Business meetings are important occurrences in the commercial world.
Many organizations rely on business meetings as part of daily work, as they allow important decisions to be made and information to be shared. The details of what was said in a business meeting may need to be revisited in the future, and so it is important that all agreements are minuted and filed for future reference. To hold a business meeting, you need a few basic things.
Room or Hall
You will need to book a room or conference hall in which to hold your meeting. This could be at your office, or at a location that has been previously agreed upon between all parties. The size of the room depends heavily on the number of attendees, and be warned that if you are booking a conference hall in a public place then you may need to make your reservation a few weeks in advance.
Attendees
Draw up a list of who you wish to attend. Avoid inviting everyone you can think of who is remotely associated with the content of your meeting, but instead invite those who are directly involved. They can then go back to their respective teams and communicate any discussions or agreements that are relevant. Send out invitations at least a week before the meeting is scheduled to give people time to respond.
Agenda
The chairperson of the meeting (usually the person who called it to begin with) should create an agenda and circulate this to all attendees a few days before the start of the meeting, allowing them to review it and suggest any amendments. An agenda will provide structure to the meeting and allow all necessary discussion points to be covered.
Previous Minutes
If the meeting is a continuation of one or more previous meetings, then you will need to agree upon the minutes of the previous meeting right at the beginning of your latest business meeting. This will indicate that all parties are happy with what was recorded and that they are in agreement with the decisions made.
Minute-Taker
Often a secretary, every business meeting requires a minute-taker, to make notes of discussions held and any motions that have been agreed or denied. This will then be recorded and filed for future reference after having been signed off by the attendees as a true and accurate record of what was said.
