Download PROBLEM SOLVING AND MEETINGS.

MEETINGS
Reference:
Pinner, D, 1998, Communication Skills,
Addison Wesley Longman New Zealand
Limited, pp. 231-252.
MEETINGS
Introduction
• Forum for a group or team
• Efficient way to pool individual expertise,
experience, knowledge &
ideas
• Collective energy generated - foster creative ideas
& solutions to problems that individuals can not
find alone.
Reasons to meet
• Restate/reaffirm organizational goals and
mission
• Convey & share information
• To reach a consensus:
- mutual understanding
- mutual agreement
• To build a group – a sense of working together
as a group to achieve a common purpose
Advantages
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Creates opp. to pool ideas & info
Provides human face to the org.
Outcomes can be creative and helpful
Builds morale, commitment & sense
of belonging
• Ensures individual’s acceptance & commitment to
tasks agreed to be taken/implemented
• Provides opportunities to co-operate and coordinate
Disadvantages
Meetings are not needed for simple tasks that
can be done through emails, telephones or
memos
– Can be time wasting and expensive
– Sometimes increases pressure towards fixed
group thinking
– Some people let others do all the work at
meetings
– Conforming to CLIQUES
Good Meetings
• Create environment in which participants feel safe and
comfortable to ask questions and share information
• Do more than convey information
• View participants as sharing responsibility and decision
making
• Share ideas which are developed/extended by the group
• Establish positive attitude toward change
• Reinforce relationships and channels of communication
• Help establish commitment to the proposed
actions/solution
• Increase feelings of belongings to the organization and of
the team working together towards a common goal
Bad Meetings
• Treat questions as interruptions or attempt to
side-track the meeting
• Only present information which could have been
better sent in another form
• Controlled by people with power who make all
the decisions
• Reinforce some people’s feelings that they ‘own ‘
ideas and don’t want to change
• Stress negative feelings towards change
• Create a climate of distrust between
sections of the organization
• Leave participants uncommitted and
unsupportive of planned changes
• Increase feelings of not being valued or
having anything to contribute to the
organisation
Alternatives to meetings
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Memo
Letter
Fax
Email
Telephone call
Video conferencing
Preparing for Meeting
– Decide what you want from the
meeting
– Set the date
– Establish the size of the group
– Determine who should be invited
– Organize the place to meet
– Write a notice of meeting
– Set the agenda
Write a notice of meeting
Should include
– Date and time of the meeting
– Its purpose or topic
– Who should attend
– Where it will take place
– A statement to invite participants to send
items for the agenda
Agenda - Purpose
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structure thinking
make sure - all topics are discussed
ensure participants understand
-why meeting?
-what is expected of them
-what they need to prepare for the meeting
Provides an opp. for members to think through the
issues & consider their contribution to the
discussion.
Acts as a guide - provides a script for the chairperson
to guide the meeting
Gives a focus of outcomes or measures of success.
Arrangement of the Agenda
1.Opening
2.Welcome
3.Apologies
4.Minutes of the previous meetings
5.Business arising of the minutes
6. New Business
7. General Business/Other Matters
8. Close
Duties of Office Bearers
Chairperson
• Helps prepare agenda
• Decides on order of business
• Calls meeting in order
• Signs and dates minutes of previous meeting
• See debates conducted correctly
• Answers questions
• Ensures that a correct record of decisions – recorded
• Announces date of next meeting
• Closes the meeting
Secretary
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prepares agenda
sends out meetings notices
takes accurate notes for the meeting
writes minutes
prepares inwards correspondence
ready for the meeting
• writes letters – org.
• keeps all official records
Treasurer
• collects money and deals with as instructed
• keeps all financial records for the org
• prepares audited statement of income & expenditure
for the financial year
Minutes
What?
• Written details of what took place at a meeting.
• Includes the information shared, the decisions
made and the action decided upon.
Purpose
• Are a source of reference and authority
• Help to avoid conflict and save time
• Encourage accountability
Strategies for Writing Minutes
• Use the same headings as on the agenda.
• Record in the action column who agreed to
do the task
• Write in reported speech
• Consistency –spacing & indenting
• Check for accuracy
• Send copies to all those invited
to the meeting
Department of Communication
To:
All staff
From: Daniel Prasad, Coordinator
Date: 24th October 2013
Subject: Department meeting
NOTICE OF MEETING
Department meeting will be held on Tuesday October 13th at 10.30am in the
Communication staffroom at Raiwai Campus.
DP
Department of Communication
NOTICE OF MEETING
To:
All staff
From: Daniel Prasad, Coordinator
Date: 24th October 2013
Subject: Department meeting
Department meeting will be held on Tuesday October 13th at 10.30am at the
Communication staffroom , Raiwai Campus.
DP
(ii) Agenda
Department of Communication
Agenda
For the meeting to be held 30/10
1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters arising
5. New Business
5.1 Trimester 3 Study week
5.2 Final examination
5.3 Development of course readers
6. Other matters
7. Close
_____________
Daniel Prasad
(iii)Combined Notice of meeting and Agenda
Department of Communication
MEMORANDUM
To:
All staff
From:
Daniel Prasad, Coordinator
Date:
24th October 2013
Subject: Department meeting
NOTICE OF MEETING
Department meeting will be held on Tuesday October 13th at 10.30am in the Communication staffroom at Raiwai Campus.
AGENDA
1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters arising
5. New Business
5.1 Trimester 3 Study week
5.2 Final examination
5.3 Development of course readers
6. Other matters
7. Close
_____________
Daniel Prasad