Meeting Management: Common Terms, Factors, Planning, and Strategies

This article covers common terms used in meetings, factors related to successful meetings, process for planning and arranging meetings, strategies for improving group dynamics, and more. It also includes a checklist and agenda for conducting a meeting, as well as instructions for participants and relevant parts of organizational procedures and policies to be aware of.

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Meeting Management
By
Your Name
Date
Lecture’s Name and Course Number
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1. Common terms used in a meeting
 Agenda- this is well-organized list of things to be discussed in a meeting. They help the
meeting attendees to know what they should expect to be discussed in the meeting, the
role they are expected to play in the meeting and also the likely outcomes they could
expect to get after the meeting.
 Minutes- this can termed as a summarized proceeding of a meeting that are written during
a meeting. They use a formal language band are somehow permanent. Once approved in
the next meeting, they can be useful as evidence or even in any legal matters.
 Chairperson- this is the person who can be termed to be the highest ranking in an
organizations. He is responsible of preceding over the meeting to ensure everyone stays
in the objectives of the meeting.
 Secretary- he/she can also be termed as the personal assistance. He supports the
management in diverse ways such as organizing information on behalf of the boss. In a
meeting set up he ensures all member have the relevant information at the right time. This
can include the venue and agendas and other related. He/she also record the proceeding
of a meeting.
 Timekeeper- this a person tasked with the responsibility the meeting happens according
to the schedule by timing individual as the agendas indicate.
 Casting vote- this is the vote given by the chair person on cases where the votes of rthe
meeting attendees ties or equals. This make the thing been voted for to fall on one side.
 Censure- this an expression that formally indicate a total disapproval of something.
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 Quorum- this generally the minimum number of members required for a meeting to be
validated and to proceed.
 Proxy- this is an individual who has been designated with the role of representing another
person in a meeting.
2. Factors related to meeting structures and arrangements that leads to a successful
meeting.
 For a successful meeting, there must be utmost control. Many meetings tend to be a
failure when either members becomes uncontrollable or even the chairperson loses the
ability to control them (Anson, Bostrom and Wynne 1995). If meetings are poorly
controlled then they can be perceived to be a waste of time. This bring the need of
agendas in a meetings since they serves as goals and defines the boundaries as well. The
chair person should not fear to cut people off when they get out of the business of the
day.
 The other important thing for the success meeting is a correct choosing of the
environment where to conduct the meeting at. Inappropriate environment could at times
distort the meeting making them a waste of time (Seferian, et al 2016). For example, if a
meeting is conducted in a noisy place, chances of distraction are very high and the main
objective could be hard to achieve. It’s important that the meeting place be serene and the
room too ought to be well aerated.
 Meeting are also bound to fail if the incorrect people are in attendance. This causes a lot
of misunderstand and even at times conflict. These people might not be aware of the
purpose and the objective of the meeting.
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 Meeting be successful because of scheduling then in the right time Kuo, et al 2005). The
term ‘right time at time can be ambiguous but it is simply choosing a time that all
members are comfortable with. For example, a meeting in a weekend will inconvenience
many people and it might be not be successful. Also in a hot afternoon the members
might be struggling with concertation hence timings are very key.
3. The process for planning and arranging and planning a meeting where members
are located in different places.
 The very first step will be to make the purpose of the meeting as explicit as possible. This
is by having goals and objectives that should be aimed at by the meeting.
 Once the purpose is created, it would be wise to note the type of meeting that we should
hold to accomplish this purpose. it can be either formal or informal
 The third step will be to know the participants of the meeting so as to notify them in the
observation of the organization procedure.
 The next step will now be to notify these participant. This can be done by the mailing a
formal notice.
 Lastly, it would be important top confirm to all the members of the arrangement such as
the venue and the accommodation information. This can go handy with the dispatching of
all the relevant papers required for the meeting.
4. When is face to face type of meeting the best and why?
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Face to face is always the best option when the scope of the meeting is big and detailed.
