A formal meeting is a structured discussion of pre-determined topics or goals, usually conducted by a chairperson, and then recorded in a document known as minutes. These meetings are very well-organized and require an extensive amount of planning. They also assign specific roles to participants to ensure that the discussion on to the right path.

Informal meetings are the most common kind of business gathering that include staff catch-ups and brainstorming sessions. However, more strategic discussions of important matters such as company strategy, budget cuts and project management usually take place at formal meetings. The major difference between formal and informal meetings is that the latter tends to have looser structure and a more fluid discussion.

Meetings that are formal are more likely to have strict guidelines, such as an agenda, a certain structure for notes made by the official notetaker and formal language in these notes. Anyone who isn’t at the meeting can then review and access this information later.

In order to run a successful meeting it is essential that participants arrive with the reports and data they need. For instance www.boardroomrecords.com/why-boardrooms-need-great-marketing-leaders/ using a meeting software that includes a task manager for meetings to send reminders and assignments to attendees is a successful way of keeping everyone prepared for the next step of the process. After the meeting has concluded it’s crucial to follow-up with participants to summarize the discussions, highlight the most important actions and gather feedback so that the next meeting will be more successful.