english lecture

1. IIntroduction to Agenda,ntroduction to Agenda,
Meeting and MinutesMeeting and Minutes
Amna A. Rehman

2. Conducting Interactive MeetingsConducting Interactive Meetings
and Writing Minutesand 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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3. Conducting Interactive MeetingsConducting Interactive Meetings
and Writing Minutes (cont’d)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
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4. Steps in Planning a MeetingSteps 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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5. Steps in Planning a MeetingSteps in Planning a Meeting
(cont’d)(cont’d)
2. Selecting the participants
 Key contributors
 Decision makers
3. Setting the agenda
Agenda is the outline of items to be discussed and tasks to be
accomplished during a meeting
 Frames the structure of the meeting.
 Consists of a list of items to be discussed.
 Distributes meeting content in advance for better contribution.
 Presents items in order they appear and the limit allocated by the
chairman.
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6. Steps in Planning a MeetingSteps in Planning a Meeting
(cont’d)(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
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7. Setting the AgendaSetting 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. Relevant Documents
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8. 8
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
THE GRABBIT INSURANCE COMPANY
AGENDA

9. Participating in MeetingsParticipating 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
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10. Participating in Meetings (cont’d)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
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11. 11
Open the meeting: invite introductions if necessary;
state the purpose of the meeting; present the agenda.
Move to first agenda item
 During the meeting :
Invite someone to speak
Move to the next point
Bring others into
the discussion
Interrupt / Control
if necessary
Ask for repetition
and clarification
Paraphrase (restate using own words) &
Summarize (brief general statement)
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

12. Participating in Meetings (cont’d)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
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13. Participating in Meetings (cont’d)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
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14. Participating in Meetings (cont’d)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
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15. Participating in Meetings (cont’d)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 responsive
Being aware of your and others’ body language
After the meeting:
Following up with any action agreed during the
meeting
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16. Writing Minutes of MeetingsWriting Minutes of Meetings
 About minutes
1. Can be defined as a written record of the business
transacted at a meeting.
2. Must summarize the major contributions to the
discussion in such a way that each speaker’s
interactions are recorded
3. Must be clear about what the speaker “meant”, not just
what the individual “said”
4. The process of minutes writing is a process of
interpretation, not just repetition
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17. Writing Minutes of MeetingsWriting Minutes of Meetings
(cont’d)(cont’d)
Check that the minutes
1. Provide a true, impartial and balance account of the
proceedings;
2. Are written in clear, concise and unambiguous language;
3. Are concise and accurate;
4. Follow a method of presentation which helps the reader
understand the content.
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18. Writing Minutes of MeetingsWriting Minutes of Meetings
(cont’d)(cont’d)
 Elements to be included in a minutes:
1. Heading (including where and when the meeting was held)
2. Present (who was there)
3. Apologies of Absence
4. Minutes of the previous meeting (note any corrections and
state the minutes were accepted as a true record of the
meeting)
5. Statements of what actually occurred at the meeting
6. Who was the chairperson and who the secretary
7. The time the meeting adjourned and when the next meeting
is to take place
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19. Writing Minutes of MeetingsWriting Minutes of Meetings
(cont’d)(cont’d)
Types of minutes writing:
1.Narrative minutes
 A summary of the discussion leading up to a decision.
 Useful for meetings where a more detailed record of the discussion is
preferable.
1.Resolution minutes
 Actual resolutions are emphasized, but only give brief details of the
discussion itself.
 Opinions stated, conflicts among members and disagreements are
treated off-record.
1.Action minutes
 Record the decision made on the issue and the action (what) to be
taken (by whom) and (when).
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20. What can make the listeningWhat can make the listening
ineffective?ineffective?
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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21. Strategies to Improve YourStrategies to Improve Your
Listening EffectivenessListening Effectiveness
Before the Presentation/Meeting
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 didn’t understand from the reading
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 Strategies to strengthen your academic listening skills

22. Strategies to Improve YourStrategies to Improve Your
Listening Effectiveness (cont’d)Listening Effectiveness (cont’d)
During the Presentation/Meeting
1. Listen for key words - Don’t write down everything
- Leave lots of white space on the page
- Use a numbering system
2. Listen for summaries
and for repeats
- To sum up
- In summary then
3. Wake - Mind drifting?
4. Link to what you
know
- Write notes to yourself:
1. Examples
2. Comparisons
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23. Strategies to Improve YourStrategies to Improve Your
Listening Effectiveness (cont’d)Listening Effectiveness (cont’d)
After the Presentation/Meeting
1. Review - Read over your notes as SOON as you
can after the meeting
2. Transform - Manipulate the information in some way:
1. Chart
2. Diagram
3. Mind map
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