Despite there being advancement in the technology, face to face meetings tends to get things
done in the shortest time possible. For example, where there are many and detailed agendas
to be discussed, face to face choice of meeting will do with utmost efficiency. This kind of
meeting is important since it accompanies facial and body languages which are important for
a meeting and cannot be ignored. This type also ensures people are engaged in the meeting
and that they all participate.
5. (a) Similarities between teleconferencing, web conferencing and videoconferencing.
One of the major similarity is that these meeting is that members do not have to gather in
one place for their success. They are conducted at the convenience of the members. They
also both saves time and expenses of holding a meeting if they are compared with the face to
face type of meeting.
(b) Differences between teleconferencing, web conferencing and videoconferencing.
The difference between these three is that teleconferencing is the oldest and the most
known but videoconferencing and web conferencing were recently invented courtesy of the
technological advancement. Teleconferencing is also less engaging as it people cannot see
each other unlike in video conferencing where people can see each other facial expression
and conduct as the meeting goes on.
6. The responsibility of the chair summarized.
 The major responsibility is that he is a leader and therefore he/she is expected to
exercise his authority in the group
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 He also acts as he watchdog in the group in diverse action such as protecting them
that are weak and controlling them that are jokers among others.
 He plays the role of a referee in case there are conflicts that have arisen.
 He is also the administrator in that he organizes and sets most of the things among
others.
7. Effects of dynamics in the success of the meeting.
People in a group have different ways of behaving and this is cannot be debated about in
any way since it’s by nature. As you continue to working with these individuals in a meeting,
you will realize that group dynamics starts to affect the way your business is conducted. One
of the advantages is that these differences are very vital when it comes to innovativeness and
creativeness in a meeting (Christensen and Overdorf 2000). With these dynamics conflicts
become easy to solve should they arise. They also cause a lot of energy in the meeting which
is a plus to the meeting. They are however the great cause of conflicts in a meeting and
therefore they should be well monitored. Members tend to be always motivated in their work
because of the connection they have with others. Positive dynamics at most time help in
ensuring that decisions are arrive at in the fastest way possible with limited conflict.
8. Strategies of improving group dynamics in a meeting.
Having noted the importance of these dynamics, one ought to come up with ways of
improving them in aid of a successful meeting. One of the popular strategies will be to know
your team so that you can facilitate development where need might be (Montgomery and
Strick 1994). Also in the case of a problem, it ought to be handled with an immediate effect
without further delays. This is a strategy that call one as a leader to be very watchful of his
group. Another strategy will be for one to clearly define the roles and responsibility of each
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and every person in the team (Nunamaker, Dennis Valacich, Vogel and George 1991). This
gives them a sense of direction and failure to develop them always results to poor dynamics.
The other strategy will be to focus on good communication among the team to avoid
disconnect. For example, in case of any change, the members ought to be well communicated
so that all have the same information. Paying close attention to the members is also one of
the strategies that can lead to development of good dynamics. This calls the leader to always
be updated with what the members are going through
9. What the chair need to check and brief the minute-taker before the task.
Minute taking can be a tiresome task if not handled in a good way. It requires prior
planning to avoid been stacked in the middle of the task. The chairperson however has some
role to play on this to ensure that the meeting flows well without any hindrances (Chon and
Feiertag 1990). One of the role is ensuring that the minute taker has a copy of the agendas so
that he can be able to follow the meeting with the outline made out of the same. He can also
ensure that the minute taker has prepared the attendance list prior from the attendance section
of the previous meeting minutes. Lastly and the most important will be to ensure that he/she
is well conversant with the minutes of the previous meeting so that he/she can give a
response with ease if need may arise in the procession of the meeting
10. Two different styles that minutes may be produced for different meetings.
Minutes can be recorded in two different ways depending on the objective and the
purpose of the meeting. One of the style that can be uses is the Agenda-based king of minutes
(Bagire Byarugaba and Kyogabiirwe, 2015). This is a formal and a traditional way of doing
this where agendas are distributed earlier to the member before the meeting starts. The other
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style is called the summary. They are somewhat informal and they record the main decision
arrived at for the responsibility clarity and for follow up too
TASK 2
1. Checklist for the meeting
Before the meeting Date
Remind Mary Simmons to prepare for the operations update.
