BSBADM502 – Manage Meetings

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1

Question 1 - The following terminology can be applied to meetings, their

structures and arrangements.

Explain what each means:

 A formal meeting

Usually meetings which has important data about financial, organisation,

strategic and operational aspects of a business. Usually includes
shareholders, senior management, board of directors, etc. They also
have a specific agenda and recorded meeting minutes.

 An ad hoc meeting

Informal and unplanned meetings that are usually held for important
subjects that requires quick attention and do not have enough time to
wait for a scheduled meeting.

 Minutes

Minutes are the instant written record of a meeting. They typically

describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a
statement of the issues considered by the participants, and related
responses or decisions for the issues.

 Agenda

It’s a one-page document that outlines what will happen at the meeting
and what topics will be discussed. It’s an important tool because advises
attendees about what is the meeting purpose and give them a scope
about what will be discussed. This helps everyone to be prepared and
have a more effective meeting. The agenda can be created from a
review of meeting minutes from the last meeting, ongoing issues from
previous meeting, the organisation calendar, etc.

 Reports
 A meeting report sample is created to give information about the
discussion that emerged on a particular meeting. It allows the proper and
accurate documentation of the things that have been talked about by the
meeting attendees and the resolutions for specific concern items that are
needed to be implemented.

 Chairperson or chair

The chairperson (or chair) is the person responsible for presiding over
the meeting to ensure the participants are following the conventions and
are following the discussion. Even though they do not have great power
when making decisions, they help to maintain the order and certify all
attendees are respecting each other.

 Minute taker

A minute taker is the one responsible to take written and structured notes
from a meeting. It’s an important role in the meeting dynamics because
they can be used as legal documents that capture discussions and what
decisions were made. Minute taker needs to have the ability to listen
carefully, document clearly and understand the discussion, decisions and
action plans.

Question 2 - What are the responsibilities of the chairperson in a meeting

and how does this affect group dynamics? 250-300 words

The key-objective of a chair person is to preside over meetings of the

organisation. In order to execute the expected activities successfully, the
chairperson needs to introduce the agenda and ensure all items are addressed.
The chairperson will also organise the discussion. This means he/she doesn’t
need to know what’s being talked but should mediate in a way everyone gest a
change to talk and express their opinion. In the same context, a chairperson
needs to identify when the topic is going beyond scope and call the meeting
back to order.

An effective chairperson knows how to listen, to encourage and to facilitate the

meeting dynamics. A good chairperson will know how to “manage” and
preserve the meeting like a guardian, ensuring it will accomplish its objective
and will have all attendees participating. In other words, the roles of a
chairperson are to set the agenda, lead the meeting, maintain order at the
meeting, ensure the conventions of the meeting are being followed, ensure
fairness and equality at the meeting, represent the group to the public and to
approve the formal minutes of the meeting after they have been formatted, to
confirming that they are a correct and truthfully representation of the events at
the meeting.

Question 3 - Meetings are an essential part of conducting business and

sharing information. Describe five meeting options (types) that might
facilitate the information sharing of personnel in an organization.

1. Status and progress meetings: regularly scheduled events to exchange

information about the project. On most projects, status review meetings will be
held at various frequencies and on different levels. It’s also used as a tool for
project managers to check on the project progress. The most common topics
are: tasks updates, schedule status updates, current or anticipated issues, next
steps, etc

2. Kick-off meetings: is the initial project meeting where the project manager will
be presented and will present the project and how it will be managed for the
stakeholders. The kick-off meeting is an enthusiasm-generator for the customer
and shows a great understanding of the project so far. By displaying the
thorough knowledge of the goal and steps on how to reach it, the customer
gains confidence in the team's ability to deliver the work.

3. Team meetings: meetings that have the objective to reunite colleagues who
are working together. Usually, team meetings are used to present specific
topics about the team, the department or any information that needs to be
shared or updated.

4. Board meetings: this kind of meeting is more appropriate for the board of
directors of a company. Usually, a board meeting is a formal event which has a
scheduled calendar/frequency. It’s presided by a chairperson of the
organisation and during the meeting it’s common to discuss matters of
importance, including financial matters that directly impact the organisation.

5. Pre-bid meetings: meetings to enable competitors/contractors to visually

inspect a job site for a future project. The future customer is the one who
usually host the meeting, which is also the same person/company who wrote
the project specifications.

Question 4 - You are relatively new to the company and have been asked
to chair the next senior management meeting. What sorts of things will
you need know and how will you find out these things – what sources of
information will you use? 200-250 words
Being the chair at the next senior management meeting will require me to study
and understand some previous definitions before the meeting. Things I need to
know can include:

- What is the purpose of the meeting and topics for discussion: the
meeting agenda can refer to this information?
- What is the time, date and place the meeting will happen –
- What were the previous decisions made, eventual topics and actionable
items that should be known?
- Who are the attendees who will participate in the meeting and how they
usually behave in a meeting?
- If there is any technical language or jargon that can be used
- What are the organisation meeting policies and procedures – the
organisation probably storage a hardcopy or an online copy of its policies
and procedures. This document will be used to understand all the
guidelines to chair the meeting and any specific activity that should be
followed
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS 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. You have been asked to chair the
meeting.

The meeting is usually held in the boardroom at the company’s offices but
this room is unavailable. It will be necessary to make alternative
arrangements.

Two of the managers will be coming from interstate to attend in person,

while three will participate via Skype.

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. They will
then reconvene and share their ideas with the other groups.

Write out a meeting plan to ensure that all the preparations for the
meeting will be correctly organized. The plan should take into
consideration all aspects of the meeting, including personnel, timing and
structure.

MEETING PLAN
Date: Attendees: Start: 9:30 Finish:
City: Sydney
24/Nov 12 am 4:00 pm
ISSUE Status Comments
FIND VENUE
- Good location
- Book 2 months before 24/nov
- Budget for location in accordance with
policies
- Book 1 night for 2 managers from other cities
MEETING ROOM
- Boardroom configuration
- Seats for 12 participants
- Internet connection and teleconference
- Datashow to play video
CONNECTIVITY
- Test datashow
- Test internet connection
- Test video player
- Test Skype with 3 attendees who will
participate online
LUNCH AND CATERING
- Check with the venue lunch procedures
- Check with participants any food allergies
MEETING DYNAMICS
- Check with guest speaker how much time he
will have available
- Test and confirm with the CEO time available
for afternoon activities
- Confirm with CEO and Financial director any
document to be sent before the meeting for
contextualization
INVITES AND CONFIRMATION
- Confirm attendees’ emails and phone
numbers
- Send meeting invitations 1 month before the
meeting with all details
- Make follow-ups with attendees to ensure
they understand the meeting purpose and
confirm their presence on time
- Send hotel reservations for the 2 attendees
from other cities and travel expenses
procedures
- Book parking lot at the venue for other
attendees