Write an article based on this "Take the head seat. Set up the rules upfront. Ensure the purpose is clear. Make sure the rules are followed. Always have an appropriate written agenda. Have someone take minutes."
If there is a head seat in the room you are using, it's appropriate for you to take it. You are the leader, and you are visually establishing that by taking the head seat. On the other hand, if you want to establish a more informal setting, you might sit in the middle of the group. It will make you more approachable, though it may cut down a bit on your authority. If the committee is new, explain how it will be run. That is, if you have specific rules about how an idea will be brought up, now is the time to lay those rules out. You should also have a handout of the rules so that your members can refer back to them later. For very formal committees, some people turn to Robert's Rules of Orders Newly Revised. It provides rules for how committees are run. You can also establish any rules for any misconduct, include people coming late to the meetings, not being prepared, or taking over a meeting completely. You've already established the purpose of the committee for yourself. However, your members need to be clear on what the purpose is as well. Go over the purpose in the first meeting. In addition, you should be clear about what each member should contribute in terms of time and ideas. You should also have the purpose in writing to help guide your members throughout the time they are on the committee. Once rules and consequences are in place, you have to be the one who makes sure they are followed. That means following through with any consequences in a fair and just manner. It always pays to be diplomatic, even when someone is breaking the rules. As an example, if you have all agreed that no one can talk for more than 10 minutes with the exception of special presentations, when someone is going over, you need to step in. However, instead of saying, "John, you need to be quiet now. You're way over time." you could say, "Thanks, John, for that valuable information. I know you have more to say, but maybe you can put it in a short email to all our committee members so we can be sure to cover all the items on our agenda today." Agendas guide meetings because they help the group focus on a few main ideas. You must make sure that the agenda is appropriate. That is, you must make sure that you have enough time to give each item on the agenda the attention it needs. If you have too much on it, you'll be forced to skip over some items. Hand the agenda out a day or two before the meeting so members can be prepared. Make sure each person knows what she or he is responsible for on the agenda beforehand. If the committee doesn't have an established secretary, make sure someone takes minutes at every meeting. That way, you can have something to refer back to when you want to know what happened at each meeting.