Meeting Management

Slide 1: Meeting Management People skills

Slide 2: Meeting Facts 25% to 80% of managers’ and professionals’ time is spent in meetings More than 33% of time spent in meetings is unproductive, costing business an estimated $37 billion a year For one Fortune 500 firm, the loss is $71 million a year

Slide 3: Meeting Facts Almost 72% of business leaders surveyed currently spend more time in meetings than they did five years ago. More than 49% expect to be spending even more time in meetings four years from now. Only 33% of business leaders surveyed have had formal training in how to run meetings

Slide 4: Meeting Facts Although 75% say it is “almost essential” to have an agenda, they use an agenda only 50% of the time Only 64% of meetings achieve their intended outcome

Slide 5: What is a Meetings? A me e t ing is an out come dire ct e d int e ract ion be t we e n 2 or more pe ople t hat can t ake place in any of f our e nvironme nt s Time S ame Dif f e re nt S ame Focus Groups S hif t Worke rs Any Place Time , Any Dif f e re n Place Vide o t Dispe rse d Proje ct Te le conf e re ncing Te am

Slide 6: Outcome-directed meeting Resources Present State Desired State (problems) (outcomes) Action Plan Topic 1 Task Age nda (S t e ps) Act ivit y Act ivit y Group/ Topic 2 pe ople Act ivit y Act ivit y Topic 3

Slide 7: The main goal of meetings a vehicle for communication & action not for confusion & frustration

Slide 8: Purpose of the meeting 1. Take decisions 2. Collect views, information and proposal 3. Briefing 4. Exchange information 5. Generating ideas 6. Enquire into the nature and causes of a problem

Slide 9: tests of an effective meeting 1. The outcome justifies the time spent. 2. There mustn't be a better outcome with the same investment. 3. The outcome must be acted on.

Slide 10: Good Meetings In good meetings, people nod in agreement; in poor meetings, people just nod. Elements of good meetings 1. Planning and preparation 2. Efficient disposal of business Module 9

Slide 11: Good Meetings (contd) 3. Open participation with adherence to the rules 4. Effective follow-up Module 9

Slide 12: criteria for an effective meeting 1. Purpose is clear to all attendees. 2. All who are needed are attending and only those who are needed are attending. 3. Participants are prepared. 4. Time is effectively used. 5. Participants are committed. 6. The main goals is achieving the goals, not meeting for sake of meeting. 7. The outcome should justify the investment. 8. Actions, responsibilities and mechanism for review are clear.

Slide 13: Attendance not by status or convention  by relevance  All who are needed are  attending and only those who are needed are attending.

Slide 14: Preparation Preparation depends on the circulation in good  time of an agenda for the meeting The notice of a meeting should inform  date, time, place and intended duration  people attending and their roles  purpose(s)  preliminary documentation, preparation, etc.  the procedure for adding any items to the agenda 

Slide 15: The use of time – meeting structure a structure which is suited to the purpose  and membership of the meeting. whiteboard or a flipchart  discussion is focused  ideas are not lost  minutes can be based on them  avoids repetition of the same ideas  recorded ideas can be dealt with in sequence  avoids the dialogue of the deaf 

Slide 16: Roles: Time-Keeper • Makes sure there is a time-limit for each agenda item • Let’s the group know when time is almost up • Keeps the group on task, avoid tangents

Slide 17: Tips for Effective Meetings Start and end your meetings on time  Keep announcements to a minimum  Sit in a circle  Have an agenda and set time limits for each  item Encourage participation  Don’t let anyone dominate  Use hand signals  Have food 

Slide 18: Meeting Environment Ensure: a bright room with adequate lighting;  a comfortable heating level;  good air circulation;  a good seating arrangement; and  the early opening of the room.  Module 9

Slide 19: Large meetings The only thing accomplished efficiently in a large  meeting is the giving of information.  If the group is to respond with ideas or ask questions Split the qroup into discussion groups  (8 is the ideal number)

Slide 20: Decision-Taking Meetings should be clear on whether a  decision is really being taken by the meeting or whether, on the other hand, there is one person who has the responsibility for taking the decision with the help of meeting.

Slide 21: information exchange Where a series of people are to report  overlapping information to a meeting (e.g. Progress reports on a project) questions on each report should be limited to clarification until all reports have been given.

Slide 22: Facilitation & Running Effective Meetings

Slide 23: What is Facilitation? Process for running meetings or  making decisions in a way that is: Smooth  Effective  Participatory  Democratic 

Slide 24: Why use facilitation? To involve people  To make meetings more effective  To increase the number of minds  working on a problem To stay on task  To keep people coming back to  meetings

Slide 25: 10 Tips for Facilitating Discussion Paraphrase 1. Check 2. Compliment 3. Elaborate 4. Energize 5.

