Manage meetings
BSBADM502 Manage meetings
Session 1
Prepare for meetings
Prepare for meetings
Key activities involved when preparing for a meeting are:
- identify meeting requirements
- developing an agenda
- identifying the appropriate format for the meeting
- ensuring meeting arrangements are made
- identifying and notifying participants
- distributing meeting papers
1. Identify meeting requirements
The first step of preparing for a meeting is to identify the meeting requirements.
These requirements provide you with valuable information regarding:
- the purpose of the meeting
- the agenda
- the format of the meeting
Meeting requirements include information such as:
- date and time
- duration
- budget
- chairperson
- agenda
- participants
- location preferences
- seating arrangements
- theatre style, table and chairs, etc.
- pre-reading materials for attendee
- special needs of participants
- equipment required
- microphone, projector, computer, etc.
- catering or accommodation
| TIP! Meeting requirements questionnaire is a useful tool (e.g. Assessment 1: Appendix 2) |
2. Develop the meeting agenda
The meeting agenda provides information to attendees regarding the purpose of the meeting, when and where the meeting will be held, who is attending and any preparation requirements
Meetings have many purpose such as;
- A discussion between internal representatives and external clients
- A discussion including a rage of business items
- Project planning or development activities
- Setting organisation or team goals
2. Develop the meeting agenda
Your agenda must be aligned with the purpose of the meeting.
The meeting agenda lists the details of the meeting including
the items to be discussed
the order in which they will be discussed
who is responsible for facilitating the discussion
how much time has been allocated to that discussion point
Typical agenda includes items such as;
- date, time and location of meeting
- meetings purpose
- welcome
- the previous meeting minutes
- major agenda items
- general business
- date of next meeting
3. Determine the appropriate meeting format
Meetings can be structured in many different formats.
The format includes the structure and style of the meeting.
It is usually determined by the purpose and requirements of the meeting.
By understanding them first, it will help you to understand the format of meeting you are required to arrange
Meeting format types
General meetings, include;
Staff team meetings
Client/vendor(supplier) meetings
Annual general meeting (AGM)
Board meetings
Conferences
Public meetings
-Each of these meetings requires a different format to ensure the effectiveness of the meeting
4. Make meeting arrangements
Making meeting arrangements involves:
- scheduling date and time for meeting
- booking an appropriate venue
- preparing relevant documentation for participants
- organising equipment
- organising a minute-taker
- organising catering, accommodation and transport
- identifying any special needs of participants
- ensuring arrangements are made within budget
5. Notifying participants
In most organisations participants are notified of meetings by a meeting invitation
Other procedures regarding notifying participants include:
- the amount of time required between the invitation and the meeting
- an acceptable timeframe for accepting or declining the invitation
- the method for sending invitations
- the format of the invitation. (company template)
Meeting invitation
- The invitation can be sent using various formats, include:
Outlook calendar invitation
E-mail invitation
Hard copy invitation
- The type of invitation used will depend on the type of meeting and the participants you are inviting to attend
Meeting invitation
- start time
- end time
- date
- location
- RSVP date
- pre-reading requirements
- who is attending
- purpose of meeting
- agenda
- travel and accommodation details
- teleconference details, if applicable
The invitation should include:
6. Distribute meeting papers
Meeting papers include documents, such as:
| copies of presentations minutes of previous meetings financial reports charts workbooks proposals | questionnaires/surveys statistics documents for review and/or discussion company reports press releases marketing or sales plans. |
| You should ensure that you allow for plenty of time to prepare and distribute papers within required timeframes. |
6. Distribute meeting papers
Methods for distributing meeting papers:
- send as hard copies prior to the meeting
- distribute as hard copies at the meeting
- send as soft copies prior to the meeting
- send with the invitation
- send with the agenda only to those who have accepted the invitation.
Delegation
Managing meetings does not mean that you have to complete all of the preparation tasks yourself.
It may be a much better use of time and resources for preparation tasks to be completed by more junior administration staffs.
Having well developed delegation skills is therefore essential.
Use action plans
Action plans assist you in keeping track of all the tasks required to prepare for a meeting.
Action plans detail:
- all the tasks that are to be completed
- who is responsible for completing the task
- when the task is due to be completed by.