Summarize


At the conclusion of the meeting it is always wise to summarize what was discussed, this will help your employees to process all the information from beginning to end. This summarizing time is a great way for reminding everyone, either individual or groups, of any tasks assigned during the course of the meeting.

This is particularly important as the closer the meeting gets to the end the less attention is likely being paid.

 Now to summarize some of the points of this blog here is a short 4 minute video I found on YouTube that is particularly good. The video can be found on YouTube under "How to Plan a Meeting" by sunnydazeification. Click HERE

 

Questions to ask yourself: Does everyone leave my meetings understanding exactly what is assigned to them? Is there a summery available to them if any part of the meeting slips their mind?

These questions in particular can save you a lot of time from repeating yourself and ensure your employees have ample resources at their finger tips.

Ash~ 

Delegating Tasks 

Everything is under control! Or wait... is it? You are only one person, you cannot be expected to run the whole show correctly and timely by yourself. By dividing up the tasks to assigned employees, groups and subcommittees helps you to improve and strengthen moral and prove to make meetings for productive. According to What Does It Take To Plan and Run a Productive Meeting there are two ways delegating tasks helps to improve meetings:

First, more work gets done. Second, the more your committee members are involved, and the more active and productive they are, the more committed they will be to the group's goals. Don't be afraid to delegate tasks!

Interactive Discussions

Interactive discussions can sometimes be very time consuming and may sometimes get way out of control however the chair of the meeting must remain impartial at all times. According to How to Run a Meeting it must be made sure that people who disagree have a chance to state their cases. Your job in facilitating discussions or debates is to be the referee, a person who does not show favor to people or their ideas. As a referee, you will allow discussion to flow and provide participants a chance to discuss differing opinions on issues. Your job is to bring opposing sides together by showing areas where they agree and asking how they can "give a little" to come to a decision that will permit a win-win outcome for everyone.

 

Discussion Structure

 

Discussions can sometimes get a little out of control or run into topics not covered in the meeting, ideally the discussion is well organized and is continually progressing to solve the issues at hand. The best way to avoid out of control discussion is to agree on what to discuss before the discussion even begins. Also a great way to keep people from talking over each other is to, metaphorically, have a talking stick. Only when one is addressed will that person speak and voice their opinions. One at a time, keep it simple.

Agreeing on rules ahead of time and deciding what you'll do if people ignore the rules will make it easier for you as chairperson to keep your group on task and your discussion on target. You'll be enforcing the group's rules, not your own


https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/yb9909-1/mtg-2.html

Ash~

Distribute Any Mandatory Materials Before Meeting

To help your employees participate to their full extent it is a good idea to distribute any and all materials to each employee before the meeting takes place. Make sure to give them time to review and prepare any questions they may have, this step is crucial if you want well thought out questions that engages everyone. Start by sending out a rough copy or a draft of the agenda to employees along with posting it on a meeting board. Any proposals or reports that will be discussed should be sent to employees well over a weeks time. 

Make clear that any materials that were sent out to employees should be brought to the meeting along will any other required objects. This step alone will help the meeting run super smooth with no delay.

 

Though this post is a short one it is by far one of the most important tips to follow. Without it the reason for the meeting is lost.

Questions to ask yourself: Are the materials being handed out relevant? Should I increase or cut back on the amount of material in each meeting, can I simplify it?

Ash~

Create An Agenda For All To Follow

With the help of an agenda all employees will have the ability to follow the meeting with ease; it helps lay out the topics and issues that will be discussed in sequence and what the results of each discussion will be. For example there might be an issue with employee absenteeism on the agenda, the end result should be to boost employee moral and decrease the amount of employees not showing up for work. The agenda should cover subjects new and old, from previous meetings not resolved and new ones just discovered. Only when an issues is cleared and totally resolved should it be taken off the agenda.

The agenda will help outline what is expected from each employee. There should be a section of time set aside for employees to suggest to the group any new subjects they believe should be brought to light. These topics should be discussed before the meeting ends. Don't forget to review the agenda as you start the meeting to let participants know what to expect and to find out whether additional items need to be addressed.


Questions to ask yourself: Do the participants in my meets bring new topics to the table freely? If not what can I do to change this? Would an anonymous suggestion box help?

Ash~

Creating A Time That Works For All Employees 

Planning when to have a meeting, does it even matter? The correct answer is: it absolutely matters what time of day a meeting takes place. Picking the right time is crucial for having a successful meeting filled with discussion and positive attitudes. An ideal time, taking into consideration what industry you work in, would be when employees are not likely to be hungry, tired, engaged with anything time sensitive or otherwise distracted.

When an appropriate time has been chosen it is important to let all employees know that this meeting WILL start on time. Along with this information it is a good idea to have a sign up sheet or an absence sheet. Personally I have attended meetings just so my name wouldn't end up on an absence sheet, its a constructive way to engaged employees subtly. Along with this information its a good idea to let your employees know whether or not notes need to be take or any other activity requiring them to bring extra materials.

 
A realistic limit should be set for the meeting. A good example would be a one and a half to two hour meeting starting at time A and ending at time B. Don't fault from the time limit set as it can be the biggest distraction. Speaking of distractions, this meeting should be held in a boardroom specifically  meant for meetings. Having a meeting outside of work screams disaster, the chances of getting anything done at all is little to none

Questions to ask yourself: Does my employer/ do employees have meetings that are acceptable to majority of the work place? If not what can be done be to change this?

If any employee does not attend a meeting there should always be a valid reason. These tips should help you plan a meeting that appeals to all employees thus paving the way for a successful meeting.

Ash~

What Does It Take To Plan A Productive Meeting?


Hello Bloggers! Ever had a meeting go wrong from the get-go? I mean so wrong that all employees who attended left with more questions than answers? Shockingly this is not so uncommon in the business world, planning a meeting that is productive can be difficult if you're unsure how to engage and inform your audience. That is where I come in, with this blog I will be relaying simple structure techniques you can apply to any meeting to make it a success!

Any meeting that can be considered a success must have structure to it. Each section of a meeting will most likely be elaborated on more or less depending on which parts of the meeting is most important. Here are the topics which I will be discussing with you to help you improve your skills at leading and planning successful meetings.

Creating A Time That Works For All Employees 

Create An Agenda For All To Follow

Distribute Any Mandatory Materials Before Meeting

Delegating Tasks 

Interactive Discussions

Discussion Structure
Summarize

Keeping The Meeting Positive

For more information click HERE (Youth In Action Bulletin)
this blog is based on ideas from What Does It Take To Plan and Run a Productive Meeting along with some creative ideas and improvements from myself


 

These topics will not only help broaden your skills as a meeting planner but also as a participant within your own meeting. Other employees will be looking at you to maintain the flow in the meeting, for example to keep all discussion and attitudes positive. With these skills you'll be a pro meeting planner in no time and on your way with a successful career.

 My first blog post will be up in no time, until then don't plan any meetings



Ash~