CONDUCTING AND PARTICIPATING IN MEETINGS

From time to time, you will participate in business meetings. These will range from extreme
formality to extreme informality. On the formal end will be conferences and committee meetings,
while discussions with groups of fellow workers will be at the informal end. Whether formal or
informal, the meetings will obviously involve communication, and the quality of the communication
will determine their success. collaborative report-writing groups should use the suggestions for
conducting effective meetings. Your role in a meeting will be that of either leader or participant. Of
course, the leader’s role is the primary one, but good participation is also vital. The following
paragraphs review the techniques of performing well in either role.

Techniques of Conducting Meetings

How you conduct a meeting depends on the formality of the occasion. Meetings of such groups as
formal committees, boards of directors, and professional organizations usually follow generally
accepted rules of conduct called parliamentary procedure. These very specific rules are too detailed
for review here. When you are involved in a formal meeting, you would do well to study one of the
many books covering parliamentary procedure before the meeting so that you know, for example,
what it means to make a motion or call for a vote. In addition, you should know and practice the
following techniques. For less formal meetings, you can depart somewhat from parliamentary
procedure and those techniques. But you should keep in mind that every meeting has goals and that
such departures should never hinder you from reaching them

Plan the Meeting

. A key to conducting a successful meeting is to plan it thoroughly. That is, you develop an agenda (a
list of topics to be covered) by selecting the items that need to be covered to achieve the goals of
the meeting. Then arrange these items in the most logical order. Items that explain or lead to other
items should come before the items that they explain or lead to. After preparing the agenda, make it
available to those who will attend. For informal meetings, you may fi nd having a mental agenda
satisfactory. Figure 13–1shows an agenda created for a student organization meeting. An agenda
does not need all of these items. You can tailor an agenda to whatever will best help you accomplish
your goals. Word processing programs also have templates that may be helpful.

Follow the Plan.

You should follow the plan for the meeting item by item. In most meetings the discussion tends to
stray and new items tend to come up. As leader, you should keep the discussion on track. If new
items come up during the meeting, you can take them up at the end or perhaps postpone them for a
future meeting.
Move the Discussion Along.

As leader, you should control the agenda. After one item has been covered, bring up the next item.
When the discussion moves off subject, move it back on subject. In general, do what is needed to
proceed through the items efficiently, but do not cut off discussion before all the important points
have been made. You will have to use your good judgment. Your goal is to permit complete
discussion on the one hand and to avoid repetition, excessive details, and off-topic comments on the
other.

Control Those Who Talk Too Much

Keeping certain people from talking too much is likely to be one of your harder tasks. A few people
usually tend to dominate the discussion. Your task as leader is to control them. Of course, you want
the meeting to be democratic, so you will need to let these people talk as long as they are
contributing to the goals of the meeting. However, when they begin to stray, duplicate, or bring in
irrelevant matter, you should step in. You can do this tactfully by asking for other viewpoints or by
summarizing the discussion and moving on to the next topic.

Encourage Participation from Those Who Talk Too Little.

Just as some people talk too much, some talk too little. In business groups, those who say little are
often in positions lower than those of other group members. Your job as leader is to encourage
these people to participate by asking them for their viewpoints and by showing respect for the
comments, they make

Control Time.

When your meeting time is limited, you need to determine in advance how much time will be
needed to cover each item. Then, at the appropriate times, you should end discussion of the items.
You may find it helpful to announce the time goals at the beginning of the meeting and to remind
the group members of the time status during the meeting.

Summarize at Appropriate Places.

After a key item has been discussed, you should summarize what the group has covered and
concluded. If a group decision is needed, the group’s vote will be the conclusion. In any event, you
should formally conclude each point and then move on to the next one. At the end of the meeting,
you can summarize the progress made. You also should summarize whenever a review will help the
group members understand their accomplishments.

Take Minutes.

What is said and what is heard in a meeting may not be remembered consistently by participants.
People at meetings may hear or interpret what is said differently. In addition, you may need to refer
to the discussions or to the decisions made at a meeting long after the meeting when people’s
memories are even less reliable. To ensure you have an accurate, objective account of the topics
covered and decisions made at a meeting, assign the task of recording the meeting events (taking
minutes) to someone. In particularly contentious or detailed discussions, it is important that
everyone have a shared understanding of what has transpired, especially if you need to vote on the
group’s decisions.

