CHP 1.

GROUP
COMMUNICATION
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
Meaning of Meeting –
• Generally, a meeting means an occasion when
people come together to discuss or decide
something.
• In a meeting, members get together and discuss a
problem or an issue or a special matter.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
Definition of Meeting –
• Meeting is defined as “a situation in which two or
more people meet in order to take a decision on
relevant and concerned matters.”
• According to Thill and Bovee, “Meetings are called
either to solve problems or to share problems.”
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
Types of Meetings –
Following are the 6 most common types of meetings
held in an organisation –
1. Status Update Meeting:
• This category includes regular team and project
meetings, where the primary goal is to align the team
via updates on progress, challenges, and the steps to
overcome those challenges.
• Commonly found group activities in these kinds of
meetings are problem solving, decision making ,
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
prioritisation and task assignment.
2. Information Sharing Meeting:
• The primary goal of these meeting is for the speakers
to share information with the attendees. This could
be information about things like upcoming changes,
new products and techniques, or in depth
knowledge of a domain. 
• Visual communication tools, like slides and videos,
are powerful tools for making the shared information
more memorable.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
3. Decision Making Meeting:
•  Majority of business decisions are made by groups in
meetings.
• While small decisions are made in all kinds of
meetings, the more important decisions often get
their own dedicated meetings which are known as
Decision Making Meetings.
• A decision making process can include group
processes like information gathering and sharing, 
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
 brainstorming solutions, evaluating options, ranking
preferences, and voting.
4. Problem Solving Meeting:
• Problem solving meetings are perhaps the most
complex and varied type of meetings. Whether the
meeting is addressing an identified problem, to find
suitable corrective measures to overcome or rectify
the problems and to focus on creating strategies and
plans to for the future.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
5. Innovation Meeting:
• These meetings are also known as Creative Meetings.
• These meetings often start with thinking outside the
box, by brainstorming, associating, and sharing ideas
in a broad scope. 
• Once, this has been done, the participants of the
meetings can then use various techniques to lessen
the number of ideas given and focus on a short list of
ideas.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
•  Through ranking, evaluations, and decision
making the most suitable idea, or ideas, are
identified, and recommendations and tasks can be
assigned based on this.
6. Team Building Meeting:
• This category include meetings like corporate events,
outings, staff picnics, etc.
• In these meetings, the participants have the feeling of
being an essential part of their unit, team,
department, branch and company.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
Purpose of a Meeting -
1. To reach a common decision or agreement.
2. To solve a problem.
3. To understand a situation, exchange ideas and
experiences.
4. To inform, explain and present ideas.
5. To give and get feedback on new ideas.
6. To give training.
7. To plan and prepare for action.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
8. To resolve differences and misunderstandings.
9. To generate enthusiasm and seek co-operation.
10. To review past performance and evaluate it.
11. To create feeling of unity in action to achieve the
organisational objectives.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
Advantages of Meetings –
1. Saves Time:
• Since one can meet a number of people at the same
time to interact and discuss, a meeting helps its
members to save time.
2. Addressing Groups:
• One can divide the audiences according to their
background and need, and address them group by
group.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
3. Cope with Information Explosion:
• New technology and new regulations take place
everyday, pressurising the employees to know and
follow them.
• Meetings enable the employees to cope up with this
situation.
4. Social and Emotional Support:
• Members get personal support from each other
when they meet and exchange ideas.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
5. Feeling of being Consulted:
• Members get the feeling that they have been
consulted and this is useful in getting their intelligent
and willing cooperation.
6. Idea Development:
• Ideas are given along with ways to work upon them.
7. Prevent Mistakes:
• A meeting helps to avoid mistakes by a collective
focus on issues.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
Disadvantages of Meetings –
1. Time Consuming:
• Meetings require a number of people to come
together at the same time and place.
• This costs time because other work has to be set
aside for the sake of the meeting.
2. Inability to Arrive at a Decision:
• Multiple views and stubborn nature of the members
may prevent a meeting from taking a
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
collective decision.
3. Lack of Seriousness:
•  Many members come unprepared and feel that the
others will do the thinking and talking. 
4. Inexpert Chairing:
• The chairman’s lack of skill and personal
failings/biases may fail a meeting.
 TYPES OF MEETINGS/ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
5. Expensive:
• Meetings are expensive to arrange – they require a
place, paperwork, prior communication, and
travelling by the attendees.
 PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

1. The participants must study the agenda and prepare

themselves mentally for the meeting.
2. The participants need to understand their
importance in the group and must contribute to it’s
success.
3. The participants should have a stand/perspective
based on facts. They should not voice out their
opinions without factual support.
4. The participants have to understand that meeting
 PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

is a place where different views are expressed.

