Effective Meetings Training for Employees

Effective Meetings Training for Employees April 5, 2013

Introduction Surveys indicate that employees spend on average between six and twenty hours per week in meetings. These same surveys reveal that the majority of employees feel the time they spend in meetings is unproductive. Meetings, however, do not have to consume so much time and can be conducted efficiently. This sample presentation is intended to help you make your meetings more effective. It is intended for presentation to employees who chair meetings. It is designed to be presented by an individual who is knowledgeable in making meetings effective. This is a sample presentation that must be customized to include and match the employer’s own policies and practices.

Objectives At the close of this session, you will be able to: • Cite reasons to have a meeting • Cite reasons for not having a meeting • Prepare for a meeting • Conduct a meeting • Follow up afterwards

Reasons to Have a Meeting Reasons for having a meeting: • Provide information to attendees • Obtain information • Brainstorm for options • Reach consensus on decisions • Have face-to-face communication to encourage interaction and create synergy among participants

Reasons Not to Have a Meeting Reasons not to have a meeting: • Information and data is too incomplete to arrive at course of action • Subject matter is too confidential or tentative • A more effective mode is available such as telephone, e-mail or memo • Hostility or anger among members is too high to risk group session

Questions? Comments?

Meeting Preparation Before the meeting: • Establish the purpose of the meeting • Choose an appropriate time to start and end the meeting and include breaks for any meeting over 90 minutes long • Reserve a room that is large enough to accommodate the group and which allows a seating arrangement so that members face each other (a circle, semi-circle, or U-shaped rows)

Meeting Preparation (cont’d) • Work with key participants to develop an agenda which: • has each topic item stated in question form • Lists the person responsible for leading the discussion • includes information related to the topic • states the time allotted for that item • the action expected from that topic discussion (a decision, brainstorming, information only)

Meeting Preparation (cont’d) • Distribute the agenda and relevant information prior to the meeting and with adequate time for members to prepare

Conducting a Meeting During the meeting: • Have light refreshments available • Greet members, even those arriving late, and make them feel welcome • Start on time! • Distribute the agenda with any last-minute revisions and additional relevant information • Review the purpose of the meeting, the agenda, and priorities • Keep minutes for future reference and follow-up

Conducting a Meeting (Cont’d) • Review the purpose of the meeting, the agenda, and priorities • Review ground rules: • One person will speak at a time • No side conversations • No laptops, cell phones, other electronic devices will be used • Treat everyone’s comments and questions with respect • When brainstorming, withhold debate and critiques

Conducting a Meeting (Cont’d) • Encourage group discussion and feedback to obtain all points of views and ideas • Stick to the agenda and maintain focus on the topic under discussion • After completing each agenda item, summarize consensus, decisions and actions to be taken • Announce a tentative date and time for another meeting, if needed

Meeting Follow-up • Distribute minutes within four days. (Prompt distribution re-enforces memory of agreements reached and action items.) • Follow up with members or co-workers who were not present on any issues that need to be resolved that came up in the meeting • Put any unresolved items on the agenda for another meeting

Summary • Reasons for having a meeting are to provide information, obtain information, brainstorm, reach consensus and have face-to-face communication • Reasons not to have a meeting are that information and data are incomplete, subject matter is too confidential or tentative, a more effective mode is available, or hostility/anger among members is too high

Summary (cont’d) • Before the meeting, establish the purpose, choose an appropriate time to start and end, reserve a room that is large enough to accommodate the group, work with key participants to develop an effective agenda, and distribute the agenda and relevant information prior to the meeting and with adequate time for members to prepare • During the meeting have light refreshments available, greet members and start on time

Summary (cont’d) • Review the purpose, agenda, and priorities as well as ground rules, encourage group discussion and feedback, stick to the agenda and maintain focus, summarize decisions • Announce a tentative date and time for another meeting, if one is needed • End the meeting on time!

Summary (cont’d) • After the meeting, distribute minutes within four days, follow up with members or co-workers not present on issues remaining to be resolved, and put any unresolved items on the agenda for another meeting

Course Evaluation Please be sure to complete and leave the evaluation sheet you received with your handouts Thank you for your attention and interest !

Effective Meetings Training for Employees