1

EFFECTIVE GROUP
DISCUSSIONS
&
MEETINGS
 2

LEARNING OUTCOMES
• At the end of the lesson, students should be
able to:
1. distinguish between the various types and
purposes of discussions/ meetings.
2. construct a complete meeting agenda and
minutes of meeting
3. analyze participant behaviour at meetings and
identify methods to encourage full
participation of all members
4. conduct and participate in a meeting
 3

EFFECTIVE GROUP DISCUSSIONS &

MEETINGS
• Working in groups
• Problem solving communication
• Effective communication in groups
• Types of meetings
• Planning and conducting meetings
• Memo, meeting agenda and meeting minutes
 4

Working in Groups
• Most modern jobs involve working with
others
• Groups can have advantages over individuals
▫ Productivity
▫ Accuracy
▫ Enthusiasm
• Group work relies heavily on communication
and other skills
 5

FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF
GROUP MEMBERS
Task Functions Relational Functions Dysfunctional Roles
Information giver Participation encourager Blocker
Information seeker Harmonizer Attacker
Opinion giver Tension reliever Recognition-seeker
Evaluator of emotional
Opinion seeker Joker
climate
Starter Praise giver Withdrawer
Direction giver Empathic listener
Summarizer
Diagnoser
Energizer
Gatekeeper
Reality tester

Table 8-2: Functional Roles of Group Members (abbreviated)

 6

Working in Groups

• Small group discussions/ meetings can be

formal or informal in nature in which members
of the group come together to solve problems,
negotiate and make decisions.
 7

Problem-Solving Communication

Reflective Thinking Sequence

1. Define the problem

2. Analyze the problem
3. Establish criteria for a solution
4. Consider possible solutions to the problem
5. Decide on a solution
6. Implement the solution
7. Follow up on the solution
 8

Problem-Solving Communication
Decision-Making Methods
▫ Consensus
▫ Majority vote
▫ Minority decision
▫ Expert opinion
▫ Authority rule
▫ Choice based on type of decision, importance,
time available, and member relationships
 9

Effective Communication in Groups

• Seven factors of optimal cohesiveness
1.Shared or compatible goals
2.Progress towards goals
3.Shared norms or values
4.Minimal feelings of threat between members
5.Interdependence among members
6.Competition from outside the group
7.Shared group experiences
 10

WORKING IN GROUPS

• Typical scenarios which involve working in

groups include small group discussions/
meetings
 11

Types of Meetings

1. Information- Sharing meeting

• Shift meetings: off duty members share

information with members taking over their shift

• Weekly meetings: usually held by corporate

organizations to keep members up-to-date on the
progress of the company divisions
 12

Types of Meetings
2. Virtual meeting
▫ Teleconferences
▫ Videoconferences
▫ Online meetings
• Advantages include:
 Less expensive
 Easier to schedule
 Takes less time
 Allows more people to attend
 13

Types of Meetings
3. Ritual meeting
• also known as progress review sessions
• conducted at a venue out of the office
• discussions at such meeting could include
- a production team making decisions on which
supplier to engage or the quality of material to
purchase for an upcoming project
- a project team working out plans involving cost,
market demands, technical information for an
ongoing project
 14

Types of Meetings

4. Problem- Solving/ Decision Making meeting

• the most common form of meetings

• conducted to take some action or make a change in

existing policies or procedures in a department or
organization

• examples include monthly board meetings,

departmental meetings or club meetings
 15

Participants of a meeting
• Participants of a meeting usually include:
1. Chairperson
2. Secretary
3. Treasurer
4. Other members (unit heads, executives,
division supervisors, etc)
 16

Where is this place?

 17

Planning the Meeting

1. Decide whether a meeting is appropriate
2. Choose the right attendees
3. Schedule enough time for tasks at hand
4. Choose or propose meeting time and location
convenient to most members
5. Arrange the necessary room and facilities
6. Circulate a memo containing the agenda of the
meeting
 18

MEMO
• A form that is used to send important
messages within an organization.
• Memos should be short and to the point
• Every memo should contain the following
elements:
1. Heading
2. Date
3. Addressee
4. Sender
5. Subject
 19

Memos vs. Letters

Use memos rather than letters when you are

communicating within your organization,
including members of your department, upper
management, employees at another branch of
your company in another city, etc.
 20

MEMORANDUM

TO: Editorial staff

DATE: 17th January 2011
FROM: Mr. Abdul Karim Osman, Head Editor
SUBJECT: Memo format

INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to let you know how to set up a memo.

Heading Information: The material at the top of the memo always includes the date,
the names of the writer and the receiver of the memo, and the subject of the memo.

1. Use a courtesy title (Mr., Miss, Mrs., Ms., Dr.) before the recipient's name and a job title
after it
2. Use a job title after your name, and hand write your initials by your name. This confirms
that you take responsibility for the contents of the memo.
3. The subject heading should be as specific as possible.

