Business English Lecture 11

1. Business EnglishLecture 11

2. Synopsis • Business Meetings, Planning- Execution and Minute Writing • 1. Meeting: Essential Meeting elements • 2. Questions for planning a meeting • 3. The need for agendas/ Sample • 4. Pre-meeting tasks • 5. During meeting tasks • 6. Post-meeting tasks • 7. Common Disruptive task • 8. Dealing with Loudmouths • 9. Preparing the minutes

3. Synopsis • 10. What to include in the minute • 11. Taking minutes / guidelines – sample • Writing minutes • Effective reception / listening and understanding barriers

4. Business MeetingsPlanning, execution, and Minute Writing

5. What is a Meeting? Meeting A scheduled gathering of group members for a structured discussion guided by a designated chairperson

6. Essential Meeting Elements

7. Questions for Planning a Meeting • Why are we meeting? • Who should attend the meeting? • When should we meet? • Where should we meet? • What materials do we need?

8. The Need for Agendas Agenda The outline of items to be discussed and tasks to be accomplished during a meeting An agenda . . . • is an organizational tool. • helps members prepare for a meeting. • is a time management tool. • provides a measure of success.

9. A Business Meeting Agenda Purpose of Meeting Names of Group Members—present or absent Date, Time, and Place Call to Order Approval of the Agenda Approval of Previous Meeting’s Minutes Individual and Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Announcements Adjournment

10. SampleDiscussion Agenda

11. Chairperson’s Pre-Meeting Tasks Notify members Distribute materials Remind members Prepare for discussion

12. Chairperson’s TasksDuring the Meeting • Begin on time • Delegate minutes • Follow the agenda • Facilitate the discussion • Provide closure

13. Chairperson’s Post-Meeting Tasks • Evaluate the meeting • Distribute the minutes • Monitor assigned tasks

14. Common Disruptive Behaviors Nonparticipants Loudmouths Interrupters Whisperers Latecomers Early Leavers

15. Dealing with Loudmouths How to deal with loudmouths: • Acknowledge that you understand their positions. • Interrupt them and shift the focus to other members. • Tell them the group needs input from everyone. • Assign them side-line tasks (e.g., taking minutes) that shift them from talking to listening and writing.

16. How to Deal with Disruptive Behavioral Problems Nonparticipants: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Interrupters: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Whisperers: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Latecomers and Early Leavers: ________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Preparing the Minutes The minutes of a meeting are . . . • the written record of a group’s discussion and activities. • legal documents as well as historical records of organization business. • a way to share what happens with members who don’t attend. • a way to prevent disagreement over member assignments and group decisions.

18. What to Include in the Minutes Name of the group Date and place of meeting Names of attending members Name of the chair Names of absent members Time the meeting was called to order Time the meeting adjourned Name of person preparing the minutes Summary of discussion and decisions including action items

19. Taking Minutes Write clear statements that summarize the meeting’s main ideas and actions. Word decisions, motions, action items, and deadlines exactly as the group makes them. If in doubt, ask the group for clarification. Attach the agenda and any reports to the final copy of the minutes.

20. Guidelines for Taking Minutes Report the facts and all sides of a discussion accurately. _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ Always keep in mind that the minutes are a public record of the meeting.

21. Sample ofInformalMinutes

22. Writing Minutes

23. 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

24. Conducting Interactive Meetings and Writing Minutes (cont’d) IV. Resolving conflict • Possible outcome • Win-win assumptions V. Writing Minutes of Meeting • Elements • Producing minutes • Example VI. Strategies to Improve Your Listening Effectiveness

25. 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

26. Steps in Planning a Meeting (cont’d) 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.

27. Steps in Planning a Meeting (cont’d) 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

28. 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

29. THE GRABBIT INSURANCE COMPANYAGENDA TO: All Members of Staff FROM: Joe Chan (Chairperson) DATE: 23 February 200- SUBJECT: 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 Sanny Yeung Charlie Wu Billy Bunter Susie Wong Venus Pong Peter Perks Joesph Tse Source: Adapted from NLM

30. Participating in Meetings • The Chairperson • Before the meeting • During the meeting • The Secretary • Before the meeting • During the meeting • After the meeting • The Participants • Before the meeting • During the meeting • After the meeting

31. Participating in Meetings (cont’d) 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

32. 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

33. Participating in Meetings (cont’d) THE SECRETARY • Beforehand: • Helping distribute the agenda to participants • Checking physical arrangements • Preparing stationery and necessary documents etc • Booking venue

34. Participating in Meetings (cont’d) • 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

35. Participating in Meetings (cont’d) THE PARTICIPANTS • Beforehand: • Reading the agenda and any other pre-meeting documentation • Preparing for the meeting • Confirming availability • Being punctual to the meeting

36. Participating in Meetings (cont’d) • 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

37. Resolving Conflict

38. Writing Minutes of Meetings • About minutes • 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 speaker’s 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

39. Writing Minutes of Meetings (cont’d) • Check that the minutes • 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.

40. Writing Minutes of Meetings (cont’d) • Elements to be included in a minutes: • 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

41. Writing Minutes of Meetings (cont’d) • Types of minutes writing: • Narrative minutes [Click for example] • A summary of the discussion leading up to a decision. • Useful for meetings that a more detailed record of the discussion is preferable. • Resolution minutes [Click for example] • 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)

42. 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

43. Listening SkillsMeetings

44. Strategies to Improve Your Listening Effectiveness (cont’d) • Strategies to strengthen your academic/Professional listening skills

45. Strategies to Improve Your Listening Effectiveness (cont’d)

46. Strategies to Improve Your Listening Effectiveness (cont’d)

47. Meeting Evaluation

48. Post-Meeting Evaluation Was the meeting’s goal clear? Was the agenda useful and followed? How prepared were group members? Did everyone have an equal chance to participate? Did members listen effectively and consider different points of view? Were assignments and deadlines made clear by the end of the meeting?

49. Additional Evaluation Questions What other evaluation questions would you add to those on the previous slide? Example: Did the meeting begin and end on time? Example: ________________________ Example: ________________________ Example: ________________________

50. Writing Minutes of Meetings • 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 speaker’s 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