Managing Others Training Course
Managing
Meetings Training Course
Duration: 2 Days
Introduction
Despite predictions that the impact of technology in the workplace would reduce the need for meetings, it seems that meetings have started to consume an increasing proportion of the working day.
Everyone has meetings! They are a necessary part of any functioning organisation but think of how easily they can become time consuming, frustrating and wasteful. A meeting is a group of people who come together to seek a common goal and facilitation is a key skill and contributor to the effectiveness of a meeting.
Course Aim
A meeting is a group of people who come together to achieve a common goal. For the whole to work well all its parts need to be in some form of harmony. They don't have to agree on everything, but they do work best when their purpose is clear and there are agreed working practices. When this doesn't happen, meetings aren't quicker and better, they are torture.
This practical workshop will help you to make meetings more productive. As a result you will be able to make both your formal and informal meetings:
- Achieve their objectives
- More disciplined
- More effectively chaired
- More time-effective (often shorter)
- Better value for money
- Less disruptive
- More motivating and professional
Course objectives:
- To develop skills in leading and controlling meetings
- To review ways of dealing with challenging situations in meetings
- To consider ways of making best use of resources available at meetings
- To enable people to organise, run and participate in more effective meetings
- To give people greater confidence to contribute at meetings
- To enable you to become more effective at guiding people to solve problems and make decisions
Method & Approach
A practical workshop which provides the opportunity for groups to identify the roadblocks to effective decision making.
The programme utilises a variety of decision making scenarios and groups will analyse effective and ineffective contributions to process.
Note
This programme can be delivered as two separate days where day one is aimed at those who are responsible for organising meetings and the 2 day version is appropriate for those who facilitate or chair meetings.
Training Course Content
Training Course content includes:
Day One
Planning a meeting
- The seven step process to make meeting work
- What are the goals or objectives for the meeting
- Is a meeting the best way to accomplish them?
- What specific issues need to be addressed (the agenda items)?
- What are the most appropriate facilitation techniques for each item?
- What information needs to be gathered before the meeting?
- How should this information be gathered, and by whom?
- How should the information be prepared and compiled for the meeting?
- Who should attend the meeting?
- Does everyone need to attend the entire meeting?
- How should the agenda be ordered to ensure everyone’s time is used effectively?
- What are the best date, time and location for the meeting?
- What briefing materials should be sent to the participants before the meeting?
- Logistical questions
- What room arrangements and other preparations are necessary?
- Audi-visual equipment
- Computer support
- Charts and easels
- Tables, chairs (numbers and configurations)
- Microphones (fixed or roving) Satellite / video / audio links
- Translations
- Car parking
- Name tags
- Arrangements for messages
- What refreshments should be served?
- Catering
- Creating an Agenda
- The meeting agenda your roadmap to success
- Timings
- Reviewing the selected techniques, processes and timeframe for each agenda item
- Physically preparing the final agenda document – including a more detailed version for yourself that includes all the answers to the pre-meeting planning questions
- Distributing the agenda to all participants
- Taking minutes and closing
- Level of detail required in the minutes
- Conclusions, actions, deadlines and responsibilities
- Evaluating the meeting
- Monitoring outcomes
Day Two
The role of the facilitator
- How can facilitation add value to the meeting?
- Nature and scope of the role
- The differences between the facilitator and that of the chair in a meeting
- The facilitator’s role in preparing for the meeting
- Facilitation skills
- Identifying your natural style
- Utilising a range of facilitation styles
- Understanding the impact of each style
- Techniques for facilitating groups towards problem solving and decision making
- Introductions
- Clearing the mind
- Establishing ground rules
- Facilitation methods
- 6 thinking hats
- Brainstorming
- Mind Mapping
- Process management
- Understanding group dynamics
- The difference between content, procedure and process
- The importance of effective process management in aiding completion of group task and optimizing the climate in which it is achieved
- Managing difficult situations
- Identifying behaviours which you find difficult to manage
- Forms of conflict - substantive/personal
- Managing differences in priorities
- Techniques for maintaining focus, channeling aggression, overcoming resistance
