Module 2a — Office
Correspondence
and Records
| Course Guide | Module 1 | Module 2a | Module 2b |
The vocabulary of formal meetings
Some useful meeting related words are:
| Agenda |
The list of items to be covered at a meeting. |
|---|---|
Chair |
The chairperson runs the meeting; often but not always he or she has called the meeting in the first place. The chairperson attempts to keep the discussion focused on the agenda items and makes sure those who wish to speak have a chance to participant in an orderly fashion. |
Minutes |
The formal written records of a meeting. They provide a permanent record of decisions that have been made, follow-up actions that are required and in some cases, a record of the actions leading up to the decisions. Minutes are made up of a collection of single minutes. A minute (singular), strictly defined, is the formal record of the discussion of ONE particular agenda item. |
Motion |
A formally worded proposal that puts forward a recommended course of action. One person moves the motion, which should be supported by someone else who seconds the motion. |
Amendment |
An amendment alters a motion in some way without being in direct opposition to the motion. |
Resolution |
A motion which is passed; the meeting has resolved to carry out an action. |
Attendee |
A person present at the meeting and with the authority to actively participate in all aspects of the meeting. |
Observer |
A person present at the meeting who can take no active role in the discussion or meeting activities. |
Although the terms motion, amendment, and resolution may not be used in describing what happens at ILO meetings, in fact, when decisions are agreed upon, the sort of process these terms describe has been worked through.