11.1 Taking part in a meeting.
A. Discuss these questions:
- What seems to be happening in each photo? What do you think the people might be talking about? In the first picture I think they are talking about the finances of the company, in the second one they’re in a recess talking about some pending business, the third one they’re talking about a project they want to make.
- Which of these meetings would you feel most comfortable taking part in? The first one because they are in a meeting room.
- Which of them is most unlike the meetings you have attended? Why is this the case? The second one because they are in a little table talking and that’s not the best option.
- How long do you spend in meetings in an average week? I don’t work.
D. Discuss these questions:
- What “golden rules” can you suggest to make sure meetings are successful? You need to listen everyone’s opinion and share different points of view.
- What advice would you give to someone who feels too shy to speak their mind at meetings? There’s no reason to feel yourself shy, you just need to listen what people say and give an opinion because if you don’t talk, if it’s like you weren’t there.
11.3 Different kinds of meetings
B. What kind of meeting is the best way of dealing with each one?
a) a one-to-one meeting of two of the people involved
b) a meeting of four or five of the people involved
c) a meeting of about ten of the people involved
d) a meeting of everyone involved
e) no meeting: one person should decide what to do and then inform everyone by phone or by sending out a memo
1. A large, influential customer continually pays late. Your sales manager and credit controller have politely and repeatedly complained but this hasn’t made any difference. The time has come to decide what to do about this. A one-to-one meeting of two of the people involved.
2. In a small factory the older workers are ignoring safety rules and encouraging the younger ones to do the same. Some of these rules may be excessively cautious and the older workers’ production rates are very good. A meeting of four or five of the people involved.
3. In a medium-sized factory, groups of workers operate as teams. One group has been getting poorer results than the other teams and verbal warnings have had no effect. A meeting of about ten of the people involved.
4. The firm is having a bad year and it will probably be necessary to make five members of the office staff redundant. The normal policy is “last in - first out”. A meeting of four or five of the people involved.
5. Someone has been leaking information about your firm’s product to your competitor. It may be a member of your staff or one of your preferred suppliers. A one-to-one meeting of two of the people involved.
6. The board requires a report on your department’s long-term plans over the next ten years. No meeting: one person should decide what to do and then inform everyone by phone or by sending out a memo.
7. The territories covered by your sales force have been unchanged for ten years. A revision of the boundaries might make the team more efficient. A meeting of everyone involved.
8. There is to be a company picnic next month and everything has to be planned and organized. A meeting of everyone involved.
11.4 We need to have a meeting
Look at these opinions about meetings. Put a tick ✔ beside the opinions you share and a cross x beside the ones you disagree with.
1. The purpose of most meetings is to decide when the next one will take place. x
2. A meeting is a group of people who can decide nothing alone and who decide together that nothing can be done. x
3. It’s better to send everyone a memo about a new procedure that to have a meeting about it. x
4. Meetings help everyone to feel personally involved in decision-making. ✔
5. It’s better for the boss to make a decision that to have a meeting. x
6. The most important person at a meeting is the chairperson. x
7. The most important piece of paper at a meeting is the agenda. ✔
8. Most meetings are unnecessary, they’re just a way of making people feel important. x
9. It’s better to talk to each person individually than to call them all together for a meeting. ✔
10. A meeting may be the only chance the members of a group actually have to see each other face-to-face. ✔
11. Meetings lead to better decisions, because of the exchange of information and ideas. ✔
12. You can never rely on the person who takes the minutes to tell the truth about what actually happened at a meeting. ✔
13. More time is wasted during meetings than during any other business activity. ✔
