Formal meetings
Annual general meetings
An annual general meeting, commonly referred to an AGM or annual meeting, is a formal
meeting which is held once a year. This type of meeting is a legal requirement for charities, large
companies or voluntary organizations that have company status. An AGM is held every year
after giving 21 days’ clear notice. This type of meeting deals with issues such as the election of
committee or board members and reviewing the annual accounts. Members are also informed of
the company’s previous activities and its success and failures over the past year, as well as future
activities.
Extraordinary general meetings
An extraordinary general meeting, commonly abbreviated as EGM and in some cases known as
an emergency general meeting, is a meeting of members of an organization, shareholders of a
company, or employees of an official body, which occurs when needed. These meetings are held
where an issue arises which requires the input of the entire membership and is too serious or
urgent to wait until the next AGM – for example, there is a fire in the organization’s premises
and members must meet to decide the next step for the company.
Board of directors meetings
Board of directors meetings are management meetings of members of the board of directors of a
company. These members are responsible for management, and usually have power to make
decisions and act on behalf of the company.
Meetings of creditors
Meetings of creditors are held when a group of persons to whom money is owed meet to decide
on a common course of action in order to recover their money or part of the money owed to
them. At these meetings creditors may also decide to offer new terms of payment.
Statutory meetings
Every public limited company having a share capital must hold a general meeting of its members
within a period of not less than one month and not later than six months from the date on which
the company is entitled to commence business. These statutory meetings are required by law to
ensure open communication between directors and shareholders.
Committee meetings
Committee meetings are held either to give advice or to make recommendations to management.
Members are appointed or elected according to requirements. One special type of member is the
ex-officio member, who is appointed because of the official position or office they hold . For
example, the CEO may be designated as an ex-officio member on all committees. There are
several types of committees and they convene meetings for varying purposes.
Informal meetings
Departmental meetings
Departmental meetings are informal meetings called by heads of the departments or divisions to
discuss the progress of the departments, to make plans or even to give instructions.
Staff meetings
Staff meetings are those held between a manger and those who report to the manager. They are
seen by many organizations as an important venue for communicating with workers directly and
efficiently. Some staff meetings encourage an open exchange of dialogue with staff, while others
are conducted as more of an ‘in-person memo’, wherein management retains the majority of the
floor.
