Effective Meeting Assignment

MEETINGS

Definition:

“Come together as inevitably as the key to the magnet —Hugh Walpole”

“In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a (usually)

predetermined topic such as business or community event planning, often in a formal setting.”

Purpose Of Meetings

The purpose of regular meetings is to maintain the special contact already

established between numbers of people, each body of people being in a

sense distinct.

Meetings are a primary process for organizational life. In fact, for many

people, attending meetings is what they do during most of the time they

spend in the organizational setting. So, it is essential that time spent in

meetings be productive if we are to achieve effective individual and

organizational performance. This paper has been developed to help you

think carefully about the meetings you attend and, perhaps, lead. These

gatherings should be harmonious, but should not be allowed to become "club

like" or gossipy. The special relationship is harmed by the assumption of

status by individual members of the group. Each member should discharge

the functions for the time being allotted to him, if any, as a communicator of

material, as an organizer, or whatever it might be. The community has to

develop a sense of unity of purpose — learning and development — in which

each member is to be regarded as important for the success of the whole.

The special relationship is crippled by the exploitation of one member by

another, so that co-operation between individual members must be kept

within reasonable limits. The development of smaller, informal relationships

between small numbers of people from within the grouping must not be

encouraged, as such "sub-groups" without official sanction start to cause the

group to operate in an unbalanced manner. The group will in such cases

operate as an ideological, social, intellectual or other entity, of which in any

culture there are enough already.

To Meet Or Not To Meet..?

The biggest waste of time is meeting when it's not necessary. You'd be surprised by how many of

your weekly meetings can be eliminated when you decide to meet only when it's absolutely

necessary. Here are some tips for deciding if a meeting is worth your time.

1. Has a Goal Been Set for the Meeting?

Is there a purpose for meeting, a goal to achieve? Every meeting should have an objective and if

the one you've been asked to attend doesn't, consider recommending that a memo or e-mail be

sent instead.

2. Has an Agenda Been Created Ahead of Time?

An agenda is the basis for an effective meeting. Creating and distributing the meeting agenda one

or two days before the meeting begins gives participants an opportunity to prepare for the

meeting. Having an agenda during the meeting also focuses the discussion and helps your group

stay on track.

3. Will the Appropriate People Be Attending?

If the appropriate people aren't present, then important decisions get put on hold. It will also take

time to update key individuals on what took place in the meeting they missed. It's better to put

the meeting on hold until all of the right people can be in the room.

4. Could the Information Be Covered in an E-mail or Memo?

The purpose of most meetings is sharing information and updating others. If

possible, make an effort to substitute these types of meetings with an e-mail or

memo! Simply send one e-mail to all the people who would have attended the

meeting. This will save everyone time, they'll still be up-to-date on what's

happening and they'll be grateful for having one less meeting to attend that

week.

The purpose of most meetings is sharing information and updating others. If possible, make an

effort to substitute these types of meetings with an e-mail or memo! Simply send one e-mail to

all the people who would have attended the meeting. This will save everyone time, they'll still be

up-to-date on what's happening and they'll be grateful for having one less meeting to attend that

week.

Create Effective Meetings (EM)

a. The Agenda

The key to developing any business agenda is to encourage participation by addressing specific

regional and/or industry needs and to provide the business community with a sense of

ownership of the final product. Business leaders must take the initiative to organize disparate

business groups and build a coalition that can reach a consensus on major issues. Freedom of

association and the right to petition the government for the redress of grievances are the most

basic rights of democratic institutions. Even in emerging democracies it is still possible to

influence changes in policy by building grassroots coalitions and a consensus for change.When

business associations come together to promote a core set of market-oriented policies, they are

much more effective than if they pursue policy change individually.

