AGENDA

    

An Agenda is a list of items to be discussed at the meeting. It is also called Business. It is usually sent with the notice of the meeting. The secretary in consultation with the president or chairman drafts the Agenda. It is sent to concerned members well in advance. The main purpose in sending the agenda in advance is to provide information to the members about the matters to be discussed so that they can prepare themselves properly in advance to take part in the discussions.

The items of business are listed on the logical order in which they will be taken up for discussion. The first item in the agenda is usually ‘reading and approving the minutes of the last meeting’. The last item on the agenda is usually ‘any other matter with the permission of the Chair’.

Example of Agenda:

Agenda

1.      To read and approve the minutes of the last meeting.

2.      To appoint a sub-committee to increase membership.

3.      To consider suggestions to collect funds.

4.      To review activities of the month.

5.      Any other business with the permission of the Chair.

NOTICE OF MEETING

Sending a notice is the first step towards holding a meeting. No formal or official meeting can be said to be legal unless a proper notice has been issued to all the related members. A notice is a written intimation of the date, time, place and business to be transacted at the meeting to all the concerned members. Notice is sent by the secretary. It is sent by hand delivery or mail or posted or published in newspapers in the form of the advertisements. Notice should be sent well in advance of the date of the meetings. In the case of company meeting, the prescribed period is 21 days.

Contents of a Notice:

# The name of the body which is going to meet.

#The type of meeting- Annual/General/Extraordinary, etc.

# The date, time, venue of the meeting. The address must be clear and complete.

# The nature of business to be transacted at the meeting/Agenda.

# Any resolutions, if received, by the chairperson of the meeting.

# Any other announcements, etc.

Example of Notice:

Pragati College of Arts and Commerce, Dombivli (E)

10^th July 2017

Notice is hereby given to all the members of the newly constituted Student’s Council that the 1^st meeting will be held on Tuesday, 25^th July 2017 at 10:35 a.m. in the college auditorium.

The following business will be transacted:

I)Felicitation of the members by the Principal

II)Preparing an annual calendar of events for college activities

III)Forming a sub-committee for planning the inter-collegiate activities of the college

IV)Any other business

All members are requested to attend.

Sd/-

Secretary

ROLE OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN A MEETING

1)   Do Homework: As participants get the notice with agenda of meeting in advance, they should do homework, collect information, necessary details and study so as to make the meeting effective and fruitful.

2)    Follow the Agenda: Participants should follow the agenda. They should not bring up items which are not on the agenda.

3)   Be Punctual: It is often seen that participants come late to the meeting. This disturbs the schedule. They should reach on time. It is the responsibility of every participant to be punctual for the meeting.

4)  Participate Actively: Participants should participate actively in the discussion. They should contribute ideas, opinions, views and suggestions based on their knowledge and experience.

5)    Showcase the Talent: A meeting is an opportunity to showcase the talent and get credit for giving useful ideas. Therefore, participants should not only attend the meeting but make it productive by expressing their ideas.

6)    Follow Rules: The participants should speak when allowed to. They should avoid cross-talk. Every participant of the meeting should follow the rules of the meeting.

7)   Disagree Agreeably: In a meeting, there may occur differences in opinions of the participants. But, it is important to express all the differences with politeness and a friendly feeling.

8)   Help to Control the Meeting: If the meeting is going off the track, the participants can remind the chairperson to keep it on track. In this way, they should help to control the meeting.

9)    Stay Related to Previous Discussion: Any contribution to the meeting should be made in the context of the earlier discussion. An idea that is already proposed need not be repeated, but one can modify it or improve it.

ROLE OF THE CHAIRPERSON IN A MEETING

The chairperson plays an important role in conducting meetings. A meeting can be successful only if the chairperson follows certain procedures. They are as follows:

1)   Planning the Meeting:  A thorough planning of a meeting involves developing an agenda. Items to be covered in a meeting are selected and arranged in a logical manner. In case of formal meetings, agenda is provided in advance to the members.

2)   Punctuality and Time Management: The chairperson has to make sure that the meeting begins on time. He determines a proper allocation of time to cover each item on the agenda. Time goals can be announced right at the outset and the attention of the participants can be drawn to it, whenever necessary during the meeting. The chairperson can also end long drawn discussions, when they overstep these time goals.

3)    Controlling the Agenda: The chairperson controls the agenda of a meeting and needs to focus on an efficient discussion of various items on it. He controls the group from repetition, conflict, irrelevant details and digressions. The chairperson must also indicate how the participants are expected to contribute, how decisions will be reached (by consensus or by voting), and the discussion will be controlled.

4)   Encouraging Participation: If the group is new, the chairperson should invite everybody to introduce themselves. If the group is well established, he can remind the group its identity, introduce new members, and praise the achievements of the group since the last meeting.

5)  Summarisation of Discussion: Closing the meeting is as important as opening it. The chairperson should summarise what has been decided, announce what actions are to take place. He must compliment the good work done by the group and thank everybody for their attendance and contribution.

(Source: Business Communication by Reliable Series)

CONDUCT OF A MEETING

A] Before the Meeting

Preparation before meeting is necessary for a good meeting. The chairman and the secretary discuss the notice and the agenda. Thereupon, they draft the notice and the agenda. Depending on the members likely to attend the meeting, a suitable venue is selected. Arrangement for the necessary stationery is made. First, the notice of the meeting including venue, date, time is sent to all the members. The notice is accompanied by the agenda. Agenda means the topics of meeting to be discussed in the meeting. The notice and agenda help the members to make preparation for the meeting.

