Meeting the Team: When to Meet Up With Others to Get the Most Out of Your Meetings

Meetings are intended to communicate. They are formal gatherings intended for the purpose of discussing and acting upon matters of interest. Meetings are also formal occasions where decisions are made by the members of a community or group. Meetings are usually held for a particular purpose such as a town hall meeting, an organizational meeting, or a board of supervisors meeting. Meetings are also organized to address pressing problems within a community such as increasing city services or safety.

Meetings can be done by individual members or groups, but meetings are better conducted by an organization. Meetings can have as many attendees as the organizers want them to have. If it is an organizational meeting it may start formally with the president or one of the senior leaders presenting the agenda for the meeting and asking for feedback. The agenda is then distributed to all members for understanding and consideration before it goes further. In most churches a trustee is also present at these meetings. The trustee’s role is to represent the church and give the group a presentation on how their business is progressing.

In German, “mein” means “to me” and “wir uns” means “together.” To meet means to come together. “Maintain” and “runde” are synonyms for “come together.” So in our examples, to maintain or come together we would say, “The board will meet and review the budget for next year.”

The point of a meeting is to conduct a discussion or evaluate an issue. Before you meet you need to know what the meeting is about, who will be attending, and what the agenda is. You should prepare your minutes for each meeting so you know what the outcome will be. Write down all the issues or concerns so that you can address them at the next meeting. Write down the outcomes for the meeting so that you can measure your performance as the group leader.

Be careful not to mix business and religion in a group meeting. If you have a non-profit group then your beliefs will be different than if you are trying to increase profits in your corporation. Also, if you are a new manager and want to bring in a new member, ask if this is okay before the group meets. Sometimes a small business owner needs to ask a co-worker or trusted associate if they are comfortable with someone of the opposite sex at the meeting. It may seem strange at first, but it could save you some uncomfortable moments.

The main purpose of the meetings is for the people to come together. This is your opportunity to network. Go to events where your niche clients or potential customers frequent. Ask the people you meet about the area in which you would like to see your business grow. By meeting people in areas where you already have an interest or knowledge, you will gain a valuable insight into what the other people in the area are interested in.