Lecture 9:

Conducting Interactive Meetings

and Writing Minutes

Conducting Interactive Meetings

and Writing Minutes
I. Steps in Planning a Meeting
II. Setting the Agenda

Elements
Order of agenda items
Example

III. Participating in Meetings

The Chairperson
The Secretary
The Participants
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Conducting Interactive Meetings

and Writing Minutes (contd)
IV. Resolving conflict

Possible outcome
Win-win assumptions

V. Writing Minutes of Meeting

Elements
Producing minutes
Example

VI. Strategies to Improve Your Listening

Effectiveness
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Steps in Planning a Meeting

1. Determining the purpose

Information sharing
Decision making

Identifying issue / brainstorming

Persuasion and negotiation / discussion
Decision

Problem solving

Identifying solution(s) / brainstorming

Evaluating solution(s) / discussion
Choosing best solution(s) / decision
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Steps in Planning a Meeting

(contd)
2. Selecting the participants

Key contributors
Decision makers

3. Setting the agenda

Frames the structure of the meeting.

Consists of a list of items to be discussed.
Distributes meeting content in advance for better
contribution.
Allows chairperson to keep the meeting focused
and achieve its purpose.
Presents items in order they appear and the limit
allocated by the chairman.

Steps in Planning a Meeting

(contd)
4. Picking the convenient time and the
location

Time of day

Morning versus afternoon

Venue

Comfort and convenience

Seating

5. Preparing notice of meeting

6. Sending out documents
7. Copying minutes of last meeting

Setting the Agenda

Elements of the Agenda
1. To
: Involved personnel
2. From : Chairperson
3. Date : Date of the meeting
4. Subject: Brief description of the meeting
5. Issues to be discussed
6. Person responsible for any designated issues
7. Designated time line
8. See Samples
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THE GRABBIT INSURANCE COMPANY

AGENDA
TO:
All Members of Staff
FROM:
Joe Chan (Chairperson)
DATE:
23 February 200SUBJECT:
Monthly Staff Meeting
A meeting of all members of staff will be held on Monday 3 March 2000
at 10 am in the conference room. It will last about one hour.
1.
Apologies for absence (JC)
2.
Minutes of the last meeting (JC)
3.
Matters arising (WW)
4.
Measures to be taken to cut running costs (SY)
5.
How the measures are to be implemented
6.
Any other business
7.
Date of the next meeting
Ms T Tam
Secretary to the chairperson
Distribution:

Willie Wong
Charlie Wu
Susie Wong
Peter Perks

Source: Adapted from NLM

Sanny Yeung
Billy Bunter
Venus Pong
Joesph Tse
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Participating in Meetings

The Chairperson

The Secretary

Before the meeting

During the meeting
Before the meeting
During the meeting
After the meeting

The Participants

Before the meeting

During the meeting
After the meeting
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Participating in Meetings (contd)

Each participant has a role to play in a meeting
as follows:

THE CHAIRPERSON

Beforehand:

Establishing purpose
Deciding if a meeting is necessary
Choosing participants
Preparing agenda
Circulating agenda etc.
Checking arrangements
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 During the meeting :

Source: Adapted from NLM

Open the meeting: invite introductions if necessary;

state the purpose of the meeting; present the agenda.
Move to first agenda item
Invite someone to speak
Bring others into
the discussion

Interrupt / Control
if necessary

Ask for repetition

and clarification

Paraphrase (restate using own words) &

Summarize (brief general statement)
Move to the next point
Conclude the discussion: summarize the decisions/ points raised
make sure tasks are delegated
Ask if there is any other business
End the meeting and fix the next meeting date

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Participating in Meetings (contd)

THE SECRETARY

Beforehand:

Helping distribute the agenda to participants

Checking physical arrangements
Preparing stationery and necessary documents
etc
Booking venue

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Participating in Meetings (contd)

During the meeting:

Taking notes for the minutes

Providing information to chairperson and
participants if needed

After the meeting:

