describe ur committee experiences,good or bad.?

Question

briefly describe ur committee experiences...

Answer 1

I have varied experiences, and it would be too long and boring to describe my involvement with a whole range of voluntary organisations, here in the UK. The reality is that everything depends on the other committee members, and especially the person chairing the meeting.

The ideal meeting is slick, effective and businesslike. So, with each agenda item, the issues are debated in sufficient depth, no wandering from the topic is allowed, the discussion is summarised, and a vote is taken.

The chair has to be be strong-minded, but totally impartial whilst the debate proceeds. Unfortunately some are authoritarian, and have already decided what the decision should be, before the meeting has even convened, and they ensure that that is how the decision goes. Others are weak and indecisive, and make no sense of a meandering debate, which ends inconclusively.

The committee also needs at least one visionary that see the big picture, and understand the interplay of all the smaller parts that make up the whole. This person should be in the position of secretary of the organisation, as s/he is the ideal candidate for the secretary's role as project manager. S/he can see how the project progresses and can co-ordinate the doers.

The committee also needs several doers, who will take on the various tasks. They do not need to be intellectuals, just as long as they are effective achievers.

Overall, my experiences have been negative. However, I have seen committees that do wonders. For example, I was secretary of a new Latin American cultural association in a city with an unfeasibly tiny Hispanic population. In less than a year of inauguration, it put on a Latin fiesta with live music and food; the event was part funded by the Arts Council of England. The association rapidly achieved the highest profile of all the various (and much larger) ethnic organisations in the city, and recruited, as paid members, over ⅓ of its total potential membership (5-10% is more usual). The association and its annual fiesta still continue ten tears later.