chapter 5 epc - documents of a meeting
DESCRIPTION
EPCTRANSCRIPT
80
MEETING SKILLS
DOCUMENTS OF A MEETING
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
i. prepare all the important meeting documents ii. use the correct tenses in writing out the documents iii. conduct and participate in meetings iv. express opinions appropriately in group discussions
What is a meeting?
A meeting is a gathering of two or more people with a common interest to exchange ideas for a specific
purpose. Meetings are very common in the working environment. People prefer to meet face-to-face as it is
easier and more convenient to communicate with one another. However, technology advancements have
enabled us to meet even when we are at different geographical locations. Physical boundaries no longer exist
as teleconferencing or video conferencing allows people to participate in meetings at the same time as long as
technological support is available at the locations.
Meeting Documents
There are three important meeting documents. They are as follows:
a. Meeting notice
b. Meeting agenda
c. Meeting minutes
Meeting Notice
The meeting notice contains details of the meeting such as the names of key people who are required to attend
it, date, day, time, venue and purpose or what it is generally about. It is usually prepared by the secretary and
circulated to the relevant people in advance.
The meeting notice can be prepared or done in different forms such as a memorandum, a letter, an e-mail, a
phone call, a short message service(sms) text, a notice posted on a notice board and many other forms.
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE SOCIETY PYRAMID UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Jalan Delima Merah Segambut 53300 Kuala Lumpur Tel No: (603) 41140398 Fax: (603) 41140399 20 August 2011 Vincent Lim -President Mary Yau -Vice President Fatimah Jamal -Secretary Ahmad Danial -Assistant Secretary Karen Vimala -Treasurer Liza Muhammad-Publicity Manager Raj Kumar- Events Manager Siti Mariam- Committee Member Tan Mei Ling- Committee Member Nor Marina Mustafa- Committee Member Azman Hassan- Committee Member
NOTICE OF 5th ENGLISH LANGUAGE SOCIETY MEETING Please be informed that the 5th English Language Society Meeting will be held to discuss the activities for the English Day next month. The details of the meeting are as follows: Date & Day: 23 August 2011 Time: 9 a.m. Venue: Meeting Room 5, 2nd Floor Enclosed are copies of the agenda and the minutes of the last meeting for your refence and action. Attendance is compulsory. Please be punctual. Thank you. Prepared by
Fatimah Jamal
Fatimah Jamal Secretary Encs: Agenda Minutes of last meeting c.c. Mr Samuel Leong, Advisor
SAMPLE OF MEETING NOTICE
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Meeting Agenda
An agenda is a list of items or subjects that are to be discussed in a meeting. It is usually prepared by the
secretary after consulting the chairperson on the items to be covered in the meeting. The list of items on the
agenda must be focused towards the purpose of the meeting. Although it is not compulsory to prepare an
agenda, it is advisable to do so as it helps to set a clear purpose for a meeting. Besides that, it will assist the
chairperson and the members to focus on the issues being discussed in a meeting.
Most agendas usually contain the following items:
a. Apologies for absence
b. Minutes of last meeting
c. Matters arising
d. Main agenda
e. Any other business (AOB)
f. Date of next meeting
Meeting Minutes
The meeting minutes are a record of items that have been discussed at a meeting. The minutes are recorded
by the secretary. They indicate who was present and absent for the meeting, topics discussed, decisions made
and any required actions by the members.
The minutes should be very clearly written since it will be a true record of a meeting. Sometimes, a formal
meeting may require verbatim minute taking. However, for less formal meetings, brief minutes are preferred.
Once the minutes are prepared, they can be circulated to members before the next meeting or at the meeting
time.
