Guidelines For Council Staff - What To Expect When You Attend a Political Meeting

In the six years I have been training council staff who provide advice to elected members. I have had many people tell me that they would like some basic information about what to expect when they attend a meeting for the first time. I have written these guidelines with the new advisor in mind. Councils are welcome to adapt them to meet their specific needs.

Introduction

If you have written or contributed to a report on a meeting agenda, you may be expected to attend the meeting to introduce the report and/or answer questions. These guidelines are designed to get you started. It’s also a great idea to watch online recordings of previous meetings – or attend these, to get a feel for how the meeting works.

Your role

Your role is to explain your report recommendations and answer questions relating to the report. You are there to provide free and frank advice, and you should maintain a professional and helpful attitude. You can expect elected members to test your advice and ask questions. Remain calm and don’t get argumentative, flustered, or defensive. While you provide the advice, they are the decision makers.

Practical stuff

If you are unsure, ask democracy services for a run-through beforehand so that you know where to sit /stand and how the microphone works.

Turn up well before your item is due to start.

Have your materials organised – meeting agenda, notes, relevant pages marked. When your item is about to start, you will be invited to the table/lectern by the meeting Chair.

Introducing your report

Usually, you will be asked to introduce your report. If the Chair does not want an introduction, they will “take the report as read” and go straight to questions. Unless you know for sure that you will not be asked to introduce the report, you should be prepared to provide a short introduction.

For most reports, 1-3 minutes will be long enough. You don’t need to take them through the report paragraph by paragraph. Focus on the decision they are being asked to make, your recommendations, and the key factors driving those recommendations.

Try to “talk to your report” rather than reading the executive summary. Keep it concise and professional, but be natural. Although it is a formal setting, as long as you are respectful, you can speak conversationally. 

If the chair has not introduced you, you can start with a brief introduction about yourself and your role.

 Responding to questions 

Respond positively and professionally to elected member questions – part of their role is to clarify and test the advice they receive.  

If you have attended or watched meetings, you may have noticed that staff usually respond to questions by starting with “through the Chair”. This is because the Chair controls the meeting and decides whether they want you to answer a question. Often a Chair will ask for a question to be reframed or clarified before the staff member answers.

Don’t rush to answer. Pause, and make eye contact with the Chair to get a verbal or non-verbal cue from them that they want you to answer. It is good practice to start your answer by saying "through the Chair”.

If you don’t understand a question, ask for clarification. This gives you time to think and ensures you are answering the right question! If you cannot answer a question, you can refer it to a senior staff member in the room or offer to report back after the meeting. It is much better to say you don’t know than to give an incorrect or vague answer.

Stay out of political debate

In many meetings, there is a clear demarcation between questions and political debate. You may be asked to leave the table when question time has finished. You should remain in the room in case you are called back for more questions – but usually your input has finished at this point.

If the Chair has not asked you to leave the table, but it is clear that they have transitioned to political debate, you should do so anyway.

You cannot speak up at a meeting unless you have been asked a question. If you feel you have something to offer (e.g. clarification or correction of something that is being debated) you could quietly signal to a senior staff member (usually the person supporting the Chair) that you would like to speak. But sometimes they or the Chair will decide against having you speak again.

Members of the public and media

Most meetings are live-streamed and available for viewing afterwards. Media may be in attendance. Don’t let this put you off. You are there to provide advice to elected members. Be aware that your comments might be picked up by the media or the public – but as long as you follow the guidelines here, things should go smoothly. 

Members of the public may be at the meeting (unless it is a confidential meeting). Many meetings start with a public forum session where individuals or groups may be permitted to speak to the meeting about an issue or a particular agenda item – which could include your agenda item. You are not expected to answer questions from members of the public or to interact informally with them. You could remove yourself from the room during breaks to avoid unwanted interaction.

Other things you need to know

You should be in professional attire with a professional face on!

Find out before the meeting how elected members (including the mayor) like to be addressed.

Remember, you are not alone. Elected members prefer to hear from the person who wrote the report as they are the most knowledgeable about the topic. But senior staff are happy to step in and assist when needed.