The beginning of the year is a time for a fresh start and often a time for new student leaders to take their places within their organizations and hold their first meetings.

Students will have the chance to attend the iLead workshop titled: “Planning Effective Meetings,” hosted by Michelle Hopper, a complex director, tonight at 6 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther Kind Jr. Union.

Dana Barnard, assistant director of student life, said Hopper was chosen because of the range of meetings and groups that she had worked with.

“We selected Michelle because she’s had experiences working with a variety of groups of people,” Barnard said.

Hopper, who has worked with hall councils and two different sororities, is hoping both the experienced and inexperienced leaders that attend her workshop learn something new to take away with them.

She said during the workshop, students have the chance to share with others how they plan and run their organization’s meetings and learn from each other.

At the workshop, Hopper will teach students how to hold effective meetings by keeping them interesting.

“If you have all business all the time, it can get monotonous,” Hopper said.

Two ways Hopper said leaders could keep their meetings interesting are by performing team building activities and having motivational speakers visit.

Barnard said it is important for organizations to hold effective meetings at the beginning of the year when new members join.

“If the leadership is not doing a good job and having effective meetings, it tends to turn off new recruits,” Barnard said.

She also said learning more about planning effective meetings will help students when they go out into the “real world.”

Chandra Golden, graduate advisor for student life, said the “Planning Effective Meetings” workshop will also help students when they enter the workforce.

“Even if you aren’t in a student organization I think that learning about planning meetings is essential for when you get out in the workforce,” the a graduate student majoring in college student affairs said.

Golden said the iLead program’s purpose is to provide “advice and support tips on things that (students) can do to empower their organizations.”

She said knowing how to plan an effective meeting is “essential” to an organization; allowing the group to “grow and flourish.”

During the workshop Barnard said students will also learn how to make agendas, stay on topic and keep the meeting “moving along.”

Throughout the rest of the semester, a number of other leadership workshops will be provided for students including “Event

Planning 101″ and “Recruitment & Retention.”

“We are very open to (student’s) feedback, thoughts and ideas,” Barnard said.

Sam Bohne can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].