Roles

There are several roles different participants might have in a meeting. Some roles are officially appointed, some assigned on a per-meeting basis, and others simply assumed during the meeting without discussion.

Formal meetings, such as board meetings, may have people participating as:

• the Chair,
• the Secretary,
• Voting Members,
• Non-Voting Member participants,
• Guest Presenters,
• and Observers.

Structured meetings and workshops may have people assigned to act as:

• Sponsors or Champions,
• the Facilitator,
• a Recorder (or Note Taker),
• a Time Keeper,
• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs),
• Guests,
• and Participants.

Business meetings where roles are not explicitly assigned or discussed will still have a meeting Organizer, a Leader, and Participants.

Note that "person who just sits in the corner and diddles around on his phone" is not considered an appropriate role for someone to take on in a meeting.