The Agenda communicates important information

such as:

1. Topics for discussion

2. Presenter or discussion leader for each topic

3. time allotment for each topic

provides an outline for the meeting (how long to

spend on which topics)

can be used as a checklist to ensure that all

information is covered

Lets participants know what will be discussed if it's

distributed before the meeting. This gives them an

opportunity to come to the meeting prepared for

the upcoming discussions or decisions.

provides a focus for the meeting (the objective of

the meeting must be clearly stated in the agenda)

How to Create an Effective Agenda

What to do? Now you understand how important an agenda is to the effectiveness of the

meeting, but don't know how to create one. Breathe easy! All you have to do is follow the steps

outlined below.

1. Send an e-mail stating there will be a meeting, the goal of the meeting as well as the

administrative details such as when and where it will be. Ask those invited to accept or decline

the meeting. Make it clear that once they have accepted the meeting, they are expected to attend.

2. Ask participants requesting an agenda item to contact you no less than two days before the

meeting with their request and the amount of time they will need to present it.

3. Once all of the agenda requests have been submitted to you, sum up them in a table format

with the headings Agenda Item, Presenter and Time. It's your responsibility to ensure that each

agenda item is directly related to the goals of this particular meeting. If an inappropriate request

is made, suggest that person send an e-mail or memo instead or recommend that this agenda item

be discussed in another meeting.

Also, you must be realistic in the amount of time you allocate to each presenter. Don't cram an

unrealistic number of agenda items into an hour meeting. When people accept an hour meeting,

they expect to be finished in an hour. When meetings go over time, people generally tend to get

uneasy. It's better to schedule 50 minutes of discussion into an hour time slot. This way you have

10 minutes to spare and if you get done a little early, people will be pleased.

4. Send the agenda to all the meeting participants the day before the meeting with a reminder of

the meeting goals, location, time and duration. At this time, ask the presenters if they are happy

with the order in which they will be speaking and the amount of time they have been allocated.

5. Of course, the most important part of creating an effective agenda is to follow it during the

meeting.

A great script is the key to a play's success. A well-structured, informative

agenda is as vital to a meeting's success as a script is to a play. A meeting

agenda should:

1.

1. Opening/Welcome (9.00 - 9.05)

2. Announcements and documents received (9.05 - 9.20)

3. Approval of minutes of meeting held May 12, 2006, as well as action list (9.20 - 9.35)

ensure all participants are adequately prepared for the meeting

ensure each agenda item achieves the desired outcome

save time during the meeting

Agenda Sample

4. Evaluation information programme. Mr. Johnson has prepared the evaluation of this

programme, and asks input from the participants before publishing (9.35 - 9.45)

5. Proposal for harmonization of the packaging. Mrs. Leeson has made a first proposal, and

wants to discuss this in the meeting (9.45 - 10.15)

6. Financial report of 2nd quarter. Mr. Mill, approval (10.15 - 10.25)

7. Any other business (10.25 - 10.40)

8. Adjournment(10.40 - 10.45)

Tips For Starting And Finishing Meeting On Time

Responsibilities Of Meeting Organizer (Leader):

State that the meeting will begin quickly at the scheduled time and that all participants

should be on time

Send a reminder e-mail thirty minutes before the meeting begins and encourage meeting

participants to arrive on time

Ensure that you begin the meeting at the scheduled time. If you've encouraged others to

be prompt, don't embarrass yourself by showing up late.

Close the meeting room doors at the scheduled time. There's nothing like late attendees to

disrupt the flow of a meeting! Consider posting a note outside the door stating the

meeting's time. This may seem harsh, but it clearly communicates how serious you are

about keeping your meetings on time. If the tardy participants don't consider your

meeting important enough to arrive on time, perhaps they shouldn't have committed to

attend at all.

If your meeting starts a little late, you should still finish the meeting at the scheduled

time. It's inconsiderate to assume the participants' schedules revolve around your

meeting, so wrap up the meeting when you promised.+

Consider creating a "latecomer jar" to which meeting participants must

contribute one dollar for each minute they arrive late to meetings. At the

end of the week, you can buy muffins or donuts for everyone who

attended the meeting… courtesy of the latecomers!

