PBI 6013/PBI 6023 Meetings PDF

PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 MEETINGS What is a Meeting? A meeting is a gathering of two or more people with a common interest to exchange ideas for a specific purpose. Meetings are very common in the working environment. People prefer to meet face-to-face...

PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 MEETINGS What is a Meeting? A meeting is a gathering of two or more people with a common interest to exchange ideas for a specific purpose. Meetings are very common in the working environment. People prefer to meet face-to-face as it is easier and more convenient to communicate with one another. However, technology advancements have enabled us to meet when we are at different places such as teleconferencing or video conferencing. Purposes of Meetings There are many reasons why we have meetings.  to air grievances  to solve problems  to make decisions  to provide information  to obtain information  to develop co-operation and influence attitudes The Advantages of Meetings  Diverse ideas can be produced  Immediate feedback can be obtained  Issues can be decided upon immediately  Information can be disseminated effectively  Face-to-face interaction enables effective communication Types of Meetings Meetings can either be classified as formal or informal depending on several factors. 1. Formal Meetings Meetings can be ruled as formal if they meet the following criteria:  Scheduled in advance  Have an agenda and minutes  Last for more than a few minutes  Held in a professional or business-oriented setting  Governed by a set of rules on the conduct of a meeting Examples of formal meetings:  Inaugural General Meeting  Annual General Meeting (AGM)  Executive Committee Meeting  Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) 1 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 2. Informal Meetings/Discussions Meetings can be considered to be informal if they have the following characteristics;  Called at short notice  Do not have an agenda  Not minuted formally  Held in informal settings Examples of informal meetings:  Short informal chats  Brainstorming sessions Indicate (√) whether the following meetings are formal or informal. Meetings Formal Informal 1. Annual General Meeting of a non-governmental organization. 2. E-mail discussion group. 3. Committee meeting of the Sports and Recreation Club of CSM Sdn Bhd. 4. Extraordinary General Meeting of Star Bright Services. 5. Weekly departmental meeting of the Operations Department. 6. Meeting with your lecturer for consultation and progress review. 7. Impromptu meeting with the head of your department in the staff canteen. Requisites of a Valid Meeting 1. A meeting must be properly convened  A notice must be sent to every person who is entitled to attend.  A notice must be free from anything made to confuse or mislead.  A notice must be given at least a few days or one week before the meeting.  The secretary with the authority of the convening body must issue the notice.  A notice must have all the important details such as place, day, date and time of the meeting. 2. A meeting must be properly constituted  The Chairman’s appointment must be valid.  There must be a quorum to start a meeting.  There must be a quorum during the meeting. 3. A meeting must be properly conducted  The Chairman must allow the proposal of legitimate and relevant amendments.  The Chairman must ensure that the course of the meeting is valid within the 2 Page scope of the meeting. Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023. Name: __________________________ Date: _________ Matrix No: _______________________ Score: ________ Group: _________ Terminologies of Meetings No. Word Meaning 1. Abstain 2. Ad Hoc 3. Advisory 4. Adjourn 5. Amend 6. Amendment 7. Ballot 8. Convene 9. Consensus 10. Lobbying 11. Motion 12. Opposer 13. Proposer 14. Proxy 15. Quorum 16. Seconder 17. Resolution 18. Resolved 19. Unanimously 20. Vote 3 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 4 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 for Conducting Effective Meetings  Establish the need or purpose of a meeting clearly.  Determine the date, time and venue.  Circulate a meeting notice to the relevant members.’  Set the meeting agenda and circulate it to the members.  Arrive earlier so that the meeting starts on time.  Prepare and circulate relevant documents such as the minutes of the last meeting and other documents to members.  Conduct the meeting in an orderly manner according to the agenda.  Participate and contribute actively and constructively.  Record the meeting minutes.  Ensure that the desired decision or outcome has been made at the end of the meeting and everybody agrees on and is clear about it. Who does what? Match the people in Column A with their appropriate duties in Column B. Column A Column B Chairperson Organizes meetings Secretary Deals with the financial matters Treasurer Leads a meeting Committee Member Attends and participates in meetings In a small group, discuss the roles and responsibilities of each of the following people. Then present them to the class. 1. The Chairperson 2. The Secretary 3. The Treasurer 5 Page 4. Committee Members Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 How to Participate Effectively in a Meeting  Prepare for the meeting.  Contribute ideas during the discussion phase.  Listen to ideas contributed by the others.  Evaluate problems objectively.  Give feedback.  Carry out the action/implement decisions made. Discuss the following tasks with a partner or in a small group. Then present your responses to the class. 