SHEILA MAY B.

BALBIN
Task 1: Written Questions

1. Project team meetings -Project teams may be formed for all manner of
reasons. In a large organisation there may be many different projects being
carried out at the same time. Large projects, such as the implementation of
a new IT system, would necessarily involve the establishment of sub-groups
to handle different aspects of the project. In a change management
programme for example, one team may be formed to deal with the human
resources aspects of organisational change, while another deals with
organisational structure and work process changes, with yet another for the
development of new IT infrastructures. It is important that minutes are
taken at project review meetings which clearly highlight the salient issues,
the key decisions and the agreed actions.
Committee meetings- These are meetings involving a group of people
who have been drawn from a larger group for the purposes of managing
specific issues. There are many different types of committees within
organisations and requirements in terms of the minutes will vary. The
general principles of clarity and brevity will usually apply, although some
committees (e.g. joint consultative committees) may require a greater level
of background detail.
Internal Staff Meetings- are those meetings which are attended mainly
by internal staff. Such meetings are generally held to discuss issues like
production planning, falling sales etc. Such meetings account for more than
60% of the meetings that are held in any organization every year. Given the
time spent in such meetings it is necessary to ensure that internal meetings
are held efficiently. Wasting precious time in meetings that lack focus or
drive, are good sufficient reason to send a few managerial heads rolling! In
this management related article, we discuss issues related to internal
meetings, and find ways to make them more effective.
Regular Departmental meetings- These are periodic or one-off meetings
attended by all departmental staff to discuss and address departmental
issues (e.g. reviewing performance, setting objectives, reporting on the
outcome of actions taken and discussing any other matters in connection
with departmental operations). It is usual to take minutes at such meetings.
Board of Directors Meeting- The directors of a company are responsible
for managing its business on a day-to-day basis. It is important that
directors are not negligent in the execution of their duties and the minutes
of board meetings provide evidence of the decisions taken. The minutes
should record the decisions taken and provide sufficient background to
those decisions. Therefore, the minutes of board meetings will be lengthier

than the minutes of general meetings, but they should still be concise and
provide a clear summary of the decisions taken.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)- A formal meeting, held annually, where,
in the case of a company, those responsible for running it (the directors)
meet with those who own it (the shareholders). The AGM for a public limited
company (Plc) must be held annually and can be quite a high-profile affair.
These meetings may be open to media scrutiny and require a lot of careful
thought and planning. For private limited companies, the articles may
stipulate that an AGM should be held, but there is no longer a statutory
requirement to do so (Companies Act 2006). Similarly, with regard to
charities, the AGM provides an opportunity for the members to meet with
those running the charity (trustees and/or officers) to ask questions about
the management of the charity prior to voting. The governing document will
state whether an AGM is required. The articles will stipulate whether an
AGM is required for charitable companies. Minutes should be taken at an
AGM. In terms of style and format, you should check the requirements
regarding layout and level of detail. It is helpful to study examples from
previous years, particularly if youre taking the minutes of an AGM for the
first time. Usually the style will be succinct and forma

2. A Formal Meeting
Formal meetings follow set meeting procedures that are not always used for
informal meetings. The following three types of meetings are formal:

Annual General Meetings

Extraordinary General Meetings

Board Meetings

They all have:

An Agenda

A Notice of Meeting

Motions are put, discussed and voted on following certain rules

Proposers and Seconders of motions have their names recorded in the

minutes.

Structured Minutes are taken.

