MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
LET US PLAN …
A meeting you need to call at
work
Plan this meeting before we
go into this session
Think of all that you need to
do to make this meeting the
most productive one for all
the attendees
What are some common
lacuna you have faced in
official meetings…
Point to be noted…
• The Harvard Business
Review – mentions in one of
its articles that even top
level management teams of
companies tend to use their
meeting time badly…
• The focus on the critical
issues of strategic planning
is less than 15% of their
time spent together in the
meeting !
HAVE YOU ATTENDED MEETINGS WHERE …
The meeting’s organiser was anything but
organised ?
An important decision needed to be taken – but
the critical information to prepare in advance
was missing ?
The person who would endorse the decision was
not invited to the meeting ?
Everyone was invited to ‘brainstorm’, but
nobody really had any ideas and the
conversation faltered ?
Everyone had great ideas during the session,
but forgot to follow through on them
afterwards…
A MEETING….BUT, WHY ???
Man is a social species…In every
organisation, and every human culture of
which we have record, people come
together in small groups at regular and
frequent intervals, and in larger ‘tribal’
gatherings from time to time.
If there are no meetings in the places
where they work, people’s attachment to
the organisations they work for, will
reduce and they will meet more
frequently in regular formal or informal
gatherings in associations, societies,
teams, clubs or pubs, when work is over.
A MEETING….BUT, WHY ???
From time to time, some
technomaniac or other comes up
with a vision of the executive who
never leaves his home, who controls
his whole operation from an allelectronic, multichannel, fibreoptic
video display dream console in his
living room.
Can you work an organisation like
that ? A world of human reality vs. a
world of science fiction ?
A MEETING….BUT, WHY ???
In the world of human
reality, we know an
organisation is held together
by face-to-face meetings.
A meeting will still perform
functions that will never be
taken over by the telephones,
teleprinters, copiers, tape
recorders, television monitors
or any other technological
instruments of the
Information Revolution….
WHY ARE YOU MEETING ???
Be absolutely specific as to what this
gathering needs to accomplish
Is it to brainstorm?? Brainstorm what ???
To inform your team ? About what exactly,
and why ??
To fix a problem ? If so, are you meeting
with the expectation that you will solve it –
or that you will come up with a plan to
determine a solution at a later date ?
Are you meeting to clarify roles and
responsibilities ?
To make a decision through collaboration ?
RUNNING MEETINGS NEEDS…
Crafting the effective agenda – think through the
purpose
Picking the right people for the meeting and
ensuring that they attend – by choosing the right
wording to invite
Executing your plan…by ensuring the attendees
are well prepared and planning how you will lead
and delegate within the meeting when it actually
happens
In some cases, your initial prep work may in
fact lead you to conclude that you do not
need a meeting after all !
BEFORE THE MEETING ask yourself …
What is this meeting
intended to achieve ?
What would be the likely
consequences of not holding
it ?
When it is over, how shall I
judge whether it was a
success or failure ?
SETTING AN AGENDA…
List items you need to achieve towards
the purpose of the meeting:
Time for introduction & recap &
context-setting at the beginning
Time for brainstorming
Discussion on a certain issue
Presentation of new information
Assign rough time lines for each of the
items on the agenda
Meetings are best @ 30 minutes length
& a maximum of 120 minutes
SEQUENCING AGENDA ITEMS…
Think of the logical flow from one agenda
item to the next
For instance, you would not want to discuss
the budget for a project – before you
identifying its deadline and scope…you
may know more about each item than the
attendees, so sequence items so that they
make sense to the attendees rather than
just to you.
If your agenda is likely to be complicated or
challenging, consider starting with a few
easy items before working up to the more
complex or controversial ones !
SEQUENCING AGENDA ITEMS…
Separate information-sharing issues from the
problem-solving, decision-making or brainstorming issues !
For example, if your agenda has a difficult
assignment the CEO has given your group,
present this news first.
It should have its own agenda item: “Update on
new assignment.” Then, separately, raise the
question of how you will fit the new project into
the group’s workload: “Review of workload
status.” Then you can discuss who will handle
particular aspects of the project and set a time
table: “Assignments & Schedule.”
