Meeting Management

Types of Meetings

Meetings in organizations usually have one of these purposes: information giving, information exchange, problem solving, and decision making.

Information-giving meetings are favored when:

• new programs or policies are announced or updated;

• clients need to be sold on company products or services;

• employees need training on new equipment or procedures;

• employees need to build up their team spirit.

Information-exchange meetings are called for when:

• the information is complex or controversial;

• the information has major implications for the meeting participants;

• there is symbolic value to a personal approach.

Again, memos work here, but phone calls are better, and, increasingly, electronic mail allows information exchange more quickly. ...