1. What should a chairperson do if: (a) A discussion is outside the scope of the agenda and is not relevant to the business of the meeting. Action: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ (b) A member is not participating in any of the discussions during the meeting? Action: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ (c) The discussion of a point is too lengthy? Action: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ (d) A member is making a good point? Action: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 6 _____________________________________________________________________ Page _____________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 Meeting Documents There are three important meeting documents. They are as follows:  Meeting notice  Meeting agenda  Meeting minutes Before a Meeting: Planning a Meeting There are two main documents circulated before the start of a meeting. They are the Notice and the Agenda. 1. Meeting Notice (Refer Appendix I) It is usually prepared by the secretary and circulated to the relevant people in advance. The meeting notice can be prepared or done in different forms such as memorandum, a letter, an email, a phone call, a short message service (SMS) text, a notice posted on a notice board and many others. The notice should include the following: i. The name of the organization and the type of meeting being held. ii. The time, date and venue of the meeting. iii. The place/venue where the meeting will be held. iv. Signature, name and designation of the person convening the meeting. v. The date when the notice was issued. 2. Meeting Agenda (Refer Appendix II) An agenda is a list of items that are to be discussed in a meeting. It is usually prepared by the secretary after consulting the chairperson on the items to be covered in the meeting. The list of items on the agenda must be focused towards the purpose of the meeting. The main purposes of an agenda are:  To give the meeting a sense of direction and purpose  To enable members to be prepared for the discussion  To ensure that time is not wasted on irrelevant matters  To ensure that all items are discussed according to the order 7 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 The agenda should include the following: i. The name of the society or organization ii. The heading ‘Agenda’ iii. The routine opening items;  Chairperson’s address  Apologies for absence  Minutes of the previous meeting  Matters arising from the previous minutes  Correspondence (Optional)  Reports (Optional) iv. The main business of the meeting;  Special business v. The routine closing items;  Any other business  Date, time and venue of the next meeting  Closing vi. The signature, name and designation of the person issuing the agenda vii. The date the agenda was issued Do you know that the chairperson’s agenda is slightly different from the member’s agenda? Can you spot the differences? During a Meeting: The Procedures of a Meeting The procedures that must take into consideration stated below:  The meeting must be effective. To be effective, the meeting must be able to achieve its objectives within a targeted period of time. This involves some planning and the meeting follows an agenda.  The meeting must be conducted in a democratic manner. This means that everyone who has a relevant opinion or suggestion must be given the opportunity to be heard. Decisions made should have the support of the majority of the participants. 8 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 The Procedures of a Formal Meeting  Greeting the members present  Calling the meeting to order  Welcoming participants  Setting the context – i.e. announcing main purpose(s) for the meeting  Introducing new members (by the chairperson)  Attendance-taking (by the chairperson, with the assistance of the secretary)  Reading of the previous minutes and passing of the previous minutes (involves all participants; the proceedings being monitored by the chairperson)  Matters arising from the previous minutes (involves all participants; the proceedings being monitored by the chairperson)  Special business Discussing and making decisions on matters which constitute the objectives of the meeting as stated in the agenda (involves all participants; the proceedings being monitored by the chairperson)  Any other business Introducing or raising issues not discussed under special business (introduced by any participant; the proceedings being monitored by the chairperson)  Date, time and venue of the next meeting (decided by the chairperson, often after consulting with the secretary and getting the consent of the participants)  Close (by the chairperson) 9 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 After a Meeting: Meetings of a Meeting 3. Meeting Minutes (Appendix III) The meeting minutes are a record of items that have been discussed at a meeting. The minutes are recorded by the secretary. They indicate who was present and absent for the meeting, topic discussed, decisions made and any required actions by the members. The minutes should be very clearly written since it will be a true record of a meeting. Sometimes, a formal meeting may require verbatim minute taking. However, for less formal meetings, brief minutes are preferred. Once the minutes are prepared, they can be circulated to members before the next meeting or at the meeting time. Language Skills Required for the Writing of Minutes The skills necessary when writing the minutes of a meeting are;  Note-Taking  Grammar Skills 1. Note-Taking It is the responsibility of the secretary to minute the proceedings of the meeting. However, each and every member should also acquire note-taking skills as you may be called upon to take the minutes if the secretary is unable to attend. The short notes taken during a meeting will have to be developed into complete sentences and paragraphs after the meeting is adjourned using the format prescribed for the minutes of a meeting. How do you acquire note-taking skills?  Pay careful attention to specific information  Use short forms  Summarize and paraphrase  Listen for transitional words and cues by the speakers 2. Grammar Skills i. Reported Speech 10 When writing the minutes of a meeting, you have to report on the proceedings of a Page meeting. To do this, you have to use reported speech to convey the ideas expressed. Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 These are the steps you have to follow: i. When converting from direct speech to reported speech, you usually have to change the tense of the verb. Look at the examples below: Directed Speech Reported Speech Simple present Simple past Everyone in the company is happy Everyone in the company was happy with the new management team. with the new management team. Simple past Past perfect Flexitime, a system of working flexible Flexitime, a system of working flexible hours, was introduced in the company hours, had been introduced in the two years ago. company two years before. Simple future Accepting the project will put Accepting the project would put constraints on manpower. constraints on manpower. Present Continuous Past Continuous We are developing a new product for We were developing a new product the international market. for the international market. Past Continuous Past perfect continuous A consultant was working on the A consultant had been working on the project. project. Present perfect Past perfect The company has spent a lot of money The company had spent a lot of promoting the new line of products. money promoting the new line of products. Here is an example on the use of reporting verbs in reported speech: Direct speech Mr Tan said, ‘Our company specializes in building quality homes for the middle-income group.’ Reported speech Mr Tan stated that their company specialized in building quality homes for the middle-income group. Note the use of the reporting verbs said and stated. These verbs show emotions, attitude or manner of the speakers. Other verbs that can be used are: commented, volunteered, suggested, proposed, complained, advised, explained, asked, answered, replied 11 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 ii. To convert from direct speech to reported speech, you need to change words like the following: I - he/she Us - them We - they This - that My - his/her These - those Mine - his/hers Our - their Ours - theirs iii. To change words referring to time and place. Ago - before last Week - the previous week Now - then Next week – the following week Here - there Yesterday - the previous day Tomorrow - the next day Today - that day Note: When converting sentences from direct speech to reported speech, it is not necessary to make changes on a word to word basis. Instead, the ideas in the sentences can be summarized and paraphrased when they are presented as reported speech. ii. Voice In the writing of minutes, both the active and passive voice are used to convey the details discussed in a meeting, as shown in the example below. Active voice We should build a new terminal to cater to the needs of low budgets carriers. Passive voice A new terminal should be built to cater to the needs of low budget carriers. When changing the active voice to the passive voice.  The object becomes the subject: Example I Active voice The company will give bonuses to employees who meet sales targets. Passive voice Bonuses will be given by the company to employees who meet sales targets.  The form of the verb is changed: Example II Active voice We have to conduct interviews for two vacant sales positions. 12 Passive voice Interviews have to be conducted for two vacant sales Page positions. Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 In both the examples above, the passive voice is used to emphasize what is being done and not who is doing it. In Example II, it is safe to omit the phrase ‘by us’ as it is understood that someone in the company will conduct the interviews. Remember also that when you change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice, the verb tense does not change. Only the form of the verb changes. In Example I, the verbs ‘will give’ and ‘will be given’ are both simple future forms. The Purpose of Minutes The purpose of writing minutes is to provide an accurate record of the proceedings of a group’s meetings. If there is no written record of the proceedings, members of a committee may forget what was decided at a meeting. Writing the Minutes of a Meeting The items listed in the minutes will mirror those listed in the agenda as the meeting is conducted according to the agenda. Therefore, the same headings will be used in both the minutes and the agenda. There are several types of minutes as well as formats used to record the minutes. Hence, there is no right or wrong format of writing the minutes. When you work in your company or organisation, observe the format that they use and follow it when you are asked to write the minutes. What do the minutes contain? The minute should include the following: i. The name of the society or organization ii. The heading ‘Minutes of the…. ’ iii. The time, date and venue of the meeting iv. The names of all the members who are present v. The names of members who are absent vi. The routine opening items;  Chairperson’s address  Apologies for absence  Minutes of the previous meeting  Matters arising from the previous minutes  Correspondence (Optional)  Reports (Optional) vii. The main business of the meeting;  Special business viii. The routine closing items;  Any other business  Date, time and venue of the next meeting  Closing vix. The signature of the chairperson (will be signed during the next meeting) and 13 the signature of the secretary and the date of completion Page Chapter 2 / Meetings PBI 6013/ PBI 6023 Activity You are the Director of a company that has been operating for the past 10 years. Lately, you find that the company is facing problems in recruiting new staff. Call for a meeting with the Human Resource Department to solve the problem. Role-play your meeting. You are also required to come up with the agenda and prepare the minutes after the meeting. 14 Page Chapter 2 / Meetings