Business Communications Lesson Two FJU/AIEDL Dr. M. Connor Based on Excellence in Business Communication,5/e Thill and Bovée.

Business Communications

Lesson TwoFJU/AIEDLDr. M. ConnorBased on Excellence in Business Communication,5/e Thill and Bovée

Teamwork

Team work has become an important part of both the academic world as well as the corporate world.

What is a team?

A team is a unit of two or more people who work together to achieve a goal.

Team members have a shared mission and are collectively responsible for their work.

What kind of jobs?

Team members may be responsible for writing reports, giving oral presentations, and attending meetings.

Whether the goal is to solve a problem, monitor a process, or investigate an opportunity, team members must communicate effectively among themselves and with people outside their team.

Popular workstyle

In a recent survey of Fortune 1000 executives, 83% said that their firms are working in teams or moving in that direction.

Why?

One reason is performance. A recent study of 232 organizations

across more than eight industries showed that companies that worked in teams showed the highest improvement in performance.

Another reason is creativity.

Teams encourage creativity in workers through participative management, which means involving workers in the company’s decision making.

Types of teams

The type, structure and composition of individual teams vary within an organization.

Companies can create formal teams that become part of an organization’s structure.

Or they may establish informal teams that aren’t part of the formal organization, but are formed to solve problems, work on a specific activity, or encourage employee participation.

Problem-solving teams and task forces

Informal teams that assemble to resolve specific issues and disband once their goal has been accomplished.

Team members often include representatives from many departments so that those who have a stake in the output are able to provide input.

Committees

A committee usually has a long life span and may become a permanent part of organizational structure.

Committees usually deal with regularly recurring task.

For example, a grievance committee may be formed as a permanent resource for handling employee complaints and concerns

Virtual teams

Bring together geographically distant employees to accomplish goals.

A company may have plants and offices around the world, but it can use computer networks, teleconferencing, e-mail and global transportation to build teams that are as effective as those all in the same building.

Always a good idea?

Teams can play a vital role in helping an organization reach its goals.

However, they are not appropriate in every situation.

When deciding whether to use teams, managers must weigh both the advantages and disadvantages.

At their best . . .

teams can be extremely useful for making key decisions.

The interaction of the participants leads to good decisions based on the combined intelligence of the group.

Benefits

Increased information and knowledge.Increased diversity of views. Increased acceptance of a solution.

Increased information and knowledge

By pulling together the resources of several individuals, teams bring more information to the decision process.

Increased diversity of views

Teams bring many different perspectives to the decision process.

Increased acceptance of a solution

Team members who participate in making a decision are more likely to enthusiastically support the decision and encourage others to accept it.

Because they share in the final product, they are committed to seeing it succeed.

More benefits

Teams generally exceed performance levels that would have been accomplished had the members worked independently, perhaps because teams have the potential to unleash vast amount of creativity and energy in workers.

Motivation and performance are often increased because workers share a sense of purpose and mutual accountability.

Teams also fulfill the individual worker’s need to be part of a group.

They can decrease employee boredom, increase feelings of dignity and self-worth and reduce stress and tension between workers.

Disadvantages

At their worst, teams are unproductive and frustrating, and they are a waste of everyone’s time.

Some may actually be counter-productive, because they may arrive at a bad decision.

A team may develop groupthink, the willingness of individual members to set aside the personal opinions and go along with everyone else, even if everyone else is wrong, simply because belonging to the team is more important to them than making the right decision.

Groupthink can lead to poor-quality decisions and ill-advised actions, even inducing people to act unethically.

Hidden agendas

Some team members may have a hidden agenda—private motives that affect the group’s interaction.George may want to prove that he’s more

powerful than Lili; Lili might be trying to share the risk of making a decision; and Sam might be looking for a chance to postpone doing ”real” work.

Each person’s hidden agenda can detract from the team’s effectiveness.

Free-riders

Team members who don’t contribute their fair share to the group’s activities because they aren’t being held individually accountable for their work.

Their free-ride attitude can mean that some tasks don’t get done.

High cost of coordinating group activities

Aligning schedules, arranging meetings, and coordinating individual parts of a project can eat up a lot of time and money.

