Effective Meetings & Time Management

2015

Effective Meetings, Communication, & Time ManagementTips & Tricks to Scale Effectively

thrivenetmarketing.com 817.642.96862

Agenda

Introduction to Critical Thinking

Time Management

Effective Communications

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we

used when we created them”Albert Einstein


Session Objective

Understand Critical Thinking and how to use it to solve problems

Learn tips on how to prioritize and manage time better

Better use the right tools to communicate more effectively

Understand the keys and barriers to effective communication

By the end of this session you will be able to…

“Thinking is the hardest work

there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in

it.”Henry Ford


Why Are We Talking About This?

Thrive Breaks Ten Year

Sales Records. Achieves

Record Growth.

Thrive is Busy


My Formula For Success

CRITICAL THINKING

+ Practical Application of

Time Manageme

nt

Effective Communication

= Successful Scaling

The ability to apply critical thinking your daily tasks with practical application of time management and communication skills will allow you to scale your workload and reduce stress


What is Critical Thinking?

Critical ThinkingIs a Self-Directed ProcessBy Which We Take Deliberate StepsTo Think at the Highest Level of Quality.

Critical Thinking involves asking questions to come up with potential solutions to different problems.Productive: Thinking that goes beyond

observing and recalling factsCritical: Being able to ask questions and gather informationWeighing & Solving: When you think critically you weigh evidence, solve problems and make decisionsCreating & Applying: When you think critically you create new ideas, and turn information into a tool by applying what you have learned in previous situations to new situations


Applying Critical Thinking

STOP and Think

Recognize Your Assumptions

Evaluate the Information

Draw Conclusions

Plan of Action


Time Management

“Remember that time is

money”Ben Franklin - 1748

There is a “Time Famine” at Thrive today.


This is a SEVERE Problem

The Average Person Wastes Around TWO Hours Each Day at Work

Poor Time Management is a KEY CONTRIBUTOR to Stress

WHAT DOES POOR TIME MANAGEMENT LOOK LIKE?

Messy Desk

Missed Appointments/ Regular Rescheduling

Tired

Always Says Yes

Poor PunctualityIndecisiveness

Does it ThemselvesPerfectionist

Poorly Defined Goals

ProcrastinationImpatience

Low Energy

Rushing


Step One: Classify Your Tasks

1 23 4

More ImportantNot as Important

Due Soon Not Due Soon

List our all of your tasks and assign then a value

The Importance Scale

More ImportantLess ImportantNot as Important

JUST YOU

THE TEAM THE

PROJECTCLIENT’

S REVEN

UE

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE

CLIENTTHE

COMPANY


Step Two: Planning

“He who fails to plan is planning

to fail”Winston Churchill

1 Break Large Tasks Down into Smaller Pieces

2 Plan to Do the Ugliest Tasks First

3 Plan Each Day, Each Week, Each Month, & Each Quarter

You can always change your plan, but only once you have

one!

4

5

Use the Tools Available to You to Do Your Planning

Communicate Your Plans to Your Team and Your Boss to Ensure Priority Alignment


Step Three: Ensure Execution

The distance between

your dreams

and reality is

called action

1

2

3

4

5

Schedule Yourself: You don’t FIND time to do things you MAKE it

Learn to Say No: Because everything you do has an “opportunity cost”

Avoid Interruptions: Turn off email notification sound and other distractions while focused

Cut Things Short: Start with “I only have five minutes”, have an out and use it

Set Time Limits & Deadlines: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”

Parkinson’s Law - Cyril Parkinson, 1957


Communicating Effectively

“The most important thing in

communication is hearing what isn’t

said”Peter Drucker

The Communication

Equation40%50%10%

What You HEAR

What You SEE & FEEL

The Actual Words

Tone of voiceVocal clarityVerbal expressiveness

Facial expressionDress and grooming PostureEye contactTouchGestureReally Smart Business Guy

Communication is KEY


When to Use What

EMAIL PHONE MEETING ASANA CHAT

INTE

RNALEX

TERN

AL

When Sending Summaries

When Sending Links When Actions Are Needed When Approval is Needed When Tracking is Needed

