Is I have to agree through participation in that they get to voice their opinion, plan and to roll and additionally get to exercise their thought processes and verbalize exactly what they are thinking to the entire group resulting in a generally positive reaction of successfully inputting
Tyson,
Presentation depends on the talent of the leader. Presentations should be done by the best qualified and capable communicator.
Dr. Gary Carlson
William,
All meetings need a leader who understands the expectations. Also, knowing your stakeholders helps to prepare for the meeting. The diversity for a meeting is good but staying on track is the only way to accomplish positive outcomes.
Dr. Gary Carlson
William,
Meeting participants have two responsibilities. One is to listen carefully to the expectations from the agenda and others input. Second stating your position is important. When topics have been discussed it is essential to not become redundant on a topic and drag it out.
Dr. Gary Carlson
William,
Agendas are very important with the orderliness of the meeting. Attaining to the agenda and staying on track keeps the meeting focused. When the focus is lost then it becomes confusing.
Dr. Gary Carlson
William,
I have used ad hoc committees. I have found this to be a great practice. When there is further knowledge and facts needed the committee can come back to the meeting with more information Usually the ad hoc committee is people who have an interest in the topic.
Dr. Gary Carlson
William,
Meetings have different purposes. If we are looking for complete participation a method of brain storming may be necessary. If total participation is not the expectation and it is more for information presentations the brain storming method may not be needed.
Dr. Gary Carlson
William,
Topics can have many forms of possible communication back to the group. The opportunity to respond can be successful if participants have alternatives to comment.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I think one of the hardest things in preparing for meetings is preparing and knowing each of the topics on the agenda well enough to provide feedback and facilitate discussion. One of the ways to accomplish this task is to know ahead of time who contributed the meeting item as we often allow numerous meeting stakeholders to contribute to the agenda. Many times these items will come in via email to an administrator and she will add them to the agenda. At my company we have started putting names beside items in the draft agenda so in preparing for the meeting I can go to that person to find out what it is they wanted to discuss and do my homework.
Fiona,
Giving your people to have ownership in the meeting is a good practice. This prepares you for the meeting and allows you to have a better understanding of the topic.
Dr. Gary Carlson
The hardest part for me in preparing for a meeting is deciding time management and how much to include on a meeting agenda. Staff usually send me items throughout the month they would like to discuss in the monthly staff meeting. I will write down all the suggestions and decide how much time to allow for each topic. Sometimes this is hard but I do like the staff to feel like I take their meeting suggestions seriously and care about them...I do care about all team members and want them to make contributions. I have had a few meetings where we did not have time to discuss some topics and I do tell them we will discuss those first at the next meeting but that is not always feasable if other things come up too. I guess I feel like I do prepare pretty well but would be open to suggestions of how to improve my meeting planning skills.
Jennifer,
It is important to have employees understand the purpose of each meeting. Limit to the necessary items that meet the goals of the meeting.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I agree that there should no negativity during a meeting. At the same time they should get a chance to voice their concerns or views even if it is negative. The responsibility of the chair person is to make sure the point is taken and then curb any further negativity. I have never thought of putting a rubber band on the group’s wrist but might try that method the next time I have a meeting. If placed on the fore head it might make more of an impact :)
Jimmy,
Constructive criticism is two different things. Some people take constructive personally. The leader is key to keep things in a proper perspective.
Dr. Gary Carlson
The chair person has to be in the right frame of mind and not use the meeting to further a personal preference. If you want a stong team the members in the meeting should all have a stake in the outcome and feel they have valued input. You will usually get as much results out of a meeting as the efforts made in planning and conducting the meeting. Just like a bus-somebody has to steer the thing.
Richard,
Knowing the expectations of the meeting before it starts helps to guide the participants. When someone gets off track it is easier to bring them back on track.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I agree. I am going to start using the agenda worksheets provided in this course to help add structure to our meetings with instructors/faculty. We have approximately 15 instructors in each meeting and with everyone wanting to contribute, it is a challenge to cover an array of topics within a reasonable meeting timeframe and stay focused to the items of the agenda.
This course and the tools provided has helped me structure our faculty meetings. We are in the process of seeking national accreditation and this type of structure has helped us rise to those standards.
Chris,
I commend you on approaching a meeting with an agenda that will meet the expectations for goals and objectives of the school. When people attend a meeting they need to understand the expectations clearly and the leader of the meeting must keep to the agenda to achieve the expectations.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Organizing the time frame and to be able to guide discussion
charles,
To keep a time frame require prior communication with the participants. When the team members understand the expectations it is easier to lead an efficient meeting.
Dr. Gary Carlson
