Meeting Terminology 

To feel more at ease in meetings, it is necessary to be acquainted with the meeting terminology. The
following terms are mostly applicable to formal meetings such as management committee meetings
rather than workplace meetings. However terms such as ‘agenda’, ‘apologies’, ‘minutes’ and ‘business
arising’ are common to most different meetings.

Agenda

The plan for a meeting, it lists the items to be discussed in the order in which they will be discussed.

Amendment

Proposed modification to a motion which is not in conflict with the general thrust of that motion. If the
amendment is adopted it becomes part of the original motion (now called ‘motion as amended’ or
‘substantive motion’)

Apologies

Formal notifications of inability to attend a meeting

Brainstorming

A technique used to gather ideas from a group, it involves the members of the group thinking of as
many ideas as they can in a short period of time.

Business Arising       

Discussion on any matter recorded in the minutes of the previous meeting.

Chair

The person who controls the conduct of the meeting, a sort of umpire.

Consensus

A type of group decision making. It involves coming to a decision acceptable to all members of the
group without a vote being taken.

Constitution

A document setting out the fundamental principles governing the running of an organisation. It
normally includes such things as the goals of the organisation, membership requirements,   rights and
fees, meeting times, voting rights and standing orders for meetings. More information on
the constitution of an association
General Business   

The body of the meeting where the main objectives of the meeting are discussed

Minutes

The formal written record of a meeting. Copies are circulated to attendees and those who apologised
(and sometimes to other interested parties), and formally confirmed at the next meeting as being a
true record.

Motion       

A formal statement, usually involving some proposed action, put to a meeting for discussion and
subsequent decision by vote.

Mover        

The proposer of a motion

Motion of Dissent

A formal statement involving some proposed action, put to a meeting for discussion and subsequent
decision by vote.

Other Business   

An item on the agenda (usually the last) that provides an opportunity for those present to suggest
additional matters for discussion.

Point of Order

A formal complaint (to the chair person) at a meeting that a speaker is being irrelevant, unduly
repetitive, exceeding prescribed time, speaking out of turn or in some way violating standing orders.

Procedural motion

A motion aimed at changing the sequence or timing of events at a meeting, rather than one which
addresses an agenda item.

Quorum

Minimum number (or percentage of those invited) required to be at a meeting for it to proceed
legitimately.

Seconder   
Someone who formally supports the mover of a motion

Standing Orders

An organisation’s rules that govern how its meetings should be run.

The above meeting terminology is by no means the full list. However the above terms are commonly
used in formal meetings and beneficial to learn. It is often the case that the constitution of the
organisation will provide further explanation of the common meeting terminology.

6 FIELDS OF DISTRACTION

The 6 Fields of Distraction is a way to identify the things that keep us from paying
attention to the task at hand, or get in the way of accomplishing the goals we set for
ourselves. In a meeting, any participant struggling with one of the 6 fields of distraction
will have a hard time fully committing their attention to the work of the group.

Each of these has an impact, and if one of them is that play, then we’re not likely to be
at our best:

Physical pain
Examples: backache...

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ACCESSIBILITY (SOFTWARE)

Accessible software is designed to work for people who experience disabilities, such
as visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments, and who may access software
using an assistive device. Lucid Meetings strives to deliver accessible software for
meeting management and productivity.
ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability is the acknowledgment of responsibility for getting things done and then
reporting back to the group about results. Leaders encourage accountability in
meetings by:
Ensuring participants actively engage and contribute to meeting results, creating joint
ownership for meeting outcomes. Assigning clear action items with a named owner and due
date. Sending out meeting notes so everyone can see and remember the commitments made
during the meeting. Following up after the...

ACTION ITEM

Action items describe a discrete task that must be accomplished, usually by a single
individual. Action items have a limited scope that can typically be accomplished in one
to two weeks. The standard format for action items assigned during meetings
documents Who, What, and When.
Who: ideally one person who takes responsibility for making sure the task gets done. What: a
short description of the task. Descriptions that start with a verb work best. For example,
"Review the project plan...

