Doing stuff before meetings

meetings can suck if everyone comes to them without preparation or forethought. you can feel overwhelmed by the discussion, not knowing the history and being embarassed to ask. you should be! democracy only works amoung educated groups, so do your homework. (don't feel too embarassed - there is so much going on here that it would be a full-time position just to keep track of it all. rather, make sure you find out how to keep advised of areas you are concerned about, and be willing to accept that you can't monitor everything and will have to find ways to trust the various subcommittees and work groups.)

as a participant, what should you do before a meeting?
 * re-read the last meeting's minutes a week or so before the meeting (thankfully, our meeting minder helps remind us to do this)
 * make sure you have done all the commitments you had made
 * pay attention to the meeting agenda as it develops
 * if there is an item that you are interested in, make sure you have researched your opinion, or discuss it with someone you know to be close to the item
 * if someone puts an item on you are unclear about, ask them, if possible on the email list, for available background information
 * if you post an agenda item, be sure to provide links to relevant previous discussions, have an introduction ready that summarizes the history of the topic, and be ready to show which issues have already been considered and addressed
 * don't post agenda items too late, or you prevent serious consideration by those members who can't have been at all the sub-meetings you get to attend