Location, location, location.

Patrick wrote:

Tristan, please keep in mind that I actually don't have a problem with the "formal" meetings personally. I'm sort of being a devil's advocate here, trying to see things from the perspective of those who don't like the current setup, those who by and large no longer come out to the meetings.

Why do I bother trying to see things from the perspective of others? I suppose because in this situation, I see parallels with the problems the video club I've belonged to for last 20 years has experienced. Dwindling attendance at club meetings usually indicates a problem. Dwindling attendance left unchecked will eventually kill a club.

Shortening the formal part of the meeting by having that part taken care of while we're eating (as suggested earlier) will only work if the person chairing the meeting doesn't themself eat a meal, or perhaps wolfs down their meal beforehand. As someone who has chaired a few meetings myself, I'll make it absolutely clear that I'll never chair a meeting again if I'm expected to make that sacrifice. Perhaps that was the goal of the suggestion , but nevertheless, screwing up the evening for whomever is chairing the meeting seems to me to be rather shortsighted.

I'll also admit that I'm somewhat of a hardass when it comes to expecting club members to be attentive and quiet during the formal part of a meeting (when they themselves are not speaking to the group). For anyone who hasn't addressed a roomful of people, it's quite a nuisance to have private "chit-chat" going on while a group discussion is taking place. It's very distracting to the person directing the discussion, and it's annoying as heck to club members who wish to participate in the group discussion.

So either we have a formal part of the meeting (hopefully as short as is required) to handle business/questions/answers, or we forgo the formal part entirely and just have the meeting completely "social".

I'm suggesting we try it both ways to try and satisfy everyone (because yes, I do understand that some people hate sitting still and being quiet during a group discussion). However, that entails mixing it up a bit, alternating types of meetings, trying something different than we've been currently doing.

I'd like to see people we haven't heard from also express themselves here, or better yet, attend the meeting this Saturday and pipe up then.

Before I continue, don't feel as though I neglected to read through the entirety of your post; I've read through it all, I just hope to answer one point in particular:

You brought up the issue of making a small sacrifice when being the speaker, namely, devouring one's food before-hand. First things first, we have multiple people who've offered to speak already: David, Damien, myself and yourself. Now of course if it isn't fair to have someone routinely forego enjoying their meal. Three times a year isn't quite as bad, and while it is unfortunate, I sincirely believe it could be done, especially if two more speakers eventually find their way in, then one only needs to worry about the duty twice a year. And hell, I devour my meals regardless, so this one wont be making any sacrifice anyways.

While I understand such a system would require organization beforehand, it would be easily done on the forums.