Definition of Meeting

Meeting means an ordinary gathering or assembly of two or more persons with a view to taking decisions through discussion. A meeting is one of the important ways of oral communication.

Types of Meeting

Public Meeting: Public meeting is a meeting which is held in a public place or on a matter of public interest.

These are meetings open to stakeholders and the public where the government makes a formal presentation on a policy.

Private Meeting: It one of the important meeting which is sectional concern or which is held on private promises or to which admission of general public is restricted. That means the entrances to the meeting is restricted.

Private Meeting also known as caucuses where the mediator meets with one or other party in private.

Formal Meeting: Formal meeting is a gathering which strictly follows the prescribe rules and procedures of the organization.(Quorum, Notice, Agenda should be made as per rules).

A formal meeting denotes a meeting that has been pre-planned. It usually has a predetermined topics put in place, that one wishes to talk about along with a set of objectives that one would like to achieve at the end of the meeting.

Informal Meeting: A meeting which does not follow any set rules of the organization is called an informal meeting. This types of meeting is much more common in work place. Informal meeting may be convened by a phone or memo at a time convenient to all members.

An informal meeting is a non-arranged meeting that is generally unplanned in advance. Members attending the meeting are not invited formally and usually the meeting takes place in a neutral environment such as a restaurant as opposed to a boardroom. Informal gathering of people is a meeting of which only the people meeting are aware about it.

Committee Meeting: A meeting convened by a committee consisting of a small body of people  is known as a committee meeting. The committee is formed/ appointed by parent body to discuss certain matters with a view to make a group decision or group recommendation on behalf of or to the parent body.

It is a board meeting: a meeting for administrative purposes.

Command Meeting: It is an informal meeting which in held between managers and subordinates. Another name of this meeting is staff meeting, conferences and manager’s meeting.

Ordinary (General) Meeting: These are meetings which are held usually on a regular basis and conduct business for which no special notice needs to be given (according to the organization rules or constitution). The monthly meeting of a sports club or a parents’ group  is are examples of regular meetings.

Special/ emergency Meeting: An “emergency meeting” is defined as one where “there are circumstances that could not have been reasonably foreseen which require immediate attention and possible action by the board, and which of necessity make it impracticable to provide notice as required by this section.”

Notice

Definition of Notice

A notice is a statement drawing the attention of desired communicate e to act as per indication contained in the statement. A notice is usually issued either convening a meeting or simply informing the desired people of certain message to be acted upon. If it is meant for convening a meeting, it must be sent to all those who have a right to attend the meeting

Requisites of Valid Notice

A valid meeting must fulfill the following condition :

• It must be signed by the issuing officer
• Definite day,date,time and place of the meeting and business to be transected if finally decided, must be mentioned.
• It must be specific and unconditional.
• It must be circulated as per the rules of procedures of the concerned organization.
• It must be circulated within reasonable time which is fixed by the rules of procedures of the organization.

An Example of Notice

Paragon Cement Industries Ltd.
Kazla. Motihar, Rajshahi
N o t i c e

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the company will be held on Sunday,22 June, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at the registered office of the company at 23/A, Kazla, to review the prevailing market conditions to refix the selling price rate of cement in that light.

Aryan
Company Secretary

Agenda of Meeting

An agenda is an outline of the contains of a forthcoming meeting. It is a list of items proposed to be discussed at a meeting. The members who will attend the meeting must be informed of it well before the meeting. The items of business may be mentioned in the notice itself if their number is small otherwise they should be listed in a separate sheet and attached to the notice as an Annexure.

When it is attached as an annexure or circulated separately it contain :

• The name of the organization
• The day,date,time and place of the meeting
• The program of the meeting
• The background paper of information
• Signature of the company secretary.

At the meeting, items are discuss in the order in which they are listed in the agenda.Generally , the first items of every agenda is the confirmation of the proceedings of the previous meeting.

An Example of annexure

Institute of Business Administration
Rajshahi University
Rabindra Bhaban

A ordinary meeting of the Institute Committee will be held on Sunday,22 June, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at the Director office.

AGENDA:

• Confirmation of the minutes of the last meeting
• Preparation of an Academic Calendar
• Distribution of Courses
• Formation of Different Committee
• Any other Business ( with the permission of the Chairman)

Minutes of The Meeting

Minutes are brief but proper records of decisions taken about the matters discuss in the meeting. Minutes generally contain the main points of discussion and the conclusion reached through discussion. The emotions and feelings if expressed by any member during the course of the meeting are not recorded.

Minutes are generally written by the secretary of the organizations. They become final only when they have been circulated among the members present at the next meeting and the chairman confirms them after ascertaining that the member have no objection to the proceeding.

Once they are approved and signed by the chairman of the meeting they become valid evidence.

Minutes starts by stating the time and place of the meeting and must have the following contains are requisites:

• The name of organization
• The date,day,time and place of the meeting
• The name of the chairman of the meeting and members who had presented this meeting
• The name of the secretary who had presented the meeting
• Arranging the proceeding as per agenda serial-writing each decision against the concerned serial number of the agenda
• Heading of each proceeding
• Decision(s) taken at the meeting in toto
• Hand written signature of the chairman with date.

Conducting of The Meeting

Starting the meeting: When the chair is satisfied that there is a quorum for the meeting ,he/she will call the meeting to order. The chair will declare the meeting open,making the members present clear that the meeting has formally started and recording the exact time.

• Discussion
• Point of  order
• Points of Information
• Speaking through the chair
• Ruling from the chair
• Motion
• Casting Vote
• Closing the Meeting

Terms of reference

Terms of reference specially power given to the persons who have been empowered to discuss and make recommendations. For example, a committee might be empowered to discuss the causes of job dissatisfaction of the employees and to make recommendations to the board of directors.