Formal meetings present an organisations efforts or prospects to another

organisation and usually involved two or more organisations for discussion and
decision making.
An Informal Meeting
Semi-formal and informal meetings do not necessarily follow all the rules of formal
meetings, though they usually have the same documentation, such as an agenda
and minutes.
Staff meetings, club meetings and any meeting which is a get-together for
managing an organization and making decisions for the group are often semiformal or informal meetings.
At informal meetings there are often no motions put and voted upon - these may
be information sharing or reporting meetings. The meeting may make decisions
informally, with these recorded in the minutes, but not necessarily a proposer or
seconder.
Informal meetings sometimes do not have a notice of meeting or an agenda. They
occasionally do not take down minutes, but sometimes, they have all three. It
often depends on the rules of the organization that is holding the meeting. Most
business meetings and meetings of registered organizations, such as sporting
clubs, are required to keep records of meetings and these meetings are often
semi-formal, rather than informal.
Informal meetings can include general staff meetings, work in progress meetings,
sales meetings, training meetings, emergency meetings etc., and informal
meetings usually only involved people from within an organization.

3. The order of items constitutes a logical flow but exact terminology may vary
and not every section necessarily needs to be included in every meeting.
Informal groups are unlikely to follow a structure such as this but, as
previously noted, that doesnt mean that a structure is not followed even if
it is unwritten. Indeed it is very important that relatively informal meetings,
such as team briefings, have a clear direction; they are no less important to
the operations of the organisation than the more formal meetings. The rules
applicable to formal meetings (e.g. general meetings and board meetings)
are usually laid down in an organisations governing document; in the case
of a company, this would be the memorandum and articles of association.
For example, a meeting is said to be quorate when the minimum number of
directors entitled to vote are present. The quorum is usually fixed by the
articles. If this is not the case then the common law rule applies (i.e. a
quorum is a majority of the directors. A committee may compile additional
rules or bye-laws regarding the conducting of business and meetings; these

are known as standing orders. It is also important that the purpose and
objectives of committees and sub-committees are clearly understood.
Details regarding a committees membership, the scope of its duties and
the extent of its powers should be clearly defined in the terms of reference
document. At board meetings it is quite rare for a formal vote to be taken,
with decisions often arrived at by consensus. However, a generic overview
of voting procedures is provided below. This is followed by a glossary of
terms relating to the conducting of formal meetings. Determine whether a
meeting is essential. What are the burning issues that necessitate this
meeting? If business can be handled electronically, through phone calls, or
with other means, dont have a meeting. Plan the meeting carefully,
ascertaining who needs to be there, why, when, and for how long. Make
sure everyone invited to the meeting knows these details. Prepare an
agenda and send it to participants. Email makes it easier for people to
respond immediately about their attendance or requested changes in the
agenda. Allow ample advance time for regular mail. The more people who
come to your meeting, the longer it is likely to be. Consider meetings with
fewer participants, but make sure you have a communication network that
supports ongoing, prompt sharing of information among all parties.

4. Make sure everyone knows why their presence is necessary for the
meetings business. This conveys the need for personal responsibility and
honors their efforts to attend. -o

Remind everyone who should attend the meeting about one business
day before it is scheduled, and give out directions (and parking
information) to the meeting one more time. It is also helpful to
include a contact phone number in case questions come up (try not
to make it yoursyou have enough to do).

Get to the meeting early, and set up the environment so that

business can start on time. Post the meeting site on the front door or
front desk if the building is large and unfamiliar to some participants.

Have a clock visible to the facilitator of the meeting

5. Making suitable arrangements for a meeting is a skill. The activities that are
required to plan and organise a meeting need to be done in a sequence.
Excellent time management skills are needed as some things need to be
done well in advance, and others the day before. For example, the booking

of a venue and notice of meeting will need to be done well in advance,

while the setting up of the room need only be done the day before As well
as preparing for the meeting itself, many additional arrangements may
need to be made such as booking accommodation and catering. The order
of Agenda items is important, as well as roughly anticipating the time
needed for each item. The meeting must be well organised so that it flows
smoothly and has a positive outcome. The cost of a meeting is another
important aspect to be considered by the person requesting the meeting.
Will the participant need a replacement person in the workplace? Will the
participant require transport/accommodation? Is the meeting going to
justify the cost involved? Is there another way to hold this meeting such as
a teleconference?
6.