AGENDA

The agenda is the version of the meeting plan shared with meeting attendees. A
meeting agenda may include a list of topics to discuss, a sequence of planned
activities, or both. The simplest agendas are formatted as a short bulleted list. More
complicated agendas may include detailed topic descriptions, including the expected
outcomes for each item and reference material, such as reports and proposals for
review prior to the meeting. Formal agendas will also include timing and presenter...
ATTENDANCE

Attendance is the act of being present (at a meeting or event, etc.). Attendance is
often tracked and reported in meeting records. For some meetings, a predetermined
percentage of participants (called a quorum) must be in attendance before the
meeting can start. In some organizations, meeting attendance is required to qualify for
additional privileges such as voting rights or the right to participate in special events.
AUTOMATED REVIEW

Automated review is a feature in Lucid Meetings that allows meeting participants to

view a compilation of action items or notes together in a meeting. For example, a
facilitator could set up the last agenda item to include a Smart List—which would
automatically collect and display all action items from that meeting—for participants to
review together and reach agreement before the meeting is adjourned.

B
BALANCED REPRESENTATION

Organizers seek to achieve balance in meetings by ensuring people representing

differing opinions, perspectives, and interests all have an opportunity to participate.
Balance is a requirement for many non-profit and public sector meetings, where
organizers must actively seek to include participants who represent diverse interests.
For example, an organization working to create safety standards will include people
who represent for-profit companies, government agencies, non-profit...
BOARD PORTAL

A board portal is a secure software application or website designed explicitly for the
purpose of facilitating communication between directors and the company. The current
generation of board portals supports information exchange and captures the process
both during meetings and between meetings.
C
CADENCE (OF TEAM MEETINGS)

A meeting cadence is a pattern of regular team meetings. Short, frequent meetings

increase a team's work momentum. Groups that provide oversight, such as boards
and committees, hold longer meetings less frequently.
CHAIR

The chair (also chairperson, chairwoman or chairman) is the highest elected officer of
an organized group such as a board, a committee, or a deliberative assembly. In
formal meetings, the chair is responsible for driving the meeting content. The chair
leads preparation of the meeting agenda, opens the meeting, and works to keep the
conversation focused, engaging, and balanced. The chair is also responsible for
managing the formal business of the meeting, such as recognizing speakers and...
CHAIRPERSON
See: Chair
CHATHAM HOUSE RULE

The Chatham House Rule is used in meetings where participants need a way to
openly share information, but don't want to be identified as the source of that
information in any meeting records or articles written afterward. The rule is invoked
regularly in meetings dealing with sensitive topics. It reads:

When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants
are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of
the...
CODE OF CONDUCT (FOR A MEETING)
See: Ground Rules
COGNITIVE BIAS

Cognitive Biases are mental shortcuts we each make to help us make decisions in the
face of ambiguity, overwhelming options, and limited time. Researchers believe
cognitive biases have evolved so we can make mostly-correct decisions quickly,
allowing us to survive, grow, and adapt to the most common challenges everyone
encounters. These biases, though, often lead people in the complex modern world to
jump to incorrect conclusions. Effective meeting designs will work to combat
cognitive...
COLLABORATION

Collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together to a common

purpose to achieve a mutual goal or business benefit. Team meetings can be
designed to encourage collaboration by providing opportunities for everyone to
contribute to a shared result during the meeting. Poorly executed meetings, on the
other hand, inhibit collaboration by emphasizing power dynamics, stifling discussion,
and boring people.
COMPLEX DECISION MAKING

In a complex decision-making situation, there is no obviously correct choice. Instead,

there are multiple answers that warrant further experimentation before committing to a
single approach.
COMPROMISE (DECISION MAKING)

Teams may use a compromise approach to making a decision when they can't agree
on a single answer. The facilitator helps the team identify all points that they agree on
to form the basis of the decision. Then, focusing only on the specific areas of
disagreement, the team seeks an alternate approach, or compromise, that everyone
can live with.
CONFERENCE CALL

A conference call is an audio call in which multiple participants all join the same call at
the same time. Most commonly, people join conference calls by dialing a shared
conference number on their phones. In recent years, the term conference call has also
been used to describe group calls held by computer using software like Skype,
UberConference, and other computer-based audio technologies. A conference call
that includes real-time video of participants is called a video conference, and...
CONFERENCE ROOM

A conference room is a dedicated space for events such as business conference calls
and meetings.
CONNECTIVITY

Connectivity describes the ability of individuals to connect to the Internet using

computers and mobile devices. Connectivity problems are more noticeable and have a
greater negative impact on online meetings than on most other forms of Internet use.
Connectivity issues are especially noticeable when using computer audio or video
conferencing.
CONSENSUS (DECISION MAKING)

Consensus is a decision-making approach that seeks to secure the support of the

whole group for the decision at hand. Many people believe that consensus is the same
thing as unanimous agreement, but this is not necessarily the case. Unanimity is when
everyone agrees. Consensus is when no one disagrees.

