MEETINGS

A meeting is a gathering of people for a specific purpose. It is a verbal and democratic method of discussion and decision making. A meeting may either be conducted face to face or virtually through electronic media as in a telephone conference call, a Skype call or a videoconference.

Meetings serve a wide variety of purposes:

Meetings help inform members about decisions already taken.

Meetings persuade members about a course of action and obtain their approval.

Meetings obtain different view points in solving problems.

Meetings enable fact finding and inquiries into difficulties.

Meetings foster team spirit.

Help solve problems using the skills of the members (analysis, imagination and judgment)

Encourage a healthy exchange of ideas and views in dealing with different situations, clients and customers.

 

While most meetings are held in a fixed place and at a fixed time, the modern trend is to hold meetings whenever and wherever convenient. Thus one can meet over breakfast or lunch to transact business. With technological advances, meetings can now be held online via video conferencing, zoom, google meet, etc.

 

Need and importance of meetings

-      Meetings provide a platform for all members to express their views. This facilitates a better exchange of ideas and experiences.

-      They facilitate effective communication

-      They are a tool of education, training and management.

-      They help to arrive at democratic decisions.

-      Since decisions taken at a meeting are based either on the principle of majority or consensus they have a wider acceptability.

-      It becomes the responsibility of the Management to implement resolutions passed at meetings.

 

Preparation and Conduct of a Meeting

The Notice and the Agenda of a meeting must be sent to members and special invitees well in advance, according to the rules laid down by the Companies Act.

Documents such as the Minutes of the previous meeting, budgets, reports of sub-committees, etc, should also be sent in advance so that the participants can come prepared for discussion.

Physical arrangements such as stationary, microphones, refreshments, should be well organized.

A capable Chairman who can manage time efficiently, handle people well, adhere to the Agenda and guide and control the discussion should be appointed.

There must be an adequate quorum

All items in the Agenda should be given due weightage and should be discussed up to a conclusion. Time must be managed well so that all the items appearing in the agenda receive attention.

The proceedings of the meeting should be documented as Minutes. These should be circulated to all members.

 

Common types of meetings

The First Board Meeting – Held once in the lifetime of a company

Board meeting – Is a meeting of Directors of a Company. It is held at regular intervals.

Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) – Is called only if an extraordinary situation arises. It is held among a Company’s shareholders, executives and any other members. It is called at a short notice and deals with an urgent matter.

Board Meeting Prior to AGM – Is held once a year just before the AGM to decide upon the matters to be taken up at the AGM

Annual General Meeting (AGM) – is an annual meeting with the shareholders of the company where they are given an overview of the performance of the Company in the past year.