PowerfulMeetings

MeetingsAnIntroduction

Definition The act or process or an instance of coming together an encounter. An assembly or gathering of people, as for a business, social, orreligiouspurpose. A meeting is the most common form of collaboration. Two or more people get together to 'colabor' solve problems, make plans and decisions, and reconcile differences. In the global business environment,meetingsarea24x7reality.Andittakesskilltoconduct ameetingthatproducesapositiveresult. A meeting is usually the best way to go when you want the key stakeholders to understand, agree to, and then help implement an important course of action (and you havent been able to determine thatindividually).Inthatcase,youllwanttoseeorheareachperson confirmher/hisunderstandingandagreement. In addition to coming together physically (in real life, face to face), communication lines and equipment can also be set up to have a discussionbetweenpeopleatdifferentlocations,e.g.aconferencecall oranemeeting. Becauseofitsgrowingimportanceinbusiness,acareerinprofessional meetingplanninghasemergedasoneofthehotjobsinrecentyears.

This CDROM seeks to provide you with the tools and frameworks required to conduct or participate in productive meetings and get resultsfromthem.

DoYouReallyNeedOne? Rules #1 Dont hold a meeting just because it is a habit. Research pointsoutthatover50%ofthemeetingsthateatintoproductivework time are simply not required in the first place. While face to face meetingsprovideagreatopportunitytobrainstorm,networkandbuild relationships, get a reality check on whether the purpose of the meeting could have been accomplished in other ways. With the fast paced growth in technology, there are other more efficient ways like online meeting rooms or project management portals to accomplish routinetaskslikestatusupdatesorprojectreviews. Asmoreandmoremeetingsareheldwithdocumentsharingandvideo technology, the frustrations can multiply especially when you shouldntreallybehavingameetinginthefirstplace!Meetingscanbe arealdrainontimeandproductivity. A research study on business meetings found that "57 percent of business leaders spend 21 percent to 60 percent of their time each week in internal meetings. Some 56 percent of the executives found halfoftheirmeetingstobeproductive."Unfortunately,byimplication, thatmeansthathalftheirmeetingswerenotproductive,leadingtoa waste of 10 30% of these business leaders' work days.(Show someonesnoozingoff)

WhenDoYouNeedMeetings? In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a (usually) predetermined topic such as business or communityeventplanning,ofteninaformalsetting. Here are a few specific situations where a meeting may forward the action: You believe the synergy of a group may generate a better ideaoroutcome.(Showpeople,foracomicaltouch,hugging and/orjumpingtogether!Almostlikeinourcricketteam) Youarelaunchinganewprojectteam.(Asifarocketlaunchis beingcarriedout) Planningand/orreviewingthecompletionofaproject. Whendifferencesofopinionareholdingupaproject,andyou want to get to the root cause and break through it. (people struggling to fight off each other around a huge tree, while tryingtodigittotheroots) You want to create alignment and commitment to an organizational change, and people will have to change their behaviortomakeithappen. You want people to reconnect with their colleagues and maintainapositiveteamspirit. Make presentations to clients sales presentations, kickoff meetings, interim status meetings, and final presentations, periodic meetings, staff meetings, One to one meetings, Shareinformationwithagroup(Somepresentationscene) Toreducetimeindecisionmaking(clockticking?) Makedecisions

Training and knowledgetransfer (Informationtransfer shown asbubblesmovingfromoneheadtoanother!)

Problemsolvingandbrainstorming(Puzzle/blocksandbrains lockinginfightkindofscene!)

Meetingchecklist DontrepeatMeet! Avoidameetingifthesameinformationhasbeencoveredinamailor a memo. One of the keys to having more effective meetings is differentiating between the need for oneway information

dissemination and twoway information sharing. To disseminate informationyoucanuseavarietyofothercommunicationmedia,such as sending an email or posting the information on your company's intranet. If you want to be certain you have delivered the right message, you can schedule a meeting to simply answer questions abouttheinformationyouhavesent.Byrememberingtoaskyourself, "Isameetingthebestwaytohandlethis?"you'llcutdownonwasted meeting time and restore your group's belief that the meetings they attendarenecessary. SetObjectives Set objectives before the meeting. Plan an agenda and keep the materials required for the meetings like markers, handout etc. ready before hand. One benefit of setting objectives for the meeting is to help you plan the meeting. The more concrete your meeting objectives, the more focused your agenda will be. Setting meeting