Techniques for Participating in a Meeting

From the preceding discussion of the techniques that a leader should use, you can infer some of the
things that a participant should do. The following review emphasizes them.

Follow the Agenda.

When an agenda exists, you should follow it. Specifically, you should not bring up items not on the
agenda or comment on such items if others bring them up. When there is no agenda, you should
stay within the general limits of the goal for the meeting.

Participate.

The purpose of meetings is to get the input of everybody concerned. Thus, you should participate.
Your participation, however, should be meaningful. You should talk only when you have something
to contribute, but you should talk whenever you have something to contribute. Practice professional
etiquette as you work courteously and cooperatively with others in the group

Do Not Talk Too Much.

As you participate in the meeting, be aware that other people are attending. You should speak up
whenever you have something to say, but do not get carried away. As in all matters of etiquette,
always respect the rights of others. As you speak, ask yourself whether what you are saying really
contributes to the discussion. Not only is the meeting costing you time, but it is costing other
people’s time and salaries, as well as the opportunity costs of other work they might be doing.

Cooperate.

A meeting by its very nature requires cooperation from all the participants. Respect the leader and
her or his efforts to make progress. Respect the other participants, and work with them in every
practical way.

Be Courteous.

Perhaps being courteous is a part of being cooperative. In any event, you should be courteous to the
other group members. Specifically, you should respect their rights and opinions, and you should
permit them to speak.

How to make meetings more productive

Much of your workplace communication will occur during in-person or online meetings, so your
ability to contribute to the company—and to be recognized for your contributions—will depend to a
large degree on your meeting skills. Well-run meetings can help companies solve problems, develop
ideas, and identify opportunities. Meetings can also be a great way to promote team building
through the experience of social interaction.36 As useful as meetings can be, though, they can be a
waste of time if they aren’t planned and managed well. You can help ensure productive meetings by
preparing carefully, conducting meetings efficiently, and using meeting technologies wisely.

PREPARING FOR MEETINGS

The first step in preparing for a meeting is to make sure the meeting is really necessary. Meetings
can consume hundreds or thousands of dollars of productive time while taking people away from
other work, so don’t hold a meeting if some other form of communication (such as a blog post) can
serve the purpose as effectively.37 If a meeting is truly necessary, proceed with these four planning
tasks:

●● Define your purpose. Meetings can focus on exchanging information, reaching decisions, or
collaborating to solve problems or identify opportunities. Whatever your purpose, define the best
possible result of the meeting (such as “we carefully evaluated all three product ideas and decided
which one to invest in”). Use this hoped-for result to shape the direction and content of the
meeting.38

●● Select participants for the meeting. The rule here is simple: Invite everyone who really needs to
be involved, and don’t invite anyone who doesn’t. For decision-making meetings, for example, invite
only those people who are in a direct position to help the meeting reach its objective. The more
people you have, the longer it will take to reach consensus. Meetings with more than 10 or 12
people can become unmanageable if everyone is expected to participate in the discussion and
decision making.

●● Choose the venue and the time. Online meetings (see page 98) are often the best way—and
sometimes the only way—to connect people in multiple locations or to reach large audiences. For in-
person meetings, review the facility and the seating arrangements. Is theater-style seating suitable,
or do you need a conference table or some other layout? Pay attention to room temperature,
lighting, ventilation, acoustics, and refreshments; these details can make or break a meeting. If you
have control over the timing, morning meetings are often more productive because people are
generally more alert and not yet engaged with the work of the day.

●● Set the agenda. The success of a meeting depends on the preparation of the participants.
Distribute a carefully written agenda to participants, giving them enough time to prepare as needed
(see Figure 2.4 on the next page). A productive agenda answers three key questions: (1) What do we
need to do in this meeting to accomplish our goals? (2) What issues are of greatest importance to all
participants? (3) What information must be available in order to discuss these issues?39

ConDUCTIng AnD ConTRIBUTIng To EFFICIEnT MEETIngS

Everyone in a meeting shares the responsibility for making the meeting productive. If you’re the
leader, however, you have an extra degree of responsibility and accountability. The following
guidelines will help leaders and participants contribute to more effective meetings:

●● Keep the discussion on track. A good meeting draws out the best ideas and information the
group has to offer. Good leaders occasionally need to guide, mediate, probe, stimulate, summarize,
and redirect discussions that have gotten off track.

