Making Meetings Work

Background

Lots of meetings are conducted by each organization every week. Participants are often very Top Management and Senior Executives. The cost of the time spent by such participants at meetings is very high. Besides, such meetings are not successful, frustration and interpersonal conflicts add to the cost.

The Chairman of the meeting plays a very important role in conducting a successful meeting. Besides, meetings must give a satisfaction of openly discussing the ideas which you may have but you may not find an opportunity to express. Thus while on the one side we find that the poor meetings can be waste of expensive time of the executives, on the other these can be very helpful.

If the meetings are organized effectively, they can be tools for resolving many managerial issues. These can thus be very helpful for the Management. The first important question, therefore, is the real need for the meeting. The coordinator has to clearly workout the objectives of the meeting. He or she has also to clarify how best the objectives can be achieved. All in all, for meetings to be conducted effectively, participants both managers and heads of departments need to be trained to imbibe principles that make meetings productive. These include:

Clear Purpose There must be a definite purpose to the meeting. Many meetings drift on without purpose.

Accurate Language The language must be focused and accurate. Not too much ambiguity, digression or vagueness.

Planned Approach The meeting should have an agenda, a definite structure.

Rational conflict management and decision methods. Meeting are often held in order to reach tough decision, or to analyse difficult situations. Such Decisions, analysis and conflicts need to be discussed and aired rationally with logic and not with emotions.

Positive atmosphere To be most valuable, the meeting must be held in the spirit of cooperation: not antagonism.
Our training program will cover all aspects of organizing, conducting and participating in meetings that are productive and produce results.

 

How you will benefit?

• You will understand why the meetings fail. How to ensure that interruptions and disruptions are avoided, how to maintain the focus of the participants.
• How to ensure that politics/interpersonal motives do not damage the discussions; how to ensure that the right people are present and unwanted people do not attend.
• How to ensure that participants are fully prepared to contribute to the cause of the meeting?
• How to ensure that the meeting is not sabotaged for any personal hidden agenda.
• You will also understand how to avoid the participant’s unnecessary arguments and that they do not take discussion on a personal level.



 

Contents

• Defining the objective of the meeting and the list of the participants
• Illustrating the background information and creating a clear well defined agenda.
• Anticipating and preventing the problems.
• Chairing the meeting: setting the ground rules; introductions, discussion and participation; handling conflicts and gaining agreement and approval. Final assessment.
• Participating in the meeting: Being articulate and adept in communication, handling challenges on the spot.
• Identifying your views on unexpected topics.
• Dealing with ineffective control by the chairman; remaining calm and composed.
• Getting results and actions: writing minutes of the meeting.
• Creative thinking and encouraging follow-up and monitoring the same.

Who should Attend?

CEO’s and Department heads to meeting coordinators and those responsible for contacting the participants. All those who are interested that the meetings should be effective and productive.