Meeting Notes

Quote: “a conference is a gathering of people who singly can do nothing, but together can
decide that nothing can be done.”
CONDUCTING MEETINGS
Definition
A meeting is a gathering of two or more people that has been convened for the purpose of
achieving a common goal through verbal interaction, such as sharing information or reaching
agreement.
OR Formal process of reaching a documented consensus or decisions by a group of people
Meetings may occur face-to-face or virtually, as mediated by communications technology, such
as a telephone conference call, a skyped conference call or a videoconference.
An act or process of coming together, for example as an assembly for a common purpose
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)
Meetings enable face to face contact of number of people at the same time.
Provides opportunities for sharing information, making suggestions and proposals, taking
discussions and obtaining instant feedback.
Quorum,
Such a number of the…members of anybody legally competent to transact business . Its usually
absolute majority [unless designated otherwise]
Importance of meetings
Meetings help facilitate:
 Exchange of views
 Exchange of information
 Deliberation on specific issues
 Removal of misconceptions
 Elaboration and clarification of concepts and ideas
 Finalization of plans and strategies
 Review of performance
 Enlistment of support and a host of such communication needs, so essential in a business
or organizational context
 They facilitate intensive interaction with individuals as well as groups, and achieve much
more than any written communication
Purpose of meetings
 To coordinate or arrange activities
 To report on some activity or experience
 To put forward ideas for discussion
 To instruct a group of people, briefing
 To discuss and solve problems related to business
 To give and get new ideas and immediate reactions
 To generate enthusiasm and positive attitude.
 To arrive at consensus on issues.
 To learn from others and to train others.
 To create involvement and interest to obtain assistance
 Reviewing operations
 Communication with other parties to inform of give external input
 Considering and enabling successful planning throughout the organization
The Seven-Step Meeting Process

The Seven-Step Meeting Process is a defined meeting process that standardizes the method of
conducting a meeting and assists in the effective execution of critical meeting tasks. Not only do
these seven steps help in structuring a meeting, they also help teams review and assess their
efficiency and productivity.
Step 1 Clarify Objectives
Ensure that all understand and are in agreement with the meeting objectives.
Step 2 Review Roles
Review who will be timekeeper, recorder, leader, and facilitator. Decide at what intervals
feedback on time will be given.
Step 3 Review Agenda
Review details of agenda items listed under step 4. Ensure that all team members understand
and are in agreement with the agenda items.
Step 4 Work Through Agenda Items
Step 5 Review Meeting Record
Review the flipchart record on the walls but do not read all charts. Look for changes and
additions. Decide which charts should be kept and which should be discarded.
Step 6 Plan Next Steps and Next Meeting Agenda
Decide who will do what before the next meeting. Decide what the objectives and agenda items
will be for the next meeting.
Step 7 Evaluate Meeting
What did the team do well that it should continue doing? What could the team do differently to
improve the meeting, group, and continual improvement processes?
The Five P's of effective Meetings.
1. Purpose.
Purpose talks about the reason of why this meeting is held in the first place. Ask yourself and
your team – why are we holding this meeting? How will this meeting help me/the team/the
project?
Every productive meeting must have a clear purpose. Participants should know what the meeting
is for. The purpose should be worth pulling people away from other productive work.
2. Preparation.
Preparation is key to productive meetings. Your dashboards should be updated prior to the
meeting so that the data is current and accurate. Metrics (Key Performance Indicators) need to
show the current score. Projects and Tasks need to be updated to reflect the current reality. Your
dashboard must “tell the truth” about exactly where your company is at right now. Every
attendee should come prepared to share their perspectives in order to achieve the purpose.
What can people who attend the meeting do before the meeting to assume success? Make sure
you ask them to send you suggested topics to discuss prior to the meeting to ensure that
everything important is covered.
3. Process.
Productive meetings have a clear process, which is defined by an agenda. Your agenda should
describe specifically what topics will be discussed and in what order so that participants know
what to expect and how to prepare appropriately.
Ideally, you should have a standard agenda for every recurring meeting.
4. Participation.
The fourth P is People, which talks about the attendees and stakeholders. Productive meetings
are characterized by the participation of everyone who has been invited. People should only be
invited to the meeting because they have something valuable to contribute to the discussion.
Through this meeting, can we identify the people who will be significantly impacted? Who has
the essential information? Who needs to be involved in the decision making process? Who can
sit in for the meeting when one of the invitees can’t attend?
5. Progress.
In a productive meeting, everyone should make progress. They should leave the meeting better
off than when they entered. People should be held accountable for honoring their commitments.
Decisions need to be made and documented. Everyone should leave with clarity about what
needs to be done next to move the Goals forward.
Any progress achieved since the last meeting needs to be praised and acknowledged. Progress
has been proven by research to be a key driver of employee motivation. When people can see
that they are making incremental progress, and receive acknowledgment for it, they are much
more likely to feel motivated and engaged.
Characteristics of a Meeting
• Formal: letter of invitation (now usu email)
• Led by a chairperson
• Documented by a secretary  ‘meeting minute’
• Meeting members = the group of people who will be affected by the meeting’s decision
(‘stakeholders’)
Effective Meeting Principles