A specific definition of consensus may be spelled out in a team's ground rules or

operating agreements. When the definition isn't clear in advance, facilitators
recommend clarifying...
CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICT

Conflict is when there is some form of friction, disagreement, or discord within a group.
Conflict can arise when people perceive opposition to their ideas, values, or opinions.
Many meetings are designed to encourage constructive conflict, where participants
talk openly and respectfully about these disagreements in a mutual attempt to
understand each other's perspectives and create the best possible solution. Meeting
facilitators are trained to recognize the difference between constructive...
CONSULT (DECISION MAKING)

A consulting decision-making meeting involves a group that provides information and

advice to one or more designated decision makers. The appointed decision maker(s)
then take responsibility for making the final decision. There are several ways to run a
meeting that consults to the decision maker. In some cases, the group will meet to
discuss the decision separately and then provide a written report to the decision
maker. In other cases, the group discusses the decision in the decision maker...
CONVERGENT THINKING

The classic structure for group decision-making meetings includes these phases:
Diverge -> Emerge - > Converge.

Convergent thinking is the opposite of divergent thinking. Instead of creating a lot of

new ideas, convergent thinking works to focus in on the "right" idea. When a group
makes a decision and outlines next steps, they are converging around a single idea.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Cultural differences impact how people from different countries, socio-economic

groups, and other distinct societal systems interact in meetings. For example, some
cultures prize direct discussions and vigorous debate while others value ritual,
formality, and polite discourse. People from different cultures may have different
expectations about work deadlines and communication patterns. When leading a
meeting with participants from different cultures, effective leaders make plans that
take...

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DIVERGENT THINKING

The classic structure for group decision-making meetings includes these phases:
Diverge -> Emerge - > Converge.

Divergent Thinking describes thought processes and methods used to generate

creative ideas by exploring a wide variety of ideas and perspectives. Many group
meetings include activities designed to spur divergent thinking. The most famous
example is brainstorming, where a group comes up with as many different ideas as
possible.

Divergence can also refer to the...

DOMINANCE

Dominance in a meeting describes the behavior of a person who uses their position of
authority or role in the group to control the situation in a way that excludes the fair and
equitable consideration of other viewpoints. In other words, they use their position to
bully and suppress the other participants. Dominance is considered a meeting
dysfunction because it prevents healthy conversation and results in heavily biased
decision making.

Dominance is a term commonly used in the...

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ENGAGEMENT IN MEETINGS

In a meeting context, engagement describes the attention level of attendees and how
much they participate in the meeting's activities. A participant's engagement is easiest
to see when they are speaking or actively working in a group activity. People listening
attentively may also be highly engaged.

Often it is easier to detect when a participant is disengaged. Signs of disengagement

include multitasking, interrupting or holding side conversations, reading reports or
email during the...

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FACE-TO-FACE MEETING

A face-to-face meeting is one where all the participants are physically in the same
place. In other words, a face-to-face meeting is what everyone used to just call "a
meeting" before the advent of conference calls and web conferencing. Now, meetings
can be characterized as face-to-face (with everyone colocated), virtual (with most all
participants joining from separate locations), or hybrid (some participants colocated,
others joining from different locations).
FACILITATION

Facilitation is the work involved in designing and running a successful meeting. To

facilitate literally means "to make the process easy." Facilitation skills include:
Planning an appropriate process for a specific meeting Engaging the group during the meeting
and maintaining a positive participatory environment Ensuring the meeting produces the
desired outcomes and deliverables

FACILITATOR

The term facilitator can refer to a person's profession or their role in a specific
meeting.