●● Follow agreed-on rules. The larger the meeting, the more formal you need to be to maintain
order. Formal meetings use parliamentary procedure, a time-tested method for planning and
running effective meetings. The best-known guide to this procedure is Robert’s Rules of Order.

●● Encourage participation. You may discover that some participants are too quiet and others are
too talkative. Draw out nonparticipants by asking for their input. For the overly talkative, you can say
that time is limited and others need to be heard.

●● Participate actively. Make a point to contribute to the progress of the meeting and the smooth
interaction of participants. Use your listening skills and powers of observation to size up the
interpersonal dynamics of the group, then adapt your behaviour to help the group achieve its goals.
Speak up if you have something useful to say, but don’t talk or ask questions just to demonstrate
how much you know about the subject at hand.

●● Use mobile devices respectfully. Tweeting key points from a convention speech or using your
phone or tablet to jot down essential ideas and follow-up questions can be productive and respectful
ways to use a device during a meeting. Checking Facebook or working on unrelated tasks is not. If
you intend to use your device to take notes during a meeting, consider letting the meeting leader
know that’s what you’re doing.40

●● Close effectively. At the conclusion of the meeting, verify that the objectives have been met or
arrange for follow-up work, if needed. Summarize the general conclusion of the discussion and any
actions that need to be taken. Make sure all participants have a chance to clear up any
misunderstandings.

MEETING PRODUCTIVITY CHECKLIST

A. Prepare carefully.

●● Make sure the meeting is necessary

●● Decide on your purpose

●● Select participants carefully

●● Choose the venue and the time

●● Establish and distribute a clear agenda

B. Lead effectively and participate fully.

●● Keep the meeting on track
●● Follow agreed-on rules
●● Encourage participation
●● Participate actively
●● Close effectively
C. Put the results to effective use.
●● Distribute meeting minutes to participants and other interested parties
●● Make sure task assignments are clearly communicated C

Meetings

A meeting is a formal or informal deliberative assembly of individuals called to debate

certain issues and problems, and to take decisions. Formal meetings are held at definite

times, at a definite place, and usually for a definite duration to follow an agreed upon

agenda.

Types of Meetings
Status

This kind of meeting is to bring everyone up to date on the state of the other peoples'

portions of a project. The participants are those reporting progress and those hearing it. An

agenda is required for this kind of meeting. It should last no more than fifteen minutes.

Action

These meetings solve a particular problem. There are two kinds of action meeting, decision

making meetings and brainstorming meetings.

Decision making

This should be an uncommon occurrence since decisions are usually taken by one person. A

meeting may be needed if the decision is not clear cut and the decision maker wants

suggestions or advice from others affected by it. For example a number of designs may be

submitted from which a choice must be made.

Brainstorming

The purpose of this meeting is to come up with a variety of possible solutions to some

particular problem. Participants may include junior people as well as experienced designers.

Ideas from one person can inspire ideas in others people.

One method is to get everyone to write down many ideas in a short time. This prevents

people evaluating and rejecting ideas too soon. At the end of a brainstorming session or in a

separate meeting the evaluation of all the ideas takes place.

4.1Characteristics of meeting

A successful meeting has four characteristics:

 The meeting must have a clear purpose and should stick to the agenda.

 The meeting must start and end on time.

 Participants must be properly prepared

 Minutes must be taken.

4.3 Conducting Meetings

Running an effective business meeting can help the company produce results and meet

important goals. To make sure you have an effective meeting, here are some tips on how to

conduct effective meetings.

Outline your key meeting points with an agenda.

An important part of conducting an effective business meeting is meeting planning. Have

your key points written or typed out. You can also give the participants a copy of your

agenda so that they will know what to expect and they can prepare for the meeting

themselves. In your agenda, you should state your goal for the meeting. This should be the

main end result you are aiming for, such as coming up with a new idea or discussing an

important issue. Try to limit the amount of points on your agenda. You should cover the

most important things in your meeting.

Follow the agenda when you conduct the meeting: Make sure to follow your meeting plan.

If the meeting starts to go off course or off topic, steer the meeting back to the topic at

hand.

Start your meeting immediately: Start the meeting in time. This will help establish your role

as the leader as well as utilize the time you have.

