1. Strategies for Successful Business and Group Meetings
Lecture 6
Strategies for Successful Business and Group Meetings

2. Strategies for Successful Business and Group Meetings
Background information on groups
Purposes and kinds of meetings
Solving problems in meetings or groups
Leadership responsibilities in meetings
Participant responsibilities in meetings

3. Background Information on Groups
Definition of a Group
Purposive discourse between two or more people is a common definition of a group.
Types of Groups
Informal Group
Casual or informal group meetings are common, such as, meeting after work with friends or get together for purely social occasions.
Formal Group
Often called task groups, formal groups often search for answers to problems, look for a course of action, make recommendations to a higher authority. This means that you and others may meet to change a policy, make decisions on how a specific problem should be solved and decide on the beginning steps to implement a solution.

4. Background Information on Groups (cont’d …)
Formation of Groups: Most groups go through 4 formative stages in becoming a group:
Forming: Here the group tries to get started. It is the orientation phase for group members.
Storming: members begin to stake out their positions, they begin to have conflicts and arguments.
Norming: progress begins here. Members work to solve conflicts and recognize acceptable kinds of conduct.
Performing: here the group begins to achieve its goals.

5. Background Information on Groups (cont’d …)
Phases followed by a Group in Solving a Problem:
Orientation: Here discussion is free-flowing, people orally wander about, each trying to focus on asking questions. Here too, questions are numerous: members try to inform, ask further questions. Here members’ convictions are tentative and somewhat ambiguous.
Conflict: After the preliminary sparring is over, members begin to offer opinions, evidence in support of their position. At this phase initial conflicts occur. There may even be resistance to the agreed upon task.
Emergence: Open exchanges continue; members begin to search for ways of truly solving problem. Compromises occur and there is a decrease in conflict and sincere movement toward decreasing differences in opinion.
Solutions: A positive attitude exists at this phase. Options have been discussed, and criteria for measuring those options have been viewed. Now is the time to complete the task and agree upon a solution.

6. Purposes and Kinds of Meetings
Informational Meetings
Informational meetings seek only to clarify, to make something clear, to give information. e.g., announcement of the new mission statement.
Suggested Solution Meetings
Only solutions are suggested for achieving a particular goal or for solving a particular problem.
Problem-Solving Meetings
Problem,
Solution,
Benefit,
Action

7. Solving Problems in Meetings or Groups
Authorization for a Committee: You may be asked to form a committee to solve a specific problem. Charges to committee must be vividly clear, the precise problem to be solved must be unambiguous.
Methods of Solving Problems in Meetings: 4 steps are involved solving problems in meetings,
Background Analysis
Solution Discovery
Solution Evaluation
Choice of Action

8. Background Analysis
State the Problem or Question in an Affirmative Tone: Affirmatively stating the central issue is more effective than stating the issue in the negative.
Negative Wordings Affirmative Wordings
How not to handle What should be our
personnel dismissal? procedure in dismis-
sing personnel from
their positions?
Which kinds of related In which related
businesses should we businesses should we
avoid? consider expansion?

9. Background Analysis (cont’d …)
2. Define and Limit the Problem: Each of the previous affirmative questions require some definitions. This information is usually included in the authorization memorandum or in the initial stages of a group meeting.
3. Collect Facts on the History of the Problem: Several questions and others relate to gathering initial data:
How long has the problem existed?
Describe the symptoms of the problem.
What is the extent of the problem?