This will be through a mail. This will indicate the scope to be
covered in the same.
13th /9/2010
Email Mr. Bob to prepare the marketing briefing for the
week.
13th /9/2010
Inform Mr. Felicity to combine and compile all the weekly
finance reports. This should also show the status of the
organization financially. It should also include next week
13th /9/2010
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budget as well as the previous week expenditure.
Email Mr. Allan to prepare a comprehensive report on the
network breakdown that have continued to experience in the
organization for the last one and a half week.
13th /9/2010
Email the sales manager to liaise with the marketing manager
and provide the relevant material requires for the preparatio9n
of the weekly briefing.
13th /9/2010
Inform Mrs. Julie to compile a report indicating how and
when they are to conduct a performance appraisal. She should
also have a report indicating the reason of the employee
protest on the tough working conditions.
13th /9/2010
Remind Mr. Howard of the talk he is to give on manual
handling in the office.
13th /9/2010
Ensure the agendas circulate to all members before the
meeting starts.
15th /9/2010
During the meeting Date
Ensure no one goes out of the agenda.
15th /9/2010
Appoint a time keeper to tell you when time is almost over.
15th /9/2010
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Encourage the members to be commitment to the firm’s
mission and vision for a brighter feature of the organization.
15th /9/2010
Appreciate the members for attending the meeting. 15th /9/2010
After the meeting
Ensure the members absent receive a copy of the meeting
proceedings.
16th /9/2010
Follow up on members allocated with responsibilities to
ensure the complete the tasks.
16th /9/2010
2. Agenda for the meeting.
 Preliminaries
 Reading of the previous meeting’s minutes.
 Matters arising
 Operations update
 Marketing update
 Finance update
 IT status report
 Employee report
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 Talk on the office environment
 A.O.B
 Adjournment
3. Best style for the meeting.
Face to face will be the best style because of the many report that are to bee
made.
4. Instructions that will aid participant organization.
 Members shall receive a meeting notification or cancelation in not than 12
hours to the specified meeting time.
 Apologies should be sent 12hrs before the meeting is held.
 Lateness shall attract some disciplinary actions.
5. Relevant parts of the organization procedures and policies to be aware before
conducting the meeting.
 Organizational code of conduct.
 Meeting’s expenses requisition procedure
 The quorum needed for a meeting to start.
6. Arrangement checklist
 Confirm the venue
 Ensure the accommodation and meals for the attendees are well catered for.
 Write a reminder to all the attendees.
7. Provisions to budget for.
 Reimbursement of the attendees on the expenses they will incur.
 Meals for the meeting.
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References
Anson, R., Bostrom, R. and Wynne, B., 1995. An experiment assessing group support system
and facilitator effects on meeting outcomes. Management Science, 41(2), pp.189-208.
Bagire, V., Byarugaba, J. and Kyogabiirwe, J., 2015. Organizational meetings: management and
benefits. Journal of Management Development, 34(8), pp.960-972.
Chon, K.S. and Feiertag, H., 1990. The essence of meetings management. Cornell Hospitality
Quarterly, 31(2), p.95.
Christensen, C.M. and Overdorf, M., 2000. Meeting the challenge of disruptive change. Harvard
business review, 78(2), pp.66-77.
Kuo, J., Chang, A., Lee, K.P., Young, K., Lin, S.S. and Lai, D., Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co (TSMC) Ltd, 2005. Meeting management system. U.S. Patent Application
10/636,439.
Montgomery, R.J. and Strick, S.K., 1994. Meetings, conventions, and expositions: An
introduction to the industry. Wiley.
Nunamaker, J.F., Dennis, A.R., Valacich, J.S., Vogel, D. and George, J.F., 1991. Electronic
meeting systems. Communications of the ACM, 34(7), pp.40-61.
Seferian, A., Hanson, A., Leerentveld, T. and Jackson, D., Creston Electronics Inc,
2016. Meeting management system including automated equipment setup. U.S. Patent 9,294,723.
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