Q: One of our Forum members needs extra support. How do we know when and how to schedule an emergency Forum meeting? What should our agenda include?
– Sarah B.
A: One of the most beautiful virtues of healthy Forums is the members’ eagerness to help each other, and that includes their willingness to schedule an emergency meeting when someone really needs support.
The challenge is usually determining whether the problem constitutes an emergency meeting. It varies from person to person and Forum to Forum—there are Forums who’ve been together for years without a single emergency meeting, while others hold them several times a year. If a member isn’t sure whether the issue is severe enough for an emergency meeting, the best practice is to contact the Moderator and talk it through with them.
In my experience, there are four steps to scheduling an emergency meeting:
- Contact the Moderator. The member who wants the meeting contacts the Moderator, letting them know when and where they’d like to hold the meeting. There’s no need to identify the specific problem or solution—it’s enough that the Forum knows someone needs help.
- Notify the Forum. The Moderator contacts the other Forum members with the date, time, and location of the emergency meeting. Note that a virtual meeting may be more practical.
- Hold the meeting. The meeting itself usually consists of an opening confidentiality reminder and a presentation on the issue. A discussion follows as needed to help the member.
- Adjourn the meeting. After the full presentation process is complete, the meeting ends. The Presenter should provide a status update at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Because we can’t possibly plan for emergencies, emergency meetings are not considered mandatory for attendance. For example, if someone is out of town on the date when the member has requested the meeting, it won’t be recorded as an absence.
Cheers and good luck!
Ellie