| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
The Golden Key to Meeting Success
We all attend many meetings. I'm sure you have been to some great meetings and some poor ones. Unfortunately for everyone I've ever talked to, the number of poor ones far outweighs the number of great ones. The fact is that most meetings are too long, unfocused, too frustrating, and unproductive. And yet meetings are a valuable way to gain collective understanding, buy-in, agreement, and consensus. They help us find better solutions and create cooperation, collaboration, colleagueship, and community. Since meetings are necessary and can lead to important results, we need to figure out how to make more of them successful. I have helped and watched organizations create more effective meetings by doing several things, including teaching people how to use some basic roles, setting some expectations around meeting effectiveness, providing specific tools for people to use, improving the skills of those facilitating the meetings, and many more things. Each of these things has a positive impact on meeting effectiveness and productivity. None of them individually has a more positive impact than one key - what I call the Golden Key - to meeting success. The Golden Key The Golden Key is determining the desired outcome(s) for the meeting. Think about it. If you are going to have a meeting, inviting 2 or more (often many more) people to join you, shouldn't you be clear on what you want to accomplish? And shouldn't all of the other people you are inviting be equally clear? Unfortunately, all too often this isn't the case, and this lack of clear focus on the end goal leads to inefficiency and frustration. Planning Your Meeting Once you have determined that a meeting is needed, you need to determine the desired outcome(s) for your meeting. Do that by asking yourself questions like: ? What do I want to leave the meeting with? ? What will describe a completely successful meeting? Or more directly, ? What is the desired outcome of this meeting? There may be just one, or for a longer or more complex meeting there may be several. Get down these ideas down on a piece of paper or on your computer screen. Then, take the time to craft these ideas into very specific noun/verb, past tense statements, like: ? Budget reviewed. ? Options identified. ? Decision made. ? Next step determined. ? Action plan finalized. You get the idea. Once you have written your desired outcome statement(s) you can include them with whatever agenda format you use and communicate these to everyone who will be attending the meeting. If you haven't done this planning before the meeting starts, determining these desired outcomes is the first order of business for your meeting. How Does The Golden Key Unlock Better Meetings? Desired outcomes provide focus and clarity. By given everyone a common understanding of what the meeting will accomplish (rather than the "topics" that will be "covered"), you will experience more effectiveness, fewer side conversation and fewer personal agendas. It is as simple as giving people a common goal. When they have the common goal, progress will be much faster - and more often within the planned timeline for the meeting. The value of stating them in noun/verb past tense form is to make them as free of ambiguity as possible, and when the statements are written this way, it is clear when the objective has been met. (How many times have you been in a meeting discussing a topic that goes longer than most want or need it to because one person still has something to say about that topic? With a clear outcome stated, this situation can be largely avoided.) Meetings are complex, populated by complex human beings. Because this is true no single thing will make every meeting perfect (or even close). Having said that, the single best thing you can do to ensure more successful meetings is to state the outcomes you want to achieve before the meeting starts. That is why desired outcomes are the Golden Key. They will unlock the door to greater productivity, less frustration, and more enjoyment from the collaboration that meetings are supposed to provide. Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Innovation Management: Radical Innovation Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Look Good on Voice Mail Your use of voice mail tells others a lot about you. Here's how to make a good impression. Innovation Management - does the idea fit with the firm? Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Why You Need a Business Plan This article was originally called "Do You Need a Business Plan?"The title was changed because in truth, every business needs a business plan. It's a common misconception that business plans are used only for raising capital, as in "my bank wants to see a business plan before they will approve a loan," or, "I need a business plan so I can get venture funding. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Reduce the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than they may realize, in terms of both financial and production losses and employee morale. Managers may view the tasks of finding a substitute employee as a short-term inconvenience; however, absenteeism frequently has more serious long-term effects. Employee Success! - 7 Ways Feedback Works By sharing how well you are doing and how well your expectations are met, your people get to understand better. So, frequent, realistic, objective feedback is not seen as criticism, more a way of each in your team helping each other get better, building on the success you already have. Innovation Management - the power of decision makers Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Creativity and Innovation Management - Turning Ideas into Action The phrase "turning ideas into action" is a Russian doll.Managing the ideas to implementation process is important for at least two reasons:a) To make effective use of resources - investing in one idea uses resources that could be applied to another idea. Managing Client Relationships Managing Client Relationships: Even the best run organizations occasionally run into difficult situations with clients, consultants, and vendors. Often times it is not just a business process that has gone a-rye, it is the relationship of the people managing the situation. How to Attract and Retain the Right People If you're one of the many executives struggling with finding and keeping the right people to propel your business forward, you'll find these insights helpful.If you're frustrated by trying to motivate people, work instead to develop a company where people are self-motivated - where they do things because they want to. Never Wrestle with a PIG The business books at the library and book stores fill many shelves. Some authors tend to run a little long at the keyboard. Making Assumptions - A Critical Communication Mistake In Business And In Your Personal Life! We draw conclusions about people through observation, their behavior, past experiences, other people's comments, etc. We assume who people are, what they think/need/want with such speed we fail to recognize how our own viewpoint colors the way we connect with and relate to people and situations. Influencing the Organisation There is a saying about management that suggests some managers are so focussed on the details of a business, that when the Titanic was sinking those particular managers were still straightening chairs in the dining room. Whether we love 'em or hate 'em, managers are here to stay, and their job is fundamentally to manage the resources within an organisation for optimum efficiency and effectiveness, and by doing so to achieve the organisation's goals. Christmas Carol Coaching - Help to Get Ahead at Holiday Time! I've always been fascinated by situations where art imitates real life and right here is a perfect example, which links Christmas and business & personal development.If you want to read about a serious piece of dodgy people management (bordering on potential litigation); a man all adrift with the world and himself; shown how to do it by three visionary experiences (and with a brilliant example of supportive team-building thrown in); and then the ultimate Christmas 'shift'? These are all brilliantly described for your pleasure in a seasonal read of 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. Effective Meetings by Phone - Part 2, How to Hold a Teleconference Even a well-planned teleconference can go poorly. Some people treat any meeting as a casual social activity instead of as a serious business project. Make Them GLAD Youre Their Boss Criticism has the power to do good when there is something that must be destroyed, dissolved or reduced, but it is capable only of harm when there is something to be built. --Carl JungPeople won't leave if they're glad you're their boss. Biometrics and "Return On Investment" At this time of tight budgets, the mantra of business is "Return On Investment!" With few exceptions, expenditures are measured against the bottom line. Outlays for capital expenses are strictly evaluated in terms of profitability and the total cost of ownership. ISO 9001 Okay Now You Have It How Do You Market It? Marketing ISO 9001 2000.Lately we've been seeing a lot of press releases from wineries and suppliers touting their ISO certifications. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Training Activities Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives in the board room, here are 15 premises you might want to keep in mind the next time you're designing training activities.1. 3 Reasons Why CRM Strategies Fail Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective tools for improving customer relationships and therefore increasing revenue, customer satisfaction, and customer retention. Unfortunately, some CRM strategies fail.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
