WHAT ABOUT THEM?
•
Meetings are a fact of life on the job
•
Between 11 million and 20 million businesses take place each day in the US
•
Just because meetings are common doesn’t mean that they are always
productive
• Some people may find it boring and a waste of time
•
Meetings - whether they good or bad- are a sign of an organizations health
•
“Meetings matter because that is where an organization’s culture perpetuates
itself.”
• -William R. Daniels, consultant at American Consulting & Training
TYPES OF MEETINGS
Information- Sharing :
people meet regularly to exchange information
• Police officers and nurses begin shift with a meeting to brief others
about what is happening
• Office groups hold a Monday morning meeting to inform group
members about new developments, emerging trends, and the coming
weeks’ tasks
• These types of meetings are held to update people with new information
and to keep everyone up to date
•
TYPES OF MEETINGS CONT’D…
Problem- Solving/ Decision Making:
•
This is where a group may decide to take some action or make a
change in existing policies or procedures
•
Problem solving is the most common reason for a business meeting
•
This type of meeting are the most challenging in group activity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1fL0ZHX2t0&feature=emshare_video_user
TYPES CONT’D…
Ritual activities:
•
•
Can take place in a local bar and to an outsider look more like a TGIF
party
Several purposes:
• 1) reaffirm the members’ commitment to one another and the company
• 2) sessions provide a chance to swap useful ideas and stories that
might not be appropriate in the office
• 3) can be a kind of perk that confers status on the members
TYPES CONT’D…
Virtual Meetings:
•
•
When people think of the term meeting, they think of people seated
around a table talking business. Not always though
Teleconferences: multiparty telephone conferences
• Although they are affordable and easy to use, communicators see it as
a useful way for distant parties to meet
• You don’t need an elaborate organizational network. You only need a
webcam and a microphone, free software, ad high- speed internet
• With these items you can hold virtual meeting with anyone on Earth
GUIDELINES FOR AN EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL MEETING
•
Before the meeting, send agenda and any other documents that will be
discussed to all participants
•
At the beginning of the meeting have everyone introduce themselves
and state their location
•
In phone conversations, parties should identify themselves when talking
to avoid confusions
•
Avoid interrupting others or leaving anyone out just because you cant
see them
•
Keep distractions to a minimum
•
Use best equipment possible
PLANNING PROBLEM-SOLVIN MEETING
When to hold a meeting:
•
•
The most fundamental question is whether to hold a meeting at all
There are times when a meeting isn't necessary:
• The matter could be held over the phone
• You can send a memo, email, or a fax
• Key people are not available to attend
• There isn’t enough time to handle the business at hand
• Members are not prepared
• The meeting is routine (going over basic information)
IS THE JOB BEYOND THE CAPACITY OF ONE PERSON?
A job might be much for one person to handle
• 1) it might call for more information than any single person possesses
• 2) the job might take more time than one person has available
•
ARE INDIVIDUAL’S TASKS INTERDEPENDENT?
•
•
•
Each member should have a different role
If each person on the handbook is responsible for a separate section,
there is little need for the group to meet frequently
A group of people who do the same kind of work can often improve their
individual performance
• Reality tester
• Information giver
• Diagnosers
• Empathetic listeners
IS THERE MORE THAN ONE DECISION OR SOLUTION?
•
Questions that have only one right answer are not well suited to discussion in
meetings
•
Tasks that don’t have fixed outcomes, are appropriate for committer discussion
•
Group needs a kind of creativity to get the problem solved
ARE MISUNDERSTANDINGS OR RESERVATIONS LIKELY?
•
•
•
Meetings are often necessary when confusing or controversial information is
being communicated
Issuing a memo outlining the new rules might not gain the kind of compliance
that is necessary
“ I can write down the vision of the company a thousand times and send it out
to people. But when I sit with them face- to- face and give them the vision, for
some reason it is much more accepted”
• - Dennis Stamp, chairman of Vancouver’s Priority Management Systems,
Inc.
SETTING AN AGENDA
•
•
An agenda is a list of topics to be covered in a meeting. A meeting without an
agenda is like a ship at sea without a destination or compass. No one aboard
knows where it is or where it is headed.
Build an agenda by asking 3 questions:
• 1) what do we need to do in the meeting to achieve our goal?
