BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Business Meeting

1. What are the purposes of a meeting?

There are some purposes of meeting, such as :
       a. To sort out any conflicts.
       b. To negotiate a contract or agreement, or matters to do with it.
     c. To deal with a current problem within the group or within the business or organization.
       d. To receive a report for assessment and review.
    e. To supply information to those present or to canvas views of those present on the particular matter at hand.

http://www.startrungrow.com/information/business/1,2383,purpose-of-meetings.htm

2. What are the types of meeting?

•     Meeting type 1 : Status Update Meetings

Status update meetings is one of the most common meeting types. This category includes regular team and project meeting, where the primary goal is to align the team via updates on progress, challenges and next steps. Commonly found a group activites in these kinds of meetings are problem solving, decision making, prioritization and task assignment.

• Meeting type 2 : Information Sharing Meetings

Presentations, panel debates, keynotes, and lectures are all examples of information sharing meetings. The primary goal of these meeting is for the speakers to share information with the attendees. This could be information about things like upcoming changes, new products and techniques, or in depth knowledge of a domain. Visual communication tools, like slides and videos, are powerful tools for making the shared information more memorable.

At information sharing meetings the attendees have historically been passive listeners. With new technologies like MeetingSift they can use their smart devices to go from passive spectators to active participants, making the meeting more engaging and enjoyable for all.

• Meeting type 3 : Decision Making Meetings

The vast majority of business decisions are made by groups in meetings. While small decisions are made in all kinds of meetings, the more important decisions often get their own dedicated meetings. There are different types of group decisions making processes, and care should be taken to choose a process that best matches the situation. A decision making process can include group processes like information gathering and sharing brainstorming solutions, evaluating options, ranking preferences, and voting.

• Meeting type 4 : Problem Solving Meetings

Problem solving meetings are perhaps the most complex and varied type of meetings. Whether the meeting is addressing and identified problem, or it is focusing on creating strategies and plans to navigate the future, there are a rich arsenal group processes that can be used. Scopes and priorities need to be defined, opportunities and threats need to be identifed, and possbile solutions should be brainstormed, evaluated, and agreed upon.

• Meeting type 5 : Innovation Meetings

Innovation meetings and creative meetings often start with thinking outside the box, by brainstorming, associating, and sharing ideas in a broad scope. Meeting participants can then use various techniques and processes to reduce the diverse pool of ideas to a more focused short list. Through ranking, evaluations, and decision making the most suitable idea, or ideas are identified and recommendations and tasks can be assigned based on this.

• Meeting type 6 : Team Building Meetings

All meetings should contribute to team building, strengthening relationships and corporate culture. However, now and then team building activities should be the main focus for a meeting. This category include meetings like include all-hands meeting, kick-off meetings, team building outings, and corporate event. Have participants feel like essential parts of their unit, team, department, branch, and company has all kinds of positive impact on their engagement, performance, and satisfaction.

http://meetingsift.com/the-six-types-of-meetings/

3. What is make a good meeting?

    Here are some steps to make a good meeting :

a. Consider your desired outcome

b. Create an agenda

c. Identify and invite key participants

d. Present the issues and stay focused on the goal

e. Wrap-up the meeting

http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/5-steps-to-great-meetings.html

4. What are the characteristic of successful meeting?

Characteristics of a good meeting

·         The "atmosphere," which can be sensed in a few minutes of observation tends to be informal, comfortable, and relaxed.  There are no obvious tensions.  It is a working atmosphere in which people are involved and interested.  There are no signs of bore­dom.

·   There is a lot of discussion in which virtually everyone participates, but it remains pertinent to the task of the group.  If the discussion gets off the subject, someone will bring it back in short order.

·      The task or the objective of the group is well understood and accepted by the mem­bers.  There will have been free discussion of the objective at some point until it was formulated in such a way that the members of the group could commit themselves to it.

·       The members listen to each other!  The discussion does not have the quality of jumping from one idea to another unrelated one.  Every idea is given a hearing.  People do not appear to be afraid of being foolish by putting forth a creative thought even if it seems fairly extreme. 

·         There is disagreement.  The group is comfortable with this and shows no signs of having to avoid conflict or to keep everything on a plane of sweetness and light.  Disagreements are not suppressed or overridden by premature group action.  The reasons are carefully examined, and the group seeks to resolve them rather than to dominate the dissenter.

·    Most decisions are reached by a kind of consensus in which it is clear that everybody is in general agreement and willing to go along.  However, there is little tendency for individuals who oppose the action to keep their opposition private and thus let an ap­parent consensus mask real disagreement.  Formal voting is at a minimum; the group does not accept a simple majority as a proper basis for action.

·       Criticism is frequent, frank, and relatively comfortable.  There is little evidence of personal attack, either openly or in a hidden fashion.  The criticism has a construc­tive flavor in that it is oriented toward removing an obstacle that faces the group and prevents it from getting the job done. 

·         People are free in expressing their feelings as well as their ideas both on the problem and on the group's operation.  There is little pussyfooting, there are few "hidden agendas".  Everybody appears to know quite well how everybody else feels about any matter under discussion. 

·         When action is taken, clear assignments are made and accepted.

·       The chairman of the group does not dominate it, nor on the contrary, does the group defer unduly to him.  In fact, as one observes the activity, it is clear that the leader­ship shifts from time to time, depending on the circumstances.  Different members, because of their knowledge or experience, are in a position at various times to act as "resources" for the group.  The members utilize them in this fashion and they occupy leadership roles while they are thus being used.

·    There is little evidence of a struggle for power as the group operates.  The issue is not who controls but how to get the job done.

·        The group is self-conscious about its own operations.  Frequently, it will stop to ex­amine how well it is doing or what may be interfering with its operation.  The prob­lem may be a matter of procedure, or it may be an individual whose behavior is inter­fering with the accomplishments of the group's objectives.  Whatever it is, it gets open discussion until a solution is found. 

rastahl.fatcow.com/Characteristics%20of%20a%20Good%20Meeting.doc