Golden slogan on a red background

The significance and function of the meeting

Organizing meetings, referred to as "meetings", is one of the important contents of secretary's work.

What is a meeting? Simply put, a meeting is when more than three people get together to discuss or solve one or some problems. A conversation or discussion between two people is called a conversation or meeting, and a conversation between three or more people without a moderator and a central topic is called small talk.

In addition, many people get together, and there are also hosts or sponsors, but they are organized activities, not to discuss or solve problems, but to show some spirit or strength, or for the same goal, which is also called "meeting". The former, such as celebrations, welcome meetings, condemnation meetings, etc. ; The latter such as sports meeting, trade fair, memorial service or banquet, dance and so on. These "meetings" are just parties, and "meetings without discussion" are different in nature and function from the "meetings" we are discussing here.

Usually, it takes some time to hold a meeting. In a certain place, a formal meeting should have a complete and accurate name, which can reflect the content, nature, personnel, time and place of the meeting.

(1) Meetings can be classified into different categories according to different standards.

According to the content and nature, it is divided into congresses, working meetings, academic meetings and joint meetings. According to the meeting form, it can be divided into group meetings, symposiums and reports. ; According to the composition of the participants, it can be divided into party committees, board of directors, press conferences, etc. According to the number and scale, it can be divided into large conferences, medium conferences and small conferences; According to the law or date of the meeting, it can be divided into regular meetings and temporary meetings; In addition, the meetings were classified according to their scope, region and time.

(2) the role of the meeting.

No matter what meeting we have, we always discuss around the central topic, always hoping to find out what problems, or solve what problems, or get what results. In short, to achieve the expected goal, this is in terms of the overall role of the conference. For example, through communication, new information is obtained; After discussion, brainstorming, learning from each other's strengths, formed a correct opinion; Make a majority or unanimous decision or resolution by voting; Be inspired or educated by listening to other people's reports or speeches, etc.

We should also understand the role of the meeting from the role played by each participant. Meetings usually have three kinds of participants:

One is the host or convener of the meeting, the other is the full member who attended the meeting, and the other is the person who was invited to attend or attended as an observer. These three types of personnel should play their due roles.

There is another kind of person, who is neither a moderator nor a formal participant, nor an invitee or a non-attendee, but they all attend the meeting. Serving the conference from beginning to end plays an irreplaceable role in supporting and ensuring the expected results of the conference. This is the secretary.

Conference content

Generally speaking, a meeting has six elements, namely, attendees, host, theme, name, time and place. The following are introduced separately.

People present at the meeting

Participants are full members attending the meeting, including the host and secretary, but excluding other service personnel at the meeting. It takes time and energy for people to be called to a meeting. To some extent, time and energy are benefits, that is, wealth, which can only be created and cannot be wasted. Therefore, in principle, people attending the meeting should do: there are many people who should attend and not many people who should not.

Specifically, participants should be necessary, important and legal.

Necessity. This means that participants must be directly related to the meeting, that is, in line with the scope of the meeting. People who have the right to know the situation, put forward opinions, express their attitudes and make decisions; Or someone who can provide information, deepen discussion and directly help the meeting achieve the expected results.

Importance. Here refers to the participants who are not necessarily and directly related to the meeting but are beneficial to the progress or expansion of the meeting. These people are usually invited at short notice.

Legality This refers to some important meetings, and the participants must have legal status and legal qualifications. For example, participants in people's congresses must be people's deputies at all levels elected according to law; The party's congress must be party member first, and then party member's representative elected by party organizations at all levels; Participants in the company's board of directors or shareholders' meeting must be directors or shareholders formally determined according to the company's organization law and articles of association, and so on.

Some conference organizers do not pay attention to the necessity, importance and legitimacy of the participants. However, the opening and closing ceremonies, photos, banquets, souvenirs and sightseeing activities are all very active, while the formal meetings are very deserted. The result is not only a great waste. Even played down or interfered with the theme of the meeting. This practice should be opposed.

host

The host is the host and guide in the meeting process, and often the organizer and convener of the meeting, which plays a leading and ensuring role in the normal development and expected results of the meeting.