• 2) what conversations will be important to the people who attend?
• 3) what information will we need to begin?
•
Agenda items can come from many sources: the group leader, minutes from
previous meetings, group members, or standing items
•
It is probably wise to follow up your detailed memo with another email or phone
call to make sure members are prepared to deal thoughtfully with important
items
TIME, LENGTH, AND LOCATION
•
Without the starting time, you can expect to hear such comments as “I thought
you said 10, not 9,” or “We always started at 3 before.”
•
Unless you announce the length, expect some members to leave early
•
Failure to note the location results in members stumbling in late after waiting in
the “usual place” wondering why no one showed up
•
If your group needs to meet regularly , the best way to schedule meetings may be
to build the time and place into everyone’s schedule
PARTICIPANTS
•
•
•
overall size of group is important: When attendance grows beyond 7 people, the
likelihood of some members’ falling silent increases
If the agenda includes 1+ problem-solving items, it is best to keep the size small
so everyone can participate. If the meetings is informational, a larger group may
be acceptable
Identify on agenda who will be attending the meeting because you alert
everyone as to who will be there
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
•
Sometimes participants will need background information to give them
new details or to remind them of things they may have forgotten
•
Background information can also provide a description of the meetings
significance
ITEMS AND GOALS
• “Meetings should be outcome- rather than process- driven”
• Anita Underwood, Dun and Bradstreet’s VP of organizational
management
• Vague ideas lead to vague meetings
• A clear list of topics and goals will result in better- informed members
and more productive, satisfying meetings
• The best goals are result- oriented, specific, and realistic
GOALS
P O O R LY WO R D E D
BETTER
 Let’s talk about how we can
solve the sales problems in the
northwestern region.
 We will brainstorm and create a
list of specific ways our product
can be shown to be useful in the
special climate conditions of the
Northwest.
 We will explain the advantages
and disadvantages of our two
income- savings plans so
employees can decide which best
suits our needs
 Joe will explain the facilities of our
new supplier and how we can use
them to cut costs.
 We’re going to talk about the
new income- saving plan.
 Joe Fishman will tell you about
his trip to the new supplier’s
plant.
ITEMS AND GOALS CONT’D…
•
Goals are useful in two way
• 1) help to identify those who ought to attend the meeting
• 2) specific goals also help the people who do attend to prepare for the
meeting, and they help to keep the discussion on track once it begins
•
The person who calls the meeting is not the only person who can or should set
goals
•
It is wise to use an “expectations check” to identify members’ concerns
• Members can be pooled that way their issues can be included into the agenda
for the meeting
• Sometimes the topic shouldn’t be considered and the issue might be handled
outside of the meeting (personally)
PRE- MEETING WORK
•
The best meetings occur when people have done all the necessary advance work
•
The agenda is a good place to tell people how to prepare for the meeting by
reading information, developing reports, preparing or duplicating documents, or
locating facts or figures
•
Members can be given specific jobs to do to get the meeting prepared
•
Difficulty if items should form a bell- shaped curve, with items arranged in order
of ascending and descending difficulty.
•
See next slide for example
BEGINNING THE MEETING
PG. 284-85
• Effective opening for a meeting
• They give everyone a clear picture of what is to be
accomplished
• They define how the group will try to reach its goal
• They set the stage for good teamwork and good results
IDENTIFY THE
GOALS OF THE
MEETING
PROVIDE
NECESSARY
BACKGROUND INFO
 This means repeating the
information listed in the
agenda, but mentioning it
here will remind everyone of
the meeting’s goals and help
to focus the discussion
 Background information
explains the context of the
meeting and gives everyone
the same picture of the
subject being discussed. It
prevents misunderstandings
and helps members to
understand the nature of the
information the group will
consider.
SHOW HOW THE
GROUP CAN HELP
PREVIEW THE
MEETING
 Outline the contributions
members can make during
the meeting. Other
contributions can be made
by everyone present.
 Outline how the meeting will
run!
IDENTIFY TIME CONSTRAINTS
•
Clarify how much time is available to prevent wasting time
•
It is only necessary to remind the group of how much time can be spent
in the meeting as a whole
•
Even if you are not in charge of the meeting, you can still make sure that
the opening is a good one by asking questions that will get the leader to
share the kind of information listed:
• “ How much time do you expect we’ll need?”
