How A Meeting Should Be Conducted

Notices and Preliminaries

It is important to recognise that the various customs, conventions and practices that have become traditional in the way meetings are conducted have been built up over a period of many years in the light of the advantages to be derived from their adoption. Furthermore, by following these well-tried protocols and procedures, the office-bearers will be able to justify any course of action, which may have to be defended. Subsequent attacks by dissatisfied or irascible members who find it temptingly easy to be “wise after the event” and to criticise the actions of the executive committee with the benefit of hindsight.

People in the business need to draft the notices, agendas and minutes of various meetings. Since these are legal documents, care should be taken to use correct terms and reporting. The modern tendency towards informality has resulted in considerable flexibility as to the format.

A notice is sent to everyone who is entitled to be invited to attend the meeting, i.e. a meeting is convened. The intended readers and type of meeting determine whether a formal or an informal layout and style of writing should be used.

The period of notice given is as prescribed in the rules and regulations of the organisation relating to the convening of meetings, or, if there are no such Rules and Regulations, or if they do not deal with the matter, then a reasonable period should be given, giving everyone concerned the opportunity of attending. A period of seven days is usually found to be the best.

It is important that the notice has been properly authorised by the right person(s), as prescribed in the rules and Regulations if any, or by the executive committee.

The notice should be definite, that is, it has not been made conditional upon the happening of any other event – such as that the weather is not too cold.

The notice is explicit regarding the day, time and venue of the meeting. The time, when, and the place where the meeting is to be held must be reasonably convenient for all those invited to attend.

The notice gives a clear indication of the business of the meeting, the purpose for which the meeting has been convened, so that a member can decide whether his interest is affected and whether he wishes to attend the meeting or not.

Importance of The Notice of The Meeting

If you should consider the above information, it is obvious that the notice of a meeting is very important. Any irregularity regarding the above-mentioned could have serious consequences: a member who had a valid complaint could, by obtaining a Court Order, have the meeting invalidated and all the business transacted there are declared null and void. It is therefore of great importance that these points regarding the notice of any given meeting should be carefully observed and scrupulously adhered to.

The Agenda

The word “agenda” in Latin, meaning “the things to be done” and an agenda paper is a sheet of paper on which the items of business to be dealt with at the meeting are set out in the order in which it is proposed that they should be dealt with.

It is virtually impossible to conduct a meeting in an orderly manner without an agenda paper. Unless the meeting has been convened to deal with one item of special business only, in such a case there will be no need for an agenda paper to be drawn up, since everyone present will know the nature of the business to be dealt with. This will have been set out in the notice of the meeting.

It is always practical to supply all those attending with a copy of the agenda paper.

In the case of a private meeting it is a useful practice, unless the agenda is too long, for it to be included in the notice of the meeting. This not only informs recipients of the business to be dealt with at the meeting, but also effect a saving in stationery and postage. A further advantage of the practice of including the agenda in the notice of the meeting is that time is saved at the meeting, since everyone present will have received a notice including a copy of the agenda paper.

Usual Order of Items in the Agenda

Items of business are usually arranged in the agenda-paper in the following order:

1. The appointment of the chairperson, unless there is a regular chairperson.
2. Verification of the correctness of the minutes of the last meeting.
3. Finance and the treasurer’s report regarding the present financial position of the organisation.
4. Reports of any committee that has been appointed.
5. Correspondence.
6. Items of business individually specified.
7. General, that is, any other business that is within the scope of the notice and may therefore be dealt with at the meeting.

The above-mentioned order in which items are set out in the agenda paper is only a suggestion and if the chairperson thinks that this order should be varied for some reason, this may be done, provided that the meeting agrees to the variation. This approval is important if subsequent disputes regarding the way the meeting was conducted are to be avoided.

It sometimes happens that an agenda paper omits an item of business that should have been included, but that was left out owing to an oversight. In such a case it is important to ensure that the matter is covered by the notice of the meeting. If it is so covered, the approval of the meeting to its inclusion should be obtained by the chairperson to forestall any possibility of a dispute at a later stage. If the item is not covered by the notice, it can only be added to the agenda if all the members of the organisation are present and so agree.

Procedural Points

All members should know meeting procedures. There are several points that people use in meetings to ensure that the meetings run smoothly. Often members use these points to assist the chairperson.

The following are procedural points most used in meetings:

Point of Order: It should be used when a member feels that the meeting procedure is not being stuck to and she/he wants the meeting to return to the correct procedure or order. For example, when an individual is speaking totally off the point, another member might ask on a point of order for the speaker to stick to the agenda.

Point of Information: A member may raise their hand and ask to make point of information (or request information) when it is not his or her turn to speak. This can enable a member to speak (by putting up his/her hand and asking to speak) when it is not his/her turn, to request more information on the matter being discussed or to give more information on a point being discussed.

Out of Order: When an individual is not sticking to meeting procedures, being rude, interjecting or misbehaving is some way, the chairperson might rule him/her out of order.

Protection: A speaker who is being harassed when he/she is speaking can ask for the protection of the chairperson.

Quorums: This is the minimum number of people who must be present for the meeting to conduct business and take decisions. This number is stated in the organisation's constitution. The meeting cannot start until there is a quorum. Always ensure that you have this minimum number of people at a meeting, especially when decisions must be taken. If you do not, and decisions are taken, members who were not present can request that it is re-discussed, meaning that time was wasted.

All these points are called meeting rules or procedures, which are there to try to make meetings more efficient and effective. They should not be over-used just for the sake of it.