The meeting host is usually an experienced, capable and knowledgeable person, or a person with considerable status and prestige. Generally speaking, there are two situations: one is the ex officio moderator, which is determined by his position and status, that is, by the constitution or laws of the organization. For example, the regular work meeting of the unit is presided over by the unit leader, the party organization meeting is presided over by the party secretary, and the board of directors is presided over by the chairman. If the moderator is unable to preside over the meeting for some reason, he may also entrust a deputy or other corresponding person in charge to preside over the meeting.

The other is a temporary moderator, such as various representative meetings or joint meetings of several units and regions, which are elected or negotiated by representatives. For particularly important meetings, it is necessary to produce a corresponding number of presidium, and the members of the presidium will preside over the meeting collectively or in turn. Except for small meetings, the host of large and medium-sized meetings usually needs the assistance of the secretary-general or secretary when presiding over the meeting.

The subject of discussion

Topic is a topic to be discussed, a subject to be studied or a problem to be solved at the meeting. The topic must be necessary and important, and it must be clear and feasible The meeting discussed and studied around such topics, and it was easy to gain * * * knowledge or finally vote for it. Therefore, the topics of each meeting should be as centralized and single as possible, not too many and not too scattered. In particular, it is not appropriate to discuss many irrelevant issues at the same meeting, which will distract the participants and is not conducive to solving problems.

There are usually two kinds of problems: one is designated by the leaders according to their needs; The other is put forward by the secretary after investigation and comprehensive information. Approved by the leadership.

At some important delegates' meetings, delegates first put forward "suggestions", and then the secretary or secretariat summarized them. Only after it is submitted to the presidium or a special "proposal review committee" for deliberation and approval can it become a formal topic on the agenda of the meeting. Therefore, this issue must also have legitimacy.

name

A formal meeting must have an appropriate and accurate name.

As the saying goes, if the name is irregular, the word will not go smoothly. The name of the meeting should be able to summarize and show the content, nature, participants, organizers or institutions, time, duration, location or region, scope and scale of the meeting.

The name of the meeting must be expressed in accurate and standardized words. It is not only used for "meeting notice" before the meeting, so that participants can know well and be prepared; It is also used for post-meeting publicity to expand the effect of the meeting; It is also used in the meeting process to make all the members attending the meeting cohesive and

Lan Yan is confused.

The names of large and medium-sized conferences are made into banners and slogans, which are placed above or behind the rostrum of the conference as the symbol of the conference, referred to as "conference logo" for short. The logo must be the full name and cannot be omitted at will to avoid misunderstanding.

time

Meeting time has three meanings: first, it refers to the time when the meeting is held; Second, it refers to the time and days required for the whole meeting; The third refers to the time limit of each meeting.

Meeting time. When is the best time for the meeting? There are many factors to consider. First of all, it is necessary. For example, weekly working meetings are usually held on weekend afternoons. One week is coming to an end and next week will begin, which is conducive to connecting the preceding with the following. The annual workers' representative meeting should be held at the beginning of the year, which is not only conducive to summarizing the work and production achievements of the previous year, but also conducive to discussing and deploying the work and production plan for the new year and adopting various budgets. Some conferences, such as agricultural production and school education, have strong seasonality or seasonality. Secondly, it is possible, that is, it is best to have a time when everyone can attend. For example, some Japanese enterprises hold briefings for cadres of various departments, usually half an hour before work, rather than at the beginning of work. Third, appropriate, that is, natural and social factors such as climate and environment should be considered.

Meetings need time, which can be long or short, and should be as compact as possible. At least a few minutes, dozens of minutes; From a few days to ten days. The organizer of the meeting should predict the required time as accurately as possible and write it in the meeting notice so that the participants can arrange it in a planned way.

Time limit of the meeting. The time of each meeting should not exceed one hour. If it takes longer, an interval should be arranged.

location

The meeting place, also known as the "meeting place". It not only refers to the region and urban and rural areas where the meeting is held, but also refers to the specific place where the meeting is held. In order to achieve the desired results, many factors must be considered when choosing the best meeting place.

International or national conferences should consider political, economic and cultural factors, and are generally held in the capital Beijing or central cities such as Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Xi.