objectives allows you to continuously evaluate and improve your effectivemeetingprocess. Keeppeopleinformed Provideallparticipantswithanagendabeforethemeetingstarts.Your agendaneedstoincludeabriefdescriptionofthemeetingobjectives, a list of the topics to be covered and a list stating who will address each topic and for how long. When you send the agenda, you should includethetime,dateandlocationofthemeetingandanybackground information participants will need to know to hold an informed discussiononthemeetingtopic.Followitclosely! WarmupandsDiscuss Give all participants something to prepare for the meeting. Like, for problemsolving meetings, have the group read the background information necessary to get down to business in the meeting. Ask eachgroupmembertothinkofonepossiblesolutiontotheproblemto get everyone thinking about the meeting topic. For brainstorming sessions, ask a trivia question related to the meeting topic and give thecorrectanswerinthefirstfewminutesofthemeeting.Theseare surefirewaystowarmupthegroupanddirectparticipants'attention tothemeetingobjectives.

Assign

Don'tfinishanydiscussioninthemeetingwithoutdecidinghowtoact on it. Listen for key comments that flag potential action items and don'tletthempassbywithoutaddressingthemduringyourmeeting. Assigning tasks and projects as they arise during the meeting means that your followthrough will be complete. Addressing offtopic statementsduringthemeetinginthiswayalsoallowsyoutokeepthe meeting on track. By immediately addressing these statements with thesuggestionofmakinganactionitemtoexaminetheissueoutside ofthecurrentmeeting,youshowmeetingparticipantsthatyouvalue theirinputaswellastheirtime. Examine Assign the last few minutes of every meeting as time to review the following questions: What worked well in this meeting? What can we do to improve our next meeting? Ask every participant to briefly provideapointformanswertothesequestions. TypesofMeetings Stand up Meeting. (Show people in Office standing in a circle near somecubicles) Itisadailyteammeetingheldtoprovideastatusupdatetotheteam members. The meetings are usually for 515 minutes and are held standing up to remind people to keep the meeting short and to the point. Most people usually refer to this meeting as just the standup, althoughitissometimesalsoreferredtoasthemorningrollcall or thedailyscrum.

Astandupmeetingeverymorningisusedtocommunicateproblems, solutions, and promote team focus. Everyone stands up in a circle to avoidlongdiscussions. Themeetingisusuallyheldatthesametimeandplaceeveryworking day. All team members are expectedto attend, butthemeetings are not postponed if some of the team members are not present. One of the crucial features is that the meeting is intended to be a status update to other team members and not a status update to the managementorotherstakeholders. TopicalMeeting Topical meeting focuses on a particular topic which may have been chosen to highlight certain events or happenings of the season. They mayalsobebasedonanagendaorbusinesscalendarwhichcouldbe drawn up at the beginning of the year. These meetings are usually plannedwellaheadoftime,typicallyafewmonthsinadvance,togive theattendeesenoughtimetochoosewhatmeetingstheywouldliketo attend. In a business context, managers usually send team members whohavetherightqualificationsorexperiencetorepresenttheteam inthesemeetings.Theagendaisusuallypublishedinadvanceandthe desiredoutcomewelldefinedforexample,eachteamwillsubmitthe IT hardware requirements for the year within 3 days of the meeting, etc Fewexamplesoftopicsandschedulingofthesemeetingswouldbe: October29"Budgetplanningandreporting" December10ITsystemsandsecuritymeet February25"Facilitiesandinfrastructuremeet"

Presentation (Most commonly used type is a conference room and power point one)

Presentations are the most common excuse for convening a meeting. Thesecouldbepresentationsmadetopresentanideaoraprojectora plantoexternalorinternalaudiences,togetabuyinfromcustomers, themanagementorteammembersorquitesimplytoreviewresultsof aproject.Usuallythesemeetingsareconvenedonaneedtobasisand usually a week or fortnights notice to participants is preferable. An agenda is typically published in advance and a copy of the presentation is also circulated to enable attendees study this in advanceandpreparediscussionpointsorquestions.

