Meetings: Leadership and Productivity Lectures Based on Leadership Communication, 4th edition By Deborah J. Barrett, Ph.D. Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Discussion Topics Deciding when a meeting is the best forum Planning a meeting Conducting a productive meeting Reviewing purpose, end products, and agenda Establishing roles and ground rules Using common problem-solving methods Managing meeting problems and conflict Ensuring meetings lead to action 11-2

Deciding When a Meeting is the Best Forum To determine if a meeting is the best forum, ask yourself the following questions: What is the purpose? What do I hope to accomplish? Will a meeting accomplish that purpose most efficiently? Most effectively? Can I describe exactly the outcome I am seeking from the meeting? Is our group more productive when we meet? 11-3

Planning a Meeting Clarify purpose, objectives, and end products Decide on the following: Attendees Location, equipment, and room layout Materials needed before and during Meeting timing Decision-making approach Create the agenda 11-4

Clarifying the Purpose and End Products Before the meeting or at the beginning, write out and agree on your purpose and objectives. Align those objectives with the expected end-products. For example - Objective Identify major issues in the case Determine possible approaches to issues Assign tasks End products List of five issues Written approaches or actions to find approaches Action items with responsibility assigned 11-5

Conducting a Productive Meeting To conduct a productive meeting, you will need to do the following: Review your purpose, end products, and agenda Establish roles and ground rules Use common problem-solving methods Manage meeting problems and conflict 11-6

Establishing Roles and Ground Rules Leader Facilitator Note taker Timekeeper Sample Ground Rules Discussions are to be informal and interactive Our goal is to have open, nonjudgmental exchange of ideas No idea is a bad idea All participants are equal No sidebars are allowed 11-7

Using Common Problem-Solving Methods* Brainstorming Ranking or rating Sorting by category (logical grouping) Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats Opposition analysis (is/is not, pro/con) Decision trees From/to Force field analysis The matrix 10. Frameworks *See appendix for discussions of some of the methods. 11-8

Managing Meeting Problems Confused objectives and expectations Unclear roles/ responsibilities Approach Create agenda that includes objectives and end products Send agenda out ahead of time Review agenda at the beginning of meeting Communicate roles and responsibilities before or at the beginning of the meeting 11-9

Managing Meeting Problems (continued) Confusion between process and content Drifting off topic Approach Separate leader and facilitator Call time outs for process checks Stop and review objectives If digression continues, suggest Continuing after meeting Placing topic on agenda for next meeting or in “parking lot” 11-10

Managing Meeting Problems (continued) Data confusion or overload 6. Repetition/ wheel spinning 7. Time violations Approach Control versions of handouts Create simplified data packs Exclude data not relevant to objectives Control the discussion by reminding attendees of objectives Always start on time Have a time keeper Re-evaluate agenda topics/time limits and build in cushion time 11-11

Managing Conflict Level of assertiveness Level of cooperation High Low Competing Compromising Collaborating Avoiding Accommodating Source: Adapted from Blake and Mouton, in Deborah Borisoff and David Victor, Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach, p. 6. 11-12

Ensuring Meeting Follow-up Occurs Assign specific tasks to specific people Review all actions and responsibilities at the end of the meeting Provide a meeting summary with assigned deliverables included Follow-up on action items in a reasonable time 11-13

Discussion Summary Unproductive meetings may occur if a meeting is not the best forum to accomplish the tasks Ensuring productive meetings means you need to plan the meeting carefully and conduct it with skilled facilitation Meeting problems and conflict need to be managed immediately and not allowed to linger To ensure needed actions occur following the meeting may require some micro-managing 11-14

Appendix: Some Problem-Solving Methods 11-15

Traditional Brainstorming Purpose: To generate a lot of ideas Characteristics: Each person is expected to contribute an idea Ideas are not to be evaluated or judged Ideas must be captured just as they are Quantity is what is important, not quality A facilitator’s role is to keep things moving and make sure the scribe captures all ideas Brainstorming ends when the ideas stop coming or when time runs out 11-16

DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats Purpose: To encourage open and complete thinking about a problem (parallel thinking) Characteristics: Each person figuratively wears a hat of the same color and assumes the characteristics assigned to the color The colors are as follows: Red = Emotions White = Facts Yellow = Possibilities Black = Devil’s advocate Green = Creative solutions Blue = Evaluation of ideas 11-17

The Matrix Purpose: To evaluate or diagnose problems, establish positioning or approach, or determine level of difficulty in making changes Characteristics: The matrix is usually a four box configuration with each axis assigned an evaluative label An example would be the skill/will matrix: High will Low will Low skill High skill 11-18

Force-Field Analysis Purpose: To explore problems and develop strategies for change Characteristics: First, the problem is described, and then the situation as you would want it to be is described. What emerges are two sets of forces, one driving towards the desired goal and the other pushing in the opposite direction. When the forces are found to be in equilibrium, no change can occur. 11-19

From/To Purpose: To establish accurate description of a current situation with a matching list of desired changes Characteristics: Particularly useful in a change situation Helps uncover problems and improvements Very useful in a team situation or idea generating workshop From To 11-20

Frameworks Purpose: To simplify or make a complex idea more manageable, to capture visually the elements of a complex problem, or to force greater analysis Characteristics: Can be original (the best usually are since then they are tailored to the problem) However, numerous frameworks exist, which can save valuable time and ensure comprehensiveness; thus, they should be part of every facilitator’s tool kit. 11-21