Meetings that are formal can be held in person or via the internet. They are a gathering of people who have been brought together to discuss a topic. They are typically organized and follow specific rules of order, pre-planned topics, and clearly defined goals. To be considered official, they often require a notetaker as well as an agenda. Formal meetings also require detailed minutes, which are a transcript of the exact information discussed during the meeting, and made available to all attendees to refer to later.
During these meetings, participants are invited to openly share their ideas about the pros and cons of various options and provide their own views to arrive at a united decision that is best for the company. In many cases the decisions made at these meetings result in major actions across the company.
To ensure that a formal meeting remains on track A moderator or facilitator is usually entrusted to act as a timekeeper, and keep everyone’s conversation focused on the subject issue at hand. It is also a good idea to agree at the outset of the meeting how discussion will be conducted. If participants will be speaking in turns, it is recommended to agree on a set of rules like setting up a timer or a clock to keep everyone on the same page. It’s also helpful to send attendees an email after the meeting that summarizes the discussions and outlines next steps or important deadlines.
