 Renee A. Meyers,
Ph.D.
 UWM Department of
Communication

MCW Women’s
Faculty Council
 November 22, 2005


Are you lonely?
Tired of working on your own?
Do you HATE making decisions?
You can:
– SEE people
– DRAW charts
– FEEL important
– IMPRESS your colleagues
– EAT donuts

ALL ON
COMPANY TIME!!

MEETINGS
. . . The practical alternative to work!!!

 One of the most important functions of successful leaders in any organization
 Effective meetings are often seen as a
“picture” (a first impression for outsiders) of how the organization operates overall

 Preparing for a meeting
 Facilitating meetings
 Managing difficult communication situations

 Preparing the agenda

 Evaluate the agenda I have provided.
Discuss with your neighbor what you think needs to be done to make this agenda better.
 What do you find to be the most common problems with agendas in meetings you attend?

 Soliciting and Organizing Items
– Solicit items using rule of “ halves ”—halfway to next meeting you should have all items
– Prioritize items on agenda using rule of “ thirds ”
• a “get-go” phase--announcements, easy items
• a “heavy work” phase--decision-making
• a “decompression” phase--discussion only
– Identify main purpose of meeting, if possible
– List items in clauses or full sentences
– If item might be unclear, provide a reason or rationale for it on agenda

 Classifying Agenda Items
– Classify items according to action desired
• FI = For Information
• FD = For Discussion
• FA = For Action
– Indicate next to each agenda item the predicted time allotted to that item
– Provide reports ( executive summaries or options memos ) as needed
– Distribute agenda using rule of “ three-quarters

7.
8.
5.
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High Quality Medical College, Timbuktu, WI
Staff Meeting, Monday 10-noon, Conference Room J
Announcements
Ask for additional agenda items
Report on curriculum task force
New technology
Discussion about office decorations
New curricular areas
Discussion on hires for next year
Ask if there are any suggestions for the next meeting
Adjourn

High Quality Medical College, Timbuktu, WI
Staff Meeting, Monday 10-noon, Conference Room J
6.
7.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Purpose: To decide on new technology and curricular areas
FI: Information Sharing/Announcements (Penny, Sarah) 10 min
FI: Brief report from curriculum task force 5 mi
FD: Discussion of office decorations (Matt) 5 min
FA: Decision about new technology (Sherry) 40 min
1.
A proposal for updating our technology
—see attached report
FA: Decision about new curricular areas (Bill, Jennifer) 45 min
1.
Need to make final decision on whether to include a new curricular area —see options memo attached)
FD: Discussion about new hires (personnel committee) 5 min
1.
George will discuss three options —see attached memo
FI: Short Feedback Session 10 min

 Starting the meeting
 During the meeting
 Ending the meeting
 After the meeting

 Establish (at least three) roles:
• Facilitator: person responsible for group meeting process
• Recorder: Person who records minutes
(decisions made, agenda items discussed, people present)
• Timekeeper: Person who monitors timeframes of agenda items and ending time of meeting

 Confirm Necessary Meeting Details:
• Confirm the purpose of meeting and required outcomes
• Confirm ending time of meeting
• Confirm housekeeping details (breaks, food, etc.)
• Establish any ground rules (if needed):
– no smoking
– not leaving until meeting is finished, etc
– decision making or communication rules
– Others?

 Information Sharing
• Might establish a few minutes at beginning of each meeting for sharing information that is relevant but does not require discussion
• If discussion is needed, or occurs, item should be placed on agenda
• Only share necessary information; determine if information can more efficiently be put in email or memo

 Work Through Agenda Items
• Work through agenda items in order listed
• Have timekeeper keep track of time (if wish)
• Seek clarification whenever needed
• Look for agreement among members and point out any agreement you see
• At end, summarize discussion and decisions made

 Record-Keeping
• Records of meeting should include:
– Date/Time/Location
– People present
– People absent
– Agenda items
– Decisions made
• Write down each decision as it is reached
• Include any specific actions to be taken
• Note who will take action, and by what date

 Discuss Next Meeting (if needed)
– Decide date, time, location, purpose of any further meetings
– Choose facilitator, recorder, and timekeeper for next meeting, or just rotate roles on regular basis

 Feedback
• Have members complete KSS (Keep, Stop,
Start)
– What in this meeting went well and should be KEPT?
– What in this meeting did not go so well and should be STOPPED?
– What did not happen at this meeting that should be
STARTED?

 Follow-Up and Accountability
• Circulate minutes to all participants
• Keep a decision book where all decisions are recorded (optional)
• Might appoint a “decision-manager” who keeps in contact with people designated to take action on decisions made, and coaches them to meet their commitments (optional)

 What are some of the main communication issues present in the meetings you have attended? Identify
23 that tend to send you “over the edge.”
 How might these be addressed?

 Dominant and/or
Silent Members
 Incessantly
Rambling Members
 Members with
Irrelevant Ideas

 Videotape a meeting
 Reduce the size of the group
 Have members write before speaking
 Have members take timed turns
 Distribute tokens
 Assign a task to the most dominant/silent member

 Remind the group of time pressures
 Summarize and redirect discussion
– It appears that we all agree on how to proceed with this issue, so lets move on to . . .
 Use relevancy challenges
– I am having trouble seeing how that fits in with our item of discussion —can you please clarify?



Ask questions and paraphrase to clarify understanding
– If I am understanding correctly, you are saying that
. . .
Enhance the value of members’ comments
• Acknowledge merits of idea
• Explain any concerns you have
• Improve the usefulness of the idea by building on it or asking others for suggestions

 Organize your contributions
 Speak when your contribution is relevant
 Make one point at a time
 Speak clearly and assertively
 Support your ideas with evidence
 Listen actively to all aspects of discussion

 Seibold, D. R., & Krikorian, D. H. (1997).
Planning and facilitating group meetings. In
L. R Frey & J. K. Barge (Eds.), Managing group life: Communicating in decisionmaking groups (pp. 270-305). Boston:
Houghton Mifflin.
 Tropman, John E. (1996). Making meetings work: Achieving high quality group decisions.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 Recognize what preparation is needed
 Know how to facilitate a successful meeting
– Prior to, during, and after meeting
– Have some strategies for managing the difficult communication issues