Learn These 3 Types of Meeting - and How to Do Each One Well

The pandemic has subsided quite a lot, and we’re slowly getting back to our offices. A lot has changed, including the way we hold our corporate meetings. We’ve learned that we shall focus more on the objective rather than how we held the meeting. Sunrecruit Indonesia prepared this article to discuss three types of meetings based on their objectives and how we can do each one well. Let’s check them!

Transactional Meeting

This meeting was held in pursuit of getting things done. Daily reports, weekly updates, and project planning fall within this category. In order to effectively execute this type of meeting, Suners will need three things:

1. Shared working documents accessible from cloud-based tools like Google Docs, Miro, etc.
2. Screen parity for when Suners hold a hybrid transactional meeting(s) where more than two people are meeting in real life while the rest are connected via video conference.
3. Actively seek signals of participation. It’s particularly challenging in virtual meeting situations, where the signals are tiny ‘raise hand’ icons or a mic going off mute, among others.

Relational Meeting

Relational meetings focus more on strengthening the connections between colleagues. This type of meeting includes, but is not limited to, offsite gatherings, team lunches, and team-building outings. Pay attention to these three details:

1. Objectives. Relational gatherings are more than just throwing people together in the same room and hoping for the best. Clearly define the objective of the meeting in advance.
2. Activities. A deliberately structured event will help the participants open themselves to each other and bridge the gap between the leadership teams and newcomers.
3. Boundaries. Relational meetings aim to develop and maintain personal relations between employees. Therefore, mixing people from across functions, levels, or locations offers a chance for these individuals to mingle.

Adaptive Meeting

Of all three types of meetings, this is the meeting to be held if Suners want to address topics with no clear outcome or process, relying on the team’s sensitivity and agility. This type of meeting includes strategy sessions, career conversations, societal issues and the impact they bring, etc. Address these three requirements:

1. Malleable environment. Ideally, rooms with moveable furniture where people could linger and mingle. In virtual meeting situations, Suners can simulate the same effect by turning off the camera to focus on the digital jam board or zooming out the video to allow for full-body signals.
2. A sense of safety. Difficult or sensitive conversations may discomfort employees. Grant them the liberty to choose where these conversations will be held, whether online or in person.
3. Release valves. Time pressure is a thing, especially when discussing complex problems. Separate the meeting into sections with breaks in-between sessions to allow everyone to relax for a bit.

Other Meeting Situations

While the three types are quite common, there are times when the meeting is neither transactional, relational, or adaptive. There are also times when the meeting is any combination of the three. This should not be a problem, as what makes an effective gathering is focusing on the objectives and possible outcomes of the meeting.

The three types of meetings we discussed earlier are not the golden standard. If anything, they should be treated more as a guideline. That way, Suners can be more flexible in the treatment of the meetings. If Suners are interested in related topics such as hiring or leadership models, kindly check other articles Sunrecruit Indonesia has prepared.