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Tuesday, 21 June 2016

First Choice Training
Unit 4
11 Distribution Avenue
Molendinar, QLD 4214
Phone: 1300 800 390

BSBADM502 - MANAGE MEETINGS

Activity 1

1
What are 5 types of formal meetings that might be held in a workplace and what purpose do they
serve? Discuss in 80 to 100 words.
a)Project Meetings- it brings together people from various departments working on same project
or task.
b)Staff Meetings-Managers hold regular departmental meetings to update the employees on
progress or work on any issue that affects the department.
c)Sales Conference These meetings brings the sales team together with other members of the
company who affect their success.

d)Emergency Meetings- in case of serious problems,like fire or major financial loss, it becomes
mandatory to inform the employees and make them understand the changes that will occur.
e)Collaborative Meetings- In these kind of meetings, external groups are called upon for a meeting
with the employees, this strengthens the business relationship.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:29PM

Good.

2
How do you ensure that the formal meetings you organise are productive and effective, not simply
time-wasters? Discuss in 80 to 100 words.
In order to ensure that the formal meetings are productive and not a time-waster, firstly the
purpose of the meeting should be very clear. Once the purpose of the meeting gets clear, one
should now focus on the desired outcome of the meeting. While organizing the meeting, proper
coordination becomes necessary, timely emails and invitations are must. Clear agenda of the
meeting drive successful meetings, as when sent before the meeting it permits everyone to
prepare before hand and avoids time-waste. Make sure you have tools, data and reports you may
require. Start and end up the meeting in time.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:29PM

Good.

3
How could you determine the items that will be included on an agenda and how could you distribute
agendas to the relevant personnel? Does this result in meetings that achieve their intended purpose?
Explain and give examples to support your answer. Discuss in 50 to 80 words.
while writing the agenda one should be very clear about the purpose and outcome of the meeting.
If we distribute the agendas to the relevant personnel in time, the attendees can work on it and it
helps them to be focused and to be on track, it also helps them to strategize on how to go further
in achieving the goal.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:29PM

Good.

Activity 2

You are about to hold a meeting for the management team in your organisation. A number of
productivity problems/ issues need to be discussed and you have asked one of the managers to
prepare a presentation (which includes a PowerPoint presentation) on what productivity means and
how it can be increased/ improved.

1
Where would you hold such a meeting and why would you choose this venue? Discuss in 50 to 80
words.
I will choose a boardroom with a projector mounted in dimmable lights to hold this meeting.
Proper audio-video arrangements and seating arrangements are to be cared of. The venue should
be close to all the invitees, so that the time taken to reach the venue is less and meeting could be
performed effectively. The venue hereby caters all the requirements of such a meeting.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:29PM

Good.

2
What equipment and resources (including hardcopy handouts) would you need? Discuss in 50 to 80
words.
In a meeting organized for the management team in an organization, the equipment and resources
required includes basically a Laptop or computer system, a projector, projector screen, white
board and markers, speakers if required, all the audio video facilities, boardroom tables, chairs,
power point presentation handouts, agenda, notepads and pens, butchers paper and markers,
minute taker. Apart from these amenities the basic requirements also includes the suitable venue
for the meeting, invites-emails or other and coffee & tea amenities.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:29PM

Good.

3
How would you structure the meeting and what time frames would applytaking into consideration
the needs of the organisation, the problems that need to be resolved and the optimum time frames
for effective meetings. Give reasons for your answers. Discuss in 50 to 80 words.

Preferably, the meeting should be a formal meeting, as the outcome of this meeting is of high
importance. The meeting should last for duration of near about 2 hours. The meeting should be
held in morning to ensure its productiveness. Necessary intervals will be arranged for the
attendees for the tea & coffee breaks. The agenda provided prior to the meeting should hold the
time duration of everything, the presentation, the explanation and the interaction with
attendees.
Trainer Comments

Good.

27/05/2016 05:29PM

4
When and how would you distribute the agenda? Discuss in 50 to 80 words.
Agenda of the meeting should be distributed in advance, to ensure that all the attendees are
aware of the meeting details. The attendees get plenty of time to prepare for the meeting,
resulting to the effective meeting. The agenda should be well prepared and should outline the
purpose of the meeting, time- date venue, the nominated chairpersons involved & minute takers.
The agenda should include these items such as reports, correspondence, minutes of previous
meeting, major agenda, business, etc.

Activity 3

1
Briefly describe (50 to 80 words) the methods you might use to prepare, proof, and distribute
meeting documentation, notes or handouts. The meeting may be any kind of meeting including
work related, social, or sporting. Explain why you use these methods.
Preparing all these proof, and distribute meeting documentation, notes or handouts should be
done electronically. As we cannot rely on technology so much, one should also prepare a set of
hard copies of these documentations, to avoid mishaps and miscommunication during the meeting.
Use of hard copies help most of the people to make notes easily, it also helps those people who
cannot stick their eyes to the screen for long. Therefore, both the methods are important in their
own special way.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Well covered.

