Course: Board work and chairing meetings in student associations
This course provides an introduction to general board work, how the board works best together and how to conduct good meetings.
👩🏿⚖️ 1. Board work
It is in the word, right? A board should rule and decide.
The board is the governing body of the organization and is elected by the members of the association. The board's primary responsibility is to ensure proper organization and operation. Accounting and finance are especially important.
The board is responsible for ensuring that the organization is managed in the best interest of the members and in accordance with the decisions of the members.
The board consists of the president, vice president and at least one other board member. The board is chaired by the president. Board members may also have other roles, such as financial manager, events manager, or PR manager.
🎩 The board's tasks and responsibilities
To achieve your organization's goals, you need the best possible organization and operations. High on that list is, of course, money in the coffers, at least to ensure a positive balance sheet. The board's most important tasks and responsibilities are therefore:
Ensure that day-to-day operations are conducted in a responsible manner according to clear guidelines, with control and adaptation of the organization's activities. This includes hiring and following up the general manager if this position is to be filled.
Maintain overall responsibility for both short-term and long-term plans, with regard to budgets, financial reports and general guidelines.
Oversee the organization's accounts and overall financial position. For example, it is the board's responsibility to ensure that the organization always has adequate equity and that liquidity is satisfactory. If equity and/or liquidity is poor, the board must take action, for example by calling a board meeting and perhaps an extraordinary general meeting.
Liquidity means ability to pay - i.e. the money you have available to pay your bills when they are due.
With good liquidity, you can easily pay your bills/cover your expenses, while with poor liquidity you struggle to pay your bills.
Do you need a refresher course on association finances? There is also a finance course:
Finance course for student associations🎬 Film: This is important for good cooperation on the board
Holding a position on the board can demand a lot from both individuals and the board as a group. Tonje Berg Furustad, advisor for student relations at SSN, knows a lot about board work, and in the film below she talks about how you can work well together on the board.
Tonje Berg Furustad is an advisor for student relations at SSN and with great experience when it comes to board work. Get Tonje's tips on how to create a good collaborative climate in the student association board.
Where are we going and how do we get there?
Agree on where you're going and how you're going to get there. Which path will you take to reach your goals? Remember that those who created the organization from the start set the purpose of the organization and you must remember to take this into account in your work (unless this has changed along the way).
Clarifying expectations
There is little that can cause more trouble in a collaboration than unmet expectations. And then it's important that you've talked about it and put it on the agenda. As soon as possible.
It's simply impossible for people to guess what you expect from them if you haven't told them.
If the collaboration starts to falter, if you start to get annoyed, frustrated and lose motivation and commitment, it's very often a case of expectations not being met. In that case, you probably didn't do this exercise initially. Or you may have done it, but forgotten what you were talking about at the time. Then just pull it out again, because some people have of course written these points down.
Take time to get to know each other. This cannot be emphasized enough. It's much easier to understand each other, give each other feedback for better or worse and, not least, help each other when things get a little more difficult; maybe you have to work that day, you're on an internship or something else happens that means you need a little help.
That said, it's also important to be aware of the opposite. If you're very good friends from before or have some kind of relationship, positive or negative, it's important that you manage to separate this from each other, both privately and in board work. If not, it can make things challenging.
It is also important that you appear professional to the outside world, so that it does not appear intimidating to those who may be interested in contributing later. At a stand, you talk about all the positive experiences and lessons learned as a volunteer, and this is not the same as sitting in the canteen whining and complaining about other board members, too much to do, conflicts, backbiting between the girls or a guy vibe.
📍Reflection task
What are your expectations?
I expect that I will contribute with ...
I expect that I will familiarize myself with my own and others' roles.
I expect that my skills ... , can contribute positively to the work.
🎬 Film: How to create a sustainable board?
At Joker'n student pub on USN Campus Ringerike, students Eirik Sandal and Tuva Pettersen took over after the previous board disappeared without thinking that someone would come along after them. See how it went:
Students come and go, and when the entire board of Jokern Studentkro disappeared, it was difficult for the new board to start up again. Eirik and Tuva share their experiences from Jokern Studentkro at USN Campus Ringerike.
Do you also have a student house with a bar and a liquor license? Then we recommend the Responsible Hosting course!
The course is funded by the Health Directorate and is intended as a preventive measure against over-serving and other violations of the alcohol laws.
The course provides you with:
Basic knowledge of the alcohol laws for those who serve and handle alcohol at serving establishments.
A good foundation for reflections and discussions among the bar team, for example, at meetings.