Professional meetings should be held in cities and rural areas with professional characteristics, so as to combine field visits. Small and regular meetings are arranged in the conference room of the unit. When choosing the site, we should also consider the site facilities, traffic conditions, safety, climate and environmental conditions.

Second, the preparation before the meeting

After the leader has determined the content of the meeting, the top secretary should start making preparations. Preparation before the meeting is very important, and no mistakes are allowed. Adequate preparation before the meeting is the guarantee of the success of the meeting.

Meeting plan and cost budget

Meetings require manpower, material resources and financial resources, and often take up some work and production time. In order to combine and promote meetings with daily work and production, rather than conflict and offset each other, meetings must be planned. Meetings are also an input and an output. Although the input is often tangible and the output is often intangible, it always strives to get the maximum output with the least input. Therefore, the meeting should calculate the cost and make a budget, which should be included in the meeting plan.

(1) meeting plan.

First of all, the meeting plan should define the purpose and task of the meeting, and determine the name, attendees, host, scale, specifications, convening time, required time, place and agenda of the meeting, that is, the concretization of the six elements of the meeting.

Secondly, the meeting plan should specify what preparations need to be made for the meeting, such as what documents are needed, how to arrange the venue, whether accommodation and vehicles are needed, and whether to arrange visits, cultural entertainment and other activities. '

Re-determine the staff and service personnel of the meeting, and set up a preparatory group, a temporary secretariat or a preparatory Committee when necessary.

The meeting plan is made and put forward by the secretary. After the approval of the leader, the secretary or secretariat will organize personnel. Split up and stick to the plan.

Small meetings within government agencies and units should also be planned, so that members of the organization can know fairly well and make arrangements in advance. Departmental meetings should be reported to the office at least one week in advance, and the office will make overall arrangements and draw up the weekly meeting schedule, so that the work of each department will not conflict with each other, and leaders can also participate in departmental meetings selectively and in a planned way, which is conducive to the smooth development of the overall work.

(2) Budget of conference expenses.

Large and medium-sized meetings with obvious investment, especially those that last more than one day across regions, must calculate the cost and make a budget.

The conference fee consists of two parts:

① "explicit cost".

That is, the obvious expenses of the meeting, such as venue rental fee, document fee, transportation fee, accommodation fee, activity fee and salary of service personnel, etc. These expenses can obviously be calculated and directly consumed.

② "hidden cost".

In other words, the labor value lost by the participants attending the meeting is generally not the cost that people pay attention to. The value of this part of the labor force is calculated by multiplying 3 times the hourly wage by 2. It means that a producer's labor value is at least 8 times his salary, so he must make some preparations before attending the meeting, and there is still time to think and recall after the meeting, so he must multiply by 2. The calculation formula of conference expenses is: conference expenses = X+2J× N× T.

Where x represents the sum of dominant costs; J represents three times the average hourly wage of participants; N number of representatives; T stands for time (hours).

Therefore, it will cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan to hold a medium-sized conference with about 100 people and a cross-regional duration of 3 to 5 days. Some countries and some large enterprises always post the budget table of meeting expenses at the entrance of the meeting room every time, so that every participant can know how much the meeting expenses are as soon as he enters the door, so as to work together to improve the efficiency of the meeting. Therefore, some meetings whose goals and effects are not obvious should be held less or not. Although senior secretaries have no decision-making power, they should have a clear head and a correct attitude. You can put forward your own opinions.

Document preparation is more important. The secretary of the high-level meeting needs to prepare documents in advance.

There are two types of meeting documents:

One is the documents and materials used for study and reference at the meeting. Such as the relevant policies, principles, regulations and plans of the superior. And professional and technical information. Some documents can't be taken away by the participants after the meeting, and the secretary should do a good job of recycling them.

The other is the document produced by the meeting itself. Such as: opening speech, work report, speech, meeting minutes, meeting briefing and meeting resolutions, etc.

Decisions, meeting minutes, closing remarks, meeting summaries, etc. Among them, the opening speech, work report and leadership speech must be prepared before the meeting, while other documents are formed during or at the end of the meeting.

Such documents can be taken away by participants for further research or exchange and implementation.