How can you ensure the meeting arrangements will meet your requirements or needs? Create a
checklist that could be incorporated in a procedure relating to planning a meeting.
Preparing everything on time and before meeting can ensure the efficient meeting. The basic
checklist that could be incorporated in a procedure relating to planning a meeting is as follows1.Starting the meeting in time.
2.Ensuring the quorum.
3.To check if concrete goals have been set.
4.To check whether the meeting venue is accessible to everyone.
5.To check whether the date and time is convenient for the attendees.
6. To make sure that the chairperson is aware of the agenda of the meeting.
7.To check whether the agenda is printed and ready, all the resources are ready and all the invites
have been sent.
8.Finally to check all the preparations, the boardroom,projector, the chairperson, the minute
takers, presenters, refreshment everything is set before the meeting

Activity 4

1
If a meeting deviates from its planned agenda, what can be done to bring it back on track? Discuss
in 50 to 80 words.
if the meeting gets derailed from its purpose and agenda, the chair should take the initiative to
bring back the topic of discussion and follow the agenda. The proper voting can be done for the
motion or against the motion. Activities can be performed to make the meeting more interactive
and communicative. Engaging the attendees will lead to a efficient meeting. In such a situation
where topic is already derailed, one can give certain examples and try other methods of
presenting data and documents.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

2
Why is a chairperson necessary? Discuss in 30 to 50 words.
The chairperson determines the meeting objectives and plans, he is also responsible for the overall
direction of the meeting. All the remarks are addressed through the chair, he assists the secretary
if required. He is responsible to highlight all the points of meeting and clarify the
misunderstandings.

Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

3
Who should chair meetings? Why? Discuss in 30 to 50 words.
A chair or sometimes a facilitator is responsible to run the meeting smoothly and efficiently. A
chair is not the charismatic personality, it can be anyone with such an experience in particular
area. The person should be confident, calm and should know how to balance things during the
meeting.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

4
How long should each meeting last? Why? Discuss in 30 to 50 words.
There is no such strict rule for the duration of the meeting, it may vary according to the agenda of
the meetings. However, the meeting is not expected to exceed the time limit of 2-3 hours as it
gets boring and attendees get distracted unless the topic is so serious the meeting can get over in
the time limit. On the other hand, the meeting should not be too short that it not even covers the
whole agenda of the meeting.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

5
How can active participation in meetings be encouraged? Discuss in 50 to 80 words.
The attendees must be aware of the things that is to be discussed in the meeting in prior. Fifty
percent of the total meeting time should be occupied by the chair and the remaining fifty percent
should be given to the attendees to talk to the chair regarding meeting. Providing proper
refreshments at regular intervals also makes them concentrate more on the meeting rather than
focusing on their hunger and food gaps. Being open minded and courteous allows the attendees to
actively participate in the meeting, and they don't feel foolish to give suggestions and ideas in
meeting.

Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

6
Why are minutes necessary? Discuss in 50 to 80 words.
Minutes are necessary as they capture the important information of the meeting. Minutes keep
attendees on track by reminding them about their role in the meeting. Minutes provide legal
protection, they drive the action for the employees and clarify how things are to be done. It also
acts as a measuring stick and accountability tool. Minutes can be long and detailed depending upon
the nature of the meeting. The motive of the meeting is not derailed because of minutes and saves
time.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

7
What confidentiality issues might impact on the information discussed in meetings? Discuss in 50 to
80 words.
Certain confidentiality issue might impact on the information discussed in meetings. Sales related
issues, the promotional plannings may be disclosed that results in leakage of confidential talks.
There can be a case where certain attendees in the meeting are not supposed to be a part of the
meeting. The authenticity of the work and certain issues are lost, and hereby resulting in certain
confidentiality issues.

Activity 5

Explain (50 to 80 words) how you would brief a minute taker at one of the meetings you might
organise. Describe the purpose and style of the meeting and outline the information you would
share with the minute taker.
A meeting organized to discuss the sales strategy in the organization and here are the information
that is to be shared with the minute takers.
All the data relevant to the meeting must be shared to the minute taker, the proposals, duties and
responsibilities, the suggestions and other important data.
The minute taker is responsible for taking the rough notes that actually affects the topics
discussed in the meeting. Apart from writing these notes in the given format, their main focus is

to provide everyone with the clear information without creating any kind of confusion. The
responsibilities and ownership are clearly indicated by the minute takers.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

