H Admin Admin Services Outcome 4

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Higher AdministrationAdministrative Services

Explain how formal meetings are planned, conducted andsupported

OUTCOME 4Outcome 4

Explain how formal meetings are planned, conducted and supported

Purpose of meetingsMeeting

= a gathering together of people for a purpose

(Collins English Dictionary)

In this day and age of high-tech communications some people may argue that there should be noneed for meetings. In response to this argument, however, many people would consider thatwhenever individuals are required to work and cooperate with each other, it becomes necessaryfor those involved to meet.In reality, meetings are an essential part of business life. They provide an opportunity forpeople to have face-to-face discussion for the exchange of information and views, thedelegation of tasks and responsibilities, and a shared approach to problem solving and decision-making. This can often produce better ideas, plans and decisions than a number of individualsworking alone.It is often argued that meetings can waste a lot of time and perhaps not achieve a great deal.The first rule of effective meetings is that if a meeting is not necessary, then it should not beheld. It is often the case that a letter, a memo, a telephone call or a simple conversationbetween two people can resolve problems.

Outcome 4

Examples of when a meeting may be required are given below:

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where persuasion or encouragement is required

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where the exchange of ideas is required or a problem needs solved

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where there is a significant amount of information to be given to a number of people.If it is decided that a meeting is necessary then it is must be well organised and well run toensure it is effective. This is why the role of the Secretary and the role of the Chairperson arevitally important for a successful meeting.Meetings fall into two categories – informal meetings and formal meetings.

Informal meetings

Informal meetings are frequently held in business and can range from two members of stafftalking at coffee break about a topic related to their work, to the weekly meeting of a SalesTeam to discuss sales figures – this type of Team Meeting is very common in business.Informal meetings differ from formal ones as they take place without any specified proceduresor rules being followed. A group leader often leads the meeting rather than a Chairperson andnotes of the meeting may not always be required.

Formal meetings

The administrative assistant usually plays a role (often as secretary) at formal businessmeetings.Formal meetings are normally held for a specific purpose and at regular intervals, e.g. the AnnualGeneral Meeting (AGM) of a public limited company which has to be held by law, or a BoardMeeting.Formal meetings tend to be very procedure conscious and have to follow certain rules andregulations. The rules and regulations may be set out in a formal document known as a

Constitution.

Minutes (formal notes) of the meeting will require to be taken and kept as a record of what wasdiscussed and what was decided during the meeting (these are looked at in more detail later).The following notes refer to the formal meetings an administrator would be involved inorganising, supporting and recording.

Types of meetings and committees

The most common types of formal meetings in business are as follows:

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