5. The participants must voice their opinions in the time
allotted to them in a clear and concise manner.
They should not try to waste time by passing
information/expressing views and opinions in an
unclear manner.
6. Decision making in a group is arrived at through
consensus, which means that one must be prepared
to compromise or to give up something in the larger
interest.
 PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

7. The participants should not argue for the sake of

arguing or to oppose the rival’s point of view. At no
point should they make it a prestige issue.
 BRAINSTORMING

Meaning:
• Brainstorming is the name given to a situation when
a group of people meets to generate new ideas
round a specific area of interest.
• In brainstorming, people are able to think more
freely and move into new areas of thoughts and so,
create new ideas and solutions.
 BRAINSTORMING

Definition of Brainstorming by Alex Osborn –

According to Alex Osborn, Brainstorming is “a
conference technique by which a group attempts to
find a solution for a specific problem by amassing all
the ideas spontaneously by its members.”
 BRAINSTORMING

Types of Brainstorming –
1. Individual Brainstorming:
• In individual brainstorming, new and creative ideas
are given by separate individuals one by one.
• This kind of brainstorming is generally the most
effective in simple problem solving.
2. Group Brainstorming:
• Group brainstorming has obvious advantages over
individual brainstorming.
 BRAINSTORMING

• The sheer number of ideas tends to be greater in

groups.
• Groups can examine a single idea in greater
practicality and can expand that idea.
 BRAINSTORMING
Advantages of Brainstorming –
1. Discovering New Perspectives:
• Brainstorming gives new vision and perspectives
where these elements may not have existed before.
2. Encourages Free Speech and Creativity:
• By encouraging free speech and creativity,
brainstorming helps to reveal new ideas and
solutions.
 BRAINSTORMING

3. Defining Problems:
• Spontaneous thinking in a low-pressure environment
can often help to define a problem to the point
where new alternative solutions start to appear.
4. Equal Participation:
• Brainstorming helps to avoid conflicts and gives
everybody a chance to express their views without
immediate evaluation or judgment.
• In a brainstorming session, everyone gets an equal
 BRAINSTORMING

opportunity to participate in the discussion.

Disadvantages of Brainstorming –
1. Time Consuming:
• The brainstorming process can take time.
• It could take hours, or even days before a solution is
reached.
2. Utopian Ideas:
• Sometimes, the ideas suggested are unworkable.
 BRAINSTORMING

3. Refusal/Wiseacres:
• Colleagues may refuse to consider the ideas given by
others or may out voice others.
4. Facilitation Required:
• Brainstorming requires a leader or a facilitator, who
will take control of the session and ensure that it
reaches a satisfactory conclusion.
 STRUCTURE OF A MEETING-AGENDA AND
MINUTES
Agenda-
1. An agenda is a list of matters that need to be taken up
in a meeting.
2. An agenda is an outline of what the meeting will
address.
3. An agenda should be distributed to the attendees a
day or two before the meeting.
4. An agenda should list the attendees, the meeting’s
time and place (venue), and the topics that need to be
discussed in the meeting.
 STRUCTURE OF A MEETING-AGENDA AND
MINUTES
5. If the meeting includes presentations, the time
allotted for each speaker should be listed in the
agenda.
6. Finally, an approximate length of the meeting should
be indicated in the agenda so that the attendees can
plan the rest of their day.
7. An agenda is usually prepared by the Secretary and
the Chairman/Chairperson.
 STRUCTURE OF A MEETING-AGENDA AND
MINUTES
Minutes –
1. Minutes are the actual written records of a meeting.
2. It is useful to have a written record of a meeting so
that it becomes easy to know what had been
decided to be done and who is going to do it.
3. Minutes keep the members of the group who were
unable to attend the meeting informed about what
all happened in the meeting.
 STRUCTURE OF A MEETING-AGENDA AND
MINUTES
Types of Minutes –
1. Verbation – Word by word.
2. Resolution – Conclusion that is reached upon (not
discussion).
3. Narration – Concise summary of all the discussions.