• “How far do you expect we’ll get today?”
• “What can we do to help solve the problem?”
CONDUCTING BUSINESS
Parliamentary Procedure
•
This is a set of rules that governs the way groups conduct business and
make decisions in meetings
•
This approach can keep discussions clear and efficient while safeguarding
the rights of everyone involved in deliberations
When to use parliamentary procedure
• When a group’s decisions will be of interest to an external audience: this
approach provides a record of the group’s operations so interested
observers can learn about the input of each member and the decisions made
by the group as a whole
•
When haste may obscure critical thinking: Because it slows down the pace of
discussions, this procedure can help groups deliberate before making
decisions. There is no guarantee that the group will avoid from making a bad
decision.
•
When emotions are likely to be strong: parliamentary procedure gives
members with minority viewpoints a chance to speak, and its rules
discourage uncivil behavior.
Order of business
pg. 286
* Reading of the minutes: a good set of minutes gives everyone a chance to
make sure the record describes what really happened and helps future groups
learn from the decisions f the group.
•
Reports: smart groups use committees to handle tasks. This is the time
when these groups share information with the rest of the group.
•
Unfinished business: The group now addresses matters that have not yet
been settled.
•
New business: This is the time when members can bring up new issues for
the group to discuss and decide on.
MOTIONS
PG. 287
•
When a member wants the group to deliberate, he or she introduces a motion (a
specific proposal for action).
•
Good motions address a single issue in a brief, clear way. Once introduced, a
motion must be seconded by someone other than its sponsor.
•
Motions can be discussed and amended by other members. Once discussion is
complete, a motion is decided by a public vote.
Participation
•
Loosely structured, informal meetings may appear to give everyone an equal
chance to speak out , but because of gender, culture, and style differences, every
member may not have the same access.
•
Unbalanced participation can discourage people who don’t get a chance to talk
and it prevents the group from considering potentially useful ideas
WAYS TO IMPROVE PARTICIPATION
Nominal group technique
pg.287
•
The name comes from the fact that the participants are a group in name
only, since they are working independently. Consists of 5 phases:
•
1) Each member writes down his or her own ideas and then collected by
a discussion leader. This ensures that good ideas from quiet members
will have a chance for consideration.
•
2) All ideas are posted for every member to see. By keeping he
authorship of ideas private at this point, consideration is less likely to
be based on personal factors such as authority and popularity.
•
3) Members discuss the ideas to better understand them, but criticism
is prohibited. The goal here is to clarify the possibilities, not to evaluate
them.
•
4) Each member privately rank- orders the ideas from most to least promising.
Individual ranking again prevents domination by a few talkative or influential
members.
•
5) Items that receive the greatest number of votes are discussed critically and
thoroughly by the group. At this point a decision can be made.
•
This can empower quiet group members, who might otherwise be too intimidated
to speak up.
•
The NGT method is too elaborate for relatively unimportant matters but works well
for important issues. Besides reducing the tendency for more talkative members
to dominate the discussion, the anonymity of the process lessons the potential for
harmful conflicts.
• Give a chance to those who are quiet because surprisingly, most have
something to say that can lead to great ideas.
Have members take turns
•
Although we should give every member the chance to speak, it probably isn't wise
to conduct an entire meeting that way.
•
It is useful at the beginning of the meeting to start members off on equal footing,
or in the middle when some people are dominating the discussion, or at the end if
some people have not been heard.
Use questions
•
Questions that draw out listeners are another way to encourage participation
FOUR TYPES OF QUESTIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
Overhead questions:
•
These are directed towards the group as a whole, and anyone is free to answer.
•
Only use them if they draw a response from all members
Direct Questions:
•
They are aimed at a particular individual, who addresses the name
•
Direct questions are a useful way to draw out quiet members, but must be used
skillfully. Never start a discussion with direct question.
Reverse question:
•
These occur when a member asks the leader a question and the leader refers the
question back to the person who originally phrased it.
•
These work well when the leader senses that a member really wants to make a
statement but is unwilling to do so directly .
Relay question;
•
These occur when the leader refers a question asked by one member to the entire
group.
•
They should usually be rephrased as overhead questions directed at the entire
group. This avoids the suggestion that one member is smarter than the others.
