Business Meetings

A gathering in which a purposeful exchange or

transaction occurs among three or more people with
a common interest, topic, or problem.
You Should Consider Calling a Meeting to:
• Talk about goals.
• Reach a consensus.
• Listen to reports.
• Discover or solve problems.
• Train people.
• Gather opinions.
Call Meetings to:
• Explain plans and programs.

• Keep things moving.

• Tellpeople what they're supposed to do and how they're to

do it.

• Build morale.
Three Principal Types of Business
Meetings:

• Informational Meetings

• Problem-Solving Meetings

• Suggested-Solution Meetings
How Do You Solve a Problem in a
Meeting?
• State the problem in the form of an affirmative question.

• Define and limit the problem.

• Collect facts on the history of the problem.

• Establish criteria. Assess those criteria in light of their

practicality, feasibility, and the rights of others.
How Do You Solve a Problem in a
Meeting?

• List possible solutions.

• Evaluate suggested solutions.

• Determine a course of action.

• Tell those responsible for making the solution succeed.

As You Plan for a Meeting:

First, decide whether a meeting should be called at all.

Next, you must determine the purpose for the meeting. It

should be timely, genuine, important, and meaningful for
the conferees. It must also be within their sphere of
responsibility and influence.
As You Plan for a Meeting:
Then, Decide Who Should Participate.
– Invite those who must carry out what's been decided.

– Invitethose who have valuable information, good ideas,

or divergent views.
– Include those who can approve the results or are
indispensable to the success of the
decision.
As You Plan for a Meeting:
Arrange for a Meeting Time, Date, and Place.

What times and dates are most convenient? In the absence

of convenience, when can everyone be there?

– Where should you meet? Will the location prove

conducive to achieving your goals, or distracting?
As You Plan for a Meeting:
Coordinate Details at the Meeting Site.

– Consider seating, lighting, acoustics, audiovisual

requirements, environmental controls, workspace, travel
requirements, location, and cost.

– Talk to or meet with those responsible for supporting or

carrying out your plans for the meeting, including audio-
visual technicians, caterers, banquet and meeting
managers.
As You Plan for a Meeting:
Announce an Agenda.
– Unless secrecy is essential, meetings are more likely to
succeed with an agenda. State the problem properly, as a
question of fact, value, or policy. Be sure to include all
relevant detail in the announcement, including topic, date,
time, place, and responsibilities of the participants.
As You Plan for a Meeting:
Take Care of Physical Arrangements.

– Seating, lighting, public address system, visual support

systems, environmental controls, tables, workspace

– Support materials, pencils, pens, markers, chalk, paper,

refreshments

– Reference materials, background data

Informal Responsibilities:
• Prepare yourself thoroughly.
• Assume your given role during the
meeting:
•Organizer
•Critical Tester
•Clarifier
•Conciliator
•Questioner
•Helper of others
•Expert
•Energizer