Show Notes
All the good governance in the world only comes to life if your meetings work. And the work that makes a meeting run well happens days before anyone walks in the room. This episode kicks off the Smarter Meetings series with everything that needs to happen before the meeting starts — from the agenda structure that puts important things where they get proper attention, to the report format that makes your secretary very, very happy.
In This Episode
- The two groups who need to prepare for every committee meeting — and what each of them needs to do
- Why papers need to go out five working days before the meeting — and what’s going wrong if that’s not happening
- Reading the papers is not optional: it’s a baseline legal responsibility and the thing that makes good questions possible
- The four-section agenda structure that puts important matters where they get proper attention — and what to do about general business (delete it)
- The difference between an apology and an absence — and why unexplained absences should be reported at your AGM
- Why strategic matters belong at the start of the meeting, not squeezed in at the end when everyone wants to go home
- Reports taken as read: why Dave does not need to read his report out to the meeting
- The one-page report template that brings consistency to reports written by different people — and how framing recommendations as motions makes everyone’s life easier
Free Downloads
Two templates from Kate H’s Committee Companion:
This Week’s Challenges
Two this week — both high impact, both low effort:
First — does your agenda follow the four-section structure? Formalities, strategic discussion, reports, management items. If not, redesign it before your next meeting. It’s one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort changes you can make. The agenda template in the show notes will get you there in under an hour.
Second — does your committee have a standard report template? If not, create one and introduce it at the next meeting. One page: date and author, for information or for action, a two-sentence overview, key messages as bullet points, and recommendations framed as motions. Also in the show notes.
Got a Question for the Kates?
If you’ve got a governance question you’d like the Kates to tackle on the show, or a situation you’re not sure how to handle, use the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. Somewhere out there someone has the exact same question and will be very glad you asked.
About Your Hosts
Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. Her Committee Companion is a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars for committee members. katehartwig.com.au
Kate McPhee has three decades of hands-on experience helping small clubs and associations get more done with less stress. She is the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards. liquoriceallsorts.com.au
Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.
This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.
Timestamps
00:05 — What happens to committee meetings when you don’t prepare
01:03 — Introducing the Kates and this episode on meeting preparation
02:05 — Building the meeting
03:19 — Individual committee members’ role
05:10 — The agenda — your key to a successful meeting
09:09 — Section 2 — Strategic discussion: the heart of the meeting
10:35 — Section 3 — Reports
11:50 — Section 4 — Management items
12:34 — Report formats
14:57 — Recap
15:43 — This week’s challenges and next week’s episode
Next Episode
The preparation is done, the papers are read, and everyone’s in the room. Now what? Next episode, the Kates tackle what happens inside the committee room — chairing well, managing discussion, keeping topics and people on track, and why starting and finishing on time is a form of respect.
Resources & Links
🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form
🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates
Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars
Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee’s plain-English governance guide
Facebook: The Committee Room
LinkedIn: The Committee Room
You don’t need good luck if you’ve got good governance.
The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au