One Step Ahead: Organizing and Participating in Meetings

Organizing a new meeting: key action points

· Draw up the aims of the meeting. Ask yourself: Why is the meeting being held?
· Who are the most appropriate people to be there?
· Contact potential participants and explain the purpose of the meeting to them.
· Agree a convenient date for the meeting.
· Find and book the venue.
· Draft the agenda and any accompanying papers: circulate these to participants at least one week in advance.
· Arrive at an external venue an hour in advance of the meeting and set up the room, plus any equipment that will be needed.
· After the meeting, write up the minutes and circulate to the participants.
· Carry out the decisions made by the meeting.
· Arrange the next meeting.

Meetings

Who should be there?

If you are setting up a meeting for the first time, you need to think about the range of skills and experience you need in your meeting to achieve your broad aims.

Preparing an agenda

An agenda for a meeting is a list of individual items what ensures that the meeting achieves its broad aims.

Common agenda items

· Apologies for absence
· Minutes of the last meeting
· Actions since last meeting or Matters Arising
· Specific Items e.g. Finance/Accounts/Budgets, Appointments, Special Reports
· Date of Next Meeting
· Any Other Business (AOB)

Chairing a meeting

The Chair has a crucial role in determining how successful a meeting is. A good chair will:
· ensure a meeting keeps to its purpose
· follows the agenda
· runs to time
· encourages constructive debate
· makes sure that everyone who takes part feels valued

Who's who in meetings

Participants in meetings have a variety of titles. These titles may be just 'courtesy' titles and have no implication other than denoting seniority, but some names have definite responsibilities and legal meanings.

Note that, with the exception of Chair, not every meeting has or needs each of the following participants:

· Chair
· Vice Chair
· Company Secretary
· Committee Secretary
· Minutes Secretary
· President
· Treasurer
· Treasurer

Ordinary participants at meetings may be known by a variety of terms, for example:

· members
· delegates
· directors
· shareholders
· governors
· committee members
· attendees
· observers