Get Meeting off To a Great Start

When asked what part of their job they find a major time waster, many will answer loud and clear... MEETINGS. In a recent survey of business leaders, ninety percent of the respondents attributed the failure of meetings to a lack of advanced planning and organization. And, over three-fourths, indicated that they received no formal training on how to conduct a meeting. The following four strategies can help improve the quality of your meetings.

Plan in advance.
First use these fundamental questions to lay the foundation for a productive meeting. These questions address the who, the what, and most important, the why issues. What is the goal of the meeting? Is it primarily for the dissemination and exchange of information or is it for such activities as priority setting, brainstorming, decision-making or problem-solving? What specific issues need to be addressed? Who really needs to attend? And who needs just to be informed?

Set a clear and goal-oriented agenda.
A well thought-out, written agenda provides the structure for conducting a meeting that is worth attending - one that justifies the investment of time and energy. The well-drafted agenda should include, at a minimum, the following information: Date, time (beginning and ending), place, purpose, who will be attending, and specific agenda items.

As an agenda item "budget report" is not specific enough. Is the objective to just present the annual budget (an announcement) or to obtain input from the participants (a discussion) or to vote (make a decision)? In addition to a list of topics, an effective agenda should identify the individuals responsible for each item and a realistic time estimate.

Realistic means thinking through ahead of time who's attending, how the conversation might flow, what problems might occur, etc. Do not try to accomplish more than is possible in the time available. Err on the side of finishing early rather than running over. Lack of a well-prepared agenda (or failure to use one well, if it exists) contributes to the common complaint that meetings are a waste of time.

Select a facilitator.
Each meeting should have a facilitator, or meeting leader, who is responsible for keeping the meeting focused and moving forward. A good facilitator must control but not dominate; permit discussion, but not let the meeting get out of hand; reach decisions, but never ride rough shod; be objective but not impersonal.

Depending on the kind of meeting and outcomes desired, the meeting facilitator can be a team member, project leader or president of the organization. At times, however, it may be necessary to bring in a professional facilitator. This person's role is to assist the group in speeding up the decision-making process, or in dealing with unavoidable conflict, or in thinking more clearly about a very complex problem.

Keep a meeting record.
Someone should be assigned to record the key information and outcomes of the meeting, that is, who is going to do what by when. This leads to greater accountability. An evaluation of the meeting should be part of the record. It could be a simple, quick activity as asking everyone, at the end of the meeting, for a "plus" (what went well) and "minus" (what could be improved). Ongoing evaluation leads to better and more productive meetings.

With advanced planning, careful preparation of an agenda and effective facilitation, meetings can be a valuable activity that can lead to better business decisions, greater teamwork, and quicker problem-solving. Make sure you are making your meetings work.

Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ­ to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ­ resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ­ fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:51:44 GMT Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks - ABC News China Daily Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks ABC News - 6 hours ago By JENNIFER C. YATES and SETH BORENSTEIN AP Writers AP The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. Red alert! The cellphone warning has been issued Los Angeles Times Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks The Associated Press DetNews.com - USA Today - Julie's Health Club - Chicago Tribune Blog all 436 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:01:03 GMT Obama lavished with airtime -- and criticism - Los Angeles Times ABC News Obama lavished with airtime -- and criticism Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago As the media moves to correct itself for glowing coverage of the Democrat, it's entering a period of shallow analysis. By ON THE MEDIA, JAMES RAINEY It seems like just about everybody has spent the last week beating up on the media for showering too ... Veterans group hits McCain on troop pullout The Associated Press 'Generation Gap' Widens in the 2008 Electorate Wall Street Journal Boston Globe - New York Times - CQPolitics.com - Right Pundits all 2,612 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:43:11 GMT Oklahoma determined to have a strong finish - Fort Worth Star Telegram NCAAfootball.net Oklahoma determined to have a strong finish Fort Worth Star Telegram - 1 hour ago By MIKE JONES "Our whole mentality now is WTLG [win the last game]," Harris said Wednesday. "Come out and finish. It’s national championship or bust. Sooner, the better Topeka Capital Journal Players put success on Stoops Daily Camera SportingNews.com - Chicago Tribune - ESPN - Norman Transcript all 38 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:03:29 GMT Dynamo top United at soggy RFK - MLS - Major League Soccer The Money Times Dynamo top United at soggy RFK MLS - Major League Soccer - 1 hour ago By Charles Boehm / MLSnet.com Staff WASHINGTON -- After two aborted tries on previous dates, DCUnited and the Houston Dynamo finally completed the first of their two league meetings on Wednesday night -- and some of Thursday morning, ... Mullan, Ching power Dynamo over DC United 2-0 Houston Chronicle Dynamo outlasts United despite lengthy delay Seattle Post Intelligencer The Canadian Press - FC Dallas - Washington Post - United Press International all 144 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:07:00 GMT Powerful quake injures 92 in Japan - CNN Boston Globe Powerful quake injures 92 in Japan CNN - 2 hours ago (CNN) -- A strong earthquake injured 92 people and destroyed 31 buildings in northern Japan on Thursday, authorities said. People at an auto dealership in Karumai, Japan, clean up glass shards after a strong earthquake Thursday. Japan's North Hit by Magnitude-6.8 Quake; 95 Injured (Update3) Bloomberg Powerful earthquake hits Japan, dozens injured The Associated Press Jerusalem Post - Reuters - AFP all 766 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:51:37 GMT "X-Files" movie both satisfies and disappoints - Seattle Times "X-Files" movie both satisfies and disappoints Seattle Times - 50 minutes ago Mulder and Scully are together again in "X-Files: I Want to Believe." The story may be silly, but the agents' romance is compelling as ever. The X-Files: I Want to Believe AU Review IGN Scully have I loved Salon Daytona Beach News-Journal - The State - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Youngstown Vindicator all 557 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:01:06 GMT Bashir Visits Darfur, Pledges Sudan Will Protect Relief Workers - Bloomberg Voice of America Bashir Visits Darfur, Pledges Sudan Will Protect Relief Workers Bloomberg - 4 hours ago By Paul Tighe July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Sudan's President Umar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in the Darfur conflict, visited the region yesterday and pledged to provide security for international relief ... Bashir returns to Darfur New York Times How Sudan Was Brought to Court TIME The Press Association - The Epoch Times - Voice of America - Times Online all 1,663 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:39:29 GMT RSS For Web Pages Data Feed Content for Web Pages

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows?

Let me repeat a story I heard many years ago... Read More

Innovation Management: Radical Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Organizing The Information

Putting a piece of paper in a file folder is... Read More

How to get an Audiences Attention

A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More

The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs

You just signed a Help Desk Service Level Agreement (SLA)... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Hierarchies

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Thoughts on Empowerment

People are empowered when they are given the authority and... Read More

Innovation Management ? Innovation or Profit?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Its a Training Issue!

There's a common phrase used by Organizational Development and Human... Read More

Bullying and the Not for Profit Organisation

Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now... Read More

Creating A Vision ? Bringing Your Dreams Into Reality

Do you have some goals you want to achieve or... Read More

Internal Control - The Why and How

Many retailers do not have good internal controls in place... Read More

Plans & Goal Setting - Kicking winning Goals

Kicking Winning Business Goals The competition for business... Read More

Innovation Management ? IBM Opens Lid On Its Treasure Chest

IBM, which registered 3248 patents last year, has decided that... Read More

Build Rapport Fast! - Eight Easy Steps

Building rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the... Read More

Prepare A Winning CV

There is every chance that elements of this article may... Read More

When Politics Prevent Innovation - Or? Still Fighting Battles and Losing Wars

The objective is to beat the competition and make money.... Read More

How to Deal With Salespeople

If you are an executive, you may sometimes feel like... Read More

Culture Management and Creativity

Many concepts in the fields of managing creativity are very... Read More

Human Resource Employee Risk Profile - Management Risks Explained

Human Resource Employee Risk ProfileIs your business at risk? Do... Read More

Choosing the Right Corporate Training

According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said... Read More

Great Hires: Avoid Costly Mistakes

Picking people for a job is like going... Read More

How Your Business Can Pick A Software Developer

Eventually, your business is going to need to have some... Read More

Employee Discipline: How to Nip Problems in the Bud

Are you uncomfortable with delivering disciplinary action, even involving employees... Read More

Document management : A dream of paperless office

What is document management: When we think about "Document Management"... Read More