Have you ever been to a meeting and not been aware of what was really happening behind the scenes? Have you attended a meeting and wondered what decisions were actually made? Then you should find this article helpful.
Have you ever been to a meeting and not been aware of what was really happening behind the scenes? Or have you attended a meeting and wondered what decisions were actually made? Then you should find this article helpful.
Meetings, like any interactions between people, have politics which leads to different kinds of meetings for different situations. Knowing the kind of meeting in advance can help you make the best of the situation.
All meetings have people who pull the strings. They may be people attending the meeting or they may be behind the scenes but they do influence the proceedings. This could be by influencing the agenda, how the meeting is conducted and how the minutes are produced. Some meetings may also include terms of reference which can set meeting objectives and boundaries for discussions. Here are some common types of meetings:
The totally Controlled Meeting
Some meetings may be totally controlled before the start, so discussions and agreed outcomes follow an unwritten agenda, and the actual written agenda and the meeting minutes reflect this. Attendees may be allowed to make suggestions for the agenda and can contribute points during the meeting but unless these agree with the unwritten plan the points can become lost or diluted.
If an attendee gets to know or join the inner circle behind the meeting then they can influence the process. Otherwise the meeting tends to support the status quo or an intended outcome. Such meetings tend to take place in organisations which tend to remain as they are or only slowly change, or where specific points must be covered in a very systematic way.
The Pre-Meeting Meeting
In some organisations the key people in a meeting get together in advance in a pre-meeting and can rehearse and possibly agree their contributions and decisions in advance. So when the real meeting takes place there are no surprise contributions from the key members and there is little chance of unexpected decisions.
Pre-meetings tend to be used to smooth the flow of the real meeting and can be useful where meetings consist of groups of people with different skills and interests which could pull the meeting in an unwanted direction.
The loosely Controlled Meeting
The loosely controlled meeting can allow more freedom for attendees and agenda items can be contributed to. Meeting discussions can include new or unexpected points correctly recorded in the minutes. However there may be long standing or pre-set agenda items which can carry more weight, and minutes may still be tailored to suit a purpose.
The loosely controlled meting does tend to be more satisfying for all attendees because all can genuinely contribute to the process, within overall guidelines.
The Truly Open Meeting
A truly open meeting does gives attendees freedom over the agenda, how the meeting is run, and the resulting minutes, but usually with clear terms of reference so the meeting boundaries are set. Attendees decide the agenda, run the meeting and produce the minutes themselves.
This meeting type can be used by an organisation or group of people who want fresh ideas or creative solutions to a problem and deliberately give attendees as much freedom as possible, but attendees tend to be chosen very carefully.
The Unstructured Meeting
Often used at the start of a new process, the unstructured meeting is frequently intended to set the way for future meetings and often includes carefully chosen attendees with particular skills and knowledge. The attendees themselves set the agenda, appoint a chairperson and organise the minutes.
The meeting purpose is set by terms of reference but thereafter attendees decide on next steps, which can include creation of further specialised gatherings and meetings.
The Consultation Meeting
The consultation meeting seeks views and opinions and the results are often used in other meetings or discussions, so the agenda tends to be very clearly set and minutes reflect points made against each set topic rather than particular decisions being made.
General Conclusions about meeting types
Meetings often reflect an organisational style and people in the organisation do tend to know this and how their meetings work. Understanding how the terms of reference, agenda and minutes are controlled can help you make effective use of a meeting.
Consider attending one of the many courses available on Managing Meetings to find out more about the workings of meetings and to build your meeting management skills further.
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