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Formal meetings

Description

"Formal meeting" is an umbrella term for a variety of meetings that have a higher level of formality than team or project management meetings. They usually involve senior leaders of the organization, either to convey information/decisions (e.g. townhall) or a mandate from senior leadership (e.g. campus committee that is tasked with recommendations). These meetings can also involve external institutions or contacts, networks, associations or consortia. Participants in these types of meetings may include senior-level/leadership representatives from campus units or external institutions, which may require additional protocol and consideration of hierarchy/position. Sometimes these meetings involve larger numbers of participants than other meetings, including both senior-level participants and individuals who are staffing them.

Laying the groundwork - structural items

Before organizing any meetings, define the project clearly and put together a single, centralized list of resources for people to consult.

Checklist for initial organization
  • Clearly lay out the purpose and goals of the meeting.
  • Identify and invite participants.
  • Identify a chair and person/people to create the agenda.
  • Set meeting agenda; allocate sufficient time for dialogue and debate.
  • Discuss desired meeting culture and organize around it.

In-meeting items

Checklist for agenda and in-meeting activity
  • Consider how to adjust communications to accomodate language barriers and cultural differences among participants.
  • Identify people to handle note-taking and IT issues.
  • Formulate guiding questions to direct discussions and maintain focus on key themes and issues.
  • Allocate sufficient time for discussion; consider breakout groups.
  • Consider how to engage junior participants in discussions.

Recurring meetings

If recurring meetings are needed -

Checklist for recurring meetings
  • Determine meeting schedule, considering meeting frequency and format (in-person, virtual, or hybrid).
  • Prepare read-ahead materials, including the formal agenda, meeting notes from the previous meeting, and any relevant resources.
  • Encourage the formation of subgroups for deeper-dive discussions and recommendations. Ensure regular communication between subgroups and the main committee.
  • Individual Outreach: Monitor participant engagement and reach out individually as necessary to encourage input

Post-meeting items

Checklist for post-meeting activity
  • Send meeting summary; determine if another meeting is required.