Whether in person or online, a formal meeting is a gathering of individuals gathering to discuss a specific topic. These are usually highly planned and are governed by certain rules of order, pre-planned topics, and clearly defined goals. They typically require an appointed notetaker, an agenda, and a specific announcement sent out to attendees to be considered as official. In addition, formal meetings require detailed minutes of the meeting that are exact transcriptions of what was discussed www.boardroomrecords.com/why-public-companies-need-a-board-portal/ during the meeting. These are later made public to everyone to be consulted later.
During these meetings, attendees are invited to freely share their opinions as they discuss the pros and cons of various options and provide their own views in order to arrive at a unanimous decision that is best for the company. In a majority of cases the decisions taken during these meetings result in significant corporate actions.
To ensure that a formal meeting is on track Moderators or moderators is usually appointed to act as a timekeeper, and keep everyone’s discussion focused on the matter at hand. A good idea is to determine the manner in which the discussion will proceed at the beginning of the meeting. For example, if participants will be speaking in pairs, it’s good to decide the length of time that each person will have to talk and agree on conventions like setting up a timer or using a timer, so that everyone stays on the same page. In addition, it’s a good idea to send attendees a post-meeting email which summarizes the discussion and also outlines the next steps or important deadlines.