Generalitat

Generalitat de
de Catalunya
Catalunya Unió
Unió Europea
Europea
Departament
Departament d’Ensenyament
d’Ensenyament Fons
Fons Social
Social Europeu
Europeu

READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

1. Read the next article.

HOLDING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

Too many business meetings are badly organised, ineffective, long and boring.
Call a meeting only when it’s absolutely critical, and structure it carefully so
that it achieves its purpose.

1. Ask yourself if the meeting is really necessary. Do you only want to pass
on information? If so, maybe you could send an email or memo. If you
need to discuss something, you can deal with the matter by conference
call?
2. If you decide that you need a meeting, make a list of who needs to
attend. It’s a good idea to keep the list as short as possible, as large
meetings can be more difficult to keep focused. Suggest that people
attend only the parts of the meeting that involve them. This saves time
and helps to keep to the agenda.
3. Decide exactly when the meeting will start and finish. Start the meeting
at the correct time, whether or not everyone is present. Avoid taking
too much time to summarize for people who come late. Schedule a
meeting before lunch, at the end of the day, or immediately before
another meeting to prevent it from becoming too long.
4. Prepare an agenda and explain the aim of the meeting; if there is more
than one aim, decide which ones have priority, and make this clear.
Make sure that everyone has an agenda in advance to allow people to
prepare for the meeting.
5. Prepare visual aids such as charts, handouts, computer-based
presentations or slides.
6. Start off the meeting with short, easier issues before discussing longer,
more difficult points.
7. Give a specific amount of time for each issue, and move through the
agenda systematically. Allow for discussion but avoid digression or
repetition.
8. Pay close attention to the time and if a debate on a particular point
becomes too long, postpone discussion until the end of the meeting. Try
to cover the other issues on the agenda.
9. To follow up, give out copies of the minutes after the meeting to remind
everyone of conclusions and action plans.

Plaça Mil·lenari, 4 08210 Barberà del Vallès (BCN) Tel. 93 718 26 54 Fax 93 729 35 53 www.institutlaromanica.org | institutlaromanica@xtec.cat
 Generalitat
Generalitat de
de Catalunya
Catalunya Unió
Unió Europea
Europea
Departament
Departament d’Ensenyament
d’Ensenyament Fons
Fons Social
Social Europeu
Europeu

2. Answer the following questions.

1. What does “pass on” mean in point number 1?

a. To communicate
b. To receive
c. To discuss

2. According to the point 2, should all the people who have been invited to
attend the meeting stay there all the time?

3. Should the chairperson wait for people who are late before starting the
meeting?

4. Meeting agendas should be given out...

a. During the meeting
b. After the meeting
c. Only when it’s a long meeting
d. Before the meeting

5. Which expression in the text refers to slides, charts, computer based

presentations, etc?

6. The expression “to pay attention” in point 8 means:

a. Pagar a la gente para que te escuchen
b. Prestar atención
c. Mirar solamente a tu reloj
d. Pagar dinero por la duración de la reunión

7. The verb “to follow up” means:

a. Dar órdenes
b. Comprobar
c. Dar seguimiento
d. Olvidar

Plaça Mil·lenari, 4 08210 Barberà del Vallès (BCN) Tel. 93 718 26 54 Fax 93 729 35 53 www.institutlaromanica.org | institutlaromanica@xtec.cat