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SAMPLE OF MEETING AGENDA
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SOCIETY
PYRAMID UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Jalan Delima Merah
Segambut
53300 Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: (603) 41140398 Fax: (603) 41140399
15 September 2011
The 6th English language Society meeting will be held at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 22 September 2011 in
Meeting Room 2 to discuss the activities for English Talent Night 2011. The agenda will be as follows:
AGENDA
1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Matters arising
4. Programmes
5. Stage and props
6. Souvenirs and prizes
7. Publicity and programme booklet
8.AOB
9. Date of next meeting
Prepared by
Fatimah Jamal
Fatimah Jamal
Secretary
Encs: Agenda
Minutes of last meeting
c.c. Mr Samuel Leong, Advisor
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PUBLIC SPEAKING CLUB PYRAMID UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Jalan Delima Merah Segambut 53300 Kuala Lumpur Tel No: (603) 41140398 Fax: (603) 41140399
MINUTES OF THE 2ND PUBLIC SPEAKING CLUB HELD ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2011 AT 9.30 A.M. IN ROOM 3
Present: Vincent Lim -President Mary Yau -Vice President Fatimah Jamal -Secretary Karen Vimala -Treasurer Liza Muhammad -Publicity Manager Raj Kumr - Events Manager Siti Mariam - Committee Member Tan Mei Ling - Committee Member Nor Marina Mustafa - Committee Member
Apologies: Melvin Lai - Assistant Secretary
Azhari rahman - Committee member
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies were accepted from Melvin Lai who was on
medical leave and Azhari rahman who was having a lecture.
2. Minutes of Last Meeting
The President asked the members to correct an error in Item
5 where the figure RM20500 should read RM20550. After
this amendment, the minutes were approved and signed as a
true record.
3. Matters Arising
Further to Item 15, the President informed the committee that
the advisors had approved the budget for the Perdana Public
Speaking Competition.
Action by
SAMPLE OF MEETING MINUTES
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4. Programmes
a. The committee was informed that the participants for the
Perdana Public Speaking Competition have not submitted
their full details to the club. Liza Muhammad suggested
that emails could be sent to the participants requiring them
to submit the details needed.
b. Raj Kumar informed that some participants approached
him to enquire if the university could provide transport for
those who did not own their own vehicles. Tan Mei Ling
volunteered to arrange for a transport for these students.
c. The rest of the coordinators reported that their sub
committees were working round the clock to ensure the
Perdana Public Speaking Competition was a huge
success.
5. Souvenirs and Prizes
Siti Mariam reported that her committee was still discussing on
the prizes to be given to the winners of the competition. She
would inform the outcome of her committee’s suggestion next
week.
6. Publicity and Programme Booklet
Liza Muhammad reported that she had received two
quotations for the printing of programme booklets from two
printing companies. She would present the quotation in the
next meeting.
7. AOB
There was no other business.
8. Date of Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting would be held in ROOM 3
on Tuesday 5 October 2011.
LM
RK & TML
SM
LM
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The meeting adjourned at 11.00 a.m.
Prepared by Approved by
Fatimah Jamal Vincent Lim
Fatimah Jamal Vincent Lim
Secretary President
23 September 2011
c.c Mr Samuel Leong, Advisor
Activity 1
In groups of five, act out the following departmental meeting of Extreme Sdn Bhd which was held on 22 October 2010,
Friday at 2:00p.m. in Meeting Room 2.
Characters:
Ms Ling Soo Wan - Organizing Chairperson
Ms Sabrina Tan - Prizes and Souvenir Co-ordinator (Secretary)
Ms Justina Lim - Sponsorship Co-ordinator
Mr Daniel Guan - Stage and Venue Co-ordinator
Mr Darren Foo - Programme Co-ordinator
Ms Ling: It’s 2:00p.m. now, so shall we get started? Thanks for being punctual for the
meeting. By the way, Jeswynna Sim, who is the co-ordinator for
refreshments, can’t join us this afternoon because she has to meet a client at
the airport.
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Justina: Ms Ling, Samantha Tong, the publicity co-ordinator, asked me to apologise
on her behalf for not being able to come to this meeting because she is down
with a fever.
Ms Ling: Right, thanks for informing me. Please send her my well wishes.
Justina: Yes, I will.
Ms Ling: Let’s look at our last meeting’s minutes. Does everybody have a copy?
Sabrina: Yes, I circulated the minutes to everybody yesterday.