Professional facilitators are trained to design and lead meetings for teams and groups.
A professional facilitator works for and with a leader to plan the meeting in advance,
prepare the venue, materials, and conduct any pre-work, and to guide the group
through the meeting. Facilitators focus on managing the meeting process and helping
every participant engage successfully. Most facilitators...
FACIPULATION

Facipulation is the sneaky underhanded application of facilitation techniques used in

an attempt to manipulate a group towards a pre-determined outcome. Facipulation is
basically tricking people into thinking they had a choice, when you were really cleverly
steering the meeting to make sure you got your way all along.

This is a common concern expressed by non-facilitators, who may worry that

intentionally designing meetings to achieve desired outcomes will box participants
into...
FEEDBACK (ABOUT MEETINGS)

Facilitators and leaders ask for meeting feedback so they can work to improve future
meetings. Asking for feedback helps the leader improve and sends a message about
the importance of meeting quality to meeting participants. Meeting feedback is
typically collected just before ending the meeting, as the last or next to last item on the
agenda, or directly following the meeting using a meeting feedback form. When
collected and reviewed over time, meeting feedback can give managers insight into...
FLIP CHART

A flip chart consists of a series of large pieces of paper which are attached at the top
and which are used to present information to an audience by turning over one piece of
paper at a time. Flip charts are used during meetings to present the agenda and for
visual note taking. In professionally facilitated meetings, there may be separate flip
charts dedicated to capturing ideas, actions, parking lot items, and other content
relevant to the meeting. Groups that meet electronically use...
FOLLOW UP

Meeting follow up includes the activities conducted after the meeting. Right after the
meeting, the meeting organizer follows up by sending out meeting notes and collecting
feedback. If the meeting resulted in action items or other plans, the leader may also
schedule a dedicated follow-up meeting to check progress.

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GROUND RULES

Ground rules detail the code of conduct for a meeting, explaining the behavior that's
expected of all meeting participants. Ideally, ground rules are created and agreed to
by the people participating in the meeting, because groups more easily accept and
abide by rules they've set themselves.

Workshop facilitators often establish ground rules at the beginning of the workshop.
Established teams, boards, and committees may also adopt a set of standing ground
rules that cover all of their...
GROUP DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE

Group decision support software helps organizations make decisions using best-
practices at scale. Group decision support software features include support for large-
scale brainstorming, idea grouping and refinement, ranking, sorting, voting, and
otherwise prioritizing alternatives. Advanced applications also includes detailed
reporting and sophisticated tools for analyzing input from large communities.

While teams may use group decision support software during a meeting or
workshop,...
GROUPTHINK

Groupthink describes what happens in meetings when a group focuses more on

maintaining group harmony than in creating a quality outcome. Group members avoid
the critical evaluation of ideas and suppress dissenting opinions in an effort to
minimize conflict.

The term "Groupthink" was invented by social psychologist Irving Janis in 1972, who
described these 8 symptoms.
Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.
Collective...

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HYBRID MEETING

A hybrid meeting refers to the physical location of participants. In a hybrid meeting, a

subset of the people attending the meeting is located together in the same place.
Other participants join the meeting by conference call or web conference. For
facilitators, hybrid meetings are some of the most difficult meetings to manage as you
can neither rely on everyone having access to the meeting technology nor on people
all using sticky notes or other tangible resources. Experts on remote...

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INTEGRATION (MEETING TECHNOLOGY)

An integration is the practice of combining individually tested software and hardware

components in a way that makes them easy to use together. Most meeting technology
is integrated with other technologies, such as calendar systems, document
repositories, project management systems, and more.
INTRODUCTIONS

An Introduction is a formal presentation of one person to another, including the

exchange of names. Meetings that involve people who don't know each other often
start with introductions, which may be as simple as going around the room and
sharing names. Alternatively, some meetings will start with an icebreaker activity that
incorporates basic introductions. Ideally, the kind of introductions used in the meeting
will be appropriate to the meeting's purpose.
INVITATION

An invitation is a request or attempt to get another person to join an event such as a

meeting. An effective meeting invitation includes details about when and where the
meeting will be held, and information about the meeting's purpose, desired outcomes,
and any recommended preparation that should be completed beforehand.
ISSUE

An Issue is an area of concern or uncertainty that impacts a team's ability to make

progress. Teams identify issues during meetings, then work to find solutions.