Teams aren’t effective for every situation.

"When the ship goes down, you don’t call a meeting. The captain gives an order or everybody drowns.” Peter Drucker, management expert

Group dynamics

The interactions and processes that take place in a team.

More effective than others

Some teams are more effective than others simply because the dynamics of the group facilitate member input and the resolution of differences.

Rules

To keep things moving forward, productive teams also tend to develop rules that are conducive to business.

Often these rules are unstated.They just become standard group

practice or norms—informal standards of conduct that groups share and that guide member behavior.

Strong identity

When a team has a strong identity, the members observe team rules religiously.

They are upset by any deviation and feel a great deal of pressure to conform.

This loyalty can be positive, giving members a strong commitment to one another and highly motivating them to see that the team succeeds.

However, an overly strong identity could leave to negative conditions such as groupthink.

Group roles

Members of a team can play various roles, which fall into three categories.

Members who assumed self-oriented roles are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs, so they tend to be less productive than other team members.

Far more likely to contribute to team goals are those members who assume team-maintenance roles to help everyone work well together.

Task facilitating roles help solve problems or make decisions.

Which role?

To a great extent, the roles that individuals assume in a group depend on: their status in that group, and their reasons for joining the group.

Status

Status depends on many variables including personal attractiveness, competence in a particular field, past successes, education, age, social background, andorganizational position.

Status varies

A person’s status also varies from team to team.

In most teams, as people try to establish their relative status, an undercurrent of tension can get in the way of real work.

Until roles and status have stabilized, a team may have trouble accomplishing its goals.

Five Phases of Team Decisions

While teams grow and evolve in their own ways, research shows that most teams typically reach a decision by passing through five phases.OrientationConflictBrainstormEmergenceReinforcement

Orientation

Team members socialize, establish their roles, and begin to define their task or purpose.

Conflict

Team members begin to discuss their positions and become more assertive in establishing their roles.

If members have been carefully selected to represent a variety of viewpoint and expertise, disagreements are a natural part of this phase.

Brainstorm

Team members air all the options and discuss the pros and cons fully.

At the end of this phase, members begin to settle on a single solution to the problem.

Emergence

Team members reach a decision. Consensus is reached when the team finally finds a solution acceptable enough for all members to support, even if they have reservations.

This consensus happens only after all of the members have had an opportunity to communicate their positions and feel that they have been listened to.

Reinforcement

Group feeling is rebuilt and the solution is summarized. Members receive their assignments for carrying out the group’s decision, and they make arrangements for following up on those assignments.

Developing an effective team

In effective team collaborations, all team members recognize that each individual brings valuable assets, knowledge and skills to the team.

They are willing to exchange information, examine issues, and work through conflicts that arise.

Trust is important

They trust one another, looking forward to the greater good of the team and organization rather than focusing on personal agendas, making unilateral decisions or pulling power plays.

Characteristics of effective teams

Clear sense of purposeOpen and honest communicationDecision by consensusCreative thinkingFocused

Clear sense of purpose

Team members clearly understand the task at hand, what is expected of them, and their role on the team.

Open and honest communication

The team culture encourages discussion and debate.

Team members speak openly and honestly, without the threat of anger, resentment, or retribution.

They listen to and value feedback from others. As a result, all team members participate.

Decision by consensus

All decisions are arrived at by consensus.

No easy, quick votes are taken.

Creative thinking

Effective teams encourage original thinking, considering options beyond the usual.

Focused

Team members get to the core issues of the problem and stay focused on key issues.

This all takes time

Learning team skills takes time and practice, so many companies now offer employees training in building their team skills.

Understanding conflict

Conflict—clashes over differences in ideas, opinions, goals, or procedures.

Conflict can be both constructive and destructive to a team’s effectiveness.

Constructive

When it increases the involvement of team members and results in the solution of a problem.

Destructive:

When it diverts energy from the more important issues, destroys the morale of teams or individual team members, or polarizes or divides the team.

Conflict can arise for many reasons

Teams and individuals may believe that they are competing for scarce or declining resources, such as money, information, and supplies.

Team members may disagree about who is responsible for a certain task (usually the result of poorly defined responsibilities and job boundaries.)