In a presentation meeting, the presenter plays an important role in managing the progress and outcomes of the meeting. If you are a presenter,hereareafewtipstokeepinmind: Tailoryourpresentationtoyouraudience Communicatewithclarityandconviction Clearlydefinedesiredoutcomes Condenseaspeechoutlineintonotesyoucanspeakfrom Prepare well to be able to answer potential questions and objections Sticktoyourtime Alwaysallowsufficienttimeattheendforquestionsthethumb ruleis10minutesforevery30minutesofpresentation Assign ateammember to make notesand send minutes of the meetingandactionpointsafterthemeetingtoallattendees

Conferences Conferences are large format meetings that are convened to share ideas, best practices and thought leadership within a community or interest group. Usually these meetings are scheduled a year in advanceandusuallyhappenatafixedtimeeveryyear.Expertpanels, presentations, key note speeches, exhibits and social eventsall provide an opportunity to interact with the leaders and innovators in your field of interest and offer a uniqueopportunity for developing a wide range of professional relationships. Usually there are no defined outcomesforthesemeetingsandsincetheaudienceparticipationmay reach a few hundreds, interactivity is usually limited. If you are attendingaconference,hereareafewtipsthatcanmakeitproductive foryou: Studytheagendaandspeakersdecidewhatsessionsyouwould liketoattend Look for the list of attendees and choose your peer group that youwouldliketomeetandnetworkwithitisgoodpracticeto reach out to them before the conference to schedule ameeting timeonthesidelinesoftheconference Prepare some important questions you would like to ask the expert speakers thereis oftenverylimited timefor questions andifyouareprepared,ithelps Ask for copies of the speaker presentations or note down their emailids.Thiswillallowyoutosendthemfollowupquestionsor simplynetworkwiththem.

Emergencymeetings(Firefightingoperation)

These meetings are reserved for situations requiring an immediate resolutionlikeacrisisoremergencywhichcouldbemomentarybut could create chaos throughout the organization or department, potentiallyaffectingpeople,schedulesorprojects.Thesemeetingsare usuallycalledforwithlittleornonoticeandrequireharddecisionsby the end of the meeting. Some tips for getting decisions out of emergencymeetingsare: Clearly state the problem upfront and articulate what is the potential impact of the situation e.g.: loss of revenues, increaseincost,potentialconflictwithacustomer,etc Go around the table and ask everyone for their views and put them down without dismissing, debating or ridiculing any of them Then eliminate the improbable solutions from the list by consensusorveto. Pickuptwoorthreesolutionsthatsoundthemostfeasibleand setapartafewminutestogothroughthemeritsanddemeritsof theseideas Assign clear responsibilities with well defined timelines to key teammembers MeetingManagement Meetings are a microcosm of an organizations culture. Sluggish meetingsaremaybeasignofaculturethatisaversetochangeand improvement. On the other hand, effective meetings with open, honestandenergeticparticipationindicateanefficient,collaborative culture.Ifyouwanttomakeanimpactonthewayyourorganization operates,startwithimprovingthequalityofyourmeetings.

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In organizations, meetings are an important vehicle for and personal contacthumancommunication.Theyaresocommonandpervasivein organizations, however, that many take them for granted and forget that,unlessproperlyplannedandexecuted,meetingscanbeaterrible wasteofpreciousresources.

CriticalFactorsForEffectiveMeetingsare: SelectingParticipants Invite only those directly involved in the issues being discussed. Meetingscanfailbecausetoomanyortoofewparticipantsattend.Ifa meetingistoolarge,forexample,discussionmaybesuperficialandit maytaketwiceaslongtomakeadecisionthanyouoriginallythought. If all attendees will be affected by decisions, theyll be more task orientedandlessdistractedbytrivialissues.

DevelopingAgendas(sampleagendadoc)

If you want an organized, structured meeting, you have to script it. After all, a script contains dialogue, characters, stage directions and props. Your meeting agenda should outline the specific items to be discussed, the person responsible for leading each agenda item, the time allocated to each item, any supporting information to be reviewed, the desired outcome of the meeting and any preparation required.Foryouragendatobereallyeffective,youshoulddistribute it (along with any supporting information) a day or two before the meeting.

