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: charanjit@fbk.upsi.edu.my

Introduction
Meeting Purpose
1. Stroke Bosss ego
2. Show off new outfit
3. Avoid work
4. Play one upmanship with peers
5. Got latest gossip.

Know why you are meeting

When the purpose of a meeting is not stated or its unclear, people
often find themselves in the midst of a discussion that is irrelevant
to them.
Without a purpose, meetings can flounder, turning into a forum for
discussing anything that pops into participants minds.
Starting a meeting without a purpose is like starting a journey
without a specific destination in mind.
If it is not clear why the group has been called together, few
participants will know how to prepare.
Without a stated purpose, the meeting may start with vague
comments and wander in several different directions before finally
ending.
Often, little gets accomplished, and participants are frustrated at
having wasted so much time with nothing to show for it. A meeting
without a purpose is likely to be a meeting that doesnt matter.

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 whether
you have achieved the purpose or not.

Study the case

Paragon Cleaning Products was a successful mediumsize company that manufactured industrial cleaning
products. Every Wednesday without fail, the 11member operating staff attended a luncheon meeting
at a nearby restaurant. Every staff member was
expected to have something prepared to say or present
to the other members.
There was no set format for the presentations. Seth,
the head of the operations, usually recited a laundry
list of problems his department was experiencing, in
his whinning tone of voice.

 Joe, the controller, talked about deals going down and

the status of the financial markets Joe always brought
along a couple of charts, which few people could
comprehend.
Agnes, who ran the marketing department, would
often talk about a new advertising or promotion
campaign about to break, or other activities such as
market research.
Woody, who was head of international sales, usually
shared some outrageous stories about taking a 36-hour
trip to Nairobi for a two-hour meeting.

 And so it went. The food was good, the camaraderie

was 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 much
longer. The president never fixed a purpose for these
luncheons, 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 presentations
of little interest to anyone else.
Important decisions of Paragon Cleaning Products were
seldom made at the weekly meetings. These meetings
really did not matter.

Strategies and Solutions for Purposeful Meetings

Determine as precisely as possible the purpose of the
meeting-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 to
attend.
As a participant, ask the initiator to clarify the purpose of
a meeting, if it has not been clearly communicated.
Avoid ulterior purposes and hidden agendas.

Determine the Purpose of the Meeting

If you are the initiator, the starting point to determine
the purpose is to ask: Why are you convening a
meeting? 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 information announcements,
results, status reports, committee reports, and
presentations on subjects of interest to participants;
may include reactions and feedback from participants.

Types of meetings with this purpose

may include:
Staff meetings, committee meetings
Project status reports and updates
Sales meetings
Marketing and sales presentations
(2) Coordinate projects, calendars and
assignments
-department heads or committee meetings
-team or task force meetings

(3) Learn skills, procedures, or operations

-training meetings and seminars
-new employee orientation meetings
-team training
-professional organizations, club meetings, and study
groups
(4) Plan establish a vision, set goals, determine
objectives, and develop strategies.
- Board, team, or departmental retreats
- Cross-functional team meetings
- Newly formed groups
- Planning for major presentations or events

(5) Solve problems or create opportunities analyze issues, generate ideas,

alternatives, and possible solutions.
- Adhoc groups or tasks forces formed to address specific situations such as
employee absenteeism, or generate funds for a new building.
- Functional teams
- Committees, boards, and departmental groups
(6) Decide evaluate, prioritize, and select options, come to a decision by
voting 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 teamwork create trust, inspire, motivate, and celebrate success.
(9) Multiple-purpose meetings may consist of some reporting, problemsolving, and decision making.