ABSTRACT
It’s hard to imagine someone being an effective chairperson unless they can be assertive. This doesn’t mean being authoritarian or bossy. Rather, it means being firm while at the same time showing respect for others and responding to, rather than ignoring, what they say. A good chairperson has to be able to listen carefully and read other people’s body language for signs that they are not happy with the way things are going. They also need to be aware of their own body language, taking particular care to avoid aggressive or bored gestures. (You may remember that we discussed these in Session A.)
Another valuable skill is being able to summarize what’s been said. Doing this at intervals throughout a meeting will help to get rid of any misunderstandings. It will also draw attention to what progress has, or hasn’t, been made, and bring a drifting discussion back to the point.
