Formal Meetings: Procedures and Terminology - Essay Example

Name Tutor Course Date Formal Meetings: Procedures and Terminology 1.0 Role of the Chairperson In a formal meeting, the key role of the chairperson will be to communicate the purpose of the meeting and remind the members why they are actually meeting. More specifically, the chairperson will undertake the following roles. I. Set agenda for meetings. II. Maintain order at the meeting. III. Ensure that the organizational conventions are adhered to IV. Ensure fairness and equality at the meetings. V. Approving and confirming the minutes of the meeting. 2.0 Powers of the Chairperson in a Meeting In formal meetings, the chairperson has the powers to determine the order in which individuals can contribute to an issue (Angouri and Meredith 616). The chairperson has the authority to determine the punitive measures to be taken against members who are absent at the meeting without apology. Nevertheless, the chairperson of a meeting has the authority to streamline the agenda and control to contributions of members to ensure time, ethics, conventions and objectivity is adhered to (Bergqvist et al. 12). 3.0 Meetings in Progress The chairperson leads the meetings that have to adhere to the ethical and professional standards as per the conventions. The meetings commence with secretary reading the minutes of the previous meetings before proceeding to take the minutes of the meeting in progress. Members in a formal meeting ought to contribute objectively when a meeting is in progress on approval of the chairperson through whom all remarks have be addressed (Angouri and Meredith 616). 4.0 Substantive and Procedural Motions Substantive motions are simple, direct and objective motions that apply to the agenda of the meeting and the deliberations of such meetings are the core purpose of the members’ contributions. Outcomes of such deliberations are the key outcomes of that particular meeting. Procedural motions are those motions, which pertain to the manner in which a meeting is conducted and usually serve to ensure the meeting takes place smoothly and successfully. Such a motion may seek to prolong or cut short a discussion to ensure that the agenda of a meeting is achieved. V.1 Point of Order A point of order is a question raised in a meeting to ascertain whether the meeting or in particular, a member’s contribution is conforming to the set rules and convention. This mostly happens when a member feels that certain rules are being violated by a speaker; therefore, the point has to be debated before the meeting resumes its course. 6.0 Amendments An amendment refers to a proposed manipulation of an original motion. The amendment in most circumstances does not cause the motion to differ fundamentally from its course. Once the members in a meeting ratify the amendment, it now becomes a substantive motion after which it is now discussed. 7.0 Voting A formal and democratic way of approving or rejecting a proposed decision and may involve members casting ballots or simply lifting their hands in approval or denial. The key importance is to enable members to make an opinion and the majority vote is abided to by all. 8.0 Changes in Techniques of Chairing Meetings The medium through which a meeting is being conducted does indeed affect how the meeting takes place, but it does not change the fundamental techniques use to chair meetings. The only thing that might change is the manner in which members address and relay information each other since it might not be very effective for instance to use demonstrations and other cues. 9.0 Complexities among members Formal meetings usually designed to take into account the different backgrounds of members, the levels of education, socio-economic status and gender. In this regard, the ethical standards as well as the language used should be standardized and customized where possible to ensure that all members are at par during meeting sessions. Moreover, when the meeting is in progress, the chair has to step in where there seems to be any misunderstanding resulting from certain complexities and ensure clarification of ambiguous or unclear concepts. 10. Keeping Conflict at Bay In formal meetings, just like other forums that involve the expression of opinions, conflicts are bound to arise owing to the diversity of perspectives. For these reasons, the chairs in formal meetings have powers vested them such that should they notice any brewing conflict, they are best positioned to stop it. For instance, if a member contributes in a manner that is likely to irritate another member, the chair can stop such a member legitimately. Additionally, the chair has a duty to ensure fairness and equality in meetings. 11. Conflict Resolution This refers to a procedure used to manage conflicts in the setting of a formal meeting after they have occurred. This process calls for a delicate balance between objectively resolving conflicts and avoiding further irritation to affected members that could ultimately divide the panel. The best way of resolving conflicts in formal meetings is through negotiations mediated by neutral parties in order to find a binding solution. 12. Role of Minutes Minutes play a critical role in the realm of meetings since they record the final actions that have been agreed upon in meetings, those who are responsible and the milestones involved. These are usually the outcomes of the deliberations substantive motions. Essentially, minutes are taken in meetings in order to confirm decisions made by members, prompt for action from any specific attendees, provide the details of a meeting to absentees and more importantly, serve as a record of the meeting procedures and outcome. This is why the minutes of a previous meeting usually form the starting point of the next meeting. Moreover, minutes in formal meetings also serve as legal documents that are usually used to back up tax returns by business organizations (Schwartz & Michael 365). 13. Any Other Business (AOB) This is usually the last item on the agenda that for the attendees to suggest any additional matter not covered in the agenda for discussion. It provides a window of discussing emergent issues that came up after the agenda had been set. Works Cited Angouri, Jo, and Meredith Marra. "Corporate meetings as genre: a study of the role of the chair in corporate meeting talk." Text & Talk-An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse & Communication Studies 30.6 (2010): 615-636. Bergqvist, Jens, et al. "Moving out of the Meeting Room." ECSCW’99. Springer Netherlands, 1999. Schwartz, Miriam, and Michael S. Weisbach. "What do boards really do? Evidence from minutes of board meetings." Journal of Financial Economics 108.2 (2013): 349-366. Read More