More and more of our time each day is spent on the computer. Our ability to navigate the

computer absolutely affects our ability to be productive. Improving your typing skills and

learning keyboard shortcuts can save you time every day. Make time for computer

development skills by scheduling time with someone who has the know-how, taking a

computer class or just purchasing literature to help you.

Defining your audience means finding out who they are. This information is crucial in

order to address audience members' needs, interests, expectations and levels of

understanding. Without this knowledge, you are unable to match your message with their

needs. Your ability to present from their perspective enables you to influence their

thinking, persuade them to accept what you are suggesting and achieve your goal for

making the presentation.

Listeners like to know beforehand the degree to which they are expected to be listeners or

contributors. Most meeting participants are perfectly willing to be verbally engaged or

silent—as long as it doesn’t come as a surprise. People who come into a meeting expecting

to be asked to contribute become angry and frustrated when that opportunity never presents

itself. Conversely, people who come into a presentation expecting to listen — to take notes

and maybe ask a question or two — feel threatened when they’re unexpectedly put on the

spot. The following public speaking tips used in difficult situations can lessen negativity

among listeners.

Listeners like to know beforehand the degree to which they are expected to be listeners or

contributors. Most meeting participants are perfectly willing to be verbally engaged or

silent—as long as it doesn’t come as a surprise. People who come into a meeting expecting

to be asked to contribute become angry and frustrated when that opportunity never presents

itself. Conversely, people who come into a presentation expecting to listen — to take notes

and maybe ask a question or two — feel threatened when they’re unexpectedly put on the

Spot. The following public speaking tips used in difficult situations can lessen negativity

among listeners.

Ways to Get Audience Information

so how do you gather audience information and find answers to these questions?

Consider the following techniques:

Speak to the participants days or weeks before the presentation

Send out a questionnaire or survey to audience members

Speak to their co-workers or managers

Research audience-related issues and gather current data on their industry

Converse and mingle with participants at an event prior to your presentation or directly

before the presentation itself

Ask questions during the presentation to gather on-the-spot feedback

Talk to the participants after the presentation to verify that your intended message was

received and their needs met

Ask audience members to complete an evaluation form after your presentation

Invite participants to the meeting and ask for feedback on what they want covered.

Follow the "Rule of Halves." Ask for all agenda items no later than half the time between

the last meeting and the upcoming meeting. For example, if meetings are held weekly on

Fridays, agenda items should be gathered by Wednesday. Then you can start to put

together an agenda that will fulfill the objectives of all attendees.

At the beginning of the meeting, review the agenda and the tasks to be accomplished.

This helps meeting participants know precisely what is expected and encourages them to

focus on the task at hand. It also makes controlling time in the meeting much easier.

During a meeting, consider using a clock to time each discussion topic. Try setting the

alarm to warn meeters when the time allotted for the topic has expired.

Specialized meeting information management software helps you manage time and

information at your meetings. With SMART Meeting Pro, your meeting agenda becomes

a powerful tool to keep meetings on track and on time. The application helps you collect,

organize and archive critical meeting information. Agenda items appear at the top of each

page on your computer, and the time elapsed for each topic discussion is automatically

tracked by a timer.

Your bottom line is to get done what you need to get done. You can do this within a

budgeted amount of time. Once you’re in the meeting, watch the time and the

conversation. Discuss only what needs to be discussed, and you’ll be saving

you and your co-workers valuable time. If you can successfully do all of

this, you’re well on your way to being a meeting scheduling guru!

Responsibilities Of the Attendee (Participants):

Quickly review the agenda before heading to the meeting.

It's a good idea to remind yourself why you're attending

the meeting. Reviewing the agenda helps attendees be

better prepared for the meeting and, in turn, will help

focus the meeting, enable all of the agenda items to be

covered and allow the meeting to finish on time!