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Determinethemarketingrequiredforanewproductlaunch Agendaitem: Lead Supporting information Preparation All participants to review timeline prior to meeting andcomepreparedtodiscusspossibleconflicts Desired outcome Timeallocated 20minutes Followup tasks Tobedeterminedduringthemeeting Finalizetheschedulebythecloseofmeeting Determineatimelineforthelaunch Manorama Tentativetimelineincludedwithagenda

Agendaitem:

Decide

what

combination

of

print/radio/newspaper advertising will be usedduringthelaunch Lead Supporting information Shivam Advertising budget

Advertising rates for three print publications Rates for two radio stations

Ratesforfournewspapers Preparation Krishna from accounting to review and approve

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budget

prior

to

meeting

Marketing group to review media rates and determinetheirpreferredcombination Desired outcome Finalize advertising schedule (during meeting) Gainbudgetaryapproval(nextday)

Timeallocated 40minutes Followup tasks Krishna to approve media budget the day after meeting Othertaskstobedeterminedduringmeeting

Opening the Meeting (Show door opening, or introduction scene,likehandshakeetc) Setasidetimeforintroductionsoranicebreaker.Thisisanotherway to ensure that people feelincluded and welcome. Ask each person to introduce himself or herself and answer an additional question such as:Howdidyouhearabout/getinvolvedwiththisproject?Orwhatis onethingyouwouldliketogetoutofthismeeting?

Establishing Ground Rules(indicate with a road, signal, traffic copetc) An agenda lists the goals of the meeting and the topics to be discussed.Thinkofitasyourroadmapforthemeeting.Itshouldgive the group a clear picture of your destination and the route you're taking.Getthegroup'sagreementatthebeginningofthemeetingon theissuestobediscussedbyreviewingtheitemstogether.

It'sokaytobeflexibledon'tbeafraidtoaddorsubtractitemsas longastheyareinlinewiththegoalofthemeeting.Getgroupbuyin

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and interest in a general meeting by asking members which issues need to be addressed. If members feel that their input is important and that they are involved in the planning process, they are more likelytoattendmeetingsandparticipateactively.

TimeManagementinMeetings Ifyouarethemeetingorganizer: Statethatthemeetingwillbeginpromptlyatthescheduledtime andthatallparticipants Sendareminderemailthirtyminutesbeforethemeetingbegins andencouragemeetingparticipantstoarriveontime. Ensure that you begin the meeting at the scheduled time. If you've encouraged others to be prompt, don't embarrass yourselfbyshowinguplate. Close the meeting room doors at the scheduled time. There's nothing like late attendees to disrupt the flow of a meeting! Consider posting a note outside the door stating the meeting's time. If your meeting starts a little late, you should still finish the meetingatthescheduledtime.It'sinconsideratetoassumethe participants'schedulesrevolvearoundyourmeeting,sowrapup themeetingwhenyoupromised. Try to ask only relevant questions during the meeting. If your comment isn't directly related to the topic at hand, don't mention it. Getting off track is one of the main reasons that meetingsgoovertime.Ifyourgroupcanavoidgettingofftrack, you'llallspendlesstimeinmeetings.

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Leavethemeetingwhenitwasscheduledtoend.Whentheorganizer extended the invitation to meet, he stated when the meeting would finish. It was on this condition that you accepted the meeting and committed your time. If you have work to which you must attend, politely tell the organizer that you have to leave and excuse yourself fromthemeeting.

EvaluatingtheMeetingProcess Yourbottomlineistogetdonewhatyouneedtogetdone.Youcando this within a budgeted amount of time. Once youre in the meeting, watch the time and the conversation. Discuss only what needs to be discussed,andyoullbesavingyouandyourcoworkersvaluabletime. Ifyoucansuccessfullydoallofthis,yourewellonyourwaytobeing ameetingschedulingguru! The only good reason to have meetings is to do something together that you can't do better alone. In business, meetings have three primary purposes: communicating, administering, and deciding. Of these,thefirstandlastaremostworthwhile.Butthefocusofallthree kinds of meetings should be action. They should either be communicatingtheintentiontotakeanactionortheresultsofaction thathasbeentaken,administeringaplanofaction,ordecidingamong alternativeactions.

EvaluatingtheOverallMeeting Assign the last few minutes of every meeting as time to review the followingquestions: Whatworkedwellinthismeeting? Whatcanwedotoimproveournextmeeting?

