First impressions are very important. If you have to chair (or facilitate) a meeting it is essential that you open the meeting effectively. This means establishing your authority as the chairman of the meeting, ensuring that the purpose of the meeting is clear to all, making sure that everyone has a copy of the agenda and going through the various points of the agenda, before 'getting down to business'. The following transcript of the opening of a meeting contains some useful expressions :
"Okay everyone, let's get started. John sends his apologies - he's tied up with some of our Bangalore team.
Well, as you know, we're here today to look into ways of streamlining all our IT operations and to come up with some cost-cutting solutions. Did everyone receive a copy of the agenda ? Good. Well, as you can see, there are 3 items to discuss : the recent technical problems that we've been having; the various outsourcing options that are on offer and, finally, the cost-cutting solutions that Singapore have sent us. Would anyone like to add anything to the agenda ? .........
I'm sorry Mike, but I don't think that really comes under the scope of today's meeting. We'll come back to that at later date, if you don't mind.
Okay, at this point, I'd like to hand over to Pete, who's going to kick off with a review of the recent technical issues that have been dogging us and the solutions that he's come up with. Pete ?"
