BIK 1243 Organising Meetings

8/10/2019 BIK 1243 Organising Meetings

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Organising meetings

BIK 1243

Dr Charanjit Kaur a/p Swaran Singh

Department of English Language and Literature,

Faculty of Languages and Communication,

Sultan Idris Education University,

35900 Tanjong Malim,

Perak, Malaysia.Email: [email protected]


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Introduction

Meeting Purpose

1. Stroke Bosss ego

2. Show off new outfit3. Avoid work

4. Play one upmanship with peers

5. Got latest gossip.


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Know why you are meeting

When the purpose of a meeting is not stated or its unclear, peopleoften find themselves in the midst of a discussion that is irrelevantto them.

Without a purpose, meetings can flounder, turning into a forum fordiscussing anything that pops into participants minds.

Starting a meeting without a purpose is like starting a journeywithout a specific destination in mind.

If it is not clear why the group has been called together, fewparticipants will know how to prepare.

Without a stated purpose, the meeting may start with vague

comments and wander in several different directions before finallyending.

Often, little gets accomplished, and participants are frustrated athaving wasted so much time with nothing to show for it. A meetingwithout a purpose is likely to be a meeting that doesnt matter.


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Purpose not linked to outcomes

Even when a clear purpose is established, a

meeting that lacks expected outcomes, or

results, is likely to end in confusion and

frustration.

Outcomes are a means to measure whether or

not you achieve the meeting purpose.

Without them, you may never know whetheryou have achieved the purpose or not.


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Study the case

Paragon Cleaning Products was a successful medium-size company that manufactured industrial cleaningproducts. Every Wednesday without fail, the 11-member operating staff attended a luncheon meeting

at a nearby restaurant. Every staff member wasexpected to have something prepared to say or presentto the other members.

There was no set format for the presentations. Seth,

the head of the operations, usually recited a laundrylist of problems his department was experiencing, inhis whinning tone of voice.


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Joe, the controller, talked about deals going down andthe status of the financial marketsJoe always broughtalong a couple of charts, which few people couldcomprehend.

Agnes, who ran the marketing department, wouldoften talk about a new advertising or promotioncampaign about to break, or other activities such asmarket research.

Woody, who was head of international sales, usuallyshared some outrageous stories about taking a 36-hourtrip to Nairobi for a two-hour meeting.


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And so it went. The food was good, the camaraderiewas great, and nothing was ever discussed that made

much of a difference. The meetings started at noon,and seldom finished before 2 p.m., often running muchlonger. The president never fixed a purpose for theseluncheons, and no one on the operating committee

seemed to know the reason for the meetings. It seemed as if the main purpose was social. If so, many

people wasted a lot of hours preparing presentationsof little interest to anyone else.

Important decisions of Paragon Cleaning Products wereseldom made at the weekly meetings. These meetingsreally did not matter.


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Strategies and Solutions for Purposeful Meetings

Determine as precisely as possible the purpose of themeeting-why you are having the meeting

Decide specific outcomes that you want to achieve

Dont initiate a meeting when other alternatives may

work better Consider holding an asynchronous meeting.

Communicate the purpose to all who are invited toattend.

As a participant, ask the initiator to clarify the purpose ofa meeting, if it has not been clearly communicated.

Avoid ulterior purposes and hidden agendas.


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Determine the Purpose of the Meeting

If you are the initiator, the starting point to determinethe purpose is to ask: Why are you convening ameeting? What is it you really want to accomplish?What specific outcomes, or results, do you want to

achieve? Some of the common purposes for different types of

meetings are:

(1) Give and receive informationannouncements,

results, status reports, committee reports, andpresentations on subjects of interest to participants;may include reactions and feedback from participants.


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Types of meetings with this purpose

may include:

Staff meetings, committee meetings

Project status reports and updates

Sales meetings

Marketing and sales presentations

(2) Coordinateprojects, calendars andassignments

-department heads or committee meetings

-team or task force meetings


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(3) Learnskills, procedures, or operations

-training meetings and seminars

-new employee orientation meetings

-team training

-professional organizations, club meetings, and studygroups

(4) Plan

establish a vision, set goals, determineobjectives, and develop strategies.

- Board, team, or departmental retreats

- Cross-functional team meetings

- Newly formed groups- Planning for major presentations or events


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(5) Solve problems or create opportunitiesanalyze issues, generate ideas,alternatives, and possible solutions.

- Adhoc groups or tasks forces formed to address specific situations such asemployee absenteeism, or generate funds for a new building.

- Functional teams

- Committees, boards, and departmental groups

(6) Decideevaluate, prioritize, and select options, come to a decision byvoting or consensus, assign action steps.

- Groups that generate ideas or solve problems- any group that is presented with alternatives developed by other

(7) Socialize - get to know one another, and network

(8) Build teamworkcreate trust, inspire, motivate, and celebrate success.

(9) Multiple-purpose meetingsmay consist of some reporting, problem-

solving, and decision making.

BIK 1243 Organising Meetings

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