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Every participant should briefly provide a pointform answer to these questions. Answers to the second question should be phrased in the form of a suggested action. For example, if a participant's answer is stated as Jagdish was too longwinded, ask the participant to re phrasethecommentasanaction.

To determine if your meeting needs a little tuneup, set aside 15 minutesattheendofameetingandaskyourcolleaguesthequestions relatedtothemeetinganditsprocess.

ClosingtheMeeting Attheendofthemeeting,theleadershouldreviewtheactionitems, who'sresponsibleandbywhen.Thisway,everyonehasaclearpicture ofwho'sresponsibleforwhatwhenthemeeting'sover. Once the meeting objective has been accomplished, adjourn the meeting. Even if it's thirty minutes earlier than expected! Don't continuemeetingsimplybecausethat'swhatthescheduledictates. PostmeetingActivities After the meeting is over, send the meeting information to all the participants. Because you were responsible fornotetaking duringthe meeting,youmaybetheonlyonewhohasthisinformationafterthe meeting ends. Whether you provide the notes by email or photocopied handouts, sharing this meeting information is vital for properfollowup.It'salsoagoodideatoincludeasummaryofallthe action items assigned during the meeting. This acts as a reminder to allparticipantsofwho'sresponsibleforwhatandbywhen.

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ConferenceCalls,WebinarsandVideoconferencing

Globally distributed organizations are here to stay and with team members and stake holders distributed across not just multiple locations, but also time zones and nationalities, electronic meeting forms are fast becoming the norm rather than an exception. An average executives time in a global organization is now spent on global conference calls, web meetings and videoconferencing in addition to the good old physicalmeetings. Heres a preview of these newage meeting forms and the dos and donts to make these meetingsmoreeffective.

ConferenceCalls:Thesearetelephonecallsinvolvingmorethantwo people from different locations or countries. These could be between colleagues or between a client and a partner. These are usually pre scheduled calls at a mutually convenient time and participants are expected to use a bridge number. The bridge is used to connect global participants through a local dial in number. These calls are forums to discuss key issues or review progress and normally dont haveaformalagenda.Somebasictipsforconferencecallsare:

1. Dialintothebridgeontimerememberthisisasformalasany otherphysicalmeeting 2. Introduce yourself every time you speak or make a point not everyonecanrecognizeyoubyvoice 3. Dontspeakloudlyspeakinameasuredvoice

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4. Ifyouareinanoisyplace,placeyourselfonmutewhenyouare notspeaking. 5. Be sensitive to the other persons time zone and wish them accordinglynoonelikestohearacheerygoodmorningwhen theyareonacallat9inthenight! 6. Agree before hand on who is responsible for making notes and circulating the minutes of the call since you cant see each other, everyone assumes that that the other person is making thenotes! 7. Dontramblespeaktothepoint 8. Mind yourlanguage since people cant see each other, even a harmless remark or a casual observation may sound rude and offensive

VideoConference: Videoconferencesaregettingamazinglycloseto physicalmeetingswithnewtechnologysuchasTelepresencemaking voice and imaging surprisingly real time and real life. Video conferences are usually more expensive than audio conference calls and require sophisticated equipment and internet bandwidth to work. Because of this, these meetings are reserved for occasions where a facetofaceinterventionismandatory. Here are afew rules tofollow forsuccessfulvideoconferences

Remember people are watching you the common mistake participantsmakeinvideoconferencesisbeingdisengaged.You shouldtreatthecamerabeforeyoulikeaTVcamandremember you are playing to an audience. The enthusiasm, shine in the eyes,allofthemmatter

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Dont be sloppy many a time the video conference room is a messwithemptycoffeecupsandsnackplates.Rememberthat thisisaformalmeetingtoo

Bepreparedandconfidentunlikeaudiocalls,ifyouareunder prepared,itshows.

Makeeyecontactitisassimpleaslookingintothecamera. Speak clearly and give time for your voice to carry there is usually a time lag of a second or two between you speaking to youbeingheard.

Eliminateexternalnoiseanddistractionsandswitchoffthatcell phoneasalways!

Know who you are talking to and use their names when you speak.Ifitisanimportantmeeting,askforphotosofpeoplein advancesothatyouknowwhoyouaretalkingto.

