No Escape From Meetings

2. Managers: More than 11 hours a week Proportion of working hrs spent in meetings Senior Managers: More than 23 hours a week Proportion of working hrs spent in meetings No Escape From Meetings People spend a great deal of time in them

3. Meetings: Important managerial tool Information Sharing Decision-Making Enables information to be communicated and immediately processed to a number of people Ensures common understanding of complex topic Allows various points of view to be represented Enables group members to contribute personally Gives group members sense of purpose and involvement Enables conflicting views to be reconciled Produces synergistic effect by having a group process an issue Importance Of Meetings

4. 50% 95% 91% 39% 73% The Bad Reputation of Meetings Statistics from: A network MCI Conferencing White Paper. Meetings in America: A study of trends, costs and attitudes toward business travel, teleconferencing, and their impact on productivity (Greenwich, CT: INFOCOMM, 1998), 3 – 10.

6. 1 Basics of Effective Meetings: Content & Process 2 Agenda Planning 3 Group Facilitation Skills: Group Task Functions Maintenance Functions Personal Functions: Constructive vs Disruptive 5 4 Conflict Resolution Effective Participation & Leadership 6 Other Meeting Tools Roadmap Towards Effective Meetings

7. Meetings Managers usually invested in content-based outcome Basics of Effective Meetings • Content • “What is being discussed” • Items/Topics under discussion • Desired outcome • Requires: • Agenda Planning • Ideas Bin Implementation • Process • “How it’s being discussed” • Methodology of discussion & decision-making • Requires: • Group Facilitation Skills • Effective Participation & Leadership • Conflict Resolution • Other Tools

8. Why have an agenda? What is an agenda? To understand purpose of meeting List of discussion tasks To facilitate preparation Rank in priorities To provide direction and focus Time control Points of Caution Overcrowded agenda Placement of items (Tropman’s Agenda Bell) Agenda Planning

9. Group Task Functions Maintenance Functions Personal Functions Group Facilitation Skills 3 Types

10. Group Facilitation Skills A sneak peek into…

11. Group Facilitation Skills Group Task Functions - Video

12. Initiating Any action to get group started on working towards objectives Suggesting procedures Call for suggestions on next task to undertake Group Facilitation Skills Group Task Functions

13. Information Seeking Asking for relevant info or suggestions about a group concern Normal group interaction Idea generation techniques Group Facilitation Skills Group Task Functions

14. Information Giving Offering information up to the group Must be focused on agenda topics Must not over-do; else stifle other member’s contributions Group Facilitation Skills Group Task Functions

15. Summarising Pulling together related ideas Offering a decision or conclusion for group acceptance Wrapping up issue to move group closer towards objective Group Facilitation Skills Group Task Functions

16. Other Group Task Functions Consensus Seeking Implementing Devil’s Advocate Group Facilitation Skills Group Task Functions

17. Group Facilitation Skills Maintenance Functions

18. Encouraging Being responsive to others Awarding recognition when due Helping members feel valuable to the meeting Drawing out quiet members Group Facilitation Skills Maintenance Functions

19. Harmonising Reconciling differences among group members Thwarting conflict escalation Group Facilitation Skills Maintenance Functions

20. Compromising Giving way on a point to reach a mutually acceptable decision Sometimes undesirable – prevents best ideas from being adopted Must not compromise prematurely Group Facilitation Skills Maintenance Functions

21. Other Maintenance Functions Expressing group feelings Gate keeping Housekeeping Group Facilitation Skills Maintenance Functions

22. Disruptive Behaviours Constructive Behaviours Personal Functions Address personal needs of members Focus on fulfilling own needs and neglecting other’s needs Ensure group functions well Hinders group’s progress Include conflict management and handling of disruptive behaviours Leads to conflict escalation Group Facilitation Skills Personal Functions

23. Group Facilitation Skills Personal Functions – Constructive Behaviours All members are responsible – not just the leader Self understanding – Capacity to view own actions in objective way Inter-personal understanding – Ability to understand other’s point of view Active listening Managing conflicts (Conflict Resolution)

24. Group Facilitation Skills Disruptive behaviours lead to conflict!

25. Blocking / Diverting Seeking Attention Belittling Group Facilitation Skills Personal Functions – Disruptive Behaviours

26. Other Disruptive Behaviours Dominating Clowning Withdrawing Group Facilitation Skills Personal Functions – Disruptive Behaviours

27. Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Participants Listening Skills Pre-meeting / During meeting / Post-meeting

28. Content Listening Emphatic Listening Critical Listening Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Participants Types of Listening Their purposes…

29. Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Participants Types of Listening

30. Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Participants Barriers to Listening Prejudgement Self-centeredness (*) Selective Listening

31. Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Participants A good listener… Looks beyond style Fights distractions Provides feedback Listens actively

32. Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Participants • Pre-Meeting • Participate in agenda forming • Study the agenda • Anticipate • List questions • Prepare • During Meeting • Be on time • Contribute constructively • Follow agenda • Post Meeting • Identify own responsibilities • Deliver the goods promptly!

34. Effective Participation & Leadership Roles & Responsibilities of Leaders • Pre-Meeting • Purpose of meeting • Time, Day, Venue • Meeting Attendees • Prepare Agenda • Send out notice • During Meeting • Start punctually • Emphasize purpose of meeting • Control the flow of the meeting • Group maintenance • Task facilitation • Encourage active participation / Empowerment • Post Meeting • Send out minutes / notes • Clarification • Deadlines

35. Conflict Resolution Attack the problem, not the person Avoid blaming Deal with important issues as they arise Remind group of issues at hand and progress already made Making statements that prompt members to realise their unproductive behaviours “I think we might be getting a bit personal” As a leader… Use authority to separate members in direct conflict Never let members “fight it out” Take breathers

36. Conflict Resolution All’s well that ends well…

37. Other Meeting Tools Ground Rules Meeting Evaluation Minutes

38. Other Meeting Tools Minutes • Functions of minutes - Reminder - Reference • Minutes taker 3. Components (a) Type of meeting (b) Date and time of start (c) Location (d) Classification (e) List of names (f) Absentees (g) Record of confirmation (h) Account of agenda (i) Appropriate headings & subheadings (j) Time adjournment & following meeting details

39. Other Meeting Tools Minutes • Style of minutes - Narrative summary - Resolution - Actions - Concise, Clarity, Decisiveness

40. 1 Basics of Effective Meetings: Content & Process 2 Agenda Planning 3 Group Facilitation Skills: Conclusion Group Task Functions Maintenance Functions Personal Functions: Constructive vs Disruptive 5 4 Conflict Resolution Effective Participation & Leadership 6 Other Meeting Tools Roadmap Towards Effective Meetings

41. Q & A