Project teams and leadership teams will often create an issues list that they review
and update during regular meetings. When the team identifies a possible resolution to
an issue, the issue is removed from the issues list and may be replaced by one or
more action items defining the steps the team will take to address the...

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LACK OF PARTICIPATION

Lack of participation happens when participants remain quiet or do not engage in a

meeting's activities creating a roadblock to meeting productivity. This is considered a
meeting dysfunction that should be avoided by properly structuring the meeting to
encourage engagement and include only those people who have an active role to
play.
LIVE CAST

Live Cast is a term that describes the process of broadcasting real-time, live video
footage or video feed to an audience accessing the video stream over the Internet.
LOGICAL FALLACY

A Logical Fallacy is an invalid argument that relies on emotional tricks rather than
sound logic. Many logical fallacies feel and sound persuasive, and they can be
especially destructive when used in meetings. Some people use fallacies intentionally
in their efforts to persuade others to agree with them. (This is especially common in
politics.) Meeting leaders can help combat the impact of logical fallacies by:
Educating themselves and others on how to recognize logical fallacies (See...

LOW ENERGY

Low energy is considered a dysfunctional meeting dynamic that manifests in many

ways: attendees look tired, don't contribute to the conversation, lose track of the
discussion, etc. There are several ways to combat low energy, including energizing
activities, replacing presentations with discussion, walking or standing meetings, and,
of course, not scheduling meetings too early, too late, or right after lunch.
M
MEETING

A meeting is a defined real-time gathering of two or more people for the purpose of
achieving a common goal through conversation and interaction. Meetings have three
qualities which differentiate them from other kinds of conversations:

Meetings are declared.

Someone decides that a meeting should happen with some group of people. Usually this
results in someone scheduling a meeting. Meetings have a purpose.
While the purpose may not be clear to everyone in attendance, there is...

MEETING COST

Meeting Costs are a calculation of the money and resources required to prepare for
and run a meeting. Costs can be calculated by assessing software costs,
organizational costs (people time), meeting productivity and efficiency, or a
combination of all three. See our meeting cost calculators  for more information.
MEETING DESIGN

Meeting design is the practice of creating a plan for a specific kind of meeting that
includes a draft agenda and explains how to achieve the desired meeting outcomes.
MEETING FLOW MODEL

A Meeting Flow Model is a form of process documentation that highlights the main
meetings used to achieve a business result. A Meeting Flow Model works by
describing the specific meetings used for each situation. Like all process
documentation, these models reduce ambiguity and create a common language for
getting work done that, when applied properly, speeds execution.

Meeting Flow Models are composed of one or more reference documents. Each
model includes:
The Meeting Flow...

MEETING MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Meeting management software helps individuals and teams plan, organize, run, and
record results during meetings. Common meeting productivity features include
scheduling and invitations, agenda building and distribution, note-taking during
meetings, timers, action item and decision tracking, and minutes generation. Lucid
Meetings is an acknowledged leader in the meeting productivity space.
MEETING METRICS

Meeting Metrics are data points, collected over time, that can show trends and
patterns of efficiency or efficacy in your meetings. Common metrics include the
number of meetings and participants, time spent in meetings, attendance, and meeting
ratings.
MEETING MINUTES

Meeting Minutes, or informally, notes, are the record of a meeting in written form. They
typically describe the events of the meeting and may include an agenda, a list of
attendees and no shows, a listing of issues and decisions made, and an action list
with due dates and responsible parties. In formal meetings, the minutes become
official after review and a vote at the next meeting.
MEETING OPERATING SYSTEM

A Meeting Operating System is the system used by a company or organization to

ensure meetings are effective and strategically aligned to the needs of the business. A
meeting operating system establishes the performance criteria, operating models, and
support all employees require to achieve effective business meetings.

An organization's meeting operating system can be evaluated using the Meeting

Performance...
MEETING PERFORMANCE MATURITY MODEL

The Meeting Performance Maturity Model (MPMM) provides a framework for

understanding how well an organization’s meeting operating system  performs and the
degree to which an organization optimizes meetings to achieve their specified
purpose. Groups operate at one of five levels of meeting performance maturity.
Level 1: Individual Almost no repeatable meeting process. Meetings are poorly...