Make your way to the meeting ten minutes before it

actually begins. This will give you enough time to visit the

washroom, pour a cup of

coffee or deal with any issues that may come up along the way. Plus,

you'll get the best seat for the meeting!

Consider speaking up if the meeting organizer shows up late. There are

several ways to do this tactfully without insulting anyone. For example, if

the organizer consistently arrives ten minutes late to your weekly

meetings, ask him if it would be more convenient to start 15 minutes

later next week.

Try to ask only relevant questions during the meeting. If your comment

isn't directly related to the topic at hand, don't mention it. Getting off

track is one of the main reasons that meetings go over time. If your

group can avoid getting off track, you'll all spend less time in meetings.

Leave the meeting when it was scheduled to end. When the organizer

extended the invitation to meet, he stated when the meeting would

finish. It was on this condition that you accepted the meeting and

committed your time. If you have work to which you must attend, politely

tell the organizer that you have to leave and excuse yourself from the

meeting.

Be A Good Listener

1. Face the speaker.

Sit up straight or lean forward slightly to show your attentiveness through body

language.

2. Maintain eye contact,

to the degree that you all remain comfortable.

3. Minimize external distractions:

Turn off the TV. Put down your book or magazine, and ask the speaker and other

listeners to do the same.

4. Respond appropriately

to show that you understand. Murmur (“uh-huh” and “um-hmm”) and nod. Raise

your eyebrows. Say words such as “Really,” “Interesting,” as well as more direct

prompts: “What did you do then?” and “What did she say?”

5. Focus solely on what the speaker is saying.

Try not to think about what you are going to say next. The conversation will follow a

logical flow after the speaker makes her point.

6. Minimize internal distractions.

If your own thoughts keep horning in, simply let them go and continuously re-focus

your attention on the speaker, much as you would during meditation.

7. Keep an open mind.

Wait until the speaker is finished before deciding that you disagree. Try not to make

assumptions about what the speaker is thinking.

Types Of Meetings

a) Quick business meetings

(just to check-in, coordinate, share info, prepare for next steps, anticipate

customer or employee needs, answer questions for each other, etc.)

b) “Stand-up” meetings

(no more than 10 minutes to plan the day, make announcements, set

expectations, assure understanding and alignment, identify upcoming

difficulties, etc.)

c) Business meetings

(with customers, clients, colleagues, etc.; often require presentations.)

d) Staff meetings

(to clear calendars, coordinate unit activities, share info, etc.)

e) Management Team meetings

(to solve problems, make decisions, set policy, etc.)

f) Topical meeting.

A gathering called to discuss one subject, such as a work issue or a task

related to a project.

g) Presentation. A highly structured meeting where one or more people

speak and a moderator leads the proceedings. The purpose is usually

to inform. Attendees may have an opportunity to ask questions, but

typically their participation is limited.

h) Conference. A highly structured, moderated meeting, like a

presentation, where various participants contribute following a fixed

agenda.

i) Emergency meeting. A meeting called to address a crisis, whether

internal or external. Such meetings are often arranged with very little

notice, but attendance is mandatory. If the emergency meeting

conflicts with another appointment, the emergency meeting typically

takes precedence.

j) Seminar. A structured meeting with an educational purpose. Seminars

are usually led by people with expertise in the subject matter.

BAJCO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION:

Bajco Pa, LLC or Bajco Global Management is a private company categorized under Pizzeria,

Chain and located in Different States of America & Canada. Current estimates show this

company has annual revenue of $800,000. Bajco Global Management has spent 8 years of its

business. Its principal business is in America, & Canada. The Owner Mr. Abdul Malik Bajwa is

a Pakistani citizen that is why he established one head office in Lahore Pakistan where

employees are monitoring the accounting operations. It has more than 50 Pizza Restaurants in

different states of America & Canada with the name of Papa Johns Pizza.

