这是安排一个商务会议的第一步，安排合适的日期和时间其实很不容易而且耗费时间。你需要发邮件给所有与会者，问问他们每一个人什么时间有空。对于公司大的高管们，你当然要直接问他们的秘书了。

 

      2.      Arrange a meeting room

Arrange a suitable venue for your meeting. That means you must make sure the room is comfortable for the number of attendees and it has the right layout. Do you need a table or a more casual seating arrangement? Does the room have the right technology (i.e. a screen available to show the presentation so that everyone will not be crowded around a laptop)? These are small details but necessary to be think about. And, most importantly, organise refreshments, including a jug of water or coffee break.

安排合适的会议室，这就意味着你必须保证参加会议的每一个人都对这个会议室觉得的舒服，而且有合适的设备。你们开会时是否需要一张桌子还是比较随便的那种座位安排呢？会议室里需不需要安装相应的设备呢（比如：做演示的时候需要的幕布，这样每个与会者就没必要挤在一台笔记本电脑前看了）？ 这些都是需要考虑到的细节问题。还有最总要的一件事，安排一些茶点，包括一瓶水或咖啡之类。

 

       3.      Send invitation letters to the attendees

You’d better send an invitation to all the meeting attendees by email one day before the meeting. This is also a reminder to every attendee for the exact time, place, content and other information on the meeting so that nobody will forget the meeting arrangement or be late.

你最好在开会的前一天，给所有参加会议的人发一封电子邮件，说明具体的时间、地点、开会的大致内容以及其他相关信息，这样就不会有人忘记这次会议或者开会的时候迟到了。

 

        4.      Appoint a chairperson

Please appoint a chair and a separate minute taker for the meeting. The chair needs to run the meeting, ask the questions, keep track of time and bring out the actions, whereas the minute taker simply makes a note of anything important discussed and the decisions taken. The depth of detail of the notes should depend on both personal preference and the type of meeting.

请为会议安排一个主持人和一个速记员。主持人要主持整个会议、提问问题、控制会议的时间、提出行动计划；速记员只是简单地记录会议讨论的主要问题和大家作出的决定。记录的详细程度应该取决于每次会议的特点和形式。

 

        5.      If you are the chair, …

If you are the chair of the meeting, please make sure to arrive early to check the room is laid out as you need it. Whether the table, screen, drinks have been already set up. If it's an internal meeting that you have arranged, make sure you get out of your seat to the meeting room at least 5 minutes before the start of the meeting. This action seems like a clear signal to others to get ready.

如果你是会议的主持人，那么请确保你能早早地到达会议室，你需要检查会议室是否已经布置好，桌子、幕布、饮料是否已经都各就各位。如果是你安排的是内部会议，那么你至少提前五分钟就离开你得办公桌走向会议室，这也是提醒其他人该开会了。

 

        6.      Starting the meeting

At the beginning of the meeting, the chairperson should clarify clearly what you want to achieve in the meeting and confirm how long the meeting is. It's also a good idea to write an agenda and distribute this to everyone beforehand.

会议开始的时候，支持人应该清楚地表述出这次开会要达到怎样的目标和会议要开多长时间。如果能提前写出一个会议日程并发给每个人，那也是个不错的办法。

 

       7.      Focus on target

If the meeting goes off track and a topic is being discussed in depth, ask to arrange a separate meeting to discuss that topic, and go back to the main focus or agenda. Maintaining a focussed meeting is essential to good order and effective discussion. It also keeps the meeting on schedule.

如果开会时出现跑题现象或者话题出现了更深层次的讨论，你可以提议针对那个话题再安排另外一次会议，让大家先回到这次的主题上。要保证会议有条不紊的而且很高效的话，就要让会议一直围绕主题进行。这也会让会议按时结束。

 

        8.      Ending the meeting

At the end of the meeting the minute taker should summarise the decisions taken in the meeting and create action points, ensuring any action points have specific people assigned to them and timescales to do them within. Business meetings should have specific targets and these action points will ensure that the necessary actions are taken after the meeting.

在会议结束的时候，速记员应该把会议上作出的决定和行动计划都总结出来，保证每个行动计划都有具体执行的人对应好，而且在会议记录里写了有完成的期限。商务会议必须要有具体的目标和行动计划，以确保会后能采取必要的行动。

        9.      Distribute the meeting minutes

Write up the meeting minutes including action plans and distribute to all the attendees a.s.a.p. - as a guideline we allow 1 week for this so it's still fresh in people's minds. Seattle Working English remind you that the minutes should be a concise reminder of what the goals for the meeting were, and summarise what was discussed, and the actions to be taken.

写出一份包括行动计划在内的会议记录，并且尽快分发给每个与会者，一般情况下，会后一周之内要发出会议记录，这样才能保证大家还记得开会的内容。西雅图工作英语提醒你，会议记录应该简明扼要地概括出开会的目标是什么、讨论时得出了什么样的结论以及需要采取的行动。

 

        10. Follow up

As we mentioned this point in Chapter Six of Seattle Working English, the organizer should set a date to check whether any action has been completed. Make sure the key actions have been kept in mind of the attendees and taken before the deadline. This is the last step to guarantee a successful business meeting.

就像我们在西雅图工作英语第六章中提到的，会议的组织者应该规定一个日期，去查一下会上制定的行动计划是否已经完成。确保参加会议的人还记得主要的行动计划而且在规定期限内已经完成，这是成功举办会议的最后一步。