Purpose

Dealing with
information
eg giving or
receiving
reports, issuing
instructions,
announcing and
explaining new
procedures

Solving
problems

Characteristics

Type

up to three people

informal

four or more people or a team

formal

needs feedback & discussion

informal or
formal

keeps directors up to date

formal

involves shareholders

AGM or EGM

involves informing many people

public

involves speakers giving information

conference

only one other person

one-to-one

eg handling
grievances

Making
Decisions
eg choosing
between
options,
obtaining
authorisation,
deciding on a
course of action

Encouraging
New Ideas
eg generating
creative
solutions

needs input from several people or a team

one-off
committee

concerns an urgent problem

impromptu

needs quick decision of concerns nonstandard business matter

impromptu

involves regular business matter

formal

needs discussion or authorisation at the

highest level

board

needs authorisation from the shareholders

of a company

AGM or EGM

needs creative ideas to be discussed

informal

needs new ideas to be invented quickly

brainstormin
g

needs reports on issues to be considered,

discussed and prepared

formal

7. Arrange any resources required

o

check with the presenters to see if they require an electronic

whiteboard, video projector, screen and litepro (to attach to a laptop
for a presentation), photocopier, etc

check with the organisers to see if they require telephone or

videoconferencing equipment

A.

To work out a meetings total cost:

calculate the combined salaries of all the participants (hourly rates)

o
add the annual cost of their organisations overheads divided by the
number of working hours in the year
o

add service costs (secretarial support and preparing handouts etc)

add other hourly costs e.g. room hire

add transport costs

add cost of refreshments

B. How to Choose a Meeting Venue

When choosing a venue for your next meeting or conference there is more to
consider than just the budget. Taking into account who is attending, from how
far and how many you should plan to ask the following about any potential
venue:
Suitability
Does the venue fit the company's corporate image?
Does it give the correct impression for this particular meeting?
Will it appeal to the target audience?
Will the venue's staff add to the attendees' experience in a positive way?
Location
Is the venue easily accessible to those attending?
Does the location offer the necessary road/rail/air links?
Is the venue location suitable for any extra events/shows/excurisions that
have been planned?
Is the location quiet, close enough to accommodation if required, in a safe
area, etc...
Availability
Is the venue available on the dates required?
Are any extras such as equipment, accommodation, etc. available on the
dates required?
How flexible are they if you have to change the meeting date?
Size
Is the seating capacity suitable?
Are the meeting rooms large enough to provide a comfortable experience for
those attending?

 Are the meeting rooms well laid out? Do they allow for good views of the
speaker without any obstructions?
Does the venue allow attendees to move around without bottlenecks and
delays?
Facilities
Does the venue have a variety of rooms if required? An auditorium if
necessary? Small rooms for break away meetings?
Can the venue offer a projector, electronic whiteboard, stationery, etc.
Does the venue offer wifi internet access? Do they have a photocopying/fax
service? Can they make available laptops or PC if required?
Can they provide refreshments, tea/coffee/meals?
Are vegetarians, vegans and those with specific dietary requirements catered
for?
Does the venue have enough parking spaces?
Are the rooms well ventilated and temperature controlled?
Will disabled delegates be catered for?
Is there a restaurant or bar for post-meeting networking and entertainment?
Do they have sports and leisure facilities such as a pool or gym?
Can the venue also provide accommodation if required?
Cost
Does the venue fall within the budget for this meeting?
What type of rates do they offer i.e.: 24 hour per delegate rate, individual
room hire rate, etc...
Can they offer any discounts?
Can the price be negotiated?
Does the overall cost, all extras included, compare favourably with other
offers/options (i.e.: hotel accommodation at a separate location to the meeting
or dining elsewhere)
Are there hidden costs?
When is payment required?
Is a deposit required and if so how much and how far in advance?
What is their cancellation policy? Will you receive a full or partial refund?
A lot of the above questions can be answered by a visit to the venue's website
and by asking for a quote. If it is a venue you have never used before you may
want to ask the opinion of other companies that have held meetings and
conferences there to find out what their experience was like. If the meeting or
conference is an important one you may wish to visit the venue personally to
get a first hand impression of the layout, suitability and, very importantly, the
attitude of the management and staff.
At the end of the day you want to get the most out of your meeting and the
venue you choose has to add rather than detract from the experience of those
attending. So take the time to choose carefully.

