BUSINESS

AND
COMMUNICATI
ON SKILLS
MEETING SKILLS
Topics & Structure of Lesson

 Meeting Skills
 Introduction
 Purpose of meetings
 Types of meetings
 Key elements in arranging meetings
 Communicating effectively in meetings
 Follow-up and minutes

Slide 2 (of 17)

Learning Outcomes
 At the end of this chapter, you
should:
 Identify important Meeting Skills
 Plan for a Meeting
 Explain meeting procedures and to
prepare meeting documentation

Slide 3 (of 17)

Introduction

 Meetings are common in businesses and they

vary in type, purpose, scope, size, content and
style.
 Their effectiveness depends on careful
planning and skillful leadership.
 Their effectiveness is measured in terms of
quality, clarity, economy and relevance of
discussion and result, and the speed with
which questions are resolved and action take.

Slide 4 (of 17)

 Purpose of Meetings
A meeting is held for a particular purpose or a
combination of purposes.
 Common purposes of a meeting are:
Giving information Obtaining information
Coordinating activities Negotiating a contract
Resolving a problem Formulating policies
Reaching a decision Airing
feelings/grievances
Preparing a plan or recommendation
Slide 5 (of 17)
 Types of Meetings
 Formal Meetings
 Use structured formal proceedings.
 Have rules and regulations; e.g. board meetings, annual general
meetings, etc.
 Informal Meetings
 Less structured proceedings.
 Usually held to solve problems or share information.
 People contribute in a give-and-take situation, e.g. group discussions,
participations, etc.

Slide 6 (of 17)

Key Elements in
Arranging Meetings
1. Determining Purpose
 Before calling a meeting,
determine that it is the best way
to achieve your goal.
2. Selecting Participants
 The number of participants
should reflect the purpose of the
meeting and consist of those who
are essential.

Slide 7 (of 17)

 Key Elements in
Arranging Meetings
3.continued
Setting the Agenda
 It should include the list of matters to be discussed, names of
participants, time, place and order of business.
 It should be distributed to participants several days before the
meeting.
4. Preparing the Location
 Decide where to hold the meeting and reserve the location.
 Consider the seating arrangements, etc.

Slide 8 (of 17)

Communicating
Effectively in Meetings
 2 most important requirements are:
 Communication should take place in an ordered
manner.
 Content should be relevant.
 There are techniques to use as a participant or a
leader in a meeting.

Slide 9 (of 17)

As a Participant:

 Explain your ideas

 Do it quickly and less formally than in a
presentation.
 Speak only when appropriate.
 Stick to the agenda.
 Don’t bring up ideas at the wrong time of the
meeting.

Slide 10 (of 17)

 As a Participant: cont.

 Relate to other participants ideas

 Interact with other participants.
 If you agree with other participant’s ideas,
provide supporting material.
 If you disagree, state your disagreements
carefully and avoid humiliating others.
 Help facilitate the group process
 i.e. help the leader stay on the agenda.

Slide 11 (of 17)

As a Leader:
 Perform task functions
 Functions include deciding what
task to accomplish i.e. prepare an
agenda.
 Decide how to discuss issues i.e.
reflective thinking model, nominal
group model or brainstorming.
 Decide how to reach a decision i.e.
decision made by one person, by
majority rule or by consensus.

Slide 12 (of 17)

 As a Leader: cont.

 Perform 3 process functions that encourage support, avoid

dominance and hostile conflict.
 Support others’ right to speak i.e. respect and accept them, and allow
them to express their opinions.
 Avoid dominance by any one person; avoid interruptions.
 Avoid conflict of personalities; center discussion on ideas, not on
attacking people.

Slide 13 (of 17)

Follow-up and Minutes
 Meeting minutes should be distributed
to those who were present as well as
those who were not.
 Prompt distribution of minutes has
several advantages:
1. Those present receive the same
summary information and any errors
can be reported immediately.
2. The decisions made are distributed to
all concerned; this prevents someone
from saying later that he/she was not
aware of a specific decision.
Slide 14 (of 17)
Follow-up and Minutes
continued
3. Action items and persons responsible for
accomplishing them are identified;
everyone knows of their responsibilities
and the deadlines listed.
 Review progress; a meeting is
successful, if follow-up action has been
completed.

Slide 15 (of 17)

The End

Questions?

Slide 16 (of 17)

 Review Questions
a) We contend that the process is just as
important as the outcome of the meeting.
Do you agree or disagree, and why?

b) If you are involved in a “virtual”

meeting where the participants don’t
meet face-to-face, how can you ensure the
meeting is effective?

c)Some feel that organizations have too

many meetings. In your opinion, is this
true?
Next Lesson

 Presentation Skills
 Introduction
 Developing speeches and presentations
 The art of delivery

Slide 17 (of 17)