Formatting Memos: use all the same formatting devices as other documents, including the
following:
• Headings to help the reader skim for sections of the document.
• Numbered and bulleted lists to make information easily accessible.
• Typographical devices such as underlining, boldfacing, italics, etc. to make headings and
important information stand out.

Paragraphing: As in all technical and business communications, long paragraphs of dense

text make reading more difficult. Keep your paragraphs short and to the point.
 21

Setting an Agenda

1. An agenda is a list of topics to be covered in a meeting. It

gives a sense of direction and purpose for the meeting.

1. Enough copies of the agenda should be distributed to all

members of the meeting prior to the meeting.

2. An agenda should encompass the following:

1. What do we need to do to achieve our objective?

2. What conversations will be important to the people
that attend?
3. What information will we need to bring?
 22

Components of a Complete Agenda

1. Time
2. Location
3. Participants
4. Background Information
5. Items and Goals
 23

Sample agenda
Name of Group
Location/ Venue of meeting
Date - Start Time - End Time
1. Welcome address by Chairperson
2. Reading of Minutes of Previous Meeting
3. Approval/Confirmation of Minutes of Previous
Meeting
4. Matters arising from previous minutes
5. Committee/ Unit Reports
6. Special Business
7. Any other Business
8. Wrap Up (date, time and place of next meeting)
9. Close and Adjourn
 24

Conducting the meeting

1. Open the meeting.

• Chairperson identifies the goals for the meeting,

provide necessary information, clarify expectations for
member’s roles, preview sequence of events the
meeting, identify time constraints
 25

Conducting the meeting

2. Encourage balanced participation

• Use questions to draw out quiet members.

• Redirect off-track comments with references to the
agenda and relevance
• Suggest moving on when an agenda item has been
dealt with adequately
 26

Conducting the meeting

3. Maintain a positive tone

• Use questions and paraphrasing as non-defensive

responses to hostile remarks
• Rephrase dubious comments to support progress
 27

Conducting the meeting

4. Solve problems creatively

• Define the problem clearly

• Analyze the cause and effect of the problem
• Present/ develop clear criteria for resolving the problem
• Brainstorm possible solutions
• Develop methods of implementing the solution
 28

Conducting the meeting

5. Conclude the meeting

• Keep meeting within pre-agreed length

• End early if agenda items have all been discussed
• Summarize the meeting’s results and preview future
actions
• Acknowledge contributions of group members
• Set date fro future meeting or meetings
 29

Closing the meeting

1. Base upcoming meeting agenda upon results of
outcomes of previous meeting

2. Chairperson and members must follow up on

assignments and responsibilities assigned to
them from previous meeting
 30

Minutes of meeting
• An official record of the proceedings of a meeting.

• The minutes are normally recorded by the Secretary.

• Minutes are prepared based on the outline of the agenda

and should include the following:
1. Name of organization
2. Date, time, venue
3. Agenda

• Minutes of the previous meeting are normally endorsed by

the members before the start of the meeting.
 31

Items to include in Minutes of Meeting

PRODUCTION UNIT MEETING NO 1 / 2011
DATE: January 17th, 2011
TIME: 2.00 PM
VENUE: LEVEL 3 MEETING ROOM, BLOCK B

1. List of members present:

2. List of members absent with apologies:

3. Agenda for PRODUCTION UNIT MEETING NO 1 / 2011

4. Minutes of PRODUCTION UNIT MEETING NO 3 / 2010

Minutes of meeting template
NO AGENDA ACTION
1 Welcome address by Chairperson
1.1
1.2
2 Reading of Minutes of Previous Meeting
2.1
3 Approval/Confirmation of Minutes of Previous Meeting
3.1
4 Matters arising from previous minutes
4.1
5 Committee/ Unit Reports
5.1
6 Special Business
7 Any other Business
8 Wrap Up (date, time and place of next meeting)
9 Close and Adjourn

Minutes prepared by, Minutes approved by ,

___________________ ___________________
(NAME) (NAME)
SECRETARY PRESIDENT 32
 33

Roles members play during meetings

• During a meeting, members often assume roles

• These roles are played consciously or

unconsciously and include:
1. Task functions
2. Social/ Relational functions
3. Dysfunctional roles
 34

USEFUL PHRASES TO USE DURING

MEETING

• Please refer to Handout 1 for a list of phrases

that can be used at the following instances of a
meeting:

• Start of meeting
• During meeting
• End of meeting
 35

THE END
 36

THE TASK

In groups of 6, you are to conduct a meeting for an event the group has agreed to organize. Each
group is given 30 minutes to prepare. The meeting should last between 20 - 30 minutes. As a
group, you are to decide on an issue that is to be deliberated during the said meeting. Each
member is to assume a role (Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Unit Heads, etc) and to prepare an
agenda for the meeting. You will be evaluated on a group basis.

SCENARIO:

SEDEX
Based on low visits by the general public in the previous Science &
Engineering Design Exhibition (SEDEX), your committee has been given
the task to enhance public interest in visiting the exhibition. Discuss and
decide on the strategies for the said purpose.