Ms Ling: Good. So, I hope you have looked at the minutes earlier. Are there any
amendments to be made?
Daniel: Ms Ling, I think the venue for the conference in Item 5 is wrong. If I’m not
mistaken, we have all agreed on having the conference in Violet Hotel, right?
Ms Ling: You’re right about that. Sabrina, please take note of that.
Sabrina: Yes, Ms Ling.
Ms Ling: Is there anything else?
Everyone: No.
Ms Ling: So, I’ll sign the minutes as a correct record. (Ms Ling signs on the minutes).
Before we proceed to our main agenda for today, are there any matters to
bring up?
Darren: Ms Ling, I’d just like to inform everybody that our budget of RM250, 000
for the conference has already been approved by the Director.
obtained, the majority of them stated that they preferred these exhibitors to be
separated so that they could locate the exhibitors easily.
Darren: I agree with Daniel. I remembered that our staff had to handle a lot of
enquiries from our customers last year. They couldn’t locate some of the
exhibitors because they were all mixed up in a large hall. I think this will
solve a lot of our problems.
Daniel: Yes, we think so too. Anyway, we’ll also prepare leaflets showing the layout
of the venue and the locations of all our exhibitors to be given to our
customers when they enter the hall.
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Ms Ling: That is good. However, you also need to prepare clear directories and place
them at the entrance of the hall.
Daniel: Yes, Ms Ling. I’ll ask my team to work on it. Anyway, there’ll be a stage in
the middle of the hall for our special guest to do her demonstration. (moves
back to his seat).
Ms Ling: Well done, Daniel. Can you give me your final layout with the locations of
the directories by Monday so that I can present it to the Director?
Daniel: No problem. I’ll put it on your table first thing on Monday morning.
Ms Ling: Good. Now, let’s move on to the next item, sponsorship. Justina, you’re in
charge, right?
Justina: Yes, Ms Ling. I’ve approached some companies and some of them have
agreed to become our sponsors. So far, Dynamic Architecture Company has
agreed to sponsor five laptops for our lucky draw prizes. CreArt Advertising
Firm will sponsor all our publicity materials that include banners, buntings
and flyers. I’ll be meeting the Advertising Manager, Mr Dennis Chow,
tomorrow to finalise the details. Hopefully, Samantha can join me tomorrow
as she is in charge of publicity. You can see the rest of the sponsors and the
items they are sponsoring in this list. (Distributes the list to everyone)
Ms Ling: Great! That’ll reduce our expenditure at least by 8%.
Sabrina: I’ve spoken to the Manager of AirMalaysia, Mr Russel Wong, the other day,
and he has indicated some interest in sponsoring two return tickets to Pulau
Redang.
Ms Ling: Good. Justina, can you get the contact number from Sabrina and follow up
on it?
Justina: Sure, I’ll do it right after this meeting.
Ms Ling: Anyway, I need you to give me the updated list of sponsors on Monday.
Please see me in my office with the list at 10:00 a.m.
Justina: OK.
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Ms Ling: Right, now that we’ve obtained some updates on our venue layout and
sponsorship, we’ll have to work on the programmes for the event. Darren,
I’ll need you to report on this in our next meeting. Is that alright?
Darren: No problem, Ms Ling.
Ms Ling: Before we end this meeting, is there any other business from anyone? Let’s
go round the table. Justina? Darren? Daniel? Sabrina?
Sabrina: Yes, Ms Ling. I just need to inform everybody that the cafeteria will be
closed for three days for some renovation work starting from Monday. It will
be open for business as usual on Thursday. So, could all of you inform your
staff about this?
Everybody: Sure.
Ms Ling: Thanks, Sabrina. Anything else? No? Good. Let’s set the date for our next
meeting, shall we? I suggest 27 October 2010, Wednesday at 10:30a.m. in
this room. Is that OK?
Everybody: Yes.
Ms Ling: Well, it’s already 2:35p.m. I guess that’s all for today’s meeting. Thank you
for coming. I’ll see you next week.