Activity 6

1
Describe (50 to 80 words) how minutes could be recorded, authorised and despatched to meeting
participants.
Here is how minutes are recorded, authorized and despatched to the attendees.
1. Recording- Minutes are recorded directly into the computer system or can be written in
shorthand and be written fully after the meeting completion.
2. Authorise- The chair is responsible to authorize the meeting,and should contain certain
identification data relevant to the meeting.
3. Despatch- Pigeon-hole system is used to despatch the minutes to the attendees, through email
or by posting to every participant.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

2
How would you determine what formatting procedures should be followed?Discuss in 50 to 80
words.
A concise, coherent and simple minutes are admired. Firstly, the minutes should be authorized by
the chairperson.Minute should contain all the basic details of the meeting, it should be in the
tabular form so that it becomes easy and convenient to compose and study the minute. Use of
proper device such as laptop, system, notepad etc should be done. The minute format should be
mostly white to avoid shortage of space and time during the meeting.
Trainer Comments

Activity 7

Describe (50 to 80 words) how a report of a meeting differs to the minutes.

A minute is prepared at every meeting, it is basically the word to word transcript of the meeting
for typing out and distributing to the attendees.A minute is prepared before hand and during the
meeting.It records minute to minute details of the meeting without analysis. It provides the layout
of job allotted to the attendees in written. On the other hand Reports are the summary of the
meeting prepared after the meeting and usually covers all the necessary points discussed and
covered in the meeting.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

2
Give an example of when a report of a meeting, rather than minutes, might be required. Discuss in
30 to 50 words.
There are certain situations where a report of a meeting may be required rather than the minutes
of the meeting. It can be in the case of Board meetings where the board of directors share some
important issues of the business, where minutes takers are not required. In case of emergency
meetings and confidential meetings, only the selective attendees are allowed to the the meeting
and due to the confidentiality related to sales strategy or some company's financial statements,
here the minutes are not required and the meeting can get summarized by creating a report.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:30PM

Good.

3
Why is it sometimes important for people who were not invited to attend the meeting to have
copies of the minutes? Discuss in 30 to 50 words.
Sometimes people who were not invited to the meeting are also provided with the minutes of the
meeting. It becomes mandatory to acknowledge the person about the happenings of the meeting.
For instance, a person from finance department is not invited in the sales promotional meeting,
providing them the copy of minutes ensures their faith in the organization and apart from this if a
person is aware of the promotional expenses it can somehow be useful to the finance person.
Directly or indirectly each and every person in an organization is related to all the activities held,
and making them aware of the meeting details can be helpful in some or the other way.

Trainer Comments

Summative assessment 1
Question 1

List and describe three different types of meetings. The description should include the structure and
typical arrangements for each meeting type, and any special considerations. (200-250 words)
The three meetings are explained in detail as underANNUAL GENERAL MEETING-It is also termed as Annual meeting where the meeting is for the
general membership of an organization.The meeting can be called as and when required by the
law, governing bodies, board of directors etc. Basically the meeting is held to take necessary
decisions of the company.
The may require audio-visual setting, in a large capacity room that can hold for around 200
people. Agenda of the meeting should be prepared before hand, as the meeting will be having a
good crowd of people , therefore instead of creating chaos,pre-arrangements helps in running the
meeting smoothly. Pre-arrangements may include preparation of agenda, confirming the venue,
sending invitations and other necessary arrangements.The minute takers and chair person hold the
important position in the meeting.
BOARD MEETINGS-It is the meeting of the directors held to discuss the important issues of the
business. In such kind of meetings the proper invitation is very necessary. It can be held in a small
room like a conference hall or something. Basic amenities may include the refreshments and the
necessary documentation.
STAFF MEETINGS- It can be called for sharing information, discussing problems or issues,
motivating employees or some creative session like brainstorming to bring new ideas, criticism or
judgement on fellow participants etc. For such kind of meetings, a large board room is required so
that all the employees can get it. The agenda of the meeting should be disclosed before hand for
productive results.
Trainer Comments

Question 2

What are the attributes of an effective and efficient meeting? What are the responsibilities of the
chairperson in a meeting? (100 to 120 words)
Attributes of an efficient and effective meeting are:
1. The meeting should be well prepared in advance.
2. Proper agenda should be prepared so that the attendees are aware of their role and duties in
the meeting.