The course consists of nine modules and you will receive a course certificate when all modules are completed:
Introduction Situations at the door
Situations at the bar
Situations at the table
During staff meetings
Security at festivals
Illegal substances
The effects alcohol has on the body
Internal control
SSN has been allowed to share the Responsible Hosting e-learning course from our partner KORUS (Competence Center for the Field of Substance Use).
To take the course (FREE), use the course link below and register with a username and password and this access code: AVe0090 (select "Benytt AVE-kode" / "Use AVE code").
You can find the Responsible Hosting course here.
🗣 Transfer of experience to a new board
When a new board is elected, the information in the Brønnøysund Register must be updated and access to bank accounts, email lists and social media must be transferred.
We recommend that everyone with managerial and board positions writes experience letters with job descriptions and annual cycles that they give to their successors. It can be a good idea to write continuously throughout your term of office, as you often forget things that are good to include.
Set aside a weekend with the new board to go through major topics in plenary, where the outgoing and incoming board members can talk in pairs and the incoming board members can ask questions about things they are unsure about. Review the annual cycle, budget and accounts at such gatherings.
📍Reflection task
Imagine that you are new to the role of event manager on the board. What are your expectations?
🎤 2. Meeting management
There can be a lot of meetings and meetings take time! That's why it's important to know how to run good and effective meetings in the best possible way.
1. Clarify first:
- Does the meeting need to be held in person?
- Does it need to be held now?
- Is a digital meeting or an email a better option?
2. Save meeting time - plan properly
- Prepare the agenda and any presentations.
- Book the meeting room and technical equipment in time.
- Make sure you have a secretary.
3. Be careful with the notice
- Keep the number of participants as low as possible.
- Set an agenda/agenda that it is possible to keep to.
- Send out the notice and agenda in time.
- State the start and end time of the meeting.
4. Have everything ready
- Be in place in good time.
- Check the technical equipment.
5. We start with
- Remind everyone of the purpose of the meeting.
- Be precise in your questions.
- Establish when the meeting should end.
- Check if there are any comments/issues to be addressed.
- GO!
6. Control the discussion
- Be the "gold digger", "knowledge guard" and "captain".
- Let everyone have their say.
7. Wear a hat - not a mallet
- Remember that you are dealing with people.
- Take care of the "person" as well as the "thing" side of the process.
- Listen more than you talk.
- Give praise for good suggestions.
8. Extract the main points
- Summarize the discussion along the way (state what is agreed upon, formulate the conclusions clearly).
- Check that the referee has understood.
- Clarify how the conclusions will be followed up.
- Allocate responsibility for follow-up.
- Set deadlines.
9. End on time
- Keep to the agreed meeting time.
- Instead, arrange a new meeting if there was not enough time.
- But remember the first appointment!
🎬 Film: Tonje in SSN gives a short introduction to the most important things it takes to hold a good meeting:
We've all experienced the meeting plague, or meetings that run way over schedule. 🤯 Tonje is an advisor for student relations at SSN and has some smart tips on how to hold good meetings.
🤔 Have you forgotten the three points from the movie? Here they are:
Start on time - people appreciate that you respect their time.
Write a list of speakers and keep it under control.
End on time - preferably 5 minutes before.
Keep these two points in mind too:
It may also be a good idea to remember these extra points, which are just as important in formal meetings as in work meetings and board meetings:
Make sure participants behave like people.
Get a handle on meeting spoilers: Those who discuss just because they like to hear their own voice. It's not nice to call them that, but most people know who they are. And they're pretty much always represented. It's not good if one person dominates the debate, so you simply have to stop that right away. Of course, it's a boring experience, but you get used to it after a while.
👔 Formal meeting? Learn the rules
Ground rules for formal discussions, e.g. annual meeting or general meeting
Discussions and debates can be more or less formal. Here we will look at the ground rules for how we discuss in more formal settings.
For a discussion with many participants to take place in an orderly manner, a moderator is needed to lead the discussion and ensure that rules and time frames are adhered to.
The discussion usually proceeds as follows: The chairperson welcomes everyone and introduces the issue to be discussed. After this introduction, participants can ask for the floor by raising their hands.
The moderator notes the names on the list of speakers and gives the floor to the participants in turn. When a participant has finished speaking, the moderator crosses their name off the list and gives the floor to the next speaker. It is possible to sign the list several times. We ask for a reply by raising our hand and saying "Reply!", or by raising two fingers in a V-sign. It is customary to allow two replies per speech.
But there is also another way to speak up: We can ask for a rebuttal. A reply is a short comment on the last post. In other words, we cannot raise a new point in a reply. Instead, we must sign up to the list of speakers so that we can make a speech.
We ask for a reply by raising our hand and saying "Reply!", or by raising two fingers in a V-sign. It is customary to allow two replies per speech.
The moderator must also ensure that the time frame for the discussion is respected. If time is running out, he or she can limit the speaking time or draw a line. In this case, he or she will inform the participants that those who wish to speak must sign up to the list of speakers immediately. Once the line has been drawn, no one can sign up anymore.
The moderator then concludes the discussion with a brief summary of what the participants have come up with. If the discussion is to result in a resolution, the matter will now proceed to a vote.
The chairperson must also ensure that all participants "behave like people". The tone should be polite and objective. Insults and harassment are unacceptable in a discussion.
A label often applied to people who discuss just because they like to hear their own voice. It is not good if one person dominates the debate, because there should be room for many views and voices in a good discussion. We can stop some people from taking up too much of the group's time by limiting each person's speaking time and having a dedicated timekeeper who lets you know when the time is up. We can also suggest limiting the number of contributions each participant can make. It is rare that the majority of the meeting prevents us from doing this. Otherwise, it is important to suppress all attempts at interruptions and contributions outside the list of speakers. In addition, the chairperson is allowed to interrupt speeches that do not relate to the matter under discussion. This can also be solved by having a separate relevance checker, who can intervene when someone moves too far away from the topic.
Different kind of meetings
The founding meeting brings together those interested in starting an organisation. This is where the purpose of the organisation is determined, and what its tasks, if any, should be. The board and statutes for the organisation are also elected. It is a good idea to have a proposal for goals and statutes ready before the meeting.
Read more about the founding meeting at Frivillighet Norge (in Norwegian only).
At the annual meeting, all members are invited to attend, and it is customary for everyone to be able to vote on the items on the agenda. There is usually a deadline for submitting items for the annual meeting, and it is important to communicate this clearly.
The annual meeting deals with: accounts and annual report from the previous year, as well as the budget and work plan for the next year. The meeting can also elect a new board and new roles, as well as review (and possibly amend) the organisation's statutes.
The articles of association determine who must participate in order for the board meeting to constitute a quorum.
All thoughts and ideas are welcome! Fewer requirements for who participates. Submit proposals to the board meeting, where plans are adopted.
Held in advance of activities. Creates a roadmap and work plan with areas of responsibility.
Held after activities with a focus on what went well and what can be done better.
An extraordinary meeting is a meeting that differs from the usual meeting pattern due to its unusual nature, urgent need or specific purpose.
Reflection task:
How would you handle a "meeting disrupter"?
We've all encountered a meeting disrupter, but have you tried to stop one?
✋🏾 How to succeed as a participant in the discussion?
The rules above are important ground rules for both those who lead and those who participate in the discussion. But what about the actual content of the discussion? Here we take a closer look at what you need to consider to succeed as a debater.
Be prepared
If you want to achieve something in a formal discussion, you need to come prepared. Study the agenda carefully. Are there any issues that you think are important? Read through the agenda and contact the chair of the meeting if you think the information is incomplete. It is too late to ask for this when you arrive at the meeting. You will be in a much stronger position in a discussion if you have thought through what you want to say in advance so that you can justify your opinions. Also, think about what arguments your opponents are likely to make and how you can counter them.
Tips for a successful discussion
During the discussion, it is important that you pay attention to what is happening so that you do not hold others back with statements based on misconceptions and misunderstandings. It is also important to be polite, calm AND:
Be brief! Most people find long, one-word speeches tiring. Express yourself precisely and concisely, and in the simplest way possible.
Talk about one thing at a time! If you have a lot on your mind, ask for the floor again.
Feel free to use concrete examples, it engages and facilitates understanding.
Stick to the point! You'll gain sympathy and save everyone valuable time.
Be positive! Point out the benefits of your proposal rather than belittling your opponent. Emphasize what you both agree on.
If you criticize, you should come up with a proposal that you think is better.
Remember: Separate the issue from the person!
Listen! Listen carefully to what others are saying and note the most important things. Do not interrupt, but wait until it is your turn before making counterarguments.
As participants and debaters in meetings, everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the success of the discussion, and most people can learn something from the tips above.
🏅 Congratulations! You've completed the course in board work and meeting management. Now all you have to do is roll up your sleeves and get started with good meetings and professional board work. We're cheering you on!
Everything about associations🔗 3. Link collection
10 commandments for download (PDF) - Statsforvalteren.no
About ground rules in formal meetings - NDLA, nasjonal digital læringsarena
Questions about the course or associations?
Do you have any questions about the course or need help with your recruitment?
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Finance course for student associationsThank you:
For sharing materials, resources and exchanging experiences 🫶