C. Determine whether a meeting is essential. What are the burning issues that
necessitate this meeting? If business can be handled electronically, through
phone calls, or with other means, dont have a meeting
o

Plan the meeting carefully, ascertaining who needs to be there, why, when,
and for how long. Make sure everyone invited to the meeting knows these
details.

Prepare an agenda and send it to participants. Email makes it easier for

people to respond immediately about their attendance or requested
changes in the agenda. Allow ample advance time for regular mail.

The more people who come to your meeting, the longer it is likely to be.
Consider meetings with fewer participants, but make sure you have a
communication network that supports ongoing, prompt sharing of
information among all parties.

Make sure everyone knows why their presence is necessary for the
meetings business. This conveys the need for personal responsibility and
honors their efforts to attend.

Remind everyone who should attend the meeting about one business day
before it is scheduled, and give out directions (and parking information) to
the meeting one more time. It is also helpful to include a contact phone
number in case questions come up (try not to make it yoursyou have
enough to do).

Get to the meeting early, and set up the environment so that business can
start on time. Post the meeting site on the front door or front desk if the
building is large and unfamiliar to some participants.

Have a clock visible to the facilitator of the meeting

D. Operational Review
Many leaders use an operational review as an ongoing topic for business
meetings. Each department reports on progress and updates the rest of the
management team on issues, problems and success stories. You can also use
this time to question your managers about your concerns regarding their
department or function. Supporting materials are essential for this type of
meeting, and slides and handouts are recommended as a way to enhance
explanations. Interaction is also encouraged because this type of meeting is
frequently simply one-way communication.
Team Training

A topic that frequently should be on your business agenda is training. You can
use this time to educate your staff on the latest products and services your
company offers or to demonstrate new procedures. You can bring in outside
vendors and consultants to teach your people about management skills or the
latest software products. Frequent training sessions during your business
meetings keep your people up to date and demonstrate your continued
commitment to their success.
Creativity and New Ideas
How to be more creative, and a discussion of new ideas for your company,
should be a part of your business meetings. Time devoted to discovering new
ways to do things and exploring additional business opportunities takes your
organization toward the future, while staying ahead of your competition.
Explore what the competition is doing and how you can do things better. Look
at new products and ideas and invite presentations from vendors on their new
products or services. This agenda topic also motivates your people to use
these new concepts in their jobs.

Recognition
An often underutilized topic for business meetings is recognition for your
employees. Set aside time at your meetings to honor those associates who
have served your company. Distribute awards and recognition for company
anniversaries, years with your organization and special achievement awards
for sales and service. Award prizes for contests and events such as best new
ideas and customer service excellence, and distribute prizes at these meetings.
Public recognition of a job well done encourages both the recipient and others
in the room to strive for better and future accomplishments.
E. name of the group, place, time, and date of the meeting
o

names of committee members present (send a sign in sheet around during

the meeting)

names of committee members excused or absent

list of observers and guests, including their affiliation

a statement that the minutes of the previous meeting were approved as

read or revised

key items discussed in the order listed on the agenda, with a brief
description of the discussion (an actual transcript is usually unnecessary),

important comments, decisions, questions, and action steps. It is also very

important to document any motions made, the names of the people
originating the motion, whether the motion was accepted or rejected, and
how the vote was taken (show of hands, voice vote, or other method). If a
member of the committee is assigned a specific task, be sure to state the
persons name and the responsibility accepted.
o

the time the meeting was adjourned and the date, time, and place of the
next meeting (with directions if necessary)

the recorders name and signature

a sheet attached to the minutes entitled Action Items that lists any action
agreed to, the responsible committee member, and the due date

F. MEETING AGENDA [MEETING TITLE]

Meeting Information
Objective:

Date: [01/01/2000]