Conflict reasons

Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and misperceptions about other team members, and intentionally withholding information can undermine member trust.

Basic differences in values, attitudes and personalities can lead to arguments.

Conflict reasons

Power struggles may result when one party questions the authority of another or when people or teams with limited authority attempt to increase their power or exert more influence.

Conflict can also arise when individuals or teams are pursuing different goals.

Resolving conflict

The following measures can help team members resolve conflict:ProactionCommunicationOpennessResearchFlexibilityFair playAlliance

Proaction:

Deal with minor conflict before it becomes major conflict.

Communication:

Get those directly involved in the conflict to participate in resolving it.

Research:

Seek factual reasons for the problem before seeking solutions.

Flexibility:

Don’t let anyone lock into a position before considering other solutions.

Fair play:

Don’t let anyone avoid a fair solution by hiding behind the rules.

Alliance:

Get parties to fight together against an "outside force” instead of against each other.

Overcoming resistance

Part of dealing with conflict is learning how to persuade other people to accept your point-of-view.

In business situations, usually reason prevails.

However, you sometimes encounter people who react emotionally.

When you face irrational resistance, try to remain calm and detached so that you can avoid destructive confrontations and present your position in a convincing manner.

Four steps to resolving conflict:

Express understandingMake people aware of their resistanceEvaluate others’ objections fairlyHold your arguments until the other

person is ready for them

Express understanding:

Most people are ashamed of reacting emotionally to business situations.

Show that you sympathize. You might say, "I can understand that this

change might be difficult, and if I were in your position, I might be reluctant myself.”

Help the other person relax and talk about his or her anxiety so that you have a chance to offer reassurance.

Make people aware of their resistance

When people are noncommittal and silent, they may be tuning you out without even knowing why.

Continuing with your argument is futile. Deal directly with the resistance, without being

accusing. You might say, “You seem cool to this idea. Have I

made some faulty assumptions?” Such questions force people to face and

define their resistance.

Evaluate others’ objections fairly.

Don’t simply repeat yourself. Focus on what the other person is expressing,

both the words and the feelings. Get the person to open up so that you can

understand the basis for their resistance. Others’ objections may raise legitimate points

that you’ll need to discuss, or they may reveal problems that you’ll need to minimize.

Hold your arguments till the other person is ready for them

Getting your point across depends as much on the other person’s frame of mind as it does on your arguments.

You can’t assume that a strong argument will speak for itself.

By becoming more audience-centered, you will learn to address the other person’s emotional needs first.

Collaborating on Team Messages

Collaborative messages, or team messages, involve working with other writers to produce a single document or presentation. For instance, you might sit down with your

boss to plan a memo, work independently during the writing phase, and then ask your boss to review the message and suggest revisions.

Using technology to collaborate

Videoconferencing allows people in several locations to "meet” via video and audio links.

Software options

One form of videoconferencing technology is decision-making software (also called groupware or electronic meeting systems).

This software offers distinct advantages. For example, participants can anonymously type any message they want, and it flashes on the screen for all to see. Such anonymity allows people to be brutally honest without penalty.

In addition, this approach is up to 55% faster than face-to-face meetings because chitchat is eliminated.

Drawbacks

You must be a good typist. Also, those with the best ideas don’t get

credit for them. Finally, you miss out on vital face-to-face

nonverbal feedback.

Web technology

Also allows team members to collaborate. More and more companies are developing

large-scale work spaces on the internet for online discussions, video conferencing, and data sharing.

The primary benefits of Web-based collaboration are that it’s easy, cost-effective, and allows you to do multiple functions in a seamless manner.

Preparing effective team messages

You must be flexible and open to the opinions of others—focusing on your team’s objectives instead of your own.

You must also get organized.Select a leader and clarify goals.

First step

Before anyone begins to write, team members must agree on the purpose of the project and on the audience.

Your team must also plan the organization, format, and style of the document.

Guidelines

Select team members wisely. Select a responsible leader. Promote cooperation. Clarify goals. Elicit commitment. Clarify responsibilities. Instill prompt action. Apply technology Ensure technological compatibility.