Activity 2
Write out the meeting minutes for the dialogue in Activity 1. You may use the following templates to write your minutes.
EXTERE SDN BHD
No 29-C Medan Angsana 2
Bandar Baru Air Itam
11500 Georgetown
Tel.No.: 04-828 3228 Fax: 04-828 3282
E-mail: [email protected]
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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Present: __________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
__________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
__________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
Apologies: __________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
1. Apologies for Absence _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. Minutes of Last Meeting _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. Matters Arising _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Action by
Action by
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4. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
6. AOB _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
7. Date of Next Meeting _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
The meeting adjourned at ________________________
Prepared by Approved by
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_________________ _________________
c.c. _______________________________________________________________
Activity 3
Answer the following questions.
1. Provide two reasons why it is essential to prepare an agenda for a meeting.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. What are three advantages of meetings?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.. What is the purpose of having the meeting minutes?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What does the term ‘AOB’ stand for?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Meeting Procedures
The following flowchart shows how a meeting is convened and the procedures involved.
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The secretary
prepares all the
documents and
distribute them
to members
before the
meeting is
convened.
The chairperson
can convene the
meeting once
the quorum is
met.
meeting notice is
sent
agenda is sent
The chairperson opens the meeting
States the purpose
of the meeting
Explains the
meeting agenda
BEF
OR
E
minutes of last
meeting is sent
other documents
are prepared
Establishes ground
rules (if necessary)
Apologies for absence
Minutes
accepted
without any
amendments
Minutes
accepted
with
amendments
noted
Minutes of last
meeting
Matters arising
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DU
RIN
G
AFT
ER
Any other business
Date of next meeting
The chairperson closes the meeting
Meeting minutes are prepared
The chairperson facilitate the meeting
Members take turn to participate actively and constructively.
Discussion goes on until the objectives of the meeting are achieved.
The chairperson summarises the meeting
Agree or
disagree
state
opinions
Ask for
clarifications and
clarify
Suggest or
recommend
State
preferences
Ask for
repetition
and repeat
Call for
voting and
vote
summarise
paraphrase
Interrupt or
prevent
interruptions
Ask for justifications
and justify make
decisions
main
agenda
The secretary
prepares the minute
and distributes them
to members
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Meeting Participants
Generally, there are three groups of people involved in a meeting. They are the chairperson, secretary and
members. Each of these people plays an important role to ensure that the meeting is conducted efficiently and
effectively.
Activity 1
In a small group, discuss the roles and responsibilities of each of the following people. You may use the
following mind maps to list your answers. Then present them to the class.
(a) the chairperson (b) the secretary (c) members
Activity 2
In groups of five, act out the following departmental meeting of Extreme Sdn Bhd which was held on 22
October 2010, Friday at 2:00p.m. in Meeting Room 2.
Characters:
Ms Ling Soo Wan - Organizing Chairperson
Ms Sabrina Tan - Prizes and Souvenir Co-ordinator (Secretary)
Ms Justina Lim - Sponsorship Co-ordinator
Mr Daniel Guan - Stage and Venue Co-ordinator
Mr Darren Foo - Programme Co-ordinator
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Ms Ling: It’s 2:00p.m. now, so shall we get started? Thanks for being punctual for the
meeting. By the way, Jeswynna Sim, who is the co-ordinator for
refreshments, can’t join us this afternoon because she has to meet a client at
the airport.
Justina: Ms Ling, Samantha Tong, the publicity co-ordinator, asked me to apologise
on her behalf for not being able to come to this meeting because she is down
with a fever.
Ms Ling: Right, thanks for informing me. Please send her my well wishes.
Justina: Yes, I will.
Ms Ling: Let’s look at our last meeting’s minutes. Does everybody have a copy?
Sabrina: Yes, I circulated the minutes to everybody yesterday.
Ms Ling: Good. So, I hope you have looked at the minutes earlier. Are there any
amendments to be made?
Daniel: Ms Ling, I think the venue for the conference in Item 5 is wrong. If I’m not
mistaken, we have all agreed on having the conference in Violet Hotel, right?