Writing up the minutes

Checking accuracy of the minutes with the
chairperson
Circulating the minutes to participants before the
next meeting
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Participating in Meetings (contd)

THE PARTICIPANTS

Beforehand:

Reading the agenda and any other pre-meeting

documentation
Preparing for the meeting
Confirming availability
Being punctual to the meeting

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Participating in Meetings (contd)

During the meeting:

Making relevant and productive contributions

Asking for clarification if necessary
Being prepared to justify opinions
Being attentive and listening
Being aware of your and others body language

After the meeting:

Following up with any action agreed during the

meeting
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Resolving Conflict
Possible outcome

Win-win assumptions

Win-lose

Lose-lose

Mutual satisfaction possible

Parties willing to cooperate
Parties can be trusted

Win-win
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Writing Minutes of Meetings

About minutes
1.

2.
3.

4.

5.

Can be defined as a written record of the business

transacted at a meeting.
May well have some legal and authoritative force.
Must summarize the major contributions to the
discussion in such a way that each speakers
interactions are recorded
Must be clear about what the speaker meant, not
just what the individual said
The process of minutes writing is a process of
interpretation, not just repetition
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Writing Minutes of Meetings

(contd)

Check that the minutes

1.

2.

3.
4.

Provide a true, impartial and balance account of the

proceedings;
Are written in clear, concise and unambiguous
language;
Are concise and accurate;
Follow a method of presentation which helps
the reader assimilated the content.

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Writing Minutes of Meetings

(contd)

Elements to be included in a minutes:

1.

2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.

Heading (including where and when the meeting was

held)
Present (who was there)
Apologies of Absence
Minutes of the previous meeting (note any corrections
and state the minutes were accepted as a true record of
the meeting [with the above corrections, where
applicable])
Statements of what actually occurred at the meeting
Any Other Business (AOB)
Who was the chairperson and who the secretary
The time the meeting adjourned and when the next
meeting is to take place
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Writing Minutes of Meetings

(contd)

Types of minutes writing:

1.

Narrative minutes [Click for example]

2.

Resolution minutes [Click for example]

3.

A summary of the discussion leading up to a decision.

Useful for meetings that a more detailed record of the
discussion is preferable.
Actual resolutions are emphasized, but only give brief details of
the discussion itself.
Opinions stated, conflicts among members and disagreements
are treated off-record.

Action minutes [Click for example]

Record the decision made on the issue and the action (what) to
be taken (by whom) and (when).

(See Supplementary Reading for examples)

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Strategies to Improve Your

Listening Effectiveness

Second language listening problems

Native speaker accents and pronunciation

Speed: Perceived pace of native speaker delivery
Inability to predict because of unfamiliarity with

Concept / subject matter

Terminology
Cultural references

Sustaining concentration

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Strategies to Improve Your

Listening Effectiveness (contd)

Strategies to strengthen your academic listening skills

Before the Lecture

1. Prepare yourself
mentally:

- Write down one thing you already know

about the topic
- Listen to confirm

2. Prepare the subject area

- Reading in advance to establish a context

3. Predict what you

will hear (outline
format)

- Write down 2 or 3 questions related to

the topic: 2-3 things:
1. You expect to find out
2. You would like to know
3. You didnt understand from the reading
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Strategies to Improve Your

Listening Effectiveness (contd)
During the Lecture
1. Listen for key words

- Dont write down everything

- Leave lots of white space on the page
- Use a numbering system

2. Listen for
organizational
signposts

- First of all / next / a further point / finally

- One Two
- First Second

3. Listen for summaries

and for repeats

- To sum up
- In summary then

4. Wake

- Mind drifting?

5. Link to what you

know

- Write notes to yourself:

1. Examples
2. Comparisons

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Strategies to Improve Your

Listening Effectiveness (contd)
After the Lecture
1. Review

- Read over your notes as SOON as you

can after the lecture
- Use hours between classes!

2. Transform

- Manipulate the information in some way:

1. Chart
2. Diagram
3. Mind map

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~ The End ~

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