MEETING POLL

There are two meeting technologies commonly referred to as meeting polls.

A meeting scheduling tool that allows meeting organizers to ask attendees which days and
times they are available to meet. A question posed to attendees during a meeting designed to
increase engagement. Everyone answers at the same time, often using mobile polling
applications or poll features built into web conferencing software.

MEETING PURPOSE

The meeting's purpose is a statement explaining why the group needs to meet, and
why meeting would work better than chat or email in this situation. The meeting
purpose should provide a clear line of sight to an end result in a meeting, preferably
something that can be documented.
MEETING STRUCTURE

A meeting's structure describes how the meeting is planned and organized. Every
meeting has a structure. When a meeting leader works to create the structure for the
meeting, they consider:
When and where to hold the meeting Who to invite and what each person will do The order of
topics, activities, and presentations How decisions will be made and records tracked and
more...
MEETING TEMPLATE

A meeting template is a pre-formatted set of information that can serve as a starting

point for a specific type of meeting. The template may include (but is not limited to) a
detailed agenda, facilitation and preparation instructions, dial-in or web connection
details, and related documents or presentations. Example: The Essential Project
Kickoff Meeting Template
MOTION

A motion is a formal proposal put to a group for a decision by vote in a meeting.

Meetings that use Robert's Rules of Order or another parliamentary process make
official decisions using motions. The outcome of a motion gets recorded as an official
decision in the meeting minutes. When a motion is proposed, participants will typically
vote Yes, No, or Abstain. The rules for working with motions and counting votes
depend on the group and will usually be documented in the group's operating...
MULTITASKING

Multitasking is the practice of dividing attention between multiple activities at the same
time. In a meeting context, this can be a problem as participants may check their email
or prepare a presentation and not fully pay attention to critical parts of the meeting.

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NEUTRALITY

Neutrality is often considered a desirable trait for meeting facilitators, who seek to stay
unbiased about the meeting content and the outcome of any decisions. A neutral
facilitator pays attention to the meeting process and seeks to ensure everyone has an
opportunity to contribute to the discussion but does not work to influence the decision
in favor of one option or another.
NORMS

Meeting norms are the standards of behavior expected from those in a team and
during a meeting. Unlike a working team agreement, which covers the tools and
processes a team will use when working together, norms primarily express the group's
values. This includes topics such as how people take turns speaking, how to handle
conflict, and expectations about meeting preparation. Meeting norms are also known
as ground rules.
NOTES

Notes, or meeting notes, are the written proceedings of a meeting. Notes can be
public or private, and they are typically sent to the attendees just after a meeting. Also
see Meeting Minutes.
NOTIFICATION

A notification is something written or printed that alerts people about an upcoming

event, like an email that notifies participants about an upcoming meeting. Some formal
meetings, such as board meetings, committee meetings, and those meetings subject
to Open Meeting laws, have rules that say how far in advance notification must be
provided before the meeting can be held.

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OBSERVER

An observer is a meeting role granted by some organizations to non-members to allow

them to monitor or participate in the organization's activities. Most commonly,
observers rights in the meeting are restricted to observing; they can attend the
meeting and listen to the conversation, but they are not expected to actively
participate in the discussion and cannot vote or otherwise officially take part in
decision making.
OPEN DISCUSSION

Open Discussion is the term used to describe unstructured dialogue within a meeting.
In an open discussion, anyone present can speak for as long as they like, and there
are no rules governing turn-taking, topic adherence, or other constraints on the
discussion.

Unless otherwise stated by the meeting leader, open discussion is the default
approach assumed to be in use for most meetings. Open discussion allows for the
greatest freedom in the conversation, which makes it also the...