Ms Ling: You’re right about that. Sabrina, please take note of that.
Sabrina: Yes, Ms Ling.
Ms Ling: Is there anything else?
Everyone: No.
Ms Ling: So, I’ll sign the minutes as a correct record. (Ms Ling signs on the minutes).
Before we proceed to our main agenda for today, are there any matters to
bring up?
Darren: Ms Ling, I’d just like to inform everybody that our budget of RM250, 000
for the conference has already been approved by the Director.
Ms Ling: Wow! That’s marvelous news. Let’s just hope that we don’t overspend over
budget. Alright, the purpose for today’s meeting is to get some updates on
the venue layout and sponsorship for our upcoming Home Exposition so that
I have some information to present to the Director when I meet him on
Monday afternoon. Let’s start by looking at item 4 of our agenda. Daniel, I
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believe you’re in charge of the layout of the venue, right?
Daniel: Yes. My team and I have come up with this layout which we think is the
best. (Distribute copies to everybody and walks to the LCD screen). As you
can see here, we’ve divided the hall into two parts. The first part will be
occupied by all the local exhibitors while the other one is for the
international exhibitors.
Sabrina: Excuse me, Daniel. May I know your rationale for separating the exhibitors
like this?
Daniel: That’s a good question. My team actually conducted a survey among our
customers and clients in our last event. Based on the findings that we
obtained, the majority of them stated that they preferred these exhibitors to be
separated so that they could locate the exhibitors easily.
Darren: I agree with Daniel. I remembered that our staff had to handle a lot of
enquiries from our customers last year. They couldn’t locate some of the
exhibitors because they were all mixed up in a large hall. I think this will
solve a lot of our problems.
Daniel: Yes, we think so too. Anyway, we’ll also prepare leaflets showing the layout
of the venue and the locations of all our exhibitors to be given to our
customers when they enter the hall.
Ms Ling: That is good. However, you also need to prepare clear directories and place
them at the entrance of the hall.
Daniel: Yes, Ms Ling. I’ll ask my team to work on it. Anyway, there’ll be a stage in
the middle of the hall for our special guest to do her demonstration. (moves
back to his seat).
Ms Ling: Well done, Daniel. Can you give me your final layout with the locations of
the directories by Monday so that I can present it to the Director?
Daniel: No problem. I’ll put it on your table first thing on Monday morning.
Ms Ling: Good. Now, let’s move on to the next item, sponsorship. Justina, you’re in
charge, right?
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Justina: Yes, Ms Ling. I’ve approached some companies and some of them have
agreed to become our sponsors. So far, Dynamic Architecture Company has
agreed to sponsor five laptops for our lucky draw prizes. CreArt Advertising
Firm will sponsor all our publicity materials that include banners, buntings
and flyers. I’ll be meeting the Advertising Manager, Mr Dennis Chow,
tomorrow to finalise the details. Hopefully, Samantha can join me tomorrow
as she is in charge of publicity. You can see the rest of the sponsors and the
items they are sponsoring in this list. (Distributes the list to everyone)
Ms Ling: Great! That’ll reduce our expenditure at least by 8%.
Sabrina: I’ve spoken to the Manager of AirMalaysia, Mr Russel Wong, the other day,
and he has indicated some interest in sponsoring two return tickets to Pulau
Redang.
Ms Ling: Good. Justina, can you get the contact number from Sabrina and follow up
on it?
Justina: Sure, I’ll do it right after this meeting.
Ms Ling: Anyway, I need you to give me the updated list of sponsors on Monday.
Please see me in my office with the list at 10:00 a.m.
Justina: OK.
Ms Ling: Right, now that we’ve obtained some updates on our venue layout and
sponsorship, we’ll have to work on the programmes for the event. Darren,
I’ll need you to report on this in our next meeting. Is that alright?
Darren: No problem, Ms Ling.
Ms Ling: Before we end this meeting, is there any other business from anyone? Let’s
go round the table. Justina? Darren? Daniel? Sabrina?