Location:

[Enter Room Number]

Time: 6:00 AM

Meeting Type:

[Type of Meeting]

Call-In Number:

[List number]

Call-In Code: [Enter code]

Called By:

[Name]

Timekeeper: [Name]
Attendees:

Facilitator:

Note Taker: [Name]

[List Names]

Preparation for Meeting

Please Read:

Please Bring:

[Name]

Action Items From Previous Meeting

Item/Responsible/Due Date
1 [Item Description] / [Responsible]/[Due Date]
2

Agenda Items
Item/Presenter/Time Allotted
1 [Agenda Item] / [Presenter Name]/[Time Allotted]
2
3

New Action Items

Item/Responsible/Due Date
1 [New Item] / [Responsible]/[Due Date]
2

Other Notes or Information

G. MEETING AGENDA [NORTH MELBOURNE COLLEGE BOARD MEETING]

Meeting Information

Objective: Sales result, New company car acquisition, Italian fabric wholesalers,
company travel expenditures, recruitment needs (2 positions to be
filled), scheduling of staff performance appraisals and
implementation of new WHS procedure

Date: [02/27/2015]
Melbourne, Vic 3003
Time: 2:00 PM

Location:

Meeting Type:

Board Roam at #9 Borough St, West

Department Managers Meeting

H. Think thoroughly what type of meeting it should be, what the topics that are
going to be tackled are. Who are the people that are going to the meeting, how
the meeting should go. Make the preparations, the venue, and the delegations
of tasks on the meeting.
I.

So that everybody in that meeting can fully understand the topics that will be
discussed without any offense to the participants. Info dissemination is vital in
a company, it essential that the topic is understood by everyone.

J.

So you can prepare for the unusualities like technical error or missing
documents. So that there will be no hassle and no delays on the meeting.

K. What Are Minutes?

o

an official record of the proceedings of a meeting, given to members

before the start of the next meeting

a reminder of what happened at a meeting

a record of who is to undertake certain actions before the next

meeting

a basis for discussion of matters arising at the next meeting

a permanent record of your teams discussions and progress

L. Board Meeting
(Date)

Meeting called to order at (Time). by CEO (Name)

Members present:

Members absent:

Approval of minutes:

Motion:
Vote: Motion carried
Resolved:
Business:
Motion
Vote
Resolved

Meeting adjourned at (Time) . by (Name)

M. Sit
o
o
o

o
o
o

next to the chairperson, if possible, for help or clarification during meetings.

Remain neutral in your documentation.
Be as clear and concise as possible
Dont try to write every single word unless the exact wording of a statement
is important (for example, if the group decides on a mission or vision
statement, it should be included exactly as agreed). In most cases, though,
it is sufficient to paraphrase what was said, but be alert to the possibility of
making changes in meaning
If important decisions have been made during the meeting or tasks
assigned, you may wish to take the last few minutes of the meeting to
review them with the group to be certain that you have recorded them
accurately.
Follow the agenda exactly, with identical numbers and headings, for easy
reading and reference. If items were addressed out of order, make a note of
it.
You may wish to use the bolding or italicizing functions in word-processing
programs to make items stand out, but be restrained in doing so. Nothing
stands out in a page where everything is bold or italicized. Be consistentif
you bold the agenda items, for example, do it everywhere. If you italicize
decisions, do it everywhere
Use separate paragraphs for each item.
Use short sentences if possible
Dont worry about spelling and grammar while you are taking the minutes,
so long as you are able to interpret your notes correctly later. You can fix
spelling or grammatical mistakes when you prepare your final copy

At a minimum, number the pages of the minutes. You may find it helpful to
have a footer that mentions the date and the page number.