B] Starting the Meeting

Before starting the meeting, the chairperson should be sure a quorum is present. Quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present at the meeting. In the absence of quorum the meeting is held after thirty minutes. Then quorum is not necessary. The transactions performed are considered legally correct. After reading the minutes of the previous meeting, the meeting starts in the real sense. The points mentioned in the agenda are discussed one after another. The secretary makes notes of the proceedings of the meeting. The chairperson ensures that there is active participation by all the members, and the meeting goes according to plan.

C] Closing the Meeting

At the end of the meeting, the chairperson summarises what has been accomplished, announces the decisions taken and the future actions to be followed up. The secretary makes official recording of the proceedings of the meeting. This is called the minutes of the meeting. The minutes are to be approved by the chairperson. The decisions taken at a meeting are called resolutions. The decisions are taken by consensus or voting. At the end, the chairperson should thank the participants for their contribution.

TYPES OF MEETINGS

Meetings are of many types depending upon the purpose and function. The major types of meetings are as follows:

1)    Formal Meeting: Formal meetings are held to inform and discuss company’s overall functioning and progress of company to board of directors, executive management, share holders and other involved members. Such meetings require a certain number of members present. The meeting generally begins with the reading and finalising of previous meetings minutes. The agenda and objectives of present meeting are communicated. A record in the form of minutes is regularly maintained.

2)   Committee Meeting: A committee is more or less a formal body with a structure. It is expected to perform specific job like making plans, budgets, policy, suggestions, decisions, judgement, and investigation. The nature, structure and composition of such committee are clearly spelled by the organisation or the constitution of an organisation.

3)    Statutory Meeting: It is the formal meeting of the members. The notice of the meeting is sent to all shareholders and board of directors before 21 days. The purpose of the meeting is to consider statutory report which contains account of company’s affairs, business plan, policy, financial position, etc.

4) Annual General Meeting (AGM): This type of meeting is a gathering of the directors and stakeholders. It is mandatory by law to be held every year. The gap between two AGMs should not be more than 15 months. A written notice along with agenda should be given to all members before 21 days. The purpose of such meeting is to fulfil legal requirements. All the major decisions about the organisation and its functioning like audited amount, election of directors, appointment of auditor, adviser, lawyer and other issues of organisation and stakeholders’ interest are taken and discussed in the meeting.

5) Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM): A meeting other than AGM is called Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). Generally, it is for urgent business purposes. The structure and proceedings are the same as of AGM.

6)    Problem-Solving Meeting: In an organisation several people in a hierarchy come and work together. When a problem or difficulty occurs, all those concerned with a particular activity are called to discuss and find solution. Such meeting is called problem-solving meeting. It is concerned with and around a specific problem and everyone contributes a point of view or way to solve.

7)  Department Meeting: Department meeting is an informal meeting style. The department manager arranges such meetings to inform workers of company’s expectations, or improvements in a specific are. The purpose is to improve the daily operations, activities of a company and increase productivity and work efficiency. The difficulty on employees’ part is also discussed here.

NEED & IMPORTANCE OF MEETING

A meeting can be defined as ‘a gathering with a specific purpose’. The chairperson and the participant are the two important members of a meeting. Meetings are held at different levels of the line of authority. A meeting can be formal like a meeting of the Board of Directors or it can be informal like a staff gathering for a send-off.

1)  To Convey Vision, Mission and Objectives of Organisation: Meeting is conducted to convey organisational mission, vision, and operational plans to the newly recruited employees. Such kind of meeting is called for the freshers so that they can better know and understand and be familiar with organisational culture and objectives.

2)  To Exchange Information: Meeting is conducted to exchange information with employees about different matters in the organisation.

3)    To Solve Problems: Meeting is important to provide solution to some issues. Critical issues that need opinions of the members or employees are discussed and solved in the meeting.

4)   To Resolve Conflict: Conflict among employees is quite natural in big organisations. Healthy conflict helps to improve productivity but unhealthy one should be resolved instantly. In such cases, meeting is important to resolve or reduce conflict.

5)   To Take Decision: Meeting is important to take decision on some important issues. In the meeting, decision is taken on consensus. Decision that cannot be taken by one person can be taken after the discussion.

6)  To Announce Changes: Meeting is held to declare the forthcoming changes in organisational policies, mission, vision, logo, schemes, etc. before the employees. The causes, advantages and ground of such changes are explained in the meeting so that people understand and accept the possible changes without much resistance.

7)    To Negotiate: Meeting is also called to make negotiations between the disagreeing or arguing parties through discussion. At times, employers and employees or union leaders sit in meeting together to reach on some agreement so that organisational activities can be run smoothly.

8)    To Review and Inform Progress:  Meeting is also held to review and inform the development of any project, plan and activity, etc.

9)   To Celebrate Success: Many times, meeting is called to celebrate the success of the organisation, completion of any project, achievement of any award, etc.

10)  To Interact with External Stakeholders: Each organisation is to works with various parties of the society and it should build a long-term harmonious relationship with them. Meeting is held to exchange information and to share experience with different stakeholders of a company so that their interaction with the company is increased.