Chairing Evaluation and Self-Improvement

The Chair's Blind Spots

Chairs are in a uniquely difficult position for self-assessment. You are the one person in the room who cannot observe yourself objectively. You do not hear how your voice sounds to delegates. You do not see your own facial expressions when a delegate says something frustrating. You do not notice the patterns in who you call on, how long you wait before intervening, or whether your energy drops after lunch.

Most chairs overestimate their time management and underestimate their biases. A chair who thinks they called on delegates evenly may have unconsciously favored the front rows, male delegates, or delegates who made eye contact. A chair who thinks they kept perfect pace may not realize that delegates felt rushed during working paper drafting.

Self-improvement starts with acknowledging that your self-perception is unreliable. You need external data: feedback from delegates, observations from your dais team, and if possible, recorded video of your sessions.

Collecting Useful Feedback

Post-conference delegate surveys. Distribute a short anonymous survey (5-7 questions) within 24 hours of the conference ending. Ask specific questions: 'Did the chair manage time effectively?' 'Did you feel you had adequate opportunity to participate?' 'Was the chair fair in recognizing speakers?' 'What one thing would you change about how the committee was run?' Avoid generic questions like 'Rate the chair 1-10' — these produce numbers without insight.

Dais debrief. Within a week of the conference, sit down with your dais team for an honest 30-minute conversation. Ask each person: 'What did I do well? What should I do differently? Was there a moment where you thought I made the wrong call?' Your vice chair and rapporteur saw things you missed. This conversation is uncomfortable but invaluable.

Self-recording. If conference rules and delegate consent allow, record one session on your phone (audio is sufficient). Listen to it the following week. You will notice verbal tics ('um,' 'so,' 'like'), uneven energy, moments where you spoke too long, and procedural hesitations that felt seamless in the moment but sound uncertain on replay.

Building a Chairing Practice Over Time

The best chairs treat chairing as a skill to be developed across years, not a one-time performance. Keep a chairing journal. After each conference, write a page about what happened, what you learned, and what you want to try next. When you chair your fifth or tenth conference, you will have a longitudinal record of your growth.

Seek variety. If you have only chaired GA committees, volunteer for a crisis committee or a specialized agency. If you have only chaired at your home conference, apply to chair at a regional or national conference. Each new context reveals strengths and weaknesses that familiar settings hide.

Observe other chairs. Attend a committee as a spectator or assistant, not a chair. Watch how experienced chairs handle difficult moments: a procedural challenge from a delegate, a committee that has stalled, a dispute that is escalating. Take notes on techniques you want to adopt.

Mentor new chairs. Teaching forces you to articulate knowledge that you hold implicitly. When a first-time chair asks 'What do I do when the speakers' list stalls?', formulating your answer clarifies your own approach. Mentoring also builds the community of skilled chairs that makes every conference better.