There you are in the big chair and - WHOOPS! - you don't have a clue what the next item of business is. You wrote out an agenda but you left it on the front seat of the car and you can't very well run out to get it. It's one of those 'deer in the headlights' moments that every group leader experiences - and your Brethren will know well when you're 'fakin' it'....

Now there's an iPhone app to solve this problem: CHAIRMAN NOW. You can set up standard agendas and then modify them to suit a particular meeting. Plan the duration of each item in the agenda and mail it to your Wardens and Secretary for their comments if you want. (Might save a lot of needless blustering during meetings?) When you move to business, you simply push a large button and two progress bars will track the overall meeting and the present agenda item, show time used and time remaining, as well as a summary of over or under time minutes. When the District Deputy is twitching in his seat, it'll help you avoid looking at your watch constantly. Audible prompts can be used to indicate 75%, 90% and 100% points in the agenda item discussion time although in tyled meetings you might not want to have them activated.  A series of tips on running meetings is included in this $4 app. What's more, the program's owner is a delight and promises more improvements to come.

Good management encourages us to "plan ahead" and this app will encourage you to do just that. Whether you're Master, chair of a committee or head of any body or group, you can get on top of things with Chairman Now. Members react SO much better to well-planned meetings and with this app, you've got the opportunity to garner some more of that praise. Go for it!

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