Set a time limit for your meeting: Meetings shouldn't run too long; 30 minutes or shorter

is a good length. Keeping the meeting short will ensure that you are more efficient and use

the time wisely, and your participants will be more focused when they know the meeting is

short. When your time limit has run out, end your meeting. You can always cover other

points in the next meeting.

Encourage the meeting participants to add feedback and input: Ask questions and let

people at the meeting volunteer answers. Do not force participation, but gently encourage

them to give input. If 1 person comments, guide the others by saying something like, "Well

done. Does anyone else have something to contribute," or "Let's hear a suggestion from

someone else."

Do not call upon those that rarely speak as this may make them feel uncomfortable.

Encourage them indirectly by saying, "I value the opinion of everyone here. Does anyone

else want to add something?" and glance at the person you want to speak up. He may be

encouraged to share his thoughts, and if he isn't, then he hasn't been embarrassed from

being called upon.

Summarize the key points at the close of the meeting: Briefly go over what was discussed

so that the participants will leave with it in their mind. Give out any assignments or

instructions before closing, and end on time. Be sure to thank everyone for their attendance

and participation.

Steps for an Effective meeting

Notice of Meeting

Let everyone involved know that you are requesting a meeting for a particular reason, and

give them the date, time and location for this. This is known as a Notice of Meeting and can

take the form of a memo, letter, poster and/or email communication.

Example Notice of Meeting in Memo format:

To: Ima Member, Mia Swell

From: Team Player

Subject: New group project

Date: 14 February 2004

The group project is about to be launched. A meeting will be held on 01 March 2004 at

10am in meeting room 2 to decide what our starting point is.

Please circulate all Concept Study Reports prior to the meeting and come prepared both to

discuss these and to volunteer for individual tasks.

AGENDA

Before the meeting starts (sometimes given at the same time as the Notice of Meeting),

you need to let all those invited to attend the meeting what it is that's to be discussed

and the order that these items will be mentioned in. Known as an Agenda, this lets

everyone prepare for the meeting in advance so that they can bring up any important

points at the relevant time.

A formal agenda should always contain the following information:

1. The word Agenda

2. The name of the organisation, group or person calling the meeting

3. The date and time of the meeting

4. The meeting venue

5. Apologies

6. Minutes of the Last Meeting

7. Matters Arising

8. Your meeting's topics listed one after the other

9. Any Other Business

10. Date and Time of Next Meeting

The first 4 points here make up the header section for the Agenda, so the order of the
information may vary - as in the example agenda shown above, where the word

'Agenda' appears after the rest of the header information.

A numbered list should then be given, with 5 of the points fixed as shown in the list

above, and any points specific to this particular meeting listed in the middle of them.

That is, start with Apologies (who can't attend the meeting), Minutes of the Last

Meeting (even for a first meeting - this just becomes 'not relevant') and Matters Arising

(points still to be addressed from the previous meeting's minutes).

Next come specific points for this meeting, and then round off with Any Other Business

(sometimes abbreviated to AOCB - for Any Other Current Business) where any relevant

items not already discussed in the meeting can be mentioned. Finally, the last point on

the Agenda should be a note of when the next meeting will be.

Example of an Agenda

Minutes

During the meeting itself, it is important that all points raised are noted so that a summary

of the full meeting is recorded. These are the Minutes and they should show what was

discussed, more especially what was agreed (or ruled out), and any action points - a note of

something that has to be carried out, by whom, and usually with a deadline.

Like the Notice of Meeting and Agenda, the Minutes should contain some fixed information

and follow a standard layout. The headings in the Minutes should follow those in the

Agenda for this meeting, after stating:

1. The name of the meeting

2. Its venue, date and time

3. Who was in attendance

4. Who sent apologies (this one sometimes appears as heading 1)

The Minutes of the Last Meeting and Matters Arising are then used as headings with

relevant information recorded against each. All topics listed in the Agenda then follow,

before the
 Project and report writing
REPORT WRITING

Writing the Report

Whatever number of meetings is scheduled, the following activities typically occur,

usually in the sequence shown. Of course, they will vary depending on the project and

the situation.

Determine the Purpose. As with all report projects, the participants must determine just what the
report must do. Thus, the group should follow the preliminary

steps of problem defi nition discussed previously. They also need to develop a coherent,

shared sense of the report’s intended readers and their needs.