10. Solution Discovery
Establish Criteria: Ask yourself: what are some of the frequently used criteria applied in problem-solution meetings? If you answered fairness, workability, acceptability, favorable costs and return on investment would be among the majority.
2. List Possible Solutions: Brainstorming is a positive way of getting all solution variations on the table. Brainstorming is the process of listing as many ideas as possible without judgment from any group members is a favored method.
Solution Evaluation
Choice of Action

11. Leadership Responsibilities in Meetings
‘She’s a bore’
‘He only need our committee to help him in delaying a decision’
Kinds of Leadership
Authoritarian: Dominates discussion, praises those who agree with his/her position, speaks often and loudly, issues orders and commands, suggest that higher authority supports his/her position.
Leaderless: This is almost as bad as the authoritarian style, but here the leader delegates all direction and decision making steps to others. This person believes in shared leadership, allowing high ability people to run the meeting, while sometimes successful, there is need for someone to offer some guidance, some positive feedback to the group that something has been achieved.
Democratic, Participative: You live in a democracy, you know that all points of view have the right to be heard. You also know that in such an environment the group has the final authority, that groups will vary in their ability to make decisions. Your major goal is to help the group make the best decision possible rather than force them into it, you facilitate productive group discussion, invite minority opinions, evaluate unsupported generalizations and clarify vague statements. To achieve such a lofty profile is possible with work.

12. Styles of Leadership

13. Planning Steps Before the Meeting
Review the problem and determine the precise purpose: Of all people, the chairperson must know precisely the purpose of a meeting.
Decide who should participate
Arrange for meeting, date, time and place
Create an agenda: An agenda is the roadmap of what will be covered in the meeting. Three core questions are the basis for meeting; Fact (is something true or not), Value (whether something is desirable or undesirable) and Policy (should something be done or not)
Distribute the announcement for the meeting: Title of topic, Importance, Topic question(s), Responsibilities (Individual/Group), Date, Time and Place
Check on physical arrangements

14. Procedures During the Meeting
Begin with an opening statement: A neutral, free from bias opening statement from the chairperson can get the sessions off on a positive not. (State the problem)
Stimulate discussion: Involving all members in a discussion is central to a leader’s responsibilities. Ask questions, keep an atmosphere of goodwill and cooperation, keep calm, keep participants on the main path, take a break if situation gets too tense.
Understand the roles of the participants: Group Task Roles (initiator, coordinator, energizer, recorder, elaborator, opinion giver, information giver, opinion seeker), Group Building and Maintenance Roles (encourager, group observer, follower, compromiser, harmonizer, standard setter, gatekeeper) and Individual Roles (aggressor, blocker, recognition seeker, help seeker, dominator, special interest pleader, self-confessor, playboy)
Problem Participants demand special attention, 5 common problem participants are:
The Reticent, Nonparticipating Member
The Know-it-All
The Long Winded Speaker
The Erroneous Member: Those who get hurt easily
The Conferee who shows Personal Animosity: One who gets angry and shouts hateful, tactless comments to other member(s)

15. Procedures During the Meeting (cont’d …)
4. Interpret data for solution evaluation
5. State the major conclusions and plan of action
Follow-Up after the Meeting: Leader should Distribute the minutes of the meeting and ensure that departments or individuals appointed to complete decided actions should complete those actions. Minutes should include:
Name of the organization, department or group
Date, time and place of meeting
Names of members present, including the chairperson
Signature of the authority who recorded the minutes

16. Participant Responsibilities in Meetings
Preparation for Meetings
Collect information
Check your data
Confirm your conclusion
The phrase “I don’t know” in response to a boss’s question is harmful to your career.
Be over prepared

17. Participant Responsibilities in Meetings (cont’d …)
Effective Participant Roles in Meetings
Organizer: “I feel we’re wandering from the topic. I suggest we return to the main subject, which in my estimation is, what criteria should we consider for any foreign expansion?”
Clarifier: A clarifier points our misunderstandings, attempts to make clear unclear expressions or foggy ideas
Questioner
Factual Contributor/Valuable: Participant who brings valid, credible data to a meeting but do not be arrogant, just be positive
Energizer: Energizers pursue ways of keeping persons interested and motivated
Idea Creator
Critical Tester: Tact is required when testing opinions of others. Focus on the content rather than on who is making the statement
Conciliator: Deadlocks are not uncommon in meetings. Both sides refuse to budge, violent disagreements do occur. You as a conciliator attempt to find a middle ground
Helper of Others: Helps those who are unable to participate but tactfully, sensitively and cooperatively