Preside over
Today’s expression is “preside over.” When you “preside over” something, you’re leading it in a formal leadership role.
A judge presides over a trial. That means the judge is in charge, in a leadership role. It doesn’t mean judges do all the work; they clearly don’t. It doesn’t mean that judges can do whatever they want either; clearly, they cannot. But the judge is leading the proceedings. And so, we say that a judge presides over a trial, or the judge presides over the courtroom.
Imagine a board or committee. Who presides over the meeting? Usually, it’s the chairman who presides over a board or committee meeting. The chairman is not always there, however. If the chairman is absent, another board member presides over the meeting.
I have been the chairman of volunteer committees before. In that role, I have presided over meetings. I call the meeting to order, I work through the agenda in an orderly fashion, I make sure all the members can express their viewpoints, and I ensure we accomplish our goals. I don’t always get my way; that’s for sure. I can guarantee you that. But because I’m presiding over the meeting, I have a little bit of flexibility to guide and steer the direction of the meeting in a way that I think will be the most productive.
Did you know that there is a Speaker of the House of Commons in Britain? The Speaker presides over the House of Commons. The Speaker is not the prime minister. If you don’t live in the UK, I bet you don’t know the current Speaker’s name. It’s Lindsay Doyle. I didn’t know it until just now.
The Speaker is a Member of Parliament but doesn’t have a political role. Instead, the Speaker presides over debate in the House of Commons. In that role, the Speaker determines who can speak, and in what order. The Speaker determines what amendments to bills are considered and the Speaker can punish members who are out of order or break the rules. The prime minister is the leader of the government, but the Speaker presides over debate in the House of Commons. The Speaker must keep Britain’s sometimes unruly Parliament in order.
Angela Merkel presided over coalition governments in all four of her terms . She was the leader of those coalitions. They were coalitions comprised of multiple political parties with differing viewpoints and many different personalities. But Merkel was the one who was the leader of the coalition, and she had the top job.
I bet if you asked her, she would tell you that she didn’t get her way every time, just like a judge in a trial or the chairman of a meeting doesn’t get to determine the outcome. But she did preside over the coalitions, steering them and exerting her influence.
Quote of the Week
Today’s quote of the week is from Oprah Winfrey. She says, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Indeed, that is true, just like you build your muscles and build your lungs by pushing them harder, so too is the case for the rest of your life. You build your strength by overcoming challenges. So, remember that next time you’re struggling with something, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength,” says Oprah Winfrey.
See you next time!
And that’s all for today’s lesson. Remember we’ll continue our main topic on Thursday when we talk about Angela Merkel’s legacy outside the borders of Germany in the European Union.
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