MEETINGS CRITERIA IN BAJCO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT

Business delegations from America & Canada visit Pakistan’s Head

Office and every visit sets one detailed meeting with the employees and

manager at different agendas. Company has a big and well equipped

meeting room in its premises. The room is equipped with the following

necessary technology:

a) Computers

Ideally, company has a networked computer in their meeting room so that meeting

participants can access their files directly.

b) Projectors

A data/digital Panasonic projector is installed that displays the computer applications. A

projector is essential for showing presentations, spreadsheets or video clips to large groups of

people. Digital projectors are also known as LCD or DLP projectors.

c) Copy Boards

Company spent huge amount for its meeting room equipments to make their meeting easy and

interesting for the participants. Copy boards are installed in front of every participants desk

you can take your traditional whiteboard one step further by offering a means of recording

your notes. The board is connected to a printer, so any notes on the whiteboard can be printed

out and distributed to participants.

d) Multimedia Cabinets

Bajco Global Management has significant investment in its meeting room.

It has spent a lot of amount on multimedia in this room. . A multimedia cabinet

comes pre-configured with the necessary wires and cables, so all you have to do is plug it in

and it’s ready to go. Commercial cabinets, such as SMART Expression mobile multimedia

cabinets from SMART Technologies.

There are far too many people traveling around the country speaking to

audiences with incomplete, outdated, wrong or misleading information.

Reading a couple of books, skimming a dozen journal articles and

researching on the Internet to find five quotations by famous people is

seldom enough to qualify someone to address an audience.

In our fast-paced corporate lifestyles, the time and cost of assembling an

audience grows daily. Audiences who feel they haven't gained value from

a speech will resent our wasting their time.

So I think that the best preparation for a speech is to write a book. That

said, of course, you have to make a living in the meantime. So until you

become the expert in your subject, work on becoming one.

BAJCO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2009

A Delegation came last year at company’s annual meeting.

Thursday December 18, 2009

16:00 – 23:00

Transport of guests from Lahore Airport PC Hotel

Hotel check-in

Late dinner at Hotel

Friday December 19, 2008

8:30

Pick up at hotels

9:00 – 9:15

Coffee

Committee Reports

Archives Erica Moncrief

Awards Elaine Brogan

Bylaws Cathy Weglarz

Consumer Health Mary K. Joyce

Finance Elaine Goldman/JoAn Petersen

Government Relations Jim Delo/Duressa Pujat

Hospitality Vicki Sciuk

Information Technology Claudia Allocco/Patty May

Interlibrary Loan Pat Regenberg

Newsletter Anne Grenda

Nominating Committee Doris Eaton

Public Relations Erica Moncrief

Website Louise Yorke

Meeting Strated at 10.00 am:

The meeting Agenda was as follows

a) Current Company Status

b) Personnel Changes

c) Projected Expansion

d) Advertising Strategies

e) Lowering administrative barriers and reducing restrictions on competition in businessf)

a) Current Company Status

50 pizza stores nationwide expanding to 100 stores over the next four years.

Approximately 2000 Employees

On Financial Fortunes’ list of top 100 companies three years in a row.

At least 15% increase in revenue in a row with a projected 20% increase in next year

b) Personnel Changes

Maria Cortez

Maria Cortez promoted to Vice President in East LLC.

Mark Reynolds

Mr.Mark Reynolds promoted to District Manager Ontario.

Jean O Reilly

Retired after 20 years service.

Adams Justin C

Promoted of Operations Manager in Bajco North LLC

Faisal Bajwa

Mr Faisal Bajwa Promoted as next CEO of the company

c) Projected Expansions

Three new offices over the next 2 years

Tampa Florida

Dallas, Texas

Phoenix Arizona

d) Advertising Strategies

Television Commercials

It was decided in meeting to advertise through the television commercials. The effect of

commercial advertisements upon the viewing public has been so successful and so

pervasive that in some countries, the United States in particular, it is considered

impossible for a politician to wage a successful election campaign without the purchase

of television advertising

Newspaper Ad

It was decided to give full one page ad in a local newspaper.