(1) Opening remarks.

The opening speech is a speech delivered by the chairman of the meeting at the beginning of the meeting, which is generally of the nature of rehearsal and etiquette and relatively brief. The content generally includes three aspects:

(1) Welcome guests and participants.

② Briefly introduce the contents, tasks and purposes of the meeting.

I wish the meeting a success.

(2) Work report.

The work report is the main document of the meeting, and its main content is often the central topic of discussion at the meeting. The work report must have substantive content, which can be a review and summary of the achievements, experiences and shortcomings of the previous stage, or a plan, budget, deployment or prospect of the next stage. The work report should be comprehensive and focused. The length is generally long, ranging from thousands of words to tens of thousands of words, depending on the content.

(3) speech.

This refers to the speeches of other participants except the work report. The speech should also have specific content, but it should be background introduction, financial expenditure, personnel management, professional background or other issues of concern to the meeting, which is different from the work report. Wait a minute. Some meetings limit the speaking time, and speeches should generally not be too long. Some speeches were written by the speaker himself, while others were drafted by the secretary and revised and finalized by Ran.

(4) Other meeting documents.

In addition to these three documents, the top secretary must also prepare technical and procedural documents for the meeting, such as meeting notice, meeting agenda, schedule, work and rest schedule, list of participants, address book, grouping list, housing arrangement list, staff list, vehicle dispatching list and so on.

(5) Preparation procedures for meeting documents.

General leaders first determine the main points according to the requirements of the meeting content and objectives, and give instructions to the secretary. The top secretary collects information according to the instructions of the leader, writes the first draft and submits it to the leader for review. After reviewing, the leaders put forward their opinions and return them to the secretary for revision, or revise them themselves. Top. The secretary revised it and submitted it to the leader again, and the leader approved and issued it. The secretary or clerk prints and binds the published manuscript into an official document. The process is as follows:

Meeting preparation

Generally speaking, the requirements for the site are: cleanliness, quietness, brightness, ventilation, proper size, complete equipment, safety and confidentiality. The remaining requirements are as follows:

Layout plan of the venue

Besides the requirements of cleanliness, quietness, brightness, ventilation and safety, the shape, size and layout of tables and chairs should also be considered. Small meetings can be arranged in ordinary conference rooms, which are square, rectangular, round and oval. A rectangular or rectangular conference table is placed in the center of the conference room. One or two pots of flowers can be placed in the center of the table, and the four sides are used for missionaries to place documents, stationery and teacups. The number of armchairs around the table depends on the number of people. The chairman's position is generally at both ends of the conference table, depending on the direction of the door, usually on the left side of the door. Multilateral conferences use regular round tables or polygonal tables because the seats in the regular round tables or polygonal tables are not divided into two parts. Large and medium-sized meetings are arranged in conference halls, and fan-shaped conference halls are better than rectangular conference halls. The podium and podium are arranged in front of the conference hall. The podium should be a rectangular table with white, sky blue or other colors on the desktop. Hang signs above or behind the stage. Logos are generally written in white on a red background, and enterprises can also use gold on a red background. The platform should not be too big or too high, and should be in harmony with the speaker's figure. Bonsai of flowers and plants can be placed in front of the stage to make the podium look harmonious, comfortable and pleasing to the eye. Facing the rostrum are the seats for the participants. There should be tables and seats. It is convenient to place documents and take notes, and the seats should not be too crowded to facilitate participation in activities. At seminars and symposiums, tables and chairs can be arranged in semicircles or small squares. In addition to documents and materials, drinks and fruits can be placed in front of the table, and microphones should be provided to facilitate participants to speak on the original table and communicate in many directions. The size of the venue should be adapted to the number of people. It is better to be too small than too big. If the venue is too big, it will be loose, which is easy to appear late and leave early, which is not conducive to achieving good meeting results; Small and compact, easy to concentrate. Full of emotion.

For working meetings or meetings of the same system, the seats of the participants are arranged in the order of their jobs. The higher the position, the closer they are to the chairman's seat. They sit on both sides, high left and low right, high front and low back. For meetings such as seminars and symposiums, participants can sit at any time without specifying seats. Important large and medium-sized meetings should be grouped according to regions, systems and units, and seats should be assigned in advance. Participants should be led by secretaries or service personnel.