• Set Purpose and Code of Conduct i.e. Establishing a Code of Conduct
– Ground rules or norms
• how the meeting should be run
– How team members will interact
– What kind of behavior is accepted
– Rules:
• Meeting’s start on time
• Only one conversation at a time
• Let everyone finish their sentence / thoughts
• Three knock rule
• Cell phones will be turned to vibrate during meeting
• Define Desired Outcomes
• Always have an Agenda
• Establish Roles – To ensure that all Members are Active Participants
– Team Leader - sets guidelines and goals
– Time Keeper - ensures deadlines are met
– Scribe - makes ideas visible
– Process Monitor - keeps team focused
– Spokesperson - reports to other groups
– Meeting Minutes - takes notes
–
• Assign Action Items
• ROI
– Risks, Opportunities, and Issues
Meeting agenda
= What is to be discussed in a meeting
A meeting agenda is a list of items that participants hope to accomplish at a meeting. The agenda
should be distributed in advance of a meeting, minimally 24 hours in advance so that participants
have the opportunity to prepare for the meeting.
• Common sequence:
1. Chairperson’s opening speech
2. Verify previous meeting minute
3. Follow-up on previous meeting’s matters
4. New matters
5. Closure
Meeting invitation
• Formal letter format
• Must have
1. Name of meeting
2. Meeting members
3. Chairperson’s name & designation
4. Date, time & place
5. Agenda
6. Name and designation of secretary of meeting
Roles of Chairperson
• To open the meeting
• To follow the agenda of the meeting
• To convey info/instructions from higher management
• To identify current issues that need to be discussed
• To allow opinions from members of meeting
• To facilitate decision making process
• To summarize the meeting
Roles of the secretary

• To send out letter of invitation for meeting
• To take notes of discussion in meeting
• To prepare meeting minute
How to attend a meeting

Now, assume you have been given an invitation letter to a meeting, or asked by your superior to
represent him in a meeting, what do you need to do
• Before
• During
• After?
Before a meeting
a. Ensure date, time and place
b. Read meeting minute of previous meeting: note any actions to take
c. Read agenda of meeting – any relevant issue to prepare/report
d. Take note of attire requirement
During a meeting
a. Be punctual
b. Ask for clarification (if any)
c. Raise points relevant to you
After a meeting
a. Ensure to have meeting minute
b. Note any action to take
c. Implement any as agreed
Meeting Do’s
1. Meet only if you absolutely have to
2. Invite only those people who need to be there
3. Have a detailed agenda
4. Schedule your meetings at least a few days in advance to make sure everyone has time to
prepare
5. Cancel your meeting if you think you no longer need to have it or if everyone is not
prepared
6. Start on time
7. Set a time limit
8. Have a leader
9. Stick to the agenda
10. End your meeting on time
The bottom-line is that meetings should be held only when they’re constructive and make good
use of everyone’s time and that they should be prepared well in advance to make sure everyone
gets the best use of their time.
Meeting Don’ts
1. Don’t meet unless you absolutely have to
2. Don’t invite people who don’t need to be there
3. Don’t forget to have a detailed agenda
4. Don’t schedule your meetings at the last minute so people don’t have time to prepare
5. Don’t cancel your meeting unless you think you no longer need to have it or if everyone
is not prepared
6. Don’t forget to start on time
7. Don’t forget to set a time limit
8. Don’t forget to have a leader
9. Don’t forget to stick to the agenda
10. Don’t forget to end your meeting on time
MEETINGS TYPES
1. Annual General Meeting (AGM)
A meeting held every year to inform an organization's members of previous and future activities.
(Assess the business) This meeting is often required by law or the constitution or charter of an
organization. (Statutory Meetings)
Directors and shareholders
21 days notice
2. Board meetings
A management meeting involving the board of directors of an organization.
Board of directors
Board of governors
They are held as much as individual companies require
Attended by all board members and chaired by chairman of board
3. Committee meetings
A meeting of a group set up from a larger group to manage specific issues.
4. Senior management meetings
A meeting of senior members of an organization, but not including the board of directors.
Attended by managers like marketing manager, production manager, sales manager, finance
manager, research and development manager and may be chaired by GM
5. Departmental meetings
A meeting of the staff in a department for planning, discussion and reporting.
Chaired by chairman of the department e.g. Finance dept, Quality dept, Export dept
6. Staff meetings
A meeting of all the staff from part of an organization.
To schedule the working within the dept
7. Working parties/Project groups
A meeting of people nominated to work on a specific task or project.
8. Steering meeting
Meeting of a group that take an overview of a project. Not just the project team, this group may
include senior members of staff and external people to help give a different viewpoint.
9. Team briefings
A meeting for the supervisor or manager of a team to delegate tasks, discuss team issues and
motivate the staff.
Reasons Meetings Fail

i. Poor Communication - One of the main reasons that meetings of all types fail is due to
poor communication.
ii. Lack of Follow Up
iii. Lack of Purpose
iv. Not encouraging participation = no interaction
v. Allowing sub meetings = no focus or direction
vi. Meeting minute not ready

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Quote: “a conference is a gathering of people who singly can do nothing, but together can

decide that nothing can be done.”

The Seven-Step Meeting Process

Effective Meeting Principles

Roles of the secretary

How to attend a meeting

Reasons Meetings Fail

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