Webinars: Webinars are the electronic equivalent of conferences or seminars with one or more expert speakers presenting on a topic. These are usually scheduled over 34 months in advance and offer only a limited participation. Webinars are usually a combination of a web and telephone meetings with presentations being delivered over thewebusingtoolslikeWebExandtheinteractivitymanagedthrough an audio conference set up. These meetings often have an external moderator who manages the time, the order of speakers and the routingofquestionstotheappropriatepanelisttoanswer.

GroupRolesforEffectiveMeetings

Facilitator

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Thefacilitatorhelpsaccomplishthemeeting'sgoalsbypresentingthe agenda and keeping the group on track. This person, a member of yourgroup'sleadership,shouldbeselectedinadvance.Thefacilitator shouldrotatetospreadoutresponsibilityandallowdifferentpeoplean opportunitytogainleadershipskills. Consider using a neutral facilitator if the content of the meeting is complex,thereareofficepoliticsatplay,oryouexpectahighlevelof conflict. GroupMember

Review the agenda before heading to the meeting. This helps to be better prepared for the meeting and, in turn, will help focus the meeting, enable all of the agenda items to be covered and allow the meetingtofinishontime! Try to ask only relevant questions during the meeting. If your comment isn't directly related to the topic at hand, don't mention it. Getting off track is one of the main reasons that meetings go over time. If your group can avoid getting off track, you'll all spend less timeinmeetings.

Recorder (Show a white board with someone scribbling on it, one or two members pointing towards it with their biro, all haveopennotepadsinfrontofthem) Writetheobjectiveofthesessionwhereeveryoneintheroomcansee it. Put it in a question form, starting with either "How can we?" or "Whatcanbedoneto?"Forexample,"Howcanwebetterunderstand

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the needs of our customers?" or "What can be done to improve the qualityofthisproduct?"

Besuretocaptureallofthegroupsideas.Aninteractivewhiteboardis ideal for brainstorming since ideas are displayed on the whiteboard surface(whichcanstimulateadditionalideas),easilyeditedandsaved to a computer file. Whichever tool you use to record your ideas, be sure that theyre saved for future reference. After all, what good is generatingideasifnobodyremembersthemafterthesessionends?

Manager/ indicators)

Chairperson

(Show

tea/coffee/snacks

time

As a general rule, attendees are most receptive and participatory at thebeginningofameeting.Asthemeetingwearson,otherunrelated or partially relevant issues arise and offtopic conversation ensues. A break can provide the respite a chairperson may need to bring the meeting back to order and remind participants of the importance of remainingontimeandonschedule. Besuretoletattendeesknowatthebeginningofameetingthatthere willbeanopportunitytobreakandgiveanapproximatetimestayon scheduleandsticktotheagenda. If its an offsite meeting in an unfamiliar location, the chairperson should advise participants of the whereabouts of both the restrooms andnearestphone,priortothebreak. Guidelinesforeffectivemeetings

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The perfect meetingis often aselusive as Utopia, but here are a few guidelines that will help you get better value for your time when you conductorparticipateinmeetings:

Limit your objectives often meetings with one or two clearly defines objectives are more successful that ones that try and accomplishalotofstuffinanhour!

Limit your people the fewer the people at the meeting, the quickerthedecisionsandfastertheprogress.Callonlythemost importantteammembersforyourmeetings.Thesepeoplecanin turndebriefordelegatetotherestoftheteammembers.

State expectations upfront including what the issues and expected outcomes are. An unclear brief leads to a confused meeting

Assignrolesmakesureyourmeetinghassomeoneresponsible fortakingnotesandsomeonetakingcareofthelogisticsnote pads,coffee,timedbreaks,etc

Follow up it is best practice to follow up with your attendees not just after the meeting, but before the meeting as well. Circulate the agenda and presentations and ask for advance information, questions or data from your attendees. Make sure thatthekeypeopleconfirmtoattendlackofkeypeoplemay derailameetingandnecessitateanotherone.Afterthemeeting circulatenotes,actionitemsandtimelines.

CommonProblemsWithMeetings In today's teamfocused work environment, organizations recognize the benefits of input from a variety of perspectives and people.

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Unfortunately, more teamwork means more meetings which translate intomoreinteractionswithdiversepersonalities.Generally,wecanall workthroughindividualsocializationstyles,butoccasionally,wemust workwithsomeonewefindcurt,coarse,andcrass!