Sabrina: Yes, Ms Ling. I just need to inform everybody that the cafeteria will be
closed for three days for some renovation work starting from Monday. It will
be open for business as usual on Thursday. So, could all of you inform your
staff about this?
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Everybody: Sure.
Ms Ling: Thanks, Sabrina. Anything else? No? Good. Let’s set the date for our next
meeting, shall we? I suggest 27 October 2010, Wednesday at 10:30a.m. in
this room. Is that OK?
Everybody: Yes.
Ms Ling: Well, it’s already 2:35p.m. I guess that’s all for today’s meeting. Thank you
for coming. I’ll see you next week.
Activity 3
Write out the meeting minutes for the dialogue in exercise 13. You may use the following templates to write
your minutes.
EXTERE SDN BHD
No 29-C Medan Angsana 2
Bandar Baru Air Itam
11500 Georgetown
Tel.No.: 04-828 3228 Fax: 04-828 3282
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Present: __________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
__________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
__________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
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Apologies: __________________ -_____________________
__________________ - _____________________
8. Apologies for Absence _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
9. Minutes of Last Meeting _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
10. Matters Arising _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
11. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
12. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Action by
Action by
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_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
13. AOB _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
14. Date of Next Meeting _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
The meeting adjourned at ________________________
Prepared by Approved by
_________________ _________________
c.c. _______________________________________________________________
Chairing and Participating in a Meeting
The following are common expressions that are used when chairing and participating in a meeting. As you go
through them, add your own expressions.
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1. Opening a meeting Well, good morning to everyone. Right, let’s begin. Shall we start the meeting? _______________________ _______________________
2. Reporting apologies for
absence
Mr Chin has sent his apologies. He is not able to join us as he is attending a seminar.
Ms Lim can’t be with us today. She is on medical leave.
I’ve received apologies for absence from Ms Sim who is sitting for her final examination.
_________________________ _________________________
3. Stating the purpose of a
meeting
I’ve called this meeting to… We’re here today to talk about… The reason why all of you are here is because… _________________________ _________________________
4. Reading and accepting the
minutes of the last meeting
Let’s look at the minutes of the last meeting. Any amendment? If there are no amendments, I’ll sign them as a correct record.
Do you have a copy of our last meeting’s minutes? Have you read them? Any amendments? Then I’ll approve and sign them as an accurate record.
___________________________ ___________________________
5. Dealing with matters arising Before we start with our main agenda, does anyone have any matters to bring up?
Next item is matters arising. Are there any issues to report?
___________________________ ___________________________
6. Starting on the first main
item of the agenda
Alright, the first item on the agenda is … Let’s start with the first item which is… ___________________________ ___________________________
7. Moving on to another item
of the agenda
Let’s move on to the next item on the agenda. The next item on the agenda is… Alright, moving on to the next issue… __________________________ __________________________
8. Inviting members to speak Is there anyone who would like to comment on this?
Ms Lim, what do you think about this issue? ___________________________ ___________________________
9. Getting others to be
involved in the discussion
What do you think, Susan? I’ve not heard from you yet. What is your opinion
on…? Do you agree with…? ___________________________ ___________________________
10. Calling for a vote Can we have a quick show of hands? Those who are in favor of this, please raise your
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hand. ___________________________ ___________________________
11. Closing an item on the
agenda
I think we can bring this discussion to a close. I think we’ve discussed everything on this issue. ___________________________ ___________________________
12. Dealing with any other
business
Is there any other business? Do you have any other business? ___________________________ ___________________________
13. Summarising the meeting So, we’ve decided on … We’ve all agreed on … ___________________________ ___________________________
14. Suggesting and agreeing
on date of next meeting
OK. The next meeting will be on… Shall we meet on…? ___________________________ ___________________________
15. Closing the meeting Well, thank you everyone. We will end the meeting here.
So, I guess that’s all for today. ___________________________ ___________________________
Activity 4
The following are some other things that we might do in a meeting. Write two expressions for each item.
