This article deals with the term AOB or “Any Other Business” and will aim to help you to get to grips with a familiar term found on a meeting agenda. It will take you through what AOB means, when it is used and what should be addressed under AOB.
You may hear the chairperson say ‘Any other business?’ towards the end of a meeting. Or you may see it written on a meeting agenda after the main items, as in the example below.
- Item 1
- Item 2
- Item 3
- Any Other Business (or AOB)
But what exactly does ‘Any Other Business’ actually mean?
As a meeting draws to the end, the chairperson will ask if there is any other business to discuss; this is the opportunity to raise a point that has not already been discussed on the meeting agenda but that you would like to be included in the meeting minutes.
Despite ‘Any Other Business’ being a broad term, any points made should be relevant to that particular meeting. For example, if you were in a meeting regarding Apples, you would not raise a point about Pears under AOB. However, if your point was specifically related to Apples and it was not already included on the agenda, you should raise it under Any Other Business.
Finally, it is usual custom to let the Chairperson know at the beginning of the meeting that you have a point to make under AOB. This is so that he or she can decide if it relevant to the meeting and also to make sure that you have enough time to speak.
The Chairperson will usually close the meeting after Any Other Business has been dealt with.
If you are struggling writing your own meeting agenda then why not have a look at our 15 steps to a great agenda to help.