Identify the Factors. The group next determines what is needed to achieve the

purpose. This step involves determining the factors of the problem, as described earlier

in the chapter. An advantage of collaboration is that several minds are available for the

critical thinking that is so necessary for identifying the factors of the problem.

Gather the Information Needed. Before the group can begin work on the report,

it must get the information needed. This activity could involve conducting any of the

research designs mentioned earlier in this chapter and in Chapter 18. In some cases,

group work begins after the information has been assembled, thus eliminating this step.

Interpret the Information. Determining the meaning of the information gathered is

the next logical step for the group. In this step, the participants apply the fi ndings to the

problem, thereby selecting the information to be used in the report. In applying the fi ndings to the
problem, they also give meaning to the facts collected. The facts do not speak

for themselves. Rather, group participants must think through the facts, apply them to the

problem, derive logical meaning from the facts, and see them from the readers’ points of

view. Interpretations are no better than the thinking of the people in the group.
Organize the Material. Just as in any other report-writing project, the group next

organizes the material selected for presentation. They will base the report’s structure

on the time, place, quantity, factor, or other relationships in the data.

Plan the Writing. A next logical step is that of planning the makeup of the report. In

this step the formality of the situation and the audience involved determine the decision.

In addition, matters of writing such as tone, style, and formality are addressed. The need

for coherence, time consistency, and interesting writing should be kept in mind.

Assign Parts to Be Written. After the planning has been done, the group next turns its

attention to the writing. The usual practice is to assign each person a part of the report.

Write Parts Assigned. Next comes a period of individual work. Each participant

writes his or her part. Each will apply the ideas in Chapters 2 and 3 about word selection, sentence
design, and paragraph construction to writing the assigned parts.

Revise Collaboratively. The group meets either face to face or virtually and reviews each person’s
contribution and the full report. This should be a give-and-take

session with each person actively participating. It requires that every person give keen

attention to the work of each participant, making constructive suggestions wherever

appropriate. It requires courteous but meaningful criticisms. It also requires that the

participants be open-minded, remembering that the goal is to construct the best possible document.
In no case should the group merely give automatic approval to the work

submitted. In cases of controversy, the majority views of the group should prevail.

Edit the Final Draft. After the group has done its work, one member usually is

assigned the task of editing the fi nal draft. This gives the document consistency. In addition, the
editor serves as a fi nal proofreader. The editor should probably be the most

competent writer in the group.

If all the work has been done with care and diligence, this fi nal draft should be a

report better than anyone in the group could have prepared alone. Those who study
groups use the word synergistic to refer to groups that function this way. The fi nal

report is better than the sum of the individual parts.

DEFINING REPORTS,

reports are to include almost any presentation of information; others limit reports to only the most
formal presentations. We use this middle-ground definition: A business report is an orderly and
objective communication of factual information that serves a business purpose. As an orderly
communication, a report is prepared carefully. Thus, care in preparation distinguishes reports from
casual exchanges of information. The objective quality of a report is its unbiased approach. Reports
seek to present facts. They avoid human biases as much as possible. The word communication in our
definition is broad in meaning. It covers all ways of transmitting meaning: speaking, writing, using
graphics. The basic ingredient of reports is factual information. Factual information is based on
events, statistics, and other data. Not all reports are business reports. Research scientists, medical
doctors, ministers, students, and many others write them. To be classified as a business report, a
report must serve a business purpose.

Use of Subtopics in Information Reports

If the problem concerns a need for information, you will need to fi gure out the areas about which
information is needed. Illustrating this type of situation is the problem of preparing a report that
reviews Company X’s activities during the past quarter. Clearly, this is an informational report
problem—that is, it requires no analysis, no conclusion, no recommendation. It requires only that
information be presented. The main effort in this case is to determine which subdivisions of the
overall topic should be covered. After thoroughly evaluating the possibilities, you might come up
with a plan like this:

Subtopics:

1. Production
2. Sales and promotion
3. Financial status
4. Computer systems
5. Product development
6. Human resources

Report Writing

2.1 Objective of Report Writing

A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular audience. Specific information and
evidence are presented, analysed and applied to a particular problem or issue. The

information is presented in a clearly structured format making use of sections and headings so

that the information is easy to locate and follow. The report brief may outline the purpose,

audience and problem or issue that your report must address, together with any specific

requirements for format or structure.

