- Be the supportive leader for all club members
- Act as a facilitator for club activities
- Ensure that planning and budgeting for the future is carried out in accordance with the wishes of the club members
- Present the Annual Report at the Annual General Meeting
Skills
- Lead without controlling
- Involve club members in discussions that affect them
- Stimulate balanced discussion
- Time meetings to finish at scheduled time
- Encourage focused discussion and keep meetings on track
- Negotiate successfully between members