Select team members wisely:

Choose team members who have strong interpersonal skills, understand team dynamics, and care about the projects.

Select a responsible leader:

Identify a group leader who will keep members informed and intervene when necessary.

Promote cooperation:

Establish communication standards that motivate accuracy, openness and trust.

Clarify goals:

Make sure team goals are aligned with individual expectations.

Elicit commitment:

Create a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for the document

Clarify responsibilities:

Assign specific roles and establish clear lines of reporting.

Instill prompt action:

Establish a timeline and deadlines for every part of the project.

Apply technology:

Use electronic tools to communicate quickly and effectively with other team members.

Ensure technological compatibility:

Use the same word-processing program to make it easier to combine files.

Speaking with team members

Given a choice, people would rather talk to one another than write to each other.

Talking takes less time and needs no composing, keyboarding, rewriting, duplicating or distributing.

Even more important, oral communication provides the opportunity for feedback.

When people communicate orally, they can ask questions, and test their understanding of the message.

Think before you speak!

However, speaking is such an ingrained activity that we tend to do it without much thought.

This casual approach can cause problems in business.

You have far less opportunity to revise your spoken words than to revise your written words.

You can’t cross out what you just said and start all over.

To improve your speaking skills…

Be more aware of using speech as a tool for accomplishing your objectives in a business context.

Break the habit of speaking spontaneously, without planning what you are going to say or how you’re going to say it.

Before you speak, think about your purpose, your main idea, and your audience.

Organize your thoughts, decide on a style that suits the occasion and your audience and edit your remarks mentally.

Focus on your audience

Perhaps the most important thing you can do. Try to predict how your audience will react,

and organize your message accordingly. As you speak, watch the other person and

judge from verbal and non-verbal feedback whether your message is making the desired impression.

If it isn’t, revise it and try again.

Listening to team members

Because listening is such a routine, everyday activity, few people think of developing their listening skills.

Unfortunately, most of us aren’t very good listeners.

We may hear the words, but that doesn’t mean we’re actually listening to the message.

Most of us face so many distractions that we don’t always pay full attention to what’s being said.

Effective listeners

Effective listeners welcome new information and new ideas.

The payoff is that they stay informed and up-to-date.

Good listening gives you an edge and helps you be more effective when you speak. It strengthens organizational relationships, enhances product delivery, and allows the organization to manage growing diversity, both in the customers it serves and in the workforce.

Most people listen poorly

In fact, people listen at or below a 25% efficiency rate, remember only about half of what’s said in a

10 minute conversation, forget half of that within 48 hours,when questioned about material they’ve just

heard, people are likely to get the facts mixed up.

Why????

Because effective listening requires a conscious effort and a willing mind.

Learning to listen effectively can be a difficult skill, but it’s one of the best ways to improve your communication skills.

It enhances your performance, which leads to raises, promotions, status and power.

Types of listening:

Three types of listening differ not only in purpose, but in the amounts of feedback or interactions that occur.

You can improve your productivity by matching your listening style to the speaker’s purpose.

Types of listening:

Content listeningCritical listeningEmpathic listening.

Content listening

Goal of content listening is to understand and retain the speaker’s message.

You may ask questions, but basically the information flows from the speaker to you.

That’s what you’re doing right now. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree, approve or disapprove, only that you understand.

Critical listening

The goal of critical listening is to understand and evaluate the speaker’s message on several levels: the logic of the argument, the strength of the evidence, the validity of the conclusions, the implications of the message for you and your organization, the speaker’s intentions and motives, and the omission of any important or relevant points.

Critical listening often involves interaction as you try to uncover the speaker’s point-of-view and credibility.

Emphatic listening

The goal of emphatic listening is to understand the speaker’s feelings, needs and wants so that you can appreciate his or her point-of-view, regardless of whether or not you share that perspective.

By listening in an emphatic way, you help the speaker vent the emotions that prevent a dispassionate approach to the subject. Avoid the temptation to give advice. Try not to judge the individual’s feelings. Just let the other person talk.

The Listening Process

Listening involves five related activities, which usually happen in sequence:Receiving InterpretingRememberingEvaluatingResponding

Receiving:

Physically hearing the message and taking note of it.

