Formal Meeting

and Minutes
By Sadaf Farooq
What is a Formal Meeting?
 A formal meeting is a pre-planned gathering of
two or more people who have assembled for the
purpose of achieving a common goal through
verbal interaction.
 Formal meetings are characterized by their
predetermined topics, a set of objectives and
formal notices.
 Formal meetings are typically lead by a
chairperson with the discussions and agreements
recorded in a written form known as minutes. 
 What is formal meeting like?
 A formal meeting is like
conducting an orchestra
with a conductor
(chairperson) and musicians
(meeting participants)
coming together in a pre-
planned place at a set time
to play a musical piece
(agenda) that they perform
together (agreed outcomes).
 Purpose of a Formal Meeting?

 The purpose of a formal meeting is to discuss the

list of predetermined topics and address the set of
objectives, and make decisions relating to them.
Formal meetings are a requirement of some
companies to promote transparency and
accountability. These meeting allow proper
discussions to be taken about issues within the
company.
Different Types of Formal Meetings?
 Annual General Meeting – These are usually a
requirement of a company. Employees and
Shareholders will meet to discuss progress in the
past year, and what to do in the next one.
 Planning Meetings – Groups will gather together
to plan what to do and how to do it.
 Review Meetings – Participants will gather to
discuss what has been done, how successful it was
and whether it could have been done differently.
What’s Involved with a Formal Meeting?
 Many formal meetings follow a set pattern. This helps to
give the meeting an organized structure.
  This pattern is usually set out in an agenda, which is
circulated to participants in advance, along with a copy of
the minutes from the last meeting.
 At the beginning of a meeting, participants will agree to
the accuracy of the minutes from the last meeting.
 Attendees will give updates on any action items from the
previous meeting. 
 The items on the agenda will then be discussed. Minutes
(official notes) will be taken throughout the meeting. There
often has to be a certain number of people present for the
members to be able to conduct valid business.
How do formal meetings impact
on organizational goals?
 Formal meeting help attendees to understand the
organizational goals of the company whilst giving
them the chance to discuss and amend these
organizational goals.
 Decisions are often taken in formal meetings
which can affect the organizational goals of a
business.
What terms are used in managing
formal meetings?
 Agenda – An agenda sets out the structure of the meeting.
 Minutes – Minutes are a formal record of the events which
occur during a meeting.
 Motion – A motion is a proposal or a suggestion within a
meeting.
 Chairperson – The chairperson is in charge of the meeting
and decides who can speak and when.
 Order – If more than one person is speaking at once, or if
the meeting is becoming an argument, rather than a
discussion, the chair may call “order”.
 Quorum – This refers to the minimum number of people
required for the meeting to remain valid.
5 Steps on How to Run a Formal
Meeting
 Step 1: Set objectives:
 A clear objective will encourage people to attend the
meeting because they will understand its intent. It
also will set the foundation for a focused meeting.
 Meetings usually have one of two objectives – to
inform or to decide.
 Step 2: Assemble attendees:
 Create a list of who needs to attend this meeting.
Think carefully about whether or not someone needs
to be in the room for the duration of the meeting.
 Be definitive when you invite people to a meeting.
 Cont…
 Step 3: Create an agenda:
 An agenda is a list of the key items to review in order to meet your objective. It can be something you use for
yourself or hand out at the meeting. The upside of handing out an agenda is that it provides a script for people
to follow. The downside is that it may distract your attendees; it could tempt them to jump to issues you’re not
ready to cover.
 Step 4: Maintain control:
 Once the meeting has begun, it is your responsibility to keep it moving and keep it focused. Here are some
tips for accomplishing this:
 Start on time, even if people are late. If you wait until the last person arrives, you train people to be late.
 Briefly state what the meeting is about.
 If you have passed out an agenda, be sure everyone follows it so that you accomplish your objectives.
 If discussion drags on a topic and a decision is not being made, it is your job to interject and say
something like, “For the sake of the timeline of the project, we need to make a decision.”
 If it is apparent that something cannot be resolved, determine what will be necessary to resolve it in the
future and add it to the project timeline.
 Crowd control: You have to be firm if the group gets off track and suggest that the matter be discussed at
another time.
 Schedule the next meeting at the end of the current one.
 If you called the meeting, you are responsible for taking notes or appointing someone to take notes.
Cont…
 Step 5: Follow up:
 Once the meeting has ended, you still have work to do.
 Put together and distribute an action list summarizing
what was covered, what was resolved, and what actions
need to be taken for issues requiring further clarification.
This should come straight from the meeting notes.
 Make sure to thank people for attending and
participating. They will be happy to know their time was
appreciated.
Minutes of Meetings:
 Minutes of meetings can be defined as the written
record of everything that's happened during a
meeting.
 They're used to inform people who didn't attend
the meeting about what happened, or to keep track
of what was decided during the meeting so that
you can revisit it and use it to inform future
decisions. 
Purpose of Minutes of Meeting
 Meeting minutes provide a written record of what was
discussed and agreed at a meeting, so you and your
colleagues will have the same recollections from the meeting
and the same ideas about what was agreed. With good
meeting minutes, you make sure everyone knows what was
decided and what needs to be achieved by what date.
 Not taking meeting minutes can be costly in terms of both
time and money, for example when you and your colleagues
have different recollections of what was agreed during a
meeting. In the worst case, if meeting minutes are not
written you may end up having to repeat the meeting. So,
getting into the habit of taking meeting minutes is good
practice.
 Steps to write meeting minutes
 Create an outline: Take notes under each meeting agenda item as the meeting
progresses.
 Check-off attendees as they enter the room: Have each person introduce
themselves at the beginning of the meeting, especially if you don’t know them.
 Record decisions or notes on action items: Record these decisions or action
items as soon as they happen to transcribe accurately.
 Ask for clarification if necessary: Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if
something is unclear. It avoids having to come back to it later when things are not
as fresh in our memories.
 Don’t try to capture it all: Capturing it all would be impossible. Instead, listen
attentively for major decisions, action items, problems or solutions.
 Record it: With permission, consider recording the meeting on your phone or a
recording device if you are worried about missing important content in your
meeting minutes. 
Sample:
 Agenda & the Meeting
 Agenda 1. The need for digital library at INS
Peshawar
 2. Internet facility in the campus
 3. Cafeteria
 4. The need for Sick Room and Guest Room
 Cont…
 A meeting was held at INS KMU to discuss various
problems faced by the students and the faculty.
 The following worthy members attended the meeting
chaired by worthy Vice Chancellor KMU.
 The Registrar KMU
 The Treasurer KMU
 The Coordinator and faculty members INS
After detailed discussion the following points of the
agenda were agreed upon.
 Cont…
1. The house agreed to establish a digital library to
facilitate the research scholars.
2. Looking at the urgency of the issue, they decided to
improve the internet facility.
3. The idea of cafeteria was postponed till the start of face
to face classes.
4. The idea of Sick Room was unanimously endorsed;
however, there were some reservations from the
Treasurer about Guest Room because of the limited
developmental funds.