SEQUENCING AGENDA ITEMS…
Look for issues that build on each other…
For example, if you are deciding on a final design for a
new product – you must ensure that the group has all
the info they need about the new project as well as
hearing of any workload concerns before discussing the
timetable for the work
Break complex issues down into manageable parts
For a small meeting, agenda can be relatively loose
But, for a larger group, the more structure you provide,
the more effective the meeting becomes
During long meetings, address the most difficult issues
at a time when participants are most focused.
ASSIGNING AGENDA ITEMS TO PARTICIPANTS…
When you think about how each item on the agenda
needs to be handled, prepare yourself to lead the
discussion on that topic, or assign it to an appropriate
attendee – and let that person know well in advance.
If you’ll be the one leading the discussion on a particular
item, spend time thinking about what must be covered,
whose opinions you must seek, or how you might
encourage brainstorming about a particular topic. You
need not do this while planning the agenda, but ensure
this is done in advance of the meeting.
Distribute the agenda in advance, so that participants
come prepared and have it in front of them as you
proceed.
| Agenda Item | Who | Time allowed |
| Opening – review importance of Special Revenue Generating Project & key team members’ roles on the project | 5 minutes | |
| Review of team members current responsibilities | 5 minutes | |
| Discussion of possible responsibilities to shift away from team members | 10 minutes | |
| Discussion of potential approaches | 15 minutes | |
| Decision on an approach | 15 minutes | |
| Next steps | 5 minutes | |
| PURPOSE: Special Revenue Generating Project : Reprioritising Workloads OBJECTIVE: To develop plans for shifting other responsibilities of key team members LOCATION: Conference Room DATE & TIME: 2.00 – 2.55 p.m. November 9, 2019 |
IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT PARTICIPANTS…
Inviting by default a crowd – has
advantages…
You don’t have to really identify
the critical participants
You will avoid any ruffled
feathers
You will have everyone involved
on hand for a decision
You won’t have to repeat your
communications separately
later
IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT PARTICIPANTS…
But, for a meeting to be useful, you have to have
the RIGHT people in the room.
Methodically list individuals in each of the
categories to include the ‘right’ people:
The key decision makers for the issues
Ones with info & knowledge about the topics
Those who have a commitment/stake in the
issues
Those who will be affected by the information
you will be giving – in order to do their jobs
Anyone required to implement any decisions
made
THE RIGHT NUMBER OF ATTENDEES…
Just because someone’s name is on
your list, does not mean she/he must
be at the meeting
How many people should you actually
invite ? No hard and fast rules…but,
A small meeting is best to
actually decide or accomplish
something;
A medium sized meeting is ideal
for brainstorming and
A large meeting helps in
communicating information
THE 8-18-1800 RULE…
The rough guideline is :
If you have to solve a
problem or make a
decision – invite no more
than 8 people
If you want to brainstorm
– make it 18
If you want to rally – go
for 1800
ASSIGN ROLES…
You are the leader..your job is to clarify the
gathering’s purpose, objectives, constraints and
scope of authority…you must also take responsibility
of follow-up.
But, there are other essential roles you can assign to
others:
Facilitator: guides the group through the
discussion, problem-solving and decision-making
phases of the meeting. May be responsible for pre- &
post-meeting logistics.
ASSIGN ROLES…
Scribe: captures the key points, ideas,
and decisions that result from the
meeting; may also draft the postmeeting notes. Key findings can be
used by you to create a follow-up note.
This is a great assignment for someone
who is shy in public meetings but wants
to participate.
Contributor : participates actively by
offering ideas and helping to keep the
discussion on track and lively by
contributing on certain issues.
ASSIGN ROLES…
Expert: shares knowledge on
particular issues as requested. An
advantage is you can ask an expert to
attend just part of the meeting, keeping
his or her contribution focused.
Timekeeper: tracks time spent on
each agenda item and moves it to the
next one. Ask this person to remind
you when you have 15 minutes left to
end or you have spent more than 10
minutes on any one item…
SELECTING A SETTING…
Pick a room conducive to the tone of the
meeting you want to set
Informal & intimate ? Pick a small
room setting the chairs in a circle
Formal & rigorous ? Conference room
works best
People attending virtually ? Ensure
good speakerphones and acoustics. Will
the person/s attending via video
conferencing be able to see most of the
participants in the room from where the
camera is positioned ?
