Chapter Meeting Engagement

Harshal Joshi, Central Area VP

A foundational aspect of chapter meetings is member engagement. In order to have a successful meeting where all members are engaged, it is important to maintain a certain level of energy to keep your members coming back for future meetings. What makes FBLA unique is the community that it is, so fostering strong connections in chapter meetings will take your member engagement to the next level. Here are 3 major tips that can increase your chapter engagement.

1. Include only information that is necessary

When you plan a meeting, it is important to remember that each FBLA member has set aside hours of the day to attend, so you must respect their time. Include relevant information in a nonrepetitive fashion. One way to avoid repetition is to split up different information sessions into separate breakout rooms. One room might include information about volunteer hours, while another could include information about upcoming events, and so on. This allows each room to be unique in the information delivered, so each member has a focus on the current presentation room they are in. Another important aspect is to move beyond the agenda. There is a reason you chose to deliver this information in person instead of through an email or a newsletter. Give members information beyond your slides presentation and elaborate on what information is important. Following these recommendations and optimizing your meetings will increase your overall chapter engagement.

2. Empower members to participate

What can be even more boring to members than just listening to a large amount of information is not being able to talk or participate during the meeting. It is extremely important that during your chapter meetings, you ensure that member’s voices are heard. During presentations and information sessions, include time for questions of clarification. You should also include members during your meeting presentations. A great way to do this is to ask spontaneous questions and keep members engaged in discussion. This can convert a boring information session into a meeting with a strong community. Member participation does not end when members leave the meeting, however; Be sure to include feedback forms that allow members to submit suggestions and improvements. Implementing member feedback into future meetings will allow them to be more successful and engage more members. 

3. Plan an energizer, or fun activity

When you have an FBLA chapter meeting, it is easy to just focus on the agenda and forget about building your community, but you have the chance to include a fun energizer or activity before and after the meeting. As long as you integrate at least one energizer or fun activity into your meeting, you will see success. Whether it is some trivia, or a planned team-building activity, you want this activity to be the chance for members to connect and leave a lasting impression. During your board meeting, make sure to brainstorm activities that you can include in the meeting. If you need help brainstorming, take inspiration from the web and even utilize AI for activity ideas. Ultimately, a fun and all inclusive activity can mean the difference between a boring chapter meeting and a meeting that further builds your chapter community.

The best meetings are the ones that have a balance of information and energy. The most impactful meetings that I have been in are when I felt more connected to other members through engaging conversations and activities. The best leaders in a chapter meeting understand that engagement must be fostered at chapter meetings because it is a time when many members in the chapter are present together. Stronger and more connected meetings means you will have a stronger and more connected chapter.

- Harshal Joshi, Central Area VP