Meeting Skills BSK02-1

Types of Meetings Planning Project Team/ Staff Board Sales Committee Executive

Reasons for Meetings Informing Consulting Problem Solving Decision Making

Effective Meetings What makes a meeting effective?  Clear purpose & objectives  Strong chair  Active participation & freedom of expression  Well structured agenda  Organized and within time limits  Clear decisions and consensus

Ineffective meetings What makes a meeting ineffective?  Purpose not clear  Chair not in control  Lack of participation/ preparation  Too long  Agenda not clear/ not kept to

Agendas A good agenda sets the tone for the meeting. Start with customary points ◦Opening ◦Approval of Agenda ◦Confirmation of previous minutes ◦Announcements Leave space for the “meat” of the meeting Customary closing points ◦AOB ◦Closing

What else? Be sure to include:  Names of invitees  Time and place  Topic/ objective

Meeting procedure  Chair should call to order  Proceed through agenda  Secretary (-ies) takes notes  Chair is responsible for staying on topic and on time

Minutes A good agenda makes writing minutes easy. Minutes are important because they:  Serve as a record and as task list  Can be used for legal purposes Should use reported speech (past tense verbs)

Sample Agenda ABC/ East Coast Family Productions Meeting Agenda September 30, a.m., Conference Room A Type of Meeting: Project Planning Meeting Facilitator: Luther Vandross Invitees: Herbie Hancock, Al Green, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant 1. Call to order 2.Confirmation of agenda 3.Approval of minutes from last meeting 4.Open issues a)Behavioral issues b)Completion of phase 2 c)Contract with Michael Bivens 5.Phase 3 6.Creation of new choreography 7.Division of labor on New Projects 8.AOB 9.Meeting Adjournment