II - Reviewing Past Business. In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a (usually) predetermined topic such as business or community event planning

Meetings

In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a (usually) predetermined topic such as business or community event planning, often in a formal setting.

In addition to coming together physically (in real life, face to face), communication lines and equipment can also be set up to have a discussion between people at different locations, e.g. a conference call or an e-meeting.

Meetings are vital for management and communication. Properly run meetings save time, increase motivation, productivity, and solve problems. Meetings create new ideas and initiatives. Meetings diffuse conflict in a way that emails and memos cannot. Meetings are effective because the written word only carries 7% of the true meaning and feeling. Meetings are better than telephone conferences because only 38% of the meaning and feeling is carried in the way that things are said. The other 55% of the meaning and feeling is carried in facial expression and non-verbal signals. That's why meetings are so useful.

The main typesof meetings are:

· Decision making meeting

· Information giving meeting

· Spontaneous / emergency meeting

· Routine meeting

· Internal meeting

· Customer / Client / Supplier

- first meeting

- established relationship

Meetings also fall into several categories, the most common of which are:

2) Work Meetings, which produce a product or intangible result such as a decision

3) Staff meeting – typically a meeting between a manager and those that report to the manager (possibly indirectly).

4) Team meeting – a meeting among colleagues working on various aspects of a team project.

5) Ad-hoc meeting – a meeting called together for a special purpose

6) Management meeting – a meeting among managers

7) Board meeting – a meeting of the Board of directors of an organization

8) Annual general meeting (AGM) -is an annual meeting that official bodies are often required by law to hold. It is an opportunity for the shareholders and partners to receive copies of the company's accounts as well as reviewing fiscal information for the past year and asking any questions regarding the decisions the business will take in the future

9) One to one meeting – a meeting between two individuals

10) Off-site meeting – also called "offsite retreat" or "retreat" and known as an Awaydaymeeting in the UK

11) Kick-off Meeting– is the first meeting with the project team and the client of the project to discuss the role of each team member

The choice of structure and style in running an effective meeting is hugely dependent on several factors:

• the situation (circumstances, mood, atmosphere, background, etc
• the organisational context (the implications and needs of the business or project or organisation)
• the needs and interests of those attending
• the aims of the meeting.

Meeting aimsinclude:

· giving information

· training

· discussion

· generating ideas

· planning

· workshops

· consulting and getting feedback

· crisis management

· setting targets and objectives

· setting tasks and delegating

· making decisions

· motivating

· finding solutions/solving problems

· performance reporting/assessment

· special subjects – guest speakers

Meetings consist of a chairperson and participants. Both have specific responsibilities to guarantee that a meeting is effective. A combination of language and general communication skills is essential.

Chairperson	Participants

The process

Before the meeting takes place, it is important to invite participants to propose items or points for the agenda. Drawing up the agenda is usually the responsibility of the secretary or the chair. When the chair opens the meeting, it is usual to run through the agenda quickly. The first item is usually Matters Arising, to allow participants to go through the minutes of the previous meeting. After this, the discussion of the other points can begin. During the discussion, participants make recommendations and proposals in order to solve problems. If the meeting is scheduled for a whole day, it is typical to take breaks and to adjourn for lunch. Of course, it is necessary to resume [start again] after lunch. In the middle of the afternoon, participants often ask for a time outif they are feeling tired. At the end of the meeting, the last or next-to-last point is often AOB(Any Other Business) which gives participants the opportunity to raise other issues not included in the main agenda. During the meeting someone is nominated to take the minutes and after the meeting this person will write up the minutes for circulation to the other participants before the next meeting. Finally, the chair will close the meeting.

Structure

Meetings generally follow a more or less similar structure and can be divided into the following parts:

I - Introductions

Opening the Meeting

Welcoming and Introducing Participants

Stating the Principal Objectives of a Meeting

Giving Apologies for Someone Who is absent

II - Reviewing Past Business

Reading the Minutes (notes) of the Last Meeting

Dealing with Recent Developments

III - Beginning the Meeting

Introducing the Agenda

Allocating Roles (secretary, participants)

Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.)

IV - Discussing Items

Introducing the First Item on the Agenda

Closing an Item

Next Item

Giving Control to the Next Participant

V - Finishing the Meeting

Summarizing

Finishing Up

Suggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next Meeting

Thanking Participants for Attending

Closing the Meeting

Chairperson

Here are some golden rules for a Chairperson on how to prepare and run effective meetings.

Preparation for meetings

• Decide objectives.

• What type of meeting (formal or informal, short or long, regular or a "one time," internal / external information giving / discussion / decision making)?

• Prepare an agenda (list the items to review/discuss/inspect).

• Decide time / place / participants / who must attend and who can be notified of decisions.

• Study subjects for discussion.

• Anticipate different opinions.

• Speak to participants.

Be sure that the Secretary

During the meeting

• Start and end on time.

• Introduce objectives, agenda.

• Introduce speakers.

• Define time limits for contributions.

• Control discussion, encourage ideas from all the participants.

• Summarize discussion at key points.

• Impose control on strong personalities.

• Ensure that key decisions are written down by the secretary.

• Ensure that conclusions and decisions are clear and understood.

• Define actions to be taken and individual responsibilities.

Summary:

· Don't Meet. Avoid a meeting if the same information could be covered in a memo, e-mail or brief report.

· Set Objectives for the Meeting.Before planning the agenda, determine the objective of the meeting. You should be able to define the purpose of the meeting in 1 or 2 sentences at most. "This meeting is to plan the new marketing campaign" or "this meeting is to review shipping's new policy for handling returns." That way everyone knows why they are there, what needs to be done, and how to know if they are successful.

· Provide an Agenda Beforehand.Your agenda needs to include a one-sentence description of the meeting objectives, a list of the topics to be covered and a list stating who will address each topic for how long. Follow the agenda closely during the meeting.

· Assign Meeting Preparation.Give all participants something to prepare for the meeting, and that meeting will take on a new significance to each group member.

· Assign Action Items.Don't finish any discussion in the meeting without deciding how to act on it.

· Examine Your Meeting Process.Don't leave the meeting without assessing what took place and making a plan to improve the next meeting.

The following phrases are used to conduct a meeting. These phrases are useful if you are called on to conduct a meeting.

Participants

The following phrases are used to participate in a meeting. These phrases are useful for expressing your ideas and giving input to a meeting.