1. Asking for clarifications ________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
2. Clarifying a point ________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
3. asking for repetition ________________________________________ ________________________________________
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________________________________________ ________________________________________
4.Giving opinions ________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
5.Agreeing with another
member
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
6.Disagreeing with another
member
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
7. Making a suggestion or
recommendation
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
8. Interrupting someone ________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
9. Preventing an interruption ________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
10. Stating a preference ________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
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Activity 5
Match the items on the left with the right expressions on the right.
1. Opening the meeting
The meeting now is adjourned
2. Reporting apologies for
absence
If you agree with this idea, raise your hand
3. Stating the purpose of
meeting
I’ve received apologies for absence from Deric as he is on medical leave
4. Starting on the first point
So, we’ve all agreed on…
5. Moving on to another
item Shall we make a start?
6. Inviting members to
speak
Let’s make our next meeting on…
7. Calling for a vote
I’ve called today’s meeting to…
8. Suggesting and
agreeing on date of next
meeting
Let’s start with the first item on the agenda.
9. Summarising the
meeting
Our next item is…
10. Closing the meeting
What do the rest of you think?
Checklist for Conducting and Participating in a Meeting Effectively
You may use the following checklist when conducting and participating in a meeting effectively.
Checklist for Conducting and Participating in a Meeting Effectively
Yes No
1. Did the secretary circulate the meeting notice, agenda and minutes of
the last meeting?
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2. Did the chairperson state the purpose of the meeting?
3. Did the chairperson guide the meeting through the items on the
agenda?
4. Did the chairperson encourage all members to participate?
5. Did the chairperson enable effective presentation of proposals, motions,
discussions and resolution to take place?
6. Did the members contribute actively and constructively?
7. Did the members offer their views in a way that supported others in the
discussion?
8. Did the chairperson and members successfully resolve any conflicts or
disagreements and come to a consensus?
9. Did the chairperson summarise and set the date of the next meeting?
10. Were the objectives of the meeting met at the end of the meeting?
Activity 6
You are the Director of a company that has been operating for the past 10 years. Lately, you find that the
company is facing problems in recruiting new staff. Call for a meeting with the Human Resource Department to
solve the problem. Role-play your meeting.
You are also required to come up with the agenda and prepare the minutes after the meeting.
Activity 7
Answer the following questions.
1. (a) What are three common problems that a chairperson would face in a meeting? ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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(b) What are three steps that he or she should take to solve each of the problem
above?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. Describe three duties of a secretary. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. What is a ‘quorum’? ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4. What are the differences between an informational meeting and a decision-making meeting? ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Activity 8
Answer the following questions.
1. Provide two reasons why it is essential to prepare an agenda for a meeting.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. What are three advantages of meetings?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. A group of members is talking among themselves during a meeting. As the
chairperson, how would you handle the situation?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
4. As the chairperson in a meeting, how would you:
(a) introduce a new point?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
(b) express your support of a member’s idea?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Activity 9
Answer the following questions.
1. What is the meaning of each of the following words?
(a) motion
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
(b) consensus
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Give three reasons why meetings are sometimes unsuccessful.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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3. Some people are making and answering hand phone calls in a meeting. As the
chairperson, how would you handle the situation?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. Provide three reasons why a meeting notice has to be sent out to all the members in
advance.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Activity 10
Answer the following questions.
1. Why is it important to have a quorum in a meeting?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. Provide three reasons why we need to call for meetings.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. State three roles of a committee member in a meeting.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. You notice that many of the members are rather passive in the meeting. As the
chairperson, how would you handle the situation?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Activity 11
Answer the following questions.
1. What is the purpose of having the meeting minutes?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What does the term ‘AOB’ stand for?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. You are a member at a meeting. Give one expression you can use to:
(a) disagree with another member’s ideas.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(b) interrupt someone who is giving his or her opinions. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. As the chairperson, how would you handle the following situations:
(a) You notice that two members at the meeting tend to monopolise the discussion.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(b) Two members are arguing while discussing an issue.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________