Meeting Opening and Closing Meetings

Opening

Small Talk

Whether you are holding the meeting or attending the meeting it is polite to make small talk while you wait for the meeting to start. You should discuss things unrelated to the meeting, such as weather, family, or weekend plans.

Objectives

Some people who hold meetings prefer to pass around copies of the agenda, and others will post a large copy on a wall, or use an overhead projector. No matter which format is used, attendees should be able to follow the agenda as the meeting progresses. Before beginning the first main item on the agenda, the speaker should provide a brief verbal outline the objectives.

Draft opening remarks for a business meeting. Decide on a meeting format before you begin to plan any opening statements. Business and board meetings should have more formal opening remarks to acknowledge the attending members. Keep opening words short for more casual meetings, especially when the attendees have an allotted time to introduce themselves.

State the purpose of the meeting clearly. Make sure that all of the meeting’s attendees understand what you will be discussing. It will be much harder for people to focus if you don’t establish a clear goal or purpose. Let them know what to expect after you ‘ve greeted them.

• In a business setting, you can state say something like: “The purpose of this meeting is to figure out a way to trim this quarter’s budget.”
• For more casual settings, you might stay, “Let’s share our thoughts and experiences on this issue.”

Follow an agenda to avoid any confusion. Review what the meeting will cover before jumping into any new conversations. Different topics can lead to different discussions, which can quickly spiral off topic if you aren’t following a planned agenda. Having an agenda helps to keep the meeting on track and on topic, and gives attendees a way to monitor how long the meeting goes.

Clearly state if a certain part of the agenda only applies to one person. To avoid any confusion in the meeting, establish who is in charge of which task. For example, say, “John will be handling all of the budget paperwork. Talk to him if you have any questions.”

Closing

To ensure you close your meeting effectively, apply these four tips:

1. Add the meeting’s closure to the agenda

If you are presiding the meeting, make sure the closure appears on the agenda and highlight it as important. Allot the final 5 minutes of the meeting this process, taking note that it needs to be done within the meeting timeframe.

2. Quickly run through the outcomes

As the speaker, try to acknowledge whether the desired outcomes have been achieved. Make sure that you get commitment from the tasks and that each task is assigned to a participant with a target date of accomplishment.

3. Encourage everyone to communicate

Initiate interaction by asking open-ended questions like “Is there anything you want to add before we conclude the meeting?”

The questions can take a general or specific approach. The essence of this tip is to make every participant feel connected. It implies that you value their opinion and that will surely boost their confidence.

4. Take note of the key takeaways

Insightful ideas come up when the speaker encourages everyone to participate. Make sure that these key takeaways are captured and noted. Also, do not forget to share them in the meeting notes for future meetings and recommendations.

Without an effective closure process, participants may end up confused and frustrated because they are not able to say what is on their minds. This may cause negative effects to the participants and ultimately, to the outcome of the agenda.