The best-run Forums are when everyone takes on a role to keep the Forum running smoothly. Typically, each person holds a role for one year and then rotates to a new role. This process builds in ownership by each member towards the overall health of the Forum. Below are some of the typical roles:
- Moderator
- Moderator Elect
- Treasurer
- Time-Keeper
- Process Observer
- Full Retreat Coordinator
- 1-Day Retreat Coordinator
- Social Events Coordinator
- Parking Lot Keeper
- Goals Keeper
- Deep Dive Learning
- New Member On-Boarding
- Member-to-Member Assessment
- Meeting Logistics
Here’s a description of each role:
Moderator – This person is in charge of the overall direction of the Forum. They set the agenda for the meetings and pick activities. They also manage various behind-the-scenes conversations with all the other members. In short, they are the captain steering the ship.
Moderator Elect – This person is next in line to be Moderator for the following year. They also step in and run meetings in case the Moderator can’t attend. Beyond that, they don’t do much, so they should take on a second role.
Treasurer – This person is in charge of the finances for the Forum. They should keep track of how much money is still left in the Forum “kiddie” and report on it to the group once a quarter to collect additional money if needed. They also collect fines due to the group when people violate rules, such as showing up late. There are lots of ways to manage Forum finances, so I’ll save that for another post.
Time-Keeper – This person-times each section of the Forum and lets people know when their time is up. While this role seems simple, it’s actually very important because if each section isn’t timed correctly, the overall meeting runs over. The Time-Keeper works closely with the Moderator to end the meeting on time. Because this role doesn’t require a lot of effort, they sometimes also take on the Process Observer role.
Process Observer – Each Forum creates a set of rules and guidelines on how they talk with each other, such as not giving advice and only speaking from personal experience. This person is in charge of calling people out if they violate the rules and guidelines. Ideally, the whole group supports in holding the line with the rules and guidelines, but it starts with the Process Observer.
Full Retreat Coordinator – This person is in charge of coordinating the Forum’s yearly Full Retreat. This doesn’t mean they do all the work, but rather coordinate the overall process with everyone else.
1-Day Retreat Coordinator – This person is in charge of coordinating the Forum’s yearly 1-Day Retreat. This doesn’t mean they do all the work, but rather coordinate the overall process with everyone else.
Social Events Coordinator – This person is in charge of coming up with, and organizing, social events for the Forum to participate in, outside of the regularly scheduled Forum meetings. This could be anything from holiday parties, to birthdays, to family dinners.
Parking Lot Keeper – This person is in charge of inputting and cleaning up the parking lot. The majority of the work for this is done during the meeting and right afterward to clean it up.
Goals Keeper – This person is in charge of inputting and cleaning up the Goals Doc. They also lead the goals section of the meeting, in which they check in with each person on their progress on past goals and commitment to future goals.
Deep Dive Learning – Many Forums dedicate one hour per meeting to dive deep into a topic that might be interesting to everyone. This is done through additional prep work where everyone prepares something to present on the topic. Or, they might bring in an outside expert to talk on the topic. Either way, this person is in charge of coordinating this part of the Forum meeting.
New Member On-Boarding – Having the right people in a Forum is critical to the Forum’s success. This person is in charge of managing the process of finding, interviewing, and onboarding potential candidates for the Forum. If the Forum isn’t looking for new members, this person doesn’t have much to do, but that quickly changes if they start the search process.
Member-to-Member Assessment – Once a year, the Forum runs a member-to-member assessment as a way to give an objective measure as to how well each member is doing in terms of their role within the Forum. The process to run the M2M Assessment is long, so I’ll save that for another post. For now, know that this member is in charge of creating, running, and reporting on the yearly assessment.
Meeting Logistics – This person is in charge of finding a location to host the monthly meeting and a place to eat afterward. The trick is to find unique places to meet and eat each month as a way to mix things up for the group.