And frankly, I was appalled.
Now, as I see it, meetings have two functions: to disseminate information and to make decisions (organize, plan, decide, vote, whatever, usually after some committee has worked on and then presented an issue if the meeting group is a large one).
But if less than 10% of your population shows up, is a meeting really an effective way to do either?
For two hours, we a). received information that they said they would then send out via email and newsletter anyway (and in this case advance notice held no advantage, really) and b). didn't make any decisions, despite needing to approve the budget, which came up for a vote, with lots of discussion, then a motion and a second (after one of the officers said we should try Robert's Rules and then no one in charge knew how), but then everyone got too distracted AND FORGOT TO ACTUALLY HOLD THE VOTE!!!
There was a ton of other discussion--all of which should have taken place in committee or one-on-one or in email--with Maria getting a great fundraising idea but then Ann noting that she had already researched and found it untenable (and why was that, could Ann explain?) and then Lucia wondering why we aren't doing something the way we did last year because she liked last year when she ran it and didn't like the new idea but wasn't going to help out and Tasha asking Susie why she hadn't received the email about the field trip that was cancelled (and why was that, exactly?). Yadda yadda yadda. Ad infinitem et ad nauseum. Forgive my internalized misogyny, but it all sounded like a disorganized hen house.
And I was starting to feel wolfish.
When the conversation veered into a discussion about one or another meeting that may or may not have been held five or so years ago on some topic or another, totally unrelated to the business at hand, I finally raised my hand, "I'm sorry but I'm new and I'm lost. Are we even following the agenda?"
ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
No wonder, as the officers will tell you themselves, that the first meeting is the longest and best attended . . . . AND NO ONE COMES TO ANY OTHER MEETINGS.
It seems as if you have met up with 'The Common Man/Woman' for the first time in a long time. Your children are now playing with their children, good job you are an educator.
ReplyDeleteWe have a similar problem trying to start a Patients Participation Group, ie a group of patients trying to help the medics do a better job. Remember our docs are very nearly all employed by the government and the GPs work usually in a group of 6-10 with about 2000 patients each but as a patient you can select which one you see but you may have to wait a few days to get the one of your choice. Seems to work reasonably well but we as the PPG have to work out our role, do we tell the medics they are making a mess of things (a rare event) or do we try to tell the 10,000 patients that most of them are lazy slobs doing nothing but harm to their bodies by over eating, over drinking and watching excessive amounts of violence on TV. And what do we do with the FEW young women who look upon themselves as baby making machines? And the many young men who are only too happy to help them?