The kind of meeting you hold should be based on what you’re trying to achieve.

If you are consulting the community, the meeting might be lively, creative and fun; whereas a business meeting to iron out legal requirements will need to be more formal.

The chair of the group will normally set the agendas for the meetings, chair the meetings and make sure action points are followed up. Ideally this will be one of the active community members with the project lead taking responsibility for supporting the chair and those who commit themselves to follow-up actions.

The frequency of meetings will depend on your group's constitution and its members, and may change as the project progresses.

Regular business meetings also help with team building, and are crucial for accountability.

Here are a few of the reasons why you need business meetings:

• monitoring progress
• ensuring you are complying with legal requirements
• communicating information
• consulting other members of the steering group
• making decisions
• supporting other members, i.e. each other
• finding solutions to problems
• planning ahead
• making sure everyone is up to date, including those who have missed a meeting.