When You or the Client is Frustrated

When Emotion or Urgency Need Communicating

After 2 Emails with No Reply

When relationship needs strengthened

When Multiple People Need on the Same Page

When Complex Items Require Communication

When Visuals are Required to Explain

For Milestones

When Sending General or Educational Information

To Ask a Question

When Action is Needed Urgently

When Something is Wrong

To Communicate Goals, Changes, or Priorities

When Team Building is Needed

When You Need Someone Else to Do Something For You

When You Need a Quote or Estimation

When You Need to Provide Information on an Existing Task

When You Have a Question on an Existing Task or Project

To Ask a Question that Does Not Require Research or Investigation (Instant – YES/NO)

To Check on the Status of a Task

To See if the Person is Available

For Getting to Know Each Other and Fun!


Effective Listening

“If we were supposed to

talk more than listen, we

would have been given two

mouths and one ear.”Mark Twain

Be Aware of Body Language: Maintain eye contact and be relaxedKeep an Open Mind: Try to feel what the speaker is feeling

Do Not Interrupt: Do not try to impose your “solutions”

Give Feedback: Summarize back, reflect feelings, ask questions, or just say “uh huh”Be Aware of Barriers: Know what the person, the environment, the topic, or other items might prevent you from listening.


Barriers to Successful Communication

What Could Prevent Successful Communication?

Knowledge, Skill & Vocabulary

Distance & Time

Cultural Differences/Language

Emotions

Distractions

worry, fear, anger, grief, depression, excitement, frustration, sadness, historyenvironment, workload, emails, phone calls, kids, pets, preoccupation, boredom

race, upbringing, religion, accent, prejudice, individual bias, age, semantics

time zone, jetlag, time-of-day, weather, tech breakdown,

tech terms, profession, acumen,


Key to Effective Emails

Create an effective folder structure and save every email…no exceptions

(except spam)

If you want someone to take action, they should be the only person on the “TO” line

Never include your boss or their boss unless you are trying to get them in trouble

Never use your inbox as a “To-Do” List

If someone doesn’t reply in 48 Hours they probably never will

Be courteous of other people’s inboxes and only email people who NEED TO KNOW

You can’t build a relationship over email. If you don’t talk you don’t have a

relationship at all


Key to Effective Meetings• Purpose and goals are set in advance• Only the appropriate people are attending• Have an agenda and communicate in advance• Background information is distributed in advance• Meeting is actively managed• Meeting ends with wrap-up, including action items and assignments• Written minutes are distributed promptly

Top Five Reasons to Hold a Meeting1

2

3

4

5

The interaction of opinions is necessary to create an idea, plan or solve a problemGroup dynamics are essential to the accomplishment of the purpose

Time restrictions limit other options

The subject is sufficiently complex as to require interaction and explanation

The client requests it


Key to Effective Phone Calls

The Phone Call is Going the Way of the Letter… But it’s all We have

Direct Communication is the key to creating excitement, diffusing conflict, and building strong

relationships with our clients.Prepare for the Call:List out the needs before you dialBe Respectful of Time:Ask if it’s a good time and how much they haveUse Clear and Concise Vocabulary:Don’t get technical, explain everythingUse as Opportunity to Build Relations:Ask questions, ask for feedback, thank them


Effective Internal Communications

Always Give Thrivers the Benefit of the DoubtRemember Every Other Thriver is Just as Busy or is Busier Than You AreNo Thriver is a Mind Reader… If You Don’t Explain What or Why They Won’t Know

Use the Right Tools the Right Way

Know Your Strengths and Leverage Other’s… We Win as a Team, We Fail Individually

Don’t Work in a Vacuum, Collaborate With Each Other on Everything You Do

“Coming together is a beginning,

keeping together is progress, and

working together is success.”Henry

Ford

Communication with our client’s means nothing if we can’t communicate with one another.


Summary

+ +

=Successful Scaling