Q.What was a Statutory Meeting? Is it still required to be held under the Companies Act, 2013?

The chairman is the person who presides over and conducts the proceedings of a company meeting.

Every valid meeting must have a person to preside over it — this person is the chairman. The chairman:

• opens and conducts the meeting as per the agenda,
• maintains order and discipline among members,
• puts resolutions to vote and declares the results, and
• signs the minutes of the meeting.

He is usually the chairman of the Board, or a person elected by the members present.

The items put up for discussion in a meeting are called the Agenda — option (D).

Agenda means the list of business/items, arranged in order, that will be discussed and decided at a meeting. It is prepared by the secretary and usually sent along with the notice so members come prepared. Distinguishing the options: a Resolution (A) is the formal decision taken on an agenda item; a Proposal (B) is a suggestion put before the meeting; a Notice (C) is the advance intimation calling the meeting. The correct term for the matters listed for discussion is (D) Agenda.

Listening is not a medium of expression in a presentation; it is a receiving skill.

When presentations are classified by their medium of expression — how the presenter delivers the content — the recognised types are oral (spoken), written (text/handouts) and audio-visual aids such as a PowerPoint presentation. Listening does not belong here because it is the audience's act of receiving and understanding the message, not a channel the speaker uses to express it. Hence, from the point of view of medium of expression, listening is the odd one out.

The person selected by members to conduct a meeting is the chairman.

For a meeting to be valid and orderly it must be presided over by a chairman. The chairman is the person chosen by the members present to lead the meeting — he opens the meeting, maintains order, follows the agenda, allows discussion, puts resolutions to vote and declares the results. A secretary assists in preparing and recording the meeting but does not preside; a director or KMP holds an office but is not, by that fact alone, the person who conducts the meeting. The one who conducts it is the chairman.

The audience should be at the centre of a presentation.

The purpose of a presentation is to inform or persuade the people who are listening, so the whole preparation and delivery must revolve around them. The presenter should study the audience's background, needs and level of understanding, and then choose the content, language, examples and visual aids accordingly. Keeping the audience at the centre ensures the message is relevant, clear and engaging, which is what makes the presentation effective.

The chairman is the person who presides over and conducts a meeting.

A chairman is the individual chosen to preside over a meeting and be responsible for its proper conduct. He opens the meeting after confirming the quorum, follows the agenda, gives members a fair chance to speak, keeps discussion orderly, puts resolutions to the vote, decides points of order and declares the results/decisions. In a company, the chairman of the Board often chairs general meetings, or the members may elect one. In short, the person who leads and conducts the meeting is the chairman.