Meetings A
S YOU begin to work in an organisation, one of your many duties could be planning meetings and conferences, or you may be involved in behind-the-scenes activities such as preparing materials and arranging for speakers. Perhaps you will actually be at a particular meeting where you will have to take notes or even lead a discussion. Whatever your role, you will need to know the basic functions of planning for successful meetings and conferences. As a result, in this unit you should be able to:
State the reasons for holding meetings and their importance to the organisation. Organise a meeting. State the basic legal requirements of annual general meetings.
State the importance of minutes of meetings and of following up decisions.
TYPES OF MEETINGS
Meetings are held primarily to conduct business, to pass on needed information to a group or individual, or to follow up on a particular activity of the business. Meetings may be formal or informal. Whether a meeting is formal or informal depends on its purpose. Meetings can be as short as a few minutes or can stretch out over several days. When a meeting stretches out over several days, it is referred to as a conference. Informal meetings An informal meeting usually discusses daily activities and is conducted in individual offices or in a small conference room. Informal meetings do not involve complicated arrangements or scheduling. The three basic types of meetings held in the office are staff meetings, committee meetings and individual meetings. Staff meetings Staff meetings play an important part in the operation of the organisation. The purpose of a staff meeting is to discuss and solve problems, make decisions, review progress, plan projects and to recognise the part they play in achieving the aims of the organisation. Committee meetings Committees are often appointed by supervisors to further discuss or study a matter related to a particular topic. Committee meetings may be held in a room where the committee members meet, in the office, via the telephone, through a conference call, or through electronic communications. For example, you may work in one of several branches of a business. You may be serving on a company committee to study a particular issue, such as productivity. In order for your committee to function properly, the committee members from all the branch offices will have to participate. If you are serving on a committee that functions within your branch office, the committee meetings will naturally be held within the office. Client meetings Client meetings are very important business meetings. These meetings are held wherever it is convenient for the parties involved. For example, a client meeting might be held in the office or at a restaurant. Business is often conducted over lunch or dinner.
Formal meetings include annual general meetings, extraordinary meetings and board meetings. These may also be held at the office or at another location. Because of their nature, formal meetings require greater preparation. Location is a very important consideration for a formal meeting because of those attending and the structure of the meeting. Annual general meetings This meeting provides the opportunity to elect or reinstate office holders for the coming year, and for the organisation to declare future strategies. The regulation for calling and holding such meetings are laid down in the Companies’ Act. It is at this meeting that the treasurer’s report is usually presented. Extraordinary meeting This is an additional general meeting called (when an AGM is not due) to discuss some unexpected event requiring the consent of all the members according to regulations of law. Board meetings These are held throughout the year, as required by a company’s regulation. They are used to approve financial and other management decisions, as well as make other important decisions. Notifying participants It is essential to notify each person who will participate in the meeting of the meeting time and location. Telephone It is important to call the meeting participants as soon as the date of the meeting is established. Telephone notification should be followed up by a written confirmation. Written notice When a formal meeting is planned, all the participants who are to be present should be notified in writing not less than 21 days prior to it. A written notice also reduces the chance of miscommunication. Electronic message In these days, many companies have a special system that allows you to communicate messages electronically. If the company has an electronic calendaring system, meeting times can automatically be entered into the electronic calendar’s memory. This system allows you to key in information about a specific meeting. The computer will check the schedules of the meeting participants and either add the meeting to their calendars or indicate which participants have a scheduling conflict at the proposed meeting time. As I close this lesson, let me implore you to continue to read additional texts, especially for weaker areas.