(2) rostrum seats.

The rostrum seats for major meetings should be arranged. Depending on the number of people, there are one or several rows of seats on the podium, and the first row of seats should be odd. The seating order shall be determined according to the status of the members of the Bureau and the importance of the meeting. The same principle applies to special guests sitting on the rostrum.

The center of the first row is the chief, followed by the position on the left, and then the position on the right-first left and then right, left high and right low. The front row is the main position. Second in the back row, others in turn. Place a name tag in front of the seat to facilitate the seating.

③ Venue facilities.

All facilities in the venue must be prepared before the meeting, such as sound reinforcement, recording, playback, records, videos, photography, projectors, lighting, fans or air conditioners, recording paper, stationery, tea sets and so on. Instruments, equipment, etc. Check and debug (such as speakers) repeatedly in advance.

Volume) to avoid temporary failures or errors.

(4) Other preparations.

For a long meeting, participants should prepare food and accommodation. There should be medical staff on duty outside the meeting. Those who come from far away should be prepared to pick up and drop off vehicles. If the meeting is to be spread through the news media, a publicity outline should be prepared. Important meetings should have security personnel and security measures. In the meeting plan, if you arrange visits, inspections, sightseeing and other activities, or give away pictures, materials, souvenirs, etc. You should make preparations before the meeting.

Draft the agenda and procedures of the meeting.

(1) agenda.

Meetings usually have one or several related topics. If there are multiple topics, the top secretary should arrange the agenda according to the internal relationship, priority and order of these topics, print it into words, which is the agenda table, and send it to the participants before the meeting.

(2) procedures.

In addition to the topics, there are some ceremonial, structural or specific items and events, such as announcing the opening of the meeting, playing music, making opening remarks, group discussions, giving speeches, making closing remarks and announcing the end of the meeting. Arranging these items and contents of the first meeting in an orderly way, even if it is stylized, is also a procedure, and making documents is a timetable. It's best to list the timetable on the schedule, and what time is it?

(3) Timetable and schedule.

For meetings lasting more than one day, the agenda and timetable should also be made.

1 schedule.

In other words, all the contents of the meeting (including visits and entertainment activities) are arranged in days (such as morning, afternoon and evening) or hours (from what time to what time), expressed in short words and made into tables.

② Schedule of work and rest.

That is, the daily schedule of life, eating, attending meetings or other activities, rest and so on is made into a table. Factors such as the combination of work and rest and the characteristics of winter and summer should be considered when arranging work and rest time.

The drafting of the agenda, procedure, schedule and timetable of the meeting reflects the full preparation and careful planning of the meeting, which can make the participants and service personnel know fairly well and make the meeting proceed in an orderly manner, which is a necessary guarantee for the success of the meeting.

Send a meeting notice

After everything is ready before the meeting, the notice of the meeting should be issued in time. Small meetings of this unit can be notified by oral, telephone or written notice. Written notice must be sent for meetings held by other units or across regions, and invited meetings can send invitations or invitations.

Letter.

The meeting notice shall contain the following contents:

(1) Meeting time, time or duration, place (place).

(2) the name of the meeting and the main topics.

③ Participants.

(4) What preparations must be made.

⑤ Registration date, place, pick-up method, etc.

⑥ Signature of the convening unit, date of issuance of the notice and official seal.

In order to accurately count the number of people invited to attend the meeting and make corresponding preparations, the notice should be sent more than 7 days in advance, with a receipt attached.

The receipt shall contain the following contents:

(1) the name, gender, age, work unit and address, position or title of the invited person.

(2) whether to attend the meeting.

③ Housing reservation standard.

(4) submit the title of the paper or the name of the information.

⑤ Return ticket registration, etc.

The meeting notice can be sent by mail (including e-mail), fax or personal delivery. For important invitees, you can send a written notice or invitation, and then make telephone consultation and confirmation.

The return time of the notice with receipt should be calculated, and the invitee should consider and prepare the time, and send it in advance accordingly, but not too much in advance, lest the other party forget it.