Effective Committee and Meeting Management

In ministries, public bodies and large companies, much of the real decision-making happens in committees and management meetings. Common problems are easy to recognise: agendas circulated late, papers that describe rather than recommend, discussions that drift, decisions that are unclear or not recorded, minutes that take weeks to approve, and actions that are never followed up. Committees multiply, their mandates overlap, and nobody reviews whether they still add value.

This programme covers the full meeting cycle. It moves through five stages: setting up committees with a clear mandate, preparing agendas and papers, running the meeting and managing participation, recording decisions and minutes, and tracking actions and reviewing committee effectiveness.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references widely used governance and procedure sources, including the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, ISO 37000 guidance on the governance of organisations, and Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised as a reference for formal meeting procedure. They are adapted to the practice of government and corporate committees in the region.

Decisions this programme improves. Whether a meeting or committee is needed at all; what goes on the agenda and in what order; what a paper must contain before it is accepted; how to handle conflicts of interest, quorum and voting; what level of detail to record in minutes; and how to escalate overdue actions.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a management committee preparing and holding a meeting on a contested project decision. Participants draft terms of reference, build an agenda and paper template, take part in a simulated meeting, write the minutes and design an action tracker.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own committee structure, delegation of authority, templates and meeting management system, and delivered to secretaries, coordinators and chairs together.

Who Should Attend

Committee secretaries and coordinators who organise meetings and prepare minutes

Executive and administrative staff: executive assistants, office managers and secretarial professionals

Governance support staff: board secretariat and corporate secretarial officers

Managers and chairs who lead management or project meetings

Project coordinators who run steering and working group meetings

Objectives

Draft committee terms of reference covering purpose, authority, membership, quorum and reporting lines

Prepare an annual meeting calendar and a forward agenda plan

Build agendas that separate items for decision, discussion and information

Set standards for committee papers and review them before circulation

Support the chair in managing time, participation and difficult behaviour

Record decisions, actions and dissent accurately in clear, concise minutes

Manage conflicts of interest, confidentiality and document retention

Track actions and report progress to the committee

Assess committee effectiveness and recommend improvements

Course Outline

Setting Up Committees That Add Value

Types of committees and meetings: governance, management, project and working groups
Terms of reference: purpose, authority, membership and quorum
Delegation of authority and reporting lines
Roles of the chair, members, secretary and coordinator
Reducing duplication and meeting overload

Preparing the Meeting: Agendas and Papers

Annual calendars and forward agenda plans
Structuring the agenda by decision, discussion and information
Committee paper templates: recommendation first
Deadlines, circulation and pre-meeting briefings for the chair
Logistics for in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings
Digital meeting management and board portal tools

Running the Meeting

Opening, quorum and declarations of interest
Managing time and keeping discussion on the agenda
Encouraging balanced participation and handling dominant voices
Reaching decisions: consensus, voting and recording dissent
Formal procedure: motions and amendments
Handling confidential items and closed sessions

Recording Decisions: Minutes That Stand Up to Review

Purpose and legal value of minutes
Styles of minutes: verbatim, narrative and action-based
Writing clear, neutral and concise minutes in Arabic and English
Recording decisions, actions, owners and deadlines
Review, approval and signature of minutes
Using transcription and AI summary tools: benefits, accuracy and confidentiality risks

Follow-Up and Committee Effectiveness

Action trackers and escalation of overdue actions
Reporting committee outcomes to higher authorities
Records management and retention of committee documents
Annual committee self-assessment
Action plan: improving meetings in your organisation

Competencies

Committee terms of reference and mandates

Agenda planning and committee paper standards

Meeting facilitation and chair support

Decision-making procedure, quorum and voting

Minute writing and decision recording

Conflict of interest and confidentiality management

Action tracking and escalation

Committee records management

Committee effectiveness review

Live Online

Access Elite Academy’s complete training portfolio live online. Organizations, distributed teams and professionals can join scheduled interactive sessions or request any program to be delivered online, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Elite Academy’s Live Online Training provides access to our complete portfolio of professional programs without linking availability to a physical destination. Organizations, multi-location teams and individual professionals can join scheduled instructor-led sessions or request any program from the Elite Academy portfolio for live online delivery, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. The format preserves real-time interaction, expert guidance and practical learning while removing the need to travel. Browse the current Live Online schedule below or request your preferred program and dates.