EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

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SYLVAIN BOKO

MANASSES CAMPOSBRENT ROBERT

Types of meetings

Information-Sharing meeting Problem-solving or Decision-

Making Meeting Ritual activities Virtual Meetings

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Information-Sharing Meetings. Frequent Share notes and results Keeps you up to date

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Problem-Solving or Decision Making Meetings Take action or make changes. Most common type of meetings

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Ritual Activities

Social Reaffirm commitment Share ideas and stories Shows status

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Virtual Meetings

Teleconferences Videoconferences

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Planning a problem-solving Meeting

Successful Meetings are just like interviews, presentations, letters, and memos: They must be planned!

When to Hold a Meeting

Can the matter be handled over the phone?

Could you send a memo, email or fax?

Are key people available? Is the subject trivial to some

participants? Is there enough time? Are members prepared? Have you already made up your

mind?278

Are Individuals tasks interdependent?

Each member should have a different role.

Reality tester, information giver, diagnosers, empathetic listeners, etc.

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Is there more than one decision or solution?

Questions that have only one right answer aren’t well suited to discussion in meetings

Discuss tasks that don’t have fixed outcomes.

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Are Misunderstandings or reservations likely?

Meetings are often necessary when confusing or controversial information is being communicated.

“When I sit with them face-to-face and give them the vision, for some reason it is much more accepted.” –Dennis Stamp

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Setting an Agenda

Agenda- 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.

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Time, Length, and Location Starting time- avoids confusion. Length- Unless you announce the

length, expect some members to leave early.

Location-members wont show up late because they were waiting at the “usual place”

Participants

Overall size of the group is important!

When attendance grows beyond seven members, the likelihood of some members’ falling silent increases.

If the meeting is primarily informational, a larger group may be acceptable.

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Background information

Needed to give new details or remind members of things they may have forgotten.

Can also provide description of meetings significance.

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Items and Goals

“Meetings should be outcome- rather than process- driven.” –Anita Underwood

Vague ideas lead to vague meetings. The best goals are result-oriented, spicific, and

realistic. Goals can help identify who should attend the

meeting. Specific goals help members prepare for the

meeting. The person who calls the meeting isn't the

only one who can or should set goals.282

Pre-meeting Work

The best meetings occur when people have done all the necessary advance work.

The order of agenda items is important!

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Conducting the Meeting

Beginning the Meeting Conducting Business Concluding the Meeting Following Up the Meeting

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Identify the Goals of the Meeting: Repeat the information in the agenda and remind everyone of the goals.

Provide Necessary Background Information: Explain the context of the meeting and give everyone the same picture of the

subject being discussed. Clarify key terms.

Show How the Group Can Work: Outline the contributions that members can make during the meeting.

Preview the Meeting: Outline how the meeting will run by naming who is going to report first and so

on. Identify Time Constraints:

Clarify how much time is available to prevent wasting.

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Beginning the Meeting

Conducting Business

Parliamentary Procedure Participation Keeping Discussion on Track Keeping a Positive Tone

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When to use parliamentary procedure? When a group’s decisions will be of interest to an external

audience. When haste may obscure critical thinking. When emotions are likely to be strong.

Order of business Reading of the minutes Reports Unfinished business New business

Motions:A specific proposal for action introduced when a member of a group wants to deliberate.

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Parliamentary Procedure

There are several ways to improve participation at meetings:

Use of the nominal technique: The method consist of five phases.

Each member writes down his or her ideas, which are collected by a discussion leader.

All ideas are posted for every member to see. Members discuss the ideas to better understand them, but criticism Is

prohibited. Each member privately rank-orders the ideas from most to the least

promising. Items that receive the greatest number of vote are discussed critically and

thoroughly by the group. Have members take turns:

This approach gives every member a turn to speak.287

Participation

Use questions: Four types of questions can balance the contribution of members.

Overhead questions are directed toward the group as a whole, and anyone is free to answer.

Direct questions are aimed at a particular individual, who is addressed by name.

Reverse questions occur when a member asks the leader a question and the leader refers t he question back to the person who originally phrased it.

Relay questions occur when the leader refers a question asked by one member to the entire group.

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Participation (continues)

Keeping Discussions on Track Remind the group of time pressures. -Remind everyone about the importance of

moving on. But acknowledge the value of the comments being made.

Summarize and redirect the discussion. -when people don’t shut up about the topic

after the job is done. You can summarize what has been accomplished and mention the next task.

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Use Relevancy challenges.-if the discussion wanders from the business at hand. You can question the idea’s relevancy by asking how an apparently off-the-track idea relates.

Promise to deal with good ideas later.-suggest dealing with the idea at the appropriate time.

Keeping a positive tone Ask questions and paraphrase to clarify

understanding.-it is often wise to handle apparently bad ideas by asking for some clarification.

Enhance the value of members comments.-acknowledge the good ideas, even the bad ideas by appraising or thanking the people who contribute them.

1. Acknowledge the merits of the idea2. Explain any concerns you have3. Improve the usefulness of the idea by building on it or

asking others for suggestions Pay attention to cultural factors

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Concluding the meeting

The way a meeting ends can have a strong influence on how members feel about the group and how well they follow up on any decisions that they have been made or instructions that have been given.

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When to close the meeting

When the scheduled closing time has arried-it is often best to close on schedule to prevent members from drifting off to other commitments one by one or losing attention and becoming resentful.

When the group lacks resources to continueif the group lacks the necessary person or facts to continue, adjourn until the resources are available.

When the agenda has been covered-a meeting should obviously adjourn when its business is finished.

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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 meetings accomplishments and future actions-review what information has been conveyed and what decisions have been made. Also remind members of their responsibilities.

Thank the group-acknowledge the groups good work. And be sure to give credit to any members who deserve special mention.

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Following up the meeting

Build an agenda for the next meeting-address any unfinished business, share any new information, and share progress reports with the group

Follow up on other members-see whether the people who attended are actually following the steps that were outlined.

Take care of your own assignments-do your homework.

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