2.2 Types of Reports

Different types of reports used in business are:

Informational reports. These reports present facts about certain given activity in detail

without any note or suggestions. Whatever is gathered is reported without giving any thing by

way of either explanation or any suggestion. A vice-chancellor asking about the number of

candidates appearing at a particular examination naturally seeks only information of the fact

(candidates taking up the examination) of course without any comment. Generally such

reports are of routine nature. Sometimes they may fall under statutory routine category. A

company registrar asking for allotment return within the stipulate period is nothing but

informational routine, falling under statutory but routine report.

Analytical reports. These reports contain facts along with analytical explanations offered by

the reporter himself or may be asked for by the one who is seeking the report. Such reports

contain the narration of facts, collected data and information, classified and tabulated data

and also explanatory note followed by the conclusions arrived at or interpretations. A

company chairman may ask for a report on falling trends in sale in a particular area. He will

in this case be naturally interested in knowing all the details including that of opinion of any

of the investigator.

Research reports. These reports are based on some research work conducted by either an

individual or a group of individuals on a given problem. Indian oil company might have

asked its research division to find some substitute for petrol, and if such a study is conducted
then a report shall be submitted by the research division detailing its findings and then

offering their own suggestions, including the conclusions at which the division has arrived at

as to whether such a substitute is these and if it is there can the same be put to use with

advantage and effectively. All details shall naturally be asked and has to be given. In fact

such a report is the result of a research.

Statutory reports. These reports are to be presented according to the requirements of a

particular law or a rule or a custom now has become a rule. The auditor reports to company

registrar has to be submitted as per the requirements of country legal requirement. A return

on compensation paid to factory workers during a period by a factory has to be submitted to

competent authorities periodically. These reports are generally prepared in the prescribed

form as the rules have prescribed.

Non statutory reports. These reports are not in the nature of legal requirements or rules

wants, therefore, the reports are to be prepared and submitted. These reports are required to

be prepared and submitted: (i) for the administrative and other conveniences,(ii) for taking

decision in a matter (iii) for policy formulations, (iv) for projecting the future or (v) anything

alike so that efficient and smooth functioning maybe assured and proper and necessary

decision may be taken with a view to see that everything goes well and the objectives of the

organization are achieved with assured success.

Routine reports. These reports are required to be prepared and submitted periodically on

matters required by the organization so as to help the management of the organization to take

decisions in the matters relating to day to day affairs. The main objectives of routine reports

are to let the management know as to what is happening in the organization, what is its

progress where the deviation is, what measures have been taken in solving the problems and

what to do so that the organization may run smoothly and efficiently. Routine reports are

generally brief. They only give the facts. No comments or explanations are usually offered in
such reports. Generally forms are prescribed for preparation and submission of such reports.

Special reports. Such a type of report is specially required to be prepared and submitted on

matters of special nature. Due to an accident a death of the foreman has occurred in a factory.

The factory manager may ask for a detail report from the head foreman. Such a report is

classified as special reports. These reports contain not only facts and details but they may

contain suggestion, comments and explanations as well.

2.3 Format of a Report

Report has two formats:

1. Memo Format, when it is written within your department or company.

2. Letter Format, when it is written for outside your company.

Short Reports are usually one page (two pages maximum).

2.4Parts of a report

There are usually 4 parts.

1. Summary

2. Background (which is optional and not always necessary)

3. Body (main contents) The content may even include a simple, small chart or diagram (if it

contains lots of information, is complex or several pages, then include it in the “attachments”

section).

4. Recommendation or Conclusion (use either one, depending on the subject/purpose of your

report).

Sample Memo Report

TO: Rajesh Gupta, Marketing Executive

FROM: Ravi Sampat, Market Research Assistant

DATE: January 14, 2014

SUBJECT: Fall Clothes Line Promotion

Market research and analysis show that the proposed advertising media for the new fall lines

need to be reprioritized and changed. Findings from focus groups and surveys have made it

apparent that we need to update our advertising efforts to align them with the styles and

trends of young adults today. No longer are young adults interested in sitcoms as they watch

reality televisions shows. Also, it is has become increasingly important to use the internet as a

tool to communicate with our target audience to show our dominance in the clothing industry