N. To ensure follow-through and accountability a meeting leader needs to do three

key tasks after the meeting ends. These are discussed in detail below.
1. Distribute minutes
2. Archive meeting documents
3. Check for action

Resources:
https://www.icsa.org.uk/assets/files/pdfs/bookshop/preview/Effective%20Minute
%20Taking%20preview%20extract.pdf
http://www.srds.co.uk/cedtraining/handouts/hand52.htm
http://www.srds.co.uk/cedtraining/bast/bast11.htm
http://business-finance.blurtit.com/732457/what-are-the-examples-of-a-formaland-informal-meetings
http://busadmin.wikispaces.com/file/view/Make+meeting+arrangements.pdf
http://managementhelp.org/misc/meeting-management.htm
http://ssw.unc.edu/cares/planningbasics/meetings-rev2.pdf
http://meetings.org/venue1.htm
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/topics-conversations-business-meetings25478.html
http://quality.wisc.edu/effective-meetings-after.htm

Task 2: Assignment
Prior to the Meeting Checklist:
_The topics that are going to be discussed
_What type of meeting it should be?
_Who are going to attend the meeting?
_What are the agenda of the meeting?
_The date of the meeting
_The Venue
_The expenses
_The Food and Refreshments
_The equipment required
_The special considerations
_The Notice of the Meeting
_The delegation of tasks

During the Meeting Checklist:

Ground rules
Ground rules create a productive environment where everyone can contribute in a
meaningful way.

No cell phones

Demand proper preparation

No side conversations

Attendance means participation

It is OK to have different opinions, but communicate a unified decision

outward

Make sure tasks are executed

_Start on time
_Updates on the tasks of previous meeting
_Who commenced and facilitated the meeting?
_Minutes of the meeting
_Were the agenda followed?
_What were the other topics that were tackled?
_What were the tasks assigned and to whom it was assigned?
_The due dates for the task assigned
_Summarize all decision and tasks
_Schedule follow-up meeting if required
_end of meeting (Time)

After the Meeting checklist:

_ Were the minutes distributed as soon as possible?
_ Were the tasks communicated to task owners
_Track tasks and follow-up if not completed by due date
_File the minutes in a place where you can easily find them

Reference:
http://meetingking.com/checklist-for-effective-and-productive-meetings/

Task 3: Case Study

Part 1:
A. This will be a formal meeting of the Board of Directors because it involves
regular business matter. The directors of a company are responsible for
managing its business on a day-to-day basis and needs discussion or
authorisation at the highest level. It is important that directors are not
negligent in the execution of their duties and the minutes of board meetings
provide evidence of the decisions taken. Participants at a meeting need to be
aware of what their responsibilities are in relation to codes of practice, such as
how they conduct themselves in meetings. Most organisations have codes of
practice or expected behaviour is communicated through ground rules that are
determined by the meeting group.
Legislation relating to companies or associations needs to be considered when
organising public meetings.
As in all aspects of organisational activities, OH&S issues also apply to
meetings.
The participants in meetings want their decisions and meeting outcomes to be
willingly accepted and acted upon. This may not occur if unethical practices are
associated with, or perceived to be, associated with the meetings.
B. electronic whiteboard, video projector, screen and litepro (to attach to a laptop
for a presentation), photocopier, etc
C. Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne at 630 Little Collins Street Melbourne
VIC 3000
Spencer Room Board Room

D. MEETING AGENDA [MEETING TITLE]

Meeting Information
Objective:

Date: [01/01/2000]

Location:

[Enter Room Number]

Time: 6:00 AM

Meeting Type:

[Type of Meeting]

Call-In Number:

[List number]

Call-In Code: [Enter code]

Called By:

[Name]

Timekeeper: [Name]
Attendees:

Facilitator:

[Name]

Note Taker: [Name]

[List Names]

Preparation for Meeting

Please Read:

Please Bring:

Action Items From Previous Meeting

Item/Responsible/Due Date
1. [Item Description] / [Responsible]/[Due Date]
2.

Agenda Items
Item/Presenter/Time Allotted
1. [Agenda Item] / [Presenter Name]/[Time Allotted]
2.
3.

New Action Items

Item/Responsible/Due Date
1. [New Item] / [Responsible]/[Due Date]
2.

Other Notes or Information