Page 121 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Communication in organizations 110

During the meeting
Chairpersons open the meeting by welcoming those present, introducing new
participants, excusing absentees and asking those present if they would like to adjust the
agenda by adding points or changing the order. Often, there is a fixed time schedule for
the meeting, so that all present are aware of it and will attempt to discuss the points
within the time limit. The agenda points and the themes are handled according to the
agreed structure.
When discussing a theme, chairpersons first indicate the goal of the discussion. They
gather the information that all participants should know in order to discuss the theme in a
constructive way. Finally, if necessary, they announce the structure by which the
discussion can take place. Then the discussion starts. Now, it is the chairperson’s task to
maintain the agreed upon structure and doing so they should show both task-oriented and
people-oriented behaviour.
Minute takers have the task of separating the main and sub-issues during the meeting
and making relevant notes based so that they can write a report after the meeting. The
report serves the purpose of providing clarity on the topics handled during the meeting
and the decisions which have been made on them, both for those present and those
absent.
During the meeting the task of the participants is actively to strive together to create a
fruitful meeting: that is to say, they must adhere to the agreements made about time,
order and structure. This also means that they listen actively to other participants, make
use of the information contributed, and clearly articulate their own proposals, opinions,
insights and views.

After the meeting
Chairpersons should go through the draft version of the minutes with the minute taker
before these are sent to the participants. In some cases this can avoid problems, by
choosing a formulation together which cannot lead to misunderstandings.
The minute taker writes the report of the meeting as quickly as possible and distributes
it. This report should be prepared as soon as possible: first, because the meeting is fresh
in everyone’s minds; second, because the participants are reminded well in advance of
the start of the next meeting about the tasks and assignments to be carried out by them.
The participants read through the minutes and make a note of points which ask for
further clarification, proposals for adjustments of sections of the text, or other comments
or criticisms. Above all, the participants fulfil their agreements and ensure that they can
give a short report of this at the next meeting.

Structure

The structure of the meeting is represented in the agenda. The agenda has a number of
points that are often handled in a fixed order and has changing topics. An example of a
much used agenda format is as follows: