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Meetings by Mind Map: Meetings

1. Formal meeting

1.1. Held for specific purposes like an annual general meeting.

1.2. Tend to be procedure conscious, rules set out in a 'constitution'.

1.3. Minutes will be taken to keep a formal record

2. Informal meeting

2.1. May be an informal discussion

2.2. No formal procedures

3. Legal and regulatory requirements

3.1. Formal meetings must meet with legal requirements set set out in articles of association

3.2. To ensure it is legal meetings should be:

3.2.1. Properly conceded (notice provided to all who wre eligible to attend)

3.2.2. Properly constituted

3.2.3. Held in accordance with rules and regulations governing meetings

4. The purpose of meetings

4.1. Opportunity for people to have face to face discussions

4.2. Exchange information and views

4.3. Delegate tasks and responsibilities

4.4. Problem solve

5. Inadequate meeting preparation consequences

5.1. Postponing the meeting or causing poor reputation

5.2. Failure to follow procedures can invalidate decisions

5.3. Inadequate notice might result in no quorum

5.4. Poor agenda could lead to missing items

5.5. ill briefing of chairman could lead to poor decisions

5.6. Room may be double booked/too small/too big

5.7. People attending may find it a waste of time

6. Typical meeting procedures

6.1. 1. Secretary must check the quorum is present

6.2. 2. Chairperson welcomed everyone

6.3. 3. Apologies

6.4. 4. Minutes of previous meeting

6.5. 5. Matters arising

6.6. 6. Correspondence

6.7. 7. Other agenda items are discussed

6.8. 8. Any other competent business

6.9. 9. Chairperson closes the meeting

6.10. 10. Date and time of next meeting decided

7. Meeting documents

7.1. Notice of meeting

7.2. Agenda

7.3. Chairpersons agenda

7.4. Minutes

7.5. Action minutes

8. Impact of technology in meetings

8.1. E-diary

8.1.1. Using e-diaries for internal meetings means appropriate dates and times can be set to suit all

8.1.2. Invitation may be e-mailed to people, once accepted it automatically updates their diary

8.1.3. Easy to let people know about changed of time/date/venue etc.

8.1.4. Reminders set for day/hour etc. Before meetings

8.2. Email

8.2.1. Email notice of meeting, agenda, minutes etc, print if required or served for reference

8.3. Video conferencing

8.3.1. Pros

8.3.1.1. Prevents need for time consuming and costly travel to meetings

8.3.1.2. For people who cant attend, meeting can be recorded

8.3.1.3. Allows 'face to face' communication more frequently for those that are geographically remote

8.3.2. Cons

8.3.2.1. Tencjial issues, may require costly technical support on hand

8.3.2.2. Hiring of video conference facilities is costly

8.3.2.3. Chairperson must ensure everyone is seen and heard whikst maintaining control

8.4. Audio conferencing

8.4.1. Cheaper than video conference

8.4.2. Lacking face to face

8.4.3. May multitask whilst on phone, not fully engaged

8.4.4. Not always done at desk, others could hear

8.5. Smart phones

8.5.1. Good for quick contact

8.5.2. Not a replacement for a formal meeting as sound and vision is limited

8.5.3. Can be beneficial due to the instant communication benefits

8.5.4. Can be a drawback due to interruptions

8.6. Internet and network meetings

8.6.1. Less formal than video conference

8.6.2. Instant messaging and use of web cams and chat rooms

8.6.3. Instant communication

8.6.4. May be useful for pre/post meeting discussions

9. Chairperson

9.1. To ensure they follow rules and regulations of meetings

9.2. To keep control - ensure everyone speaks 'through the chair'

9.3. Ensure everyone gets a fair chance to speak

9.4. Ensure follow up action is taken

9.5. Liaison with secretary to ensure minutes and next agenda prepared

10. Secretary

10.1. Support chairman

10.2. Arrange meeting venue, refreshments, projectors etc. as required

10.3. Ensure notice of meeting, agenda, minutes etc. are circulated to correct people at the correct time