The secretary is defined as “the person who will take the minutes of meetings, deal with correspondence and be responsible for the secretary’s end of year report.”
The secretary should attend all training workshops provided by the Societies’ Office, and make themselves familiar with the relevant handbooks and guidelines. They should make sure the society constitution is up-to-date and be familiar with its conditions. The secretary is responsible for having a current list of committee members’ names, contact details and student number, and must ensure this list is filed with the Societies’ Office. A secretary’s End of Year Report is to be prepared as the year draws to a close, detailing the societies activities for the year.
Secretaries are responsible for the society’s communications, both internal and external. Internal communications include keeping committee members informed of meetings, agendas and minutes, as well as making sure the society has an up-to-date calender of events. External communications includes receiving, reading, and responding to any communications from third parties.
The secretary is vital to ensuring successful committee meetings. They are responsible for communicating the date, time and place of these meetings to the committee, as well forwarding an agenda for each meeting. During the meeting, secretaries record the minutes, paying particular attention to any motions which are carried or overturned as well as specific decisions made. These minutes are to be typed and circulated to the rest of the committee. They must also be read at the start of the next meeting.
Committee Meetings – AGM – EGM
The meeting agenda is a roadmap for the meeting. It lets participants know where they’re headed so they don’t get off track. Most importantly, the meeting agenda gives a sense of purpose and direction to the meeting.
All agendas should list the following:
A good agenda will help you to understand the objectives of the meeting, which will help you to know what is important to include in the minutes.
Prepare the agenda after discussion with the Chairperson and any other key participants. Distribute the agenda and additional material prior to the meeting so members will be prepared and feel involved and up-to-date.
Minutes are the key points made during a meeting. Keep minutes of all your meetings safe. Use google docs so they are easily accessible to everyone. They provide a written record and prove the meeting toke place. Minutes should always be written in a consistent style.
Minutes of the last meeting: You will need to agree on the minutes of the last meeting as an accurate account of the previous meeting. Once approved, discussion of these items should not be reported.
Matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting: This is where questions/requests for further information can be raised about items from the last meeting which are not scheduled for later in the agenda.
Committee Reports: This provides an opportunity for committee members to give a report on the work they have done since the last meeting.
Any other Business: If “other business” tends to gon on too long it may indicate that not enough planning has gone into the meeting and the participants are just thinking on their feet.
Date of the next meeting: Always remind people of (or agree) the date of the next meeting.