Difficultpeople(Showacoupleofpeoplehighfiving,andashaving theOnidaDevilsHorns!)

Meetingparticipantdriftsofftopic Muddledandconfusedparticipants A participant makes a habit of providing vague or unclear suggestions

A participant interrupts other participants while they are speaking

Participantpersistentlychattingtohisneighbor Thecynicalemployeechallengingotherparticipants'ideas

Peoplearen'talwaysawarewhenthey'rebeingdifficult.Ifyourteamis to move beyond personal differences, everyone must realize that proving a point or being right should be secondary to your team's objectives. It's important to differentiate between conflict and disagreement. Disagreementsarehealthy.Theyforcethegrouptoconsiderdifferent optionsandselectthemostviablecourseofaction.Conflicthoweveris dangerousbecauseitimpliesanemotionalcomponent. Mostofusarequitehappytoexpressanopinionwhetherweknow what we're talking about or not. Opinions are easy because they're

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based on preconceived ideas and beliefs. Facts, on the other hand, come from external sources or experiences and require some degree ofresearchorknowledge. Unclearagenda

Meetingsarelonger,lessefficientandgeneratefewerresults. Moremeetingsareneededtoaccomplishobjectives. With so much time spent in ineffective meetings, employees havelesstimetogettheirownworkdone.

Ineffectivemeetingscreatefrustrationatallstafflevels. Inefficient meetings cost organizations billions of Rupees each yearinotherwiseproductiveemployeeworktime.

Lackofleadership

Meetingsalsofailbecausetheleaderisunabletodrivetheparticipants toaconsensus.Agoodleadershouldbeableto: Choosetherightpeopleforthemeeting Should be able to control troublesome participants and resolve conflict Shouldbeabletodrivetheteamtowardsasolution Shouldbeabletogeteveryonetoparticipateandcontribute

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AnatomyofaGreatMeeting Thebiggestwasteoftimeismeetingwhenit'snotnecessary.You'dbe surprised by how many of your weekly meetings can be eliminated whenyoudecidetomeetonlywhenit'sabsolutelynecessary.Hereare sometipsfordecidingifameetingisworthyourtime. If you want to have more effective meetings, first you have to learn the basics. Here are some simple, easytofollow and proven guidelines that should be followed each and every time your group meets. Onlyholdameetingifnecessary Allmeetingsmusthaveclearobjectives. Inviteaneutralfacilitatortosensitivemeetings Allmeetingsmusthaveanagendawhichincludes: Topicsfordiscussion, Presenterordiscussionleaderforeachtopic, Timeallotmentforeachtopic Meetinginformation needs to be circulated to everyone prior to the Makesuretoinclude: Meetingobjectives, Meetingagenda, Location/date/time, meeting.

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Backgroundinformation, Assigneditemsforpreparation, Meetingsmuststartpreciselyontimesoasnottopunishthose who are punctual. This also sets the stage for how serious you areaboutmakingthemeetingeffective. Meetingparticipantsmust: Arriveontime, Bewellprepared, Beconciseandtothepoint, Participateinaconstructivemanner. Meetingnotesmustberecordedandmadepartofthecompany's meetinginformationarchives. Thedecisionsmadebythegroupmustbedocumented. Assignedactionitemsmustbedocumented,andthehost,oran appropriate participant, must be appointed to followup on the completionofallactionitems. Meeting effectiveness must be reviewed at the end of each meeting and suggested improvements applied to the next meeting.

Summary Setandhonortime:Start,BreakandEndontime Keeptheparticipantsinformedbeforehand

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Definethepurposeofthemeeting Circulateanagenda Haveatheme Planthemeetingwellinadvance Keepthematerialsrequiredready Choosealocationsuitabletoyourgroup'ssize.Smallroomswith toomanypeoplegetstuffy

Avoidelectronicgrazing.Closelaptops,switchoffcellphones Donotdigress.Stayontarget Don'trecapwhatyou'vecoveredifsomeonecomesinlate: doingsosendsthemessagethatitisOKtobelateformeetings, anditwasteseveryoneelse'svaluabletime.

Beconsistent Followup Finishthemeetingbeforethestatedfinishtimeifyouhave achievedeverythingyouneedto.

Alwaysissuesminutesofthemeeting

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