PREPARING…
Find a ‘right’ time for the meeting
Send the invitation
Setting up a recurring meeting
Finishing your preparations
Prepare meeting logistics
Distribute reading materials
Do you really need the meeting ???
DO YOU REALLY NEED A MEETING ???
It is better not to hold the meeting, if:
You don’t have time to prepare for it
There is another method of communicating –
email, phone, text message
The subject is not worth everyone’s time
Your group members are upset over a conflict or
problem
The subject is a personnel issue better handled
one-on-one
You need to solicit a number of individuals’
opinions
CHECK LIST …
Identified the specific purpose of the
meeting ?
Made sure you need a meeting at all ?
Developed a preliminary agenda ?
Selected the right participants and
assigned roles ?
Decided where and when to hold the
meeting and confirmed availability of
the space ?
Sent the invitation, notifying
participants when and where the
meeting will be held ?
CHECK LIST … contd.
Sent the preliminary agenda to key
participants and other key stakeholders ?
Sent any reports or items needing advance
preparation to participants ?
Followed up with invitees, if appropriate ?
Identified the decision making process ?
Identified, arranged for & tested any
equipment that is required ?
Distributed the finalised agenda ?
Verified that all key participants will
attend ?
Prepared yourself ?
LEADING YOUR MEETING…
Starting the meeting
Begin the meeting
Introduce the meeting
Establish ground rules
ESTABLISH GROUND RULES…
Establish beginning and ending on time
Ask for everyone’s participation and openness to
new ideas
Agree to listen to each other and limit interruptions
– and then enforce the rule as the leader
Will this be a group-decision meeting – or one that
shares a decision that has already been made
Some specific agenda items may need rules:
Clarify constraints on upper management
decisions or policy or budgets
Identify the final decision maker for each item
EXECUTING THE AGENDA…
Keep the meeting moving
Keep the comments you have recorded
visible – whiteboard – click a picture on
a smart phone – have the picture sent to
the group or edited for clarity before
distributing
During a brainstorming session, capture
every contribution first – then number,
star, circle as the group evaluates,
prioritizes and takes decisions
Keep a visible ‘parking lot’ of issues to be
dealt with after the meeting
MAKE SURE ALL POINTS OF VIEW ARE HEARD…
Don’t allow more vocal, louder attendees to
dominate
Ask general questions to increase participation
Request for feedback after the meeting
Ensure your virtual participants are heard –
especially at crucial moments
Increase participation by requesting for
viewpoints…Play devil’s advocate
Watch for body language indicating eagerness
to speak
Manage multitaskers ! Close the meeting…
Praise in public – criticise in private !!!
THE DAY AFTER: MAKING YOUR MEETING STICK…
CREATE the follow-up note
covering three basic
elements:
What: specific decision
& outcomes resulted
Who: has the
responsibility for the
tasks ?
When: must the tasks
be completed ?
LET US RECALL & SHARE …
The last few official meetings you
attended from which you came back
with valuable inputs to benefit your
work
What were the specific things you
recall as striking of that meeting ?
Write what you felt were the key
factors leading to its success ?
Is there anything you would like to
do differently to make the meeting
more productive ?
LET’S REDO OUR PLAN FOR THE MEETING WE
PLANNED AT THE START OF THIS SESSION…
Why are you having the meeting ?
What is the agenda ?
Who all need to be there ?
What pre-meeting planning do you
need to do ?
What all will you circulate before
the meeting ?
What do you anticipate about the
proceedings ?
What is your realistic aim
regarding meeting your goals ?
Harvard Business Review Press – RUNNING
MEETINGS
McGraw-Hill Irwin – MANAGERIAL
COMMUNICATION – Strategies & Applications
Tata McGraw-Hill – COMMUNICATION
WORKS
Pearson – BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FOR
MANAGERS
WSE-Wiley – MANAGEMENT
COMMUNICATION