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PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Parliamentary Procedure is the body of rules, ethics and customs governing meetings
and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies and other deliberative
assemblies. Roberts Rules of Order documents the most widely known parliamentary
procedures.
PARTICIPATION

Participation, in a meeting context, describes a cooperative effort to give input, make

decisions, resolve issues, and assign actions together. Meeting facilitators are trained
to encourage participation from everyone attending the meeting in order to foster each
individual's commitment to the team's objectives and make the meeting more
enjoyable. While facilitation and the appropriate meeting structure can increase
participation, it is ultimately the individual attendee's responsibility to...
PERCEIVED MEETING QUALITY (PMQ)

Perceived Meeting Quality (PMQ) is a way to measure an attendee’s feelings about a

meeting. This term comes from a 2011 study that examined 18 different meeting
design characteristics (such as using an agenda or starting and ending on time) to
determine which ones had the biggest positive impact on how people felt about the
meeting.
You can read the full study here:
Cohen, Melissa A.; Rogelberg, Steven G.; Allen, Joseph A.; and Luong, Alexandra, “...
PLENARY SESSION

A Plenary Session (or plenary) is the part of the meeting or conference that everyone
attends. The term is used most often in meetings that also include time spent working
in smaller groups.

For example, at a conference, the opening keynote may be considered a plenary

session, since everyone is expected to attend as that's the only thing on the
conference schedule at that time. During a smaller meeting or workshop, the leader
may ask everyone to re-group "in plenary" following time...
POLICY OF NON-ATTRIBUTION
See: Chatham House Rule
PRESENTATION

A presentation is when a person communicates an idea to others. The term can be

adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a
meeting or briefing a team.
PROXY

A proxy is a representative that has been designated to vote on someone else's behalf
in a meeting. The representative may be a member of the same voting body or
external.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

Psychological safety is a term used to describe whether a person feels it is safe to

take a personal risk around their team members.

Professor Amy Edmondson and researchers at Google both found that the presence
or absence of psychological safety between team members was one of the key
determinants of workplace performance, since this impacted whether the group felt
they could raise issues or concerns, whether it was safe to make mistakes, and
whether they could risk trying more bold...

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QUORUM

Quorum is a calculation of the minimum percentage of members who must be present

at the meeting before business can be legally transacted. Formal meetings, such as
board meetings and public meetings, must have a set percentage of members in
attendance before they can conduct any official business. This is one reason groups
take attendance at the beginning of a meeting.
R
REMOTE TEAM

A virtual or remote team is comprised of team members who share responsibility for
achieving defined objectives and who perform from a flexible mix of stationary, mobile
and/or remote work environments. Remote teams do not meet in a conference room.
Instead, they use technology to meet over the Internet.
REMOTE WORK

Remote work is an arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel (e.g. by

bus or car) to a central place of work, such as an office building, warehouse or store.
Instead, they work from home or from another location outside the main office.
REPEATABILITY

Repeatability generally refers to the ease in which something can be done over and
over. In a meeting context, implementing a similar process from meeting to meeting
can increase the reliability of outcomes. Repeatability in achieving the desired meeting
outcomes is one sign of meeting performance maturity.
RISK

A risk is something that could happen to impact a plan, causing delays, the need to re-
plan, or even project failure. Teams work to identify and list project risks during
meetings, then develop ways to protect against, or mitigate, the chances that the risk
will happen. The RAID technique for evaluating and tracking risks helps teams think
more thoroughly through potential problems by capturing Risks, Assumptions, Issues
and Dependencies.
ROLES

There are several roles different participants might have in a meeting. Some roles are
officially appointed, some assigned on a per-meeting basis, and others simply
assumed during the meeting without discussion.

Formal meetings, such as board meetings, may have people participating as: the
Chair, the Secretary, Voting Members, Non-Voting Member participants, Guest
Presenters, and Observers.

Structured meetings and workshops may have people assigned to...

RSVP

An RSVP is the confirmation of and response to an invitation. When team members

respond to an invitation confirming they will attend, the organizer can better plan how
they will run a meeting.
S
SCREEN SHARE

Screen sharing occurs when one person on a computer device can see what another
person is doing on their computer. The screen sharing can give the person watching
the other computer the ability to view and control what occurs on the other computer
through their own computer.
SECRETARY

Secretary is one of the defined roles in a formal meeting. The secretary’s role is to be
the guardian of the process of meetings and the maintainer of the official business
records. He or she often manages communication before meetings and keeps formal
records of the group’s process and decisions: the minutes of the meeting.
SILENCE

Silence in a meeting happens when people stop talking or communicating. When used
strategically, silence can be a powerful collaboration and communication tool.
SOCIAL LOAFING

Social loafing is a term used by social psychologists to describe how some people
contribute less when they work in a group than they would otherwise. When working in
a group, some believe that their effort is not required since the other members of the
group are taking care of the work at hand.

