Effective Meeting Assignment

Types & Purpose Of Meetings

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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:

ensure all participants are adequately prepared for the meeting

ensure each agenda item achieves the desired outcome

save time during the meeting
Agenda Sample

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)
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

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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

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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

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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):

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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.

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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

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(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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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 business
f)
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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Effective Meeting Assignment

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