2018-03-09
303
I. Meetings come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of them:
1. chat (informal discussion) with colleagues at the coffee machine;
2. brainstorming among colleagues: where as many ideas as possible are produced quickly, to be evaluated later;
3. project meeting/team meeting of employees involved in a particular activity;
4. department/departmental meeting;
5. meeting with suppliers, for example to negotiate prices for an order;
6. meeting with a customer, for example to discuss a contract;
7. board meeting: an official, formal meeting of a company’s directors;
8. AGM: annual general meeting (BrE); annual meeting (AmE) where shareholders discuss the company’s annual report;
9. EDM: extraordinary general meeting – a shareholders’ meeting to discuss important issues such as a proposed merger.
II. Meetings are still the foundation of business and in this case they can take the form of:
a) an information point – where many people can hear the same information in the
same way and everyone feels included (e.g. a team group meeting);
b) a discussion group – where information may be discussed or aired, and many
people can contribute to the input (e.g. a team coming together to discuss a
childcare plan);
c) a problem-solving session –where many people gather to solve key business
problems (e.g. a meeting to discuss the best way to generate additional income
from current sale);
d) a decision-making forum – where decisions of any scale are formally taken
(e.g. a meeting with contractors to agree the terms of a new contract).
III. Read the following text to find the answers to the questions:
1) What are the functions of a meeting?
2) What types of meetings are mentioned in the text?
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A meeting does more than get people together, it can be the launch pad for new ideas (the idea of the Post-it note was generated during a meeting), a short cut to gaining clarification over issues, and a way of agreeing decisions. In essence, it should save time because, if everyone is present, the information / decision only has to happen once. Of course, not all meetings keep to time or structure.
Meetings can be regular or a one-off situation. They might be light-hearted in their tone - as in a meeting to arrange a social calendar – or they could be serious – such as a meeting to discuss an office move. They may involve everyone you know, as in a team meeting, or you may be faced with complete strangers. They can be short or long. Whatever form or tone the meeting takes, it is important that it presents itself in the right way and that all these aspects are considered.
Meetings are not just static event or time wasters; they are a useful conduit towards actions. People come together to consider and debate issues that should resolve in some outcome or action.