Research into social loafing has found that this effect is minimized in smaller groups,
in groups where people know one another fairly well, and when people believe that
they can be held...
SPEAKER QUEUE

A speaker queue is an online tool that allows meeting attendees to request to speak
by virtually “raising their hand" and get into a queue. They are each subsequently
given the floor to speak or present without distraction from others.
STAKEHOLDER

A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization, who may affect, be affected by,

or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project. The
success of many meetings depends on ensuring that the needs and opinions of
different stakeholders become part of the discussion.
STANDING MEETING

A standing meeting is any meeting that repeats on a predictable basis and creates an
ongoing obligation on participant's calendars. For example, you may have a standing
meeting with your boss every Tuesday at 2pm. A standing meeting should not be
confused with stand-up meetings, in which everyone remains standing throughout the
meeting.
STICKY NOTE

Sticky notes are small pieces of colorful paper, usually square, with a light-weight adhesive
strip on the back. Sticky notes are used for brainstorming sessions in order for participants to
visually post ideas in front of others and/or remain anonymous as they write down and share
ideas.

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TECHNOFERENCE

The interference of technology in our relationships, in our work, and in our day-to-day
lives.
TIMEKEEPER

A timekeeper in a meeting is a person who takes on the role of measuring or recording

the amount of time taken to do something. The timekeeper essentially helps the
facilitator move the group through the agenda, reducing the amount of stress on the
facilitator or leader who is managing the discussion.
TIMERS

A meeting timer is used to help monitor time spent vs. time planned for the overall
meeting and each segment of the meeting. Timers may also be used in large
community members to limit the amount of time each person can speak on a given
topic before they must give another person a turn to speak.
TOASTMASTERS

Toastmasters is an international organization dedicated to helping people become

better public speakers. Membership is open to anyone who wants to become a more
confident public speaker.
TOPIC

A topic in a meeting is the subject currently under discussion by the group. Topics
should be chosen wisely and be relevant to all attendees. Meeting topics may be set
on the agenda in advance or determined during the meeting.

V
VEGAS RULES

The term Vegas Rules comes from the saying "What happens in Vegas, stays in
Vegas." When used in a meeting, the rule says that whatever is said in the meeting
must be kept private to the people who were in the room and should never be
repeated to others.
VIDEO CONFERENCING

Video conferencing is a technology that allows users in different locations to hold face-
to-face meetings. The technology is convenient for participants in different cities or
countries because it saves the time and expense associated with business travel.
VIRTUAL MEETING

A virtual meeting is a real meeting held over the phone or the Internet involving one or
more people who are not in the same location.
VOTING

Many meetings use voting to evaluate group consensus and confirm decisions. Some
votes are formal and binding, such as the votes on a motion during a board meeting or
other meeting using parliamentary procedures. Other votes simply make it easier to
see the preferences and priorities of the group, such as those cast during Dot-Voting
or straw polls.

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WATER COOLER TEST

If a group makes a decision during a meeting and everyone says that they support the
decision, but then when they leave the room they talk privately about how they think
the decision is flawed, that decision is said to have failed “the water cooler test”.

Meeting facilitators work to help everyone get all their opinions and concerns out
during the meeting. The group is asked to have the discussion in the room—not later
“around the water cooler”—then leave the meeting committed to...
WEB CONFERENCING SOFTWARE

Web conferencing software makes it possible for people to hold meetings, training
sessions, and webinars using the Internet. Web conferencing software features, such
as those provided by Cisco WebEx, GoTo Meeting, and others, are designed to solve
communication problems, making it possible for people to see each other using video
conferencing, hear each other using audio conferencing, and share material such as
presentations, computer screens, and chat messages. Web conferencing software...
WHITEBOARD

A whiteboard is a flat wipeable surface that teams draw and post sticky notes on
during meetings. Many face-to-face meeting activities assume the group will meet in a
space with one or more whiteboards available. Many web conferencing tools include a
virtual whiteboard feature that attempts to make it possible to conduct some of the
same group activities online.