1.2. The agenda
Starting up
Look at the statements giving the most essential information about the agenda, say if they are True or False. Correct the wrong ones.
The Agenda
1. (T/F) communicates important information such as:
1. topics for discussion
2. presenter or discussion leader for each topic
3. time allotment for each topic
2. (T/F) provides an outline for the meeting (how long to spend on which topic)
3. (T/F) can be used as a checklist to ensure that all information is covered
4. (T/F) lets participants know what will be discussed if it's distributed during the meeting.
5. (T/F) This gives them an opportunity to come to the meeting prepared for the upcoming discussions or decisions.
6. (T/F) deprives the meeting of a focus (the objective of the meeting must be clearly stated in the agenda)
7. (T/F) You ask the secretary to inform the participants of the meeting by phone
8. (T/F) In case the participants request an agenda item they must contact the meeting organizers no less than two days before the meeting.
9. (T/F) Meeting organizers should be realistic in the amount of time they allocate to each presenter and cram as many agenda items into an hour meeting as is possible.
10. (T/F) When people accept an hour meeting, they expect it to be finished in an hour.
READING
THE AGENDA
The agenda is a list of items of business to be dealt with at a meeting. These items are arranged in logical order. Routine business is always placed first and any other business at the end of the agenda.
The chairman of the meeting prepares the agenda which is most often given to the participants in advance. The items of business are discussed at the meeting in the order they appear in the agenda. Thanks to the agenda the business of the meeting can be conducted swiftly and effectively. Without it a meeting may quickly go out of control and not achieve its purpose. The agenda of a formal meeting is later included in the minutes.
Below find a simple example of the agenda of a club committee meeting, which the Club Secretary has sent to members of the Committee. He calls the meeting, gives the place, the date and the time of the meeting. He also informs of the items to be discussed. Any other business is often written AOB. A notice, which calls an Annual General Meeting of a company, is sent to all shareholders of the company. Read the examples and note how simple and concise the notices are.
Examples
T
he
Agenda of the Committee Meeting of a Club
FALENICA TENNIS CLUB
ul. Lokalna 7, 00-234 Warszawa
Mr Ann B Janota 28 March 201…
Dear Ms Janota
A meeting of Committee will be held in the Clubhouse on 10 March 201… at 4 pm.
AGENDA
1 Minutes of Committee Meeting on 9 February 201 …
2 Matters arising from the minutes
3 Membership
4 Sub-committee reports
5 Costs of repairing three tennis courts
6 Any other business
Yours sincerely
M.Monko
Club Secretary
The Agenda of a Formal Meeting
The 4th Council Meeting of the IRB Bank will be held
on April 15, 201... in the conference room of the Bank at 10 am.
AGENDA
Opening
Minutes of the previous meeting
Matters arising from the minutes
Report from the President on the current situation
Commercial report
Treasury budget 201...
Staff
Premises
Regulations of The Board
Any other business
Close
By Order of the Board
A Berezyuk
A Berezyuk Secretary
21 March 201…
This is an example of a notice which calls the Annual General Meeting of a company. It has been sent to the shareholders of the company. Note how simple and concise the notice is.
N
otice
Calling the Annual General Meeting of a Company
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 3rd Annual General Meeting of Ogrodex Company Limited will be held in the Company’s office building, at Skierniewice on Tuesday 4 April 20… at 10.30 am for the following purposes:
1 To receive and consider the Company’s Accounts and the Reports of the Directors and of the Auditors for the year ended 31 December 201…
2 To declare a dividend
3 To elect a Director of the Company
4 To fix the remuneration of the Auditors for 201…
5 To transact any other business
By order of the Board
Kovalenko
Company Secretary
March 201…
Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:
1 What is an agenda?
2 How are the items arranged?
3 Who prepares the agenda?
4 Why is the agenda given to participants in advance?
5 What is included in the minutes of the meeting?
6 How is “Any other business” often written?
7 What does “Matters arising from the minutes” mean?
Exercise 2. Fill in the missing prepositions:
The agenda is a list … items …business to be dealt … … the meeting. The items are arranged … logical order. Any other business is placed … the end. Sometimes the agenda is given … participants … advance. The items are discussed … the order they appear … the agenda. Thanks … the agenda the business … the meeting is conducted effectively. … it a meeting may go … … control. The agenda is included … the minutes of the meeting
Exercise 3. Write the agenda for the next committee of a students’ organization “Young Diplomacy”.
Exercise 4. Complete each space in the text with a word formed from the words in brackets.
(Set)………………………. the agenda is one of the most (criticize) …………..parts in planning an (effect)………….meeting. The agenda sets the (toning)………… for the meeting and lets the participants know what to expect. Meeting agendas also keep your meeting on track and allow you to (accomplishment)…………….. what you need to in the (setting)…………… time frame. Set a great meeting agenda and then stick to it. Your meeting will be productive and participants will gladly attend your meetings in the future.
Exercise 5. a) Below you will read the instructions “How to Design Agendas for Successful Meetings». The paragraphs are given randomly, put them in order of priority.
b) Give the contextual synonyms or explain what the words in bold type in the instructions mean.