Class taken at IBA as a session for Managerial Communicaiton Course. Talks about how to conduct a meeting, tips in managing the meeting, and the team dynamics. Detailed discussion on how one can hone their communication in an office environment vs. how to hold an online meeting. This presentation was supported with class assignments and videos. The contents are public, but would appreciate if you credit my name.

1. MEETINGS
One of the Major Oral Communication Area for you

2. MEETING:
DEFINITIONS AND ACADEMICS
• Ameeting is the ‘Team’
• A meeting has a ‘Place’
• Collective Aim
• Common Commitment
• Primary occasion of group actvity
• Status Arena
• Heirarchy by demographics
• Command
• Stability

3. MEETING: TYPES
• By Sizes of Meetings
• Assembly à 100 people, main
speakers, rest listens (unless it’s a
‘Darbar’)
• Council à 50 or so, main speakers,
rest can also participate but not all
• Committee à 10~12 , everyone is
expected to participate
• By Frequency
• Daily Meetings – sales huddle, ops
huddle, daily briefing
• Weekly / Monthly Meeting – usually
review of performance, follow up
on project progress
• Special / Occasional – need based

4. WHO ARE YOU AT THE
MEETING?
ORGANISER
• Invitations
• The right people
• Invitations – verbal, email, text
• Calendar Booking (and not email)
• Agenda
• Reconfirmation / reminder
• Send necessary items ahead for
‘pre-read’ – use of Sharepoint
• Meeting minutes taker
PARTICIPANT
• Pre-read and your comments
• Send prior comments
• RSVP
• Reconfirmation
• Value additions
• Listen / let others’ speak first
• Why you?

5. CONDUCTING PROPER MEETING
• Do we really need this meeting?
• Clarify what the meeting is about
• Welcome / ice-breaking à Put
everyone at ease
• Set the context and objective à
whether it’s a decision, a discussion
or information update, define the
outcome
• Book the room!
• Follow the Agenda
• Make sure people understand the
‘What’ and ‘Why’ and ‘Whom’
• Define roles and relevance (and
what is expected of whom)
• “Parking Lot”
• Quick re-cap of decisions
• Next meeting date
• Rate the meeting at the end à ask
everyone to rate on 10, and what
could be done to achieve a 10
• Cost vs. ROI of the meeting

6. THE LOGICAL THINGS
• Usual order
• What seems to be the trouble /
issue
• How long has this been going on
• What are the root causes
• What are the remedies
• Dealing with people
• Control the garrulous
• Draw out the silent ones
• Protect the weak
• Encourage ideas
• Most expereinced / senior person
last
• Close on a note of achievements

7. LEAD BY
EXAMPLES
Starting on time
One hour meeting finished in 55 min

8. BASIC MEETING ETIQUETTES
• Please no excuse for being late
• Introduce everyone (if needed / applicable)
• No Mobile Phones please
• Pay attention
• Ask if you are doing a recording
• Eating / drinking norms
• Do not interrupt – ask questions once one is done

9. CHALLENGES AND MISTAKES
• Star item can be introduced to carry the meeting over the attention lag
that sets in after the first 15 to 20 minutes of the meeting
• Some items unite the meeting in a common front while others divide the
member one from another.
• Dwell too long on trivial but urgent items, to the exclusion of subjects of
fundamental importance whose significance is long-term rather than
immediate
• Don’t go beyond 2 hours
• When to serve food?

10. ONLINE MEETING?
• Ask for common platform / app
• Prepare ahead – not having internet or
electricity or logging difficulty is no
more an excuse
• Dress as you’d be dressed at office
• Have a de-cluttered background
• Video on or off? Sound-check?
• When to mute and when to speak?
• Don’t leave without informing others
• Never mind your pet or kid – we all
know you are working from home

11. FOLLOW UP!
Meeting Minutes

12. NEXT: FORMAL COMMUNICATION
PRESENTATION
See you on Sunday, April 10th, 2022