Improve your professional communication with our comprehensive glossary of 30 essential meeting terms.
Understanding meeting terminology is crucial for effective communication and collaboration in the workplace. A shared understanding of meeting terminology fosters clarity, minimizes misunderstandings, and ensures that everyone is on the same page. It streamlines the meeting process, allowing participants to focus on substantive discussions rather than getting bogged down by ambiguous language or miscommunications. Moreover, mastering meeting terminology demonstrates professionalism and credibility, enabling you to engage in productive dialogues and make valuable contributions.
Agenda: A document outlining the topics, items, or issues to be discussed during a meeting. It serves as a guide for the meeting's structure and helps ensure all important matters are addressed.
Minutes: The official written record of what occurred during a meeting. Minutes typically include details such as attendees, topics discussed, decisions made, action items assigned, and any other relevant information.
Quorum: The minimum number of members required to be present for a meeting to be considered valid and for decision-making to occur. The quorum is typically defined in an organization's bylaws or governing documents.
Adjourn: To formally conclude or end a meeting. Once a meeting is adjourned, no further business can be conducted until the next scheduled meeting or a new one is called.
Motion: A formal proposal or recommendation made during a meeting, typically by a member, for the group to take a specific action or make a decision. Motions are usually seconded, discussed, and then voted upon.
Meetings come in various forms, each serving a distinct purpose. Understanding the different types of meetings can help you prepare and participate effectively.
Staff Meetings: These are regular gatherings of team members or employees within a department or organization. Staff meetings aim to share updates, discuss ongoing projects, address challenges, and align on goals and priorities.
Board Meetings: Typically held by organizations or companies with a governing board, these meetings involve board members and key stakeholders. Board meetings focus on strategic decision-making, reviewing financial reports, and providing oversight and guidance for the organization.
Brainstorming Sessions: As the name suggests, these meetings are designed to encourage creative thinking and generate ideas. Brainstorming sessions are often used for problem-solving, product development, or exploring new initiatives. They foster an open and collaborative environment where participants can share thoughts and build upon each other's ideas.
Project Meetings: These meetings are essential for managing and coordinating project-related activities. Project meetings bring together team members, stakeholders, and subject matter experts to discuss progress, address challenges, assign tasks, and ensure the project stays on track.
Client Meetings: In a business context, client meetings are held to discuss requirements, provide updates, or present solutions to clients or customers. These meetings are crucial for building and maintaining strong client relationships, understanding their needs, and ensuring their satisfaction.
Training Sessions: These meetings are designed to impart knowledge, skills, or information to participants. Training sessions can cover a wide range of topics, from product or software training to professional development workshops, and are often led by subject matter experts or trainers.
Team-Building Meetings: These meetings aim to foster collaboration, improve communication, and build trust among team members. Team-building meetings may include activities, exercises, or discussions that promote teamwork, conflict resolution, and a positive work environment.
Understanding the purpose and dynamics of each meeting type can help you prepare accordingly, contribute effectively, and ensure productive and meaningful discussions.
Effective meetings require clear roles and responsibilities to ensure smooth operations and productive outcomes. Here are some key meeting roles and their associated duties:
Chairperson/Meeting Leader: The chairperson is responsible for leading the meeting, setting the agenda, maintaining order, encouraging participation, summarizing discussions, and facilitating decision-making processes.
Facilitator: A facilitator is a neutral party whose primary role is to guide the meeting's flow, encourage participation from all attendees, manage time effectively, and ensure that discussions remain focused and productive.
Timekeeper: The timekeeper monitors the meeting's progress, keeps track of the time allocated for each agenda item, and alerts the chairperson or facilitator when it's time to move on to the next topic.
Note-taker/Minute-taker: The note-taker is responsible for recording the meeting's proceedings, capturing key discussions, decisions, action items, and any other relevant information. They distribute the meeting minutes to attendees after the meeting.
Participants/Attendees: Participants are the individuals who attend the meeting to contribute their knowledge, expertise, and perspectives to the discussions. They are expected to actively participate, listen attentively, and provide constructive input.
By clearly defining and assigning these roles, meetings can run smoothly, stay on track, and achieve their intended objectives efficiently.
Meeting etiquette refers to the norms and expected behaviors that ensure meetings are productive, respectful, and efficient. It encompasses practices like arriving on time, active listening, avoiding interruptions, and staying on topic.
Arriving on Time: Punctuality is crucial in meetings, as late arrivals can disrupt the flow and waste everyone's time. Aim to join a few minutes early to settle in and be ready to engage from the start.
Active Listening: Effective meetings require all participants to listen attentively to the speaker without distractions. Active listening involves making eye contact, taking notes, and refraining from multitasking or using devices unrelated to the meeting.
Avoiding Interruptions: Interrupting others while they're speaking can be disrespectful and hinder effective communication. Allow speakers to finish their thoughts before raising your hand or waiting for an appropriate pause to contribute.
Staying on Topic: Meetings often have agendas or specific goals, and it's essential to stay focused on the relevant topics. Tangents or unrelated discussions can derail the meeting and waste valuable time. If a new topic arises, suggest addressing it later or in a separate meeting.
By adhering to these etiquette guidelines, participants can create a positive and productive meeting environment that values everyone's time and contributions.
Call to Order: This term refers to the formal start of a meeting, typically announced by the chair or presiding officer. It signals that the meeting is officially in session and that all attendees should be present and ready to proceed.
