2. Housekeeping
Assignment #2 Questions
Labs next week: bring a copy of your fact sheet for peer review
Guest lecture on Monday - no PowerPoint!
Practice speeches - start week of March 11
2
3. Lecture Outline
1. How to write a business letter
2. What are meetings?
3. How do meetings work?
4. How can you make meetings better
3
7. 11 million meetings/day in the U.S.
62 meetings/months for average
professionals
37% of employee time spent in meetings
professionals estimate 50% of meetings are a
waste of time
31 hours a month lost to unproductive
meetings
7
9. Professionals complain that...
They don’t know why they were invited
The presenter reads from the PowerPoint slides.
Meetings last too long
The flow of the meeting is disturbed by technology
No problems are ever solved
Employees are told what is wrong, but no chance to input
9
21. Agenda should include
Time/Venue
Who will not be able to attend (absences/regrets)
Minutes of previous meeting
Matters arising from previous meeting
Other items to discuss
Reports from sub-committees
Guest speakers
Date/venue for next meeting
21
25. Managing the meeting
Diverting tangents
“That’s an interesting idea, but I don’t think we’re advancing our
goals.”
“We’re talking about a new topic- do we want to swap out an
agenda item to continue discussing it?”
25
26. Managing the meeting
Getting to the right input:
Manage dominant personalities
Give credit for ideas
Manage quiet members
Don’t dismiss ideas or take sides
Look out for disparaging comments
When questions are asked of you- turn it back to the group
26
27. Managing the meeting
Aim for consensus
Make a note of open items
Summarize the action items at the end of the meeting
27
28. Example
A meeting turns into chaos because of a poor chair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQW1fEwYZVA&feature=fvwre
28
32. List of minute elements
Title of Group / project
Date / location / time
Present: List all those present.
Apologizes: List all those who gave apologizes.
Review of minutes from last meeting. Include date and time that
minutes were accepted
Discussion items
Action items
Other business items
Date, time, chair of next meeting
32
44. Why meetings fail
The meeting is unnecessary
The meeting is held for the wrong reason
The objective of the meeting is unclear
Lack of preparation
The wrong people are there
Lack of proper control
Poor environment
Poor timing 44
45. Remember
Every meeting is unique
A meeting’s success judged by the actions which result
Managing the meeting is everyone’s responsibility
45
46. Shake things up
If a meeting isn’t necessary, don’t have one.
Try different and “new” types of meetings
Look for and provoke sources of legitimate conflict
Take notes
46
47. Take away
Meetings are important form of
communication
Don’t waste participants’ time
Know your role
Take responsibility for the
productivity of the meeting no
matter which role you play
47
