Public Meeting Paper - Essay Example

Last week, the council circulated a notice on an intended public meeting to be held in the Town Hall on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 starting 9.00 am to 11.00 am. The meeting Seated at the front were committee members along a hardwood table with the chairperson at the middle. Attendants were busy making adjustments on the microphone in order to ensure maximum audibility and on the projector to ensure that images focused fell on the projector sheet at the right angle with a favorable light intensity for maximum clarity.

The chairperson, a young man in his late twenties, is a stickler for thoroughness, and he could not head a half-done work. The stage was all set and the music started booming from the large speakers placed at all corners of the hall. On the public side of the hall, the new benches proved inadequate for the many residents that showed up for the meeting. The room had become stuffy before the meeting started, but one of the attendants tapped a switch on the wall. The fans above burst into life and a refreshing breeze filled the hall, freeing the public from the discomfort that had started to spread despite the chilly weather outside.

The only security guard at the event could even manage a smile as he cast glances across the hall. Tempe town is known for its peace-loving residents and probably that is why organizers found it unnecessary to hire more security officers for the event. Since people are quite unpredictable, meetings like these should have more security guards since a group of calm people can turn to a mob at the slightest provocation. Organizers of the event should have put more thought into this, and that is why, though not in this particular meeting, they may end up learning a security lesson the hard.

It is also necessary to consider that shooters on rampage have increased and as such, venues form a perfect niche for maximum casualty infliction. At exactly 9.15 am, the master of ceremony walked to the stage along the brightly lit aisle, took the microphone, and requested a local Baptist church pastor to lead with opening prayers. The treasurer then read the financial report for the last six months. Using graphs and diagrams, he explained the financial status of the council, giving both income and expenditure outlines.

He used a laser pointer to emphasize on essential details of which the public was supposed to take note. The treasurer’s speech was elaborate giving all the technical detailed information of the trading, profit and loss account, the balance sheet and cash flow sheet among other details. Though important, the public could benefit more if the report was given in layman terms and language. Most people were seen to yawn with many moving out incessantly. A few odd ones were asleep despite the congestion on the hard benches, a clear indication of how tasking it was listening to this accounting jargon.

Though the meeting went on smoothly, a rule should have been made to limit people from going out of the hall, especially when a speaker was talking. Because of these movements, attention shifted from the speaker so frequently that the chairperson had to call for order three times in a row. After question time, the chairperson gave his speech in which he thanked the public for continuous support of the council’s activities. The chairperson apologized to those who did not understand the