Roll Call: A roll call is the process of recording attendance at a meeting by calling out the names of expected attendees and noting their presence or absence. This helps establish quorum (the minimum number of members required to conduct business) and keeps an official record of participation.
Open Discussion: An open discussion is a portion of the meeting where participants can freely share ideas, opinions, and comments on the topics being addressed. This allows for collaborative input and diverse perspectives to be heard.
Parliamentary Procedure: Parliamentary procedure refers to a set of established rules and guidelines that govern how meetings are conducted, motions are made, and decisions are reached. Common examples include Robert's Rules of Order and Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure. These procedures ensure meetings run smoothly and fairly.
Adjourning: Adjourning a meeting is the formal process of ending or closing the meeting. This typically involves a motion to adjourn, which is voted on by the attendees. Once the motion passes, the chair or presiding officer officially declares the meeting adjourned, and attendees are free to leave.
Consensus: An agreement reached by a group as a whole, where all participants can support the decision, even if it's not their first choice. Consensus decision-making aims to find a solution that is acceptable to all.
Majority Vote: A decision-making process where more than half of the voting members must vote in favor for a proposal to pass. This allows the majority to prevail while protecting minority rights.
Unanimous Decision: A situation where all voting members agree on a course of action, with no one dissenting. Unanimous decisions are often required for critical matters like amending bylaws or approving mergers.
Motion: A formal proposal put forward during a meeting for the group to consider and vote on. Motions provide a clear path for decision-making and ensure all perspectives are heard.
Second: Support expressed by a meeting participant for a motion to be considered. A motion cannot proceed without being seconded by another attendee.
Floor: The opportunity for an attendee to speak and be heard during the meeting. Participants must be recognized and granted the floor before speaking.
Call the Question: A request made by a participant to end debate and bring a motion to an immediate vote. This procedural motion aims to expedite decision-making.
Video Conferencing: A virtual meeting where participants in different locations can communicate using video, audio, and screen sharing capabilities. Common video conferencing platforms include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc.
Screen Sharing: The ability to share your computer screen or specific applications with meeting participants, allowing everyone to view the same content simultaneously. Screen sharing is useful for presentations, demonstrations, and collaborative work.
Mute/Unmute: The option to temporarily disable or enable your microphone during a virtual meeting. Muting yourself when not speaking helps reduce background noise and interruptions.
Virtual Background: A feature that allows you to replace your actual background with a digital image or blur, providing privacy and minimizing distractions during video calls.
Breakout Rooms: Separate virtual rooms within a larger meeting where smaller groups can have private discussions or work on tasks independently before rejoining the main session.
Chat: A text-based communication channel within the video conferencing platform, allowing participants to send messages, share links, or ask questions without interrupting the audio.
Recording: The ability to capture and save the audio, video, and screen sharing content of a virtual meeting for future reference or sharing with absent participants.
Host: The person responsible for managing the virtual meeting, including starting and ending the session, muting participants, sharing content, and assigning roles or permissions.
Action Items: These are tasks or activities assigned to specific individuals during a meeting, with a deadline for completion. Action items help ensure that decisions made during the meeting are implemented and that progress is made on important initiatives.
Deliverables: Similar to action items, deliverables are tangible outputs or products that need to be completed by a certain date. Deliverables are often more substantial or complex than action items and may involve multiple tasks or team members.
Follow-Up Tasks: These are smaller, less formal tasks that arise during a meeting and need to be addressed or followed up on after the meeting. Follow-up tasks may include sending out meeting notes, scheduling a follow-up meeting, or gathering additional information.
Parking Lot: A parking lot is a list or section where issues or topics that come up during a meeting but cannot be fully addressed at that time are "parked" for later discussion or follow-up. This helps keep the meeting focused and on track while ensuring that important points are not forgotten.
Accountability: During meetings, it is essential to assign clear accountability for action items, deliverables, and follow-up tasks. This means specifying who is responsible for each task, as well as any relevant deadlines or milestones.
Follow-Up Meeting: After a meeting, it is often necessary to schedule a follow-up meeting to review progress on action items, discuss any outstanding issues, and plan next steps. Follow-up meetings help maintain momentum and ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner.
Meeting Evaluation Form: A document or survey used to gather feedback from attendees about the effectiveness, structure, and outcomes of a meeting. It typically includes questions about the meeting's objectives, agenda, facilitation, participation, decision-making processes, and overall satisfaction.
Retrospective: A structured meeting held after a project or event to reflect on what went well, what didn't go well, and identify areas for improvement. Retrospectives are commonly used in agile methodologies to continuously improve processes and team dynamics.
Plus/Delta: A simple retrospective technique where participants identify what went well (plus) and what could be improved (delta) during a meeting or project. This feedback is then used to make adjustments for future meetings or iterations.
Action Items: Specific tasks or follow-up actions assigned to individuals or teams during a meeting, with a defined timeline for completion. Reviewing action items from previous meetings is a common practice to ensure accountability and progress.
Meeting Minutes: The official written record of a meeting, including attendees, agenda items, discussions, decisions, and action items. Meeting minutes serve as a reference for those who attended and a source of information for those who did not.
Meeting Effectiveness Rating: A quantitative or qualitative measure used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of a meeting. Participants may rate the meeting on factors such as productivity, time management, decision-making, and achievement of objectives.
Feedback Loop: A continuous process of gathering feedback, implementing changes based on that feedback, and then gathering new feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of those changes. Establishing feedback loops for meetings can help organizations continuously improve their meeting practices.
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