1. Duties
   1. Preside over and conduct meetings according to accepted parliamentary procedure.
   2. Call special meetings.
   3. Keep members on the subject and within the time limit.
   4. Appoint committees and serve as ax-officio member.
   5. Represent the organization and speak on occasion.
   6. Coordinate organization efforts and check on progress.
   7. Keep order.
2. Preparing to carry out these duties.
   1. Become familiar with procedures of conducting meetings.
      1. Types of meetings
         1. Regular - scheduled and follows outline procedure.
         2. Special - does not follow outline procedure and handles urgent matters.
      2. Characteristics of satisfactory regular meetings
         1. They are carefully planned in advance by the executive committee and chapter advisor.
         2. They start and close on time.
         3. They proceed according to an established order of business.
         4. They are conducted according to an accepted parliamentary procedure. Officers become very familiar with parliamentary procedure. It may be appropriate to have a parliamentarian.
         5. Officers check committee reports and see that the chairs are prepared to give reports before meetings begins.
         6. Good meetings combine good business and fun.
         7. Keep order
            1. Be firm - especially when ideals and principles are at stake, but try not to give offense.
            2. Command respect at all meetings by holding firm to methods of addressing the chair and discussing motions. Members will respect you for it - if fully carried out. They like to see if you are a leader of the type that can be pushed around.
   2. Know the organization constitution and by-laws. Examples of things often included in by-laws
      1. Use of funds.
      2. Use of organization equipment or facilities.
      3. Organization dues.
      4. Officer responsibilities.
      5. Meeting schedule.
   3. Know and follow the organization program of activities
      1. Have members volunteer for committees found on program of activities.
      2. Appoint members that are interested.
      3. Make clear to committee members what they are to accomplish.
      4. Recognize efforts and success of those serving on committees.
      5. Vice-president should be responsible for committees and have them give periodic reports.
   4. Develop good personal habits and characteristics
      1. Some pointers to follow:
      2. Be friends to all - keep them in good confidence (students, teachers, etc).
      3. Admit mistakes and avoid alibis.
      4. Refrain from hurting others.
      5. Discover personal strengths and areas for improvement.
      6. Develop good judgment (have facts before making statements or coming to conclusions).
      7. Be a good listener - don't try to dominate in conversations.
      8. Be a living example to others as to ideals, aims and moral character.
      9. Be prepared.
      10. Plan for success.
      11. Improve and have good speech; speak clearly and with strength.
      12. Be tactful.
      13. Show partiality to no one. (Be a referee), be fair.
      14. Hide unpleasant feelings. (Hold temper.)
      15. Don’t be discouraged easily. (Go talk it over with the advisor.)
      16. Keep grades in good shape.
      17. Develop a respectable program as per the organization expectations.
      18. Be a real person - Avoid the "big head."
3. President's responsibility for the total program of the organization.
   1. Some points to remember
      1. The president is the one the members have selected to lead them and they will be looking to that person for direction.
      2. The president will need the help of all members.
      3. The president should not try to do it all alone.
      4. Delegate others to do the work, but encourage and help them with suggestions and methods of accomplishments.
      5. Use the friendship and favor system when asking a member to do a job; don’t tell them that "you, you and you" are to do the job.
      6. Always ask for volunteers first, don’t use the draft system if it can be avoided.
      7. Give praise and honor for a job well done by those appointed.
      8. Work closely with the advisor.
      9. Give the other officers a share of the responsibility.
   2. The President and the Program of Activities
      1. Remember!...the organization should have a challenging, outlined program of activities if it is to be successful.
      2. Don’t leave it up to the advisor to make up the program of activities for the members.
      3. Get the advisor’s help and suggestions, but most important of all, get the things on the program that the members want.
      4. Help keep goals within reasonable reach or attainment. Check closely with the advisor.
      5. Check organization materials for methods of building and carrying out a chapter program of activities.
   3. The President and Public Relations
      1. The president is generally considered as Mr./Miss FFA in the community.
      2. Be proud of the position and represent it well.
      3. Don’t pass up opportunities to present the purposes of the organization to the public.
      4. Don’t pass up opportunities to give help to community drives and programs.
   4. Building and Keeping Standards of Performance
      1. Keep and/or improve the standards of performance.
      2. Some standards which need to be remembered:
         1. Knowing individual parts in ceremonies.
         2. Using good parliamentary procedure.
         3. Starting and ending meetings on time.
         4. Good conduct at all functions (set a good example).
   5. The President and Committee Work
      1. Put all members on some committee.
      2. Have the Vice-President responsible for checking with all committee chairs.
   6. Adequate Financing
      1. The organization cannot operate successfully on members’ dues alone.
      2. Be sure to plan several money-making activities for the year.
      3. Put a good person in charge of those activities.
      4. Plan them well in advance, so good publicity can be given.

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Syllabus  Written Assignments  Outside Lab Assignments  What is Leadership?  Self Concept   Parliamentary Procedure  Leadership Ideas  Win/Lose   Power  What is an Advisor?  What is a Program of Activities?  Effective Youth Organizations  Selecting/Electing Officers  Officer Guidelines

Send questions about this website to Denise Davies at ddavies@ag.arizona.edu.   For course information or questions not included in these pages contact Dr. James Knight. Copyright (c) 1998 Department of Agricultural Education, The University of Arizona.  Website version 1.2, last updated on Thursday, August 16, 2001.