KEEP DISCUSSIONS ON TRACK
•
Sometimes the problem isn’t too little discussion but too much. Groups often talk
on and on without moving any closer to accomplishing the group’s goal. When
this happens, the leader or some other member needs to get the discussion
back on track.
What to do…
•
Remind the group of time pressures: you can remind everyone about the
importance of moving quickly. But when doing so, it is important to acknowledge
the value of the comments being made.
•
Summarize and redirect the discussion: When members ramble on about a topic
after the job is done, you can get the discussion moving again by tactfully
summarizing what has been said and then mentioning the next tasks.
Use relevancy challenges:
•
When a discussion wanders from the business at hand, summarizing won’t help.
In other cases, they are not irrelevant but also worthless. In either situation, you
can get the group back on track by questing the idea’s relevancy.
•
Relevancy challenge: when the questioner tactfully asks a member to explain how
an apparently off- the- track- idea relates. It focuses on the remark and not the
person and thus reduces the chance of a defensive response.
Promise to deal with good ideas later:
•
Another way to keep the goodwill of a member who has brought up an irrelevant
idea is to suggest a way of dealing with it at an appropriate time. Your suggestion
about dealing with an idea later needs to be sincere to the other person.
•
You can be sincere by mentioning exactly when you would like to discuss the
matter, or by inquiring about the idea after the meeting.
KEEPING A POSITIVE TONE
•
In meetings, getting along can be especially tough when others don’t cooperate
with your efforts to keep the meeting on track- or eve worse, attack your ideas.
How to handle these situation:
•
Ask questions and paraphrase to clarify understanding: criticizing an idea can
result in a defensive reaction that will waste time and generate ill will. It’s also
important to remember that even a seemingly idiotic remark can have some merit.
Just ask for clarification.
•
You can also paraphrase to get more information about an apparently hostile or
foolish remark. Paraphrasing provides a way to double check your understanding
and even if your understanding is accurate, it is an invitation for the other person
to explain the idea more in detail.
Enhance the value of member’s comments:
•
It is obvious that you should acknowledge the value of good ideas by praising or
thanking the people who contribute them. Most comments have merit and you
can take advantage of these by using a three- part response:
• 1) Acknowledge the merits of the idea
• 2) Explain any concerns you may have
• 3) Improve the usefulness of the idea by building on it or asking others for
suggestions.
Pay attention to cultural factors:
* Like every other type of communication, the rules for conducting productive
meetings vary from one culture to another. For example, in Japan problem- solving
meetings are usually preceded by a series of one- to- one sessions between
participants to resolve issues (called nemawashi). When a third person enters the
discussion, they become a group, requiring communicators to speak indirectly to
maintain harmony.
CONCLUDING THE MEETING
When to close the meeting
1) When the scheduled closing time has arrived: even if the discussion has been a
good one, it’s often best to close on schedule to prevent members from drifing off
to other commitments one by one or losing attention and becoming resentful.
2) When the group lacks resources to continue: if the group lacks the necessary
person or facts to continue, reschedule the meeting until the resources are
available.
3) When the agenda has been covered: A meeting should be finished when its
business is finished. It’s best to use the techniques that follow to wrap up a
meeting when the job is completed.
HOW TO CONCLUDE A MEETING
Signal when time is almost up: A warning allows the group to wrap up business
and gives everyone a chance to have a final say.
Summarize the meeting’s accomplishments and future actions: For the sake
of understanding, review what information has been conveyed and what decisions
have been made. Also, its very important to remind the members their
responsibilities.
Thank the group: Acknowledging the group’s good work is more than just good
manners. This sort of reinforcement shows that you appreciate the group’s efforts
and encourages good performance in the future.
FOLLOWING UP THE MEETING
Build an agenda for the next meeting: A smart leader plans the next meeting by
noting which items need to be carried over from the preceding one.
Follow up on other members: you can be sure that the promised outcomes of a
meeting actually occur if you check up on other members. If tasks were assigned,
check on whether they’ re being performed. You don’t have to be demanding or
snoopy to do this sort of checking. A friendly phone call or personal remark can
do the trick.
Take care of your own assignments: Most homework that arises out of meetings
needs continued attention. If you wait until the last minute before tackling it, the
results are likely to be sloppy and embarrassing.