Radio Spots

More than eight out of ten Americans listening to commercials in exchange for free

radio is a “fair deal” Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or

service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing

their spot or mentioning them on air.

e) Lowering administrative barriers and reducing restrictions on competition in business

Administrative barriers currently present a significant obstacle to the development of

company. Businesses incur high costs when complying with administrative requirements.

Administrative barriers to the development and conduct of business are usually defined as

obstacles caused by government policy or by intentional infringements on the rights and

interests of businesspeople by various government agencies and officials. These obstacles

are created by the adoption of legal acts or by the actions (or inaction) of officials that

somehow improperly restrict or violate the rights of businesspeople.

In order to reduce administrative barriers to doing business, the following measures are

necessary:

Clear delineation of the procedures for licensing, technical regulation, certification, and

accreditation; legality (consistency with federal law) of requirements to obtain various

permits;

Prohibit a government agency and government-owned legal entities from combining

enforcement or oversight functions with the provision of services for fees;

f) At the end open Discussion, Suggestions and special announcements made.

Lunch Program

Lunch was catered by PC Hotel Lahore . Entrée choices include roast beef, Virginia ham

and young tom turkey. A variety of side dishes and deserts is also available. There is no

charge; everyone was invited to participate. Bon appétit

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

INTERVIEW

Even though Bajco Global Management has a lot of information on its websites and a lot of

information is gathered by other areas to make this report possible, still it is very essential to

conduct an interview with an employee of Bajco Global Management so that a clear insight in

the company is established. For this I did an interview of the Financial Manager of Bajco Global

Mr. Muhammad Mahmood who helped in different parts of the project. In the interview, I asked

him a couple of questions which were thought to be the main issues that were hindering my path.

Catering to different consumer needs throughout the world. Due to this powerful range, Bajco

Global is able to meet nearly every consumer expectation at any time of the day, any place in the

world.

Bajco Global Management Brochures

Bajco Global brochures helped a lot in gathering information about its management.

Bajco Global Management Financial Reports

Bajco Global financial report helped very much, in gathering information about its demand and

supply.

Bajco Global Management Computer Data Base

Computer data base about Bajco Global was very useful.

SWOT analysis of Bajco Global Management / Papa John’s Pizza

Strengths

Bajco Global Management is dealing with good policies of Meeting in a company

Employees are given best training to prepare themselves for proper meeting agenda

• Part of the largest restaurant chain in the America Naming Papa John’s Pizza

• Over 150 franchises around the USA

• Brand leader in the USA

• Innovative range of pizzas under one roof

• Famous television advertising

• Food attracts people of various ranges from young to old.

• Sound financial situation and international turnover.

• Bajco Global sits on top of global full-service restaurant tree

Weaknesses

Bajco Global Management is spending much more money to furnish its meeting room

and meeting technology.

Threat

Only threat to the company is loss of money, training due to any reason that causes

meeting failure

Opportunities

• Bajco Global Management is receiving offers from big companies to train their

employees and develop interpersonal skills in their employees.

CONCLUSION

Bajco Global Management is dealing with the best meetings tools. Company is using proper

meeting tips. Bajco Global is providing training to its employees about how to deal with the

delegations and how to present in front of them, how to prepare agenda of meeting and tells

when there is a need for meeting in company.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Bajco Global Should not focus only to create best meetings but also company should save money

instead of consuming much more money in furnishing the meeting room. The saved money can

be invested in establishing a new Pizza store in America.

REFERENCES

Interpersonal Skills At Work

By John Hayes, Edition 2nd

Meetings Do’s Don’ts’ & DONUTS

By Sharon M. Lippincot, Edition 2nd

www.wkipedia.com

www.ehow.com

http://www.ehow.com/

http://www.wkipedia.com/

Effective Meeting Assignment

Business

Transcript of Effective Meeting Assignment