Physical reception can be blocked by noise, impaired hearing or inattention.

Interpreting:

Assigning meaning to sounds according to your own values, beliefs, ideals, expectations, roles, needs and personal history.

The speaker’s frame of references may be very different from yours, so you may need to determine what the speaker really means.

Remembering:

Storing a message for future reference. As you listen, you retain what you hear

by making notes or by making a mental outline of the speaker’s key points.

Evaluating:

Applying critical thinking skills to weigh the speaker’s remarks.

You separate fact from opinion and evaluate the quality of the evidence.

Responding:

Reacting once you’ve evaluated the speaker’s message.

If you’re communicating one-on-one or in small groups, the initial response generally takes the form of verbal feedback.

If you’re one of many in an audience, your initial response may take the form of laughter, applause, or silence.

Later on, you may act on what you have heard.

Giving Constructive feedback

There are a number of things to keep in mind in order to give constructive feedback: Focus on particular behaviors Keep feedback impersonal Use "I” statements Keep feedback goal-oriented Make feedback well timed Ensure understanding Direct negative feedback toward behavior that is

controllable by the recipient.

Focus on particular behaviors

Feedback should be specific rather than general

Keep feedback impersonal

No matter how upset you are, keep feedback job related, and never criticize someone personally.

Use "I” statements

Instead of saying, "You are absent from work too often,” say "I feel annoyed when you miss work frequently.”

Keep feedback goal-oriented

If you have to say something negative, make sure it’s directed towards the recipient’s goals.

Ask yourself whom the feedback is supposed to help. If the answer is essentially you, bite your tongue.

Make feedback well timed

Feedback is most meaningful when there is a short interval between the recipient’s behavior and the receipt of feedback of that behavior.

Ensure understanding

If feedback is to be effective, you need to make sure the recipient understands it.

Direct negative feedback

Direct negative feedback toward behavior that is controllable by the recipient.

There’s little value of reminding someone of a shortcoming over which he or she has no control.

Barriers to effective listening

PrejudiceSelf-centerednessListening selectively

Prejudgment

One of the most common barriers to effective listening.

Difficult to overcome

It is an Automatic process. To operate in life, people must hold

assumptions. However, in new situations, these

assumptions can often be incorrect. Moreover, some people listen defensively,

viewing every comment as a personal attack. To protect their self-esteem, they distort messages by tuning out anything that doesn’t confirm their view of themselves.

Self-centeredness

Causes people to take control of conversations, rather than listening to what’s being said.

Example

If a speaker mentions a problem (Perhaps the manager is trying to deal with conflict between team members), self-centered listeners eagerly relate their own problems with team conflict.

They trivialize the speaker’s concerns by pointing out that their own difficulties are twice as great. And they can top positive experiences as well.

No matter what subject is being discussed, they will know more than the speaker does—and they’re determined to prove it.

Listening selectively

Also known as out-listening. You let your mind wander to things such as

whether you brought your dry cleaning ticket to work.

You stay tuned out till you hear a word or phrase that gets your attention once more. The result is that you don’t remember what the speaker actually said.

Instead you remember what you think the speaker probably said.

Fast brains!

One reason our minds tend to wander is that we think faster than we speak. Most people speak at about 120 to 150 words per minute. But depending on the subject and individual, studies show that people can process information at 500 to 800 words per minute.

You should be using this difference to pull the argument together, but some people let their minds wander and tune out.

Understanding non-verbal communication

Good listeners pay attention to more than just verbal communication.

Such non-verbal communication consists of all the cues, gestures, facial expressions, spatial relationships and attitudes towards time that enable people to communicate without words.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

That’s a saying in English.It is certainly true.It has been said that up to 80% of

communication is non-verbal.But you have to know the culture of the

speaker, as non-verbal clues change from culture to culture.

In the same culture

Because nonverbal communication is so reliable, people generally have more faith in non-verbal messages than in verbal messages.

If a person says one thing but transmits a different non-verbal message, people will inevitably believe the non-verbal message

The types of non-verbal communication

facial expressiongesture and posturevocal characteristicspersonal appearancetouching behaviorand use of time and space.