3. The meeting should be interactive than a boring and useless meet.

4. It should not be a time waster; a desired result should be out at the end.
5. Minute keeping and other things should be properly organized.
6. Proper invitations should be sent in advance to the attendees.
7. Meeting should have a clear purpose and must get stuck to the agenda.
The responsibilities of the chairperson includes arranging the meeting according to the
agenda.Keeping the discussion focused on the topic as set in the agenda. Everyone should be
allowed to speak and be heard. Apparently the minutes should be prepared simultaneously.All the
confusions are to made clear by the chairperson itself.
Trainer Comments

Question 3

Why does the chairperson need to understand group dynamics when chairing a meeting? (80 to 100
words)
The chairperson needs to understand the group dynamics while chairing the meeting as he is the
person liable for the good conduct of the meeting. If the chairperson is not enough to hold the
meeting properly, the meeting will go in vain and may get derailed from its agenda. The
chairperson should be calm, quite and understanding so that the attendees can feel free to ask
him anything at the time of queries. If the chairperson fails to understand the group dynamics, the
chances of meeting failure may arise, therefore it is suggested to the chair to underpin all the
important topics of discussion and even assist the minute taker for minute keeping properly.
Trainer Comments

Question 4

Meetings are an essential part of conducting business, sharing information is of prime importance.
Barriers, such as location, can be seen as an obstruction to an effective use of time. Discuss (100 to
120 words) three options for meetings, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, which can be used to
break down barriers.
yes, it has been rightly said that the meetings are the important part of business. It can turn out
to be the boon for the organization. It can be called as a boon only when the meeting comes out
with the desired results. Barriers to the effective meeting can be the time, location and
confidentiality of the meeting.
The time duration of the meeting should be so perfect, neither too long nor too summarized so
that it covers all the necessary details of the meeting and doesn't goes long that it starts to

become boring. The other barrier is Location. Sometimes the location and venue of the meeting
turns out to be the barrier, as it doesn't fulfills the requirement according to the type of meeting.
Therefore, the venue should be decided after checking the type of meeting and number of
attendees. The confidentiality turns out to be the third barrier of meeting, it can be removed by
selecting the exact attendees of the meeting, and mentioning all the points of discussion in the
meeting.
Trainer Comments

27/05/2016 05:31PM

Good.

Question 5

Describe the sequence of a meeting in a logical flow of events, such as might be outlined in a
meeting procedure. (120 to 150 words)
The sequence of the meeting may be as follows:
1. setting the objective and requirements of the meeting.
2. Making the list of attendees at the meeting.
3. sending invitations to the attendees in particular.
4. Preparation of agenda for the meeting.
5. making arrangements for the meeting, the amenities required.
6. Distributing the agenda to attendees.
7. Selecting the Chairperson and minute-takers.
8. Arranging all the data and documentation in hard and soft copy before the meeting.
9. welcoming the attendees and providing them with all the amenities.
10.at the end providing the attendees with the report of the meeting.

Summative assessment 2
Project 1

A management meeting for 12 section managers is due to be held on Tuesday, 24 November

commencing at 9.30 am and finishing at 4.00 pm. The CEO of the company will attend.
The meeting is usually held in the boardroom at the companys offices but this room is unavailable.
You will need to make alternative arrangements.
Two of the managers will be coming from interstate to attend in person, while three will participate
via teleconference.

A guest speaker will show a video and talk on technological changes for the year 2015.
Lunch will be catered for on the premises.
In the afternoon, the participants will divide into three groups to develop ideas and consider their
strategic needs for the upcoming year.
Write out a meeting plan to ensure that all the preparations for the meeting will be correctly
organised.
The meeting is to be planned in such a way that the agenda of the meeting is achieved and come
out with the desired outcomes. The other important thing is that the agenda of the meeting is
very clear and it saves time.
The plan is laid in such a way that it brings out an effective meeting at the end.
VENUE: The Managers working office at the company.
TIME: 9:30 AM -4:00 PM (Lunch will be catered in the premises)
MEETING LEAD: CEO of the company.
PURPOSE OF THE MEETING: Management Meeting
ATTENDEES: CEO, 12 Section managers, 2 of the managers will be coming from interstate to attend
in person, 3 will participate via teleconference and 1 guest speaker for showing technological
changes for the year 2015.
Accommodation and travel for inter-state managers:
Return Flights will be booked for both managers.
Two rooms will be booked in advance from 23 November to 25 November and cabs will be arranged
to commute from hotel to the meeting venue.
ACTIVITY: In the afternoon, the participants will divide into 3 groups to develop ideas and consider
their strategic needs for the upcoming year.
Step 1- Locating and booking the venue for the meeting, arranging all the audio video facilities
required. The teleconference and IT equipments should be arranged before hand. A room with
three sections should be arranged for the activity purpose where the attendees are to be divided
into 3 groups for certain discussion.
Step 2: Sending personalized invitations to the particular attendees.
Step 3: Arrangements of Lunch and other refreshments are to be made.
Step 4: Proper creation of agenda of the meeting.
Step 5: arranging all the necessary documentations and data ready in the form of soft and hard
copy both.
Step 6: Addressing and welcoming all the attendees properly.

Step 7: Making the attendees aware of the chair person of the meeting.
Step 8: Allotting a minute taker for the meeting and distributing the work to various attendees
accordingly.
Step 9: Drafting Reports and minutes and distributing it to all the attendees.