Slide 26: 10 Tips for Facilitating Discussion (cont.) Disagree 1. Mediate 2. Pull 3. Change 4. Summarize 5.

Slide 27: Steps to Facilitation Success Choose a facilitator 1. Set (or review) Ground Rules & Group 2. Norms Choose other roles (as necessary) 3. Start meeting agenda/Discussion 4.

Slide 29: generation of ideas This can be the purpose of a total meeting or  of a part of a meeting. In many instutions there are pure  “brainstorming” meetings in which the aim is to promote creative solutions to the problems. The key to success is to gather ideas  systematically and not to allow any evaluative comments during the process. All ideas must be recorded on board or on a  flipchart.

Slide 30: brainstorming The aim is to get as many as ideas in a  given time. Key to success  Suspend judgement  Let yourself go and freewheel  Quantity not quality  Cross-fertilizer  Use verbal shorthand; do not explain in detail  It is both fun and highly productive 

Slide 31: Spidergrams-mind mapping Set down a subject as the central point  It is frequently used in report-essay writing and web design  It enables the individual or group to collect ideas and organize them as they  spring to mind, rather hold them back until relevant subject comes up in sequence. By letting our eyes wander on the chart we constantly restimulate our brains in  each area.

Slide 33: Group Dynamics In a meeting, you may notice the following  phenomena Repetition by the same person of the same point  Failure of people to take up each other’s points  except to attack them “not invented here” reactions  Lack of interest manifested by body language  Arguments about the structure of the meeting  Several people talking at once  Blocking out of certain people and alliances between  others Skillful anipulation of the meeting 

Slide 34: Types of Motions Privilege motions: motions to: fix time of next meeting ³ adjourn ³ questions of privilege Module 9

Slide 35: Types of Motions (contd) Incidental motions: requests for information or answers to questions motions to: appeal ³ renew ³ withdraw ³ call for vote to be conducted in a ³ particular way points of order Module 9

Slide 36: Interruptions Internal  Phones  Cross talk  External  Messages  Calls  Visitors  Refreshments? 

Slide 37: Recording a Meeting Minutes  Authority  Avoid conflict  Accountability  Brief minutes  Decisions  Full report  Contribution  Action Points 

Slide 38: Majority Decision-Making decisions made based upon a  majority vote: 50% +1  2/3 majority  3/4 majority  efficient way to dispose of business  minority may feel left out  concern that issues rushed  Small majorities result in  implementation problems. Module 9

Slide 39: Consensus While everyone may not be in agreement with the decision, every participant in the process commits to supporting that decision. Module 9

Slide 40: Process Review Control on  Content  Process  Design  Share the burden  Problem people!  Late comers  Reward by review  Punish in many ways! 

Slide 41: Ten commandments Thou Shalt Always  Know What Time It Is Thou Shalt Not Forget  the Main Reason for Meetings Thou Shalt Remember  the Golden Rule of Meetings: Praise in Public, Criticize in Private

Slide 42: Ten Commandments Contd… Thou Shalt Not Convene  Meetings Outside of Normal Business Hours Thou Shalt Not Use Group  Pressure to Logroll Conclusions Thou Shalt Not Use Meetings to  Gain Acceptance by force Thou Shalt Keep the Personal  and the Corporate Distinct

Slide 43: Thou Shalt Remember that the  people are to participate Thou Shalt Always Prepare a  Clear Agenda and Circulate It Beforehand Thou Shalt Terminate a  Regularly Scheduled Meeting When Its Purpose for Being No Longer Exists

Slide 44: The Island Experience Somewhere in the middle of the uncharted Pacific Ocean, we find a beautiful, green, and uninhabited island. An off-course plane crashed on the island stranding seven people-a pregnant woman, a well-known American scientist, a teen-aged girl, an elderly diabetic man, a famous doctor, a software specialist, and a catholic priest.

Slide 45: The Island Experience By luck, a lost plane stumbles upon the island, but can carry only one of the seven back and possibly reach civilization. Since the plane was lost and does not have a GPS, the likelihood of its being able to return is remote. Although the people on the island will not starve, they must be able to meet necessary social and biological needs to survive.

Slide 46: The Island Experience Your Task: Develop meeting outcome Develop meeting agenda: Sequence of “generate,” “ organize,” “evaluate,” “communicate.”

Slide 47: The Island Experience Your Task: Turn in a written expression of your outcome-oriented meeting (an outcome map to include with your journal) The write a journal entry to be submitted as a component of assignment 5 providing your assessment of the effectiveness of the team and the members of the team.