Facial expressions:

The face and eyes command particular attention as sources of non-verbal messages.

But remember, this is highly contextual to culture.

Walters and Qaddafi

After her interview with Col. Muamar el-Qaddafi, Barbara Walters, an American journalist said, “He wouldn’t look at me. I found it disconcerting that he kept looking all over the room but rarely at me.”

Like many people in the United States, Walters was associating lack of eye contact with trustworthiness, so when Quadaffi withheld eye contact, she felt uncomfortable.

But in fact, Quadaffi was paying Walters a compliment. In Libya, not looking confers respect, but looking straight at a woman is considered nearly as serious as physical assault.

Gesture and posture:

By moving your body, you can express both specific and general messages, some voluntary, some involuntary.

Knowing how to read people helps you be a more effective communicator.

Personal appearance:

Grooming, clothing, accessories “style” all modify a personas appearance.

If your goal is to make a good impression, adopt the style of the people you want to impress.

Touching behavior:

Touch is an important vehicle for expressing warmth, comfort and reassurance.

Perhaps because it implies intimacy, touching behavior is governed in various circumstances by strict customs that establish who can touch whom and how.

Norms vary

The established norms vary, depending on the gender, age, relative status and cultural background of the persons involved.

In business situations, touching suggests dominance, so a higher-status person is more likely to touch a lower-status person that the other way around.

Taboos

Touching has become controversial, however, because it can sometimes be interpreted as sexual harassment.

It is also taboo in some cultures.It is never OK for a strange woman to

touch an Orthodox Jewish man and vice versa.

The same goes for strict Muslims.

Use of time and space:

Like touch, time and space can be used to assert authority. Some people demonstrate their importance by making other people wait (which I think is rude and arrogant, but sometimes a gesture of authority is needed, so this is good to know)

Others show respect by being on time. People can also assert their authority by

occupying the best space.

Space

In US companies, the chief executive usually has the corner office and the prettiest view.

Apart from serving as a symbol of status, space determines how comfortable people feel talking to one another.

When others stand too close or too far away, we are likely to feel ill at ease.

Cultural differences

Personal space varies from culture to culture, so it’s always good to do some advance reading before meeting people from a different culture.

There are a myriad of different books out there on international business etiquette, many of them culture specific.

Increasing meeting productivity

Meetings help teams solve problems by providing the opportunity for giving and getting feedback, whether your goal is to develop ideas, identify opportunities or decide how to maximize resources.

Many meetings are unproductive

In a recent study, senior and middle managers reported that only 56% of their meetings were actually productive and that 25% of them could have been handled by a memo or a phone call.

Meeting productivity is affected by the way you prepare for them and the way you conduct and participate in them.

Preparing for meetings

The biggest mistake in holding meetings is not having a specific goal.

So before you call a meeting, make sure that you really need one.

Perhaps you could communicate more effectively through a memo or individual conversations.

If you decide that you do need the interaction of the group, make sure you plan enough time to achieve your goals.

For successful meetings:

The key to productive meetings is careful planning of purpose, participants, location, and agenda.

Decide on your purpose:

Although many meetings combine purposes, most are usually informational or decision making. Informational meetings allow participants to share information and perhaps coordinate action.

Briefings may come from each participant or from the leader, who then answers questions from the attendees.

Decision-making meetings usually involve persuasion, analysis, and problem solving.

They often include a brain-storming session, followed by a debate on the alternatives, and they require that each participant is aware of the nature of the problem and criteria for the solution.

Select participants:

Being invited to this or that meeting can be a mark of status, and you may be reluctant to leave anyone out.

Nevertheless, try to invite only those people whose presence is essential.

Participant logistics

If the session is purely informational, and one person will be doing most of the talking, you can include a relatively large group. However, if you’re trying to solve a problem, develop a plan or reach a decision, try to limit participation to between six and twelve people.

The more participants, the more comments and confusion you are likely to generate. But even as you try to limit participants, be sure to include key decision makers and those who can contribute.

Holding a meeting is pointless if the people with necessary information are not there.

Choose an appropriate location:

Decide where you’ll hold the meeting and reserve the location.

For work sessions, morning meetings are usually more productive than afternoon sessions.

Also, consider the seating arrangement. Are rows of chairs suitable or do you need a conference table?

Plus, give some attention to details such as room temperature, lighting, ventilation, acoustics and refreshments.

These things may seem trivial, but they can make or break a meeting.

You might also considering meeting in cyberspace.

Set and Follow an Agenda:

Although the nature of a meeting may sometimes prevent you from developing a fixed agenda, at least prepare a list of matters to be discussed.

Distribute the agenda to participants several days before the meeting so that they know what to expect and can come prepared to respond to the issues at hand.

Agendas

Include the names of the participants, the time, the place, and the order of business.

Make sure the agenda is specific. For example, the phrase “development budget”

doesn’t reveal much, whereas the longer explanation “Discussion: Proposed reduction of 2006-2007 development budget due to our new product postponement” helps committee members prepare in advance with facts and figures.

Starting and ending on time!

Agendas help you start and end your meetings on time.

Starting and ending on time sends a signal of good organization and allows attendees to meet other commitments.

In fact, one solution for improving meetings is simply telling people when the meeting will end.

Agenda questions

A productive agenda should answer three key questions:1) What do we need to do in this meeting to

accomplish our goals?2) What conversations will be of the

greatest importance to all the participants?3) What information must be available in

order to have those conversations?

Conducting and participating in meetings

Whether you’re conducting a meeting or just participating, there are behaviors of which you should be aware.

Keeping the meeting on track:

A good meeting is not a series of dialogues between individual members and the leader.

Instead, it’s a cross-flow of discussion and debate, with the leader occasionally guiding, mediating, probing, stimulating, and summarizing, but mostly letting the others thrash out their ideas.

Leader jobs

That’s why it’s important for leaders to avoid being so domineering that they close off suggestions.

Of course, they must not be so passive that they lose control of the group.

More leader responsibilities

You’re responsible for keeping the meeting moving along.

If the discussion lags, call on those who haven’t been heard from.

Pace the presentation and discussion so that you have time to finish the agenda.

As time begins to run out, interrupt the discussion and summarize what has been accomplished.

However, don’t be too rigid. Allow time for discussion, and give people a chance to raise issues.

Follow Parliamentary Procedure:

One way you can improve the productivity of a meeting is by using parliamentary procedure, a time-tested method for planning and running effective meetings.

What can it do?

Used correctly, it can help teams:Transact business efficientlyProtect individual rightsMaintain orderPreserve a spirit of harmonyAccomplish team and organizational goals.

Robert’s Rules of Order

The most common guide to parliamentary procedure is Robert’s Rules of Order, available in various editions and revisions.

Also available are less technical guides based on “Robert’s Rules”.

You can determine how strictly you want to adhere to parliamentary procedure.

Encourage participation:

As the meeting gets underway, you’ll discover that some participants are too quiet and others are too talkative.

To draw out the shy types, ask on their input on issues that pertain to them. You might say something like, “May, you’ve done a lot of work in this area. What do you think?”

For the overly talkative, simply say that time is limited and others need to be heard from.

The best meetings

The best meetings are those in which everyone participates, so don’t let one or two people dominate your meetings while one or two doodle on notepads.

As you move through your agenda, stop at the end of each item, summarize what you understand to be the feelings of the group, and state the important points made during the discussion.

For participants

Try to contribute to both the subject of the meeting and the smooth interaction of the participants.

Use your listening skills and powers of observation to size up the interpersonal dynamics of the people, and then adapt your behavior to help the group achieve its goals.

Speak up if you have something useful to say, but don’t monopolize the discussion.

Close and follow up:

At the conclusion of the meeting, tie up the loose ends.

Either summarize the general conclusion of the group or list the suggestions.

Wrapping things up ensures that all participants agree on the outcome and gives people a chance to clear up any misunderstandings.

Before the meeting breaks up, briefly review who has agreed to do what by what date.

Be sure to follow up

As soon as possible after the meeting, make sure all of the participants receive a copy of the minutes or the notes, showing recommended actions, schedules and responsibilities.

The minutes will remind everyone of what took place and will provide reference for future actions.