Meetings ! !

An article on “Meetings” and my own contribution to it ….

First the Article ….

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When to call meetings
There is real work to be done
There is a need for celebration
Good news needs to be shared with everyone
Uncertainty has to be dispelled
In the midst of a crisis

Blocks to effective meetings

Domination by a single member
Critical norms
Vested interests
The dilemma of new members
Physical structure and space

Successful meetings

Goals are considered separately to maintain focus
Participants feel utilised in a meaningful manner
Between meetings real progress is made on important issues
People learn something new and interesting
People enjoy themselves
There is an atmosphere of commitment
Members feel that they have some personal responsibility for the success of the meeting. They are allowed to participate in discussion.

The role of the Chair

Opening the meeting
Getting through the agenda, in an acceptable time
Providing people with sufficient opportunity to express their views
Ensuring that decisions are taken, agreed and that responsibility for their implementation is allocated
Conducting votes on resolutions
Upholding the rules
Regulating the discussion

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well ... some of my own thoughts on Meetings ...

A methodology which I once discussed with my friends and found pretty convincing was as follows:

Meetings are often called to discuss an issue … or a problem to be solved

>> Before a meeting is called …

Communicate the Purpose and detailed Agenda to all Participants

Ask ALL the participants to come prepared.

If someone is coming up with a problem, all possible solutions should also be brainstormed and brought along in the meeting. Unless the meeting is called for the very purpose of brainstorming, in which case the participants are supposed to be ready with all possible background reading related to the brainstorming objective.

Preparation done by each member of the meeting goes a long way in having short effective meetings. Being prepared for the meeting should be the minimum criteria for attending the same.

One more point ... Refreshments are often an hindrance to the progress of the meeting. They should not be a part of the meeting or atleast not in the meeting room.

... i invite citeHR members to contribute their own thoughts on this topic ...

A nice definition of a meeting I had read in Readers Digest I think....
"A meeting is an important gathering of important people, who individually cannot do anything and come together to decide that nothing can be done!"
Howzzat
Cheers!
Lalita

PS: Check out the attachments!

Attached Images

	meetings.jpeg (30.7 KB, 513 views)
	bull.jpeg (97.9 KB, 456 views)

__________________
"I am an angel - honest.... the horns are there just to keep the halo straight"
LaLiTa DhAnVaDa

Never Knew that Meeting can be made so fun!!!

Let me try those next time!!

__________________
Pramod.N
Asst Manager - HR
ph : +91-9880-490-430
www.hr2hr.us.tt
www.pramodn.us.tt
www.marlabs.com
YMramodn2@yahoo.com
GMramodn2@gmail.com

well ... that shoots another idea or rather another Line of Thougt ...

The significance of HumouR / FuN in Meetings.

Meetings are often considered as boring and a waste of time and energy by many. A kind of a Necessary Evil.

Can humour and fun make meetings more interesting.

how about a small 2/5 minute fun game creating enough energy which can drive the meeting. If the meeting extends over 30 - 40 minutes ... another fun break (not just a refreshment break) can infuse enough energy in the participanst to refresh themselves adn go on 'effectively and productively' with the meeting objective ....

any further LoTs on this . . . .

Hi

That was a gud writeup....i feel meetings r nt held professionally in many of teh companies still....its a pity that we waste so much of valuable time in discussions n arguments under the pretext of meetings which hardly add any value 2 the members n fails 2 achieve its agenda. infact have observed that the reason y meetings fail in India r coz they r called just 4 the heck of it without ne clearly defined n set agenda n structure. agreed-may times meetings need 2 b free n without a structure bt nonetheless, the person holdingor callin for the meeting n the members need 2 have a focus n need 2 ensure that hte discussions r goin in the rite direction....else meetings bcum nothin bt a sheer timepass n that 2 a boring one....wat say u'll/?

Regards
Swati

Hi Swati!
Firstly, welcome to the forum....
And secondly, I second your opinion....meetings are seldom held the 'right' way....
In my company, we have a monthly review of all managers at our head office....and everytime it's the same thing! These guys are flown in from different corners of India and they come down here to debate trivial issues and blame each other! I never thought guys in these high cadres could behave this way....hardly professional....
"Oh Lord, forgive them, they know not what they do...."
Cheers!
Lalita

__________________
"I am an angel - honest.... the horns are there just to keep the halo straight"
LaLiTa DhAnVaDa

I agree with this, But dont you think meetings can be fun or not depends on that one man Big BOSS.. If he/she is a person who is tempered, or with attitude difference, then the meeting cannot be fun and also meeting cannot be fun when the topic for the discussion is HOT.

__________________
Pramod.N
Asst Manager - HR
ph : +91-9880-490-430
www.hr2hr.us.tt
www.pramodn.us.tt
www.marlabs.com
YMramodn2@yahoo.com
GMramodn2@gmail.com

Perhaps you're right....but whether a meeting is fruitful or not will be a two side event....the Big Bang Gang and the Jing Bang Gang togther....
Lalita
PS: Big Bang Gang is a phrase we use at our office to describe the biggies & Jing Bang Gang is the phrase used for the young crowd

__________________
"I am an angel - honest.... the horns are there just to keep the halo straight"
LaLiTa DhAnVaDa

Hi Shoonanya...(hey xcuse me iff i've spelled ur name incorrectly)

the monthly meetings that ur talkin abt exist in my company 2-god wat a wate it is-all these biggies fly in 4m our diff locations 4 wat we term as Management Committee meetings. sheer waste n the things discussed r trivial. i guess with age n xperience-people start losing their logical n analytical skills else how is it that they dnt realise that these meetings r utterly useless. also these meetings unnecessarily hold decisions on small things unless its cleared by the MCM members. bt neways ours is still better coz people meet with fixed agendas which is circulated well in advance n the meeting goes on in a structured way..

Regards
Swati

Hi Pramod

well-i dnt think that meetings cannot be fun if the big boss does nt approve of it...have xperienced n seen that even a sick n boring boss can b taught n influenced so as 2 hold lively n fun meetings. have been tryin n doing so in my company 2... earlier our departmental meetings used 2 b held with the departmental head (VP-HR) deciding the agenda n then giving a lecture n discussing issues etc etc...was more of a monologue. really boring. the kind of person i m, i always go 4ward n call a spade a spade whoever the person opposite me is. fortunately my boss (VP) always takes feedback 4m me abt things (since hes new 2 teh company) n once wen he asked me abt my opinion abt how the last meeting went, told him strate that it was 2 boring n m nt sure if it solved teh purpose... since then hes been takin inputs 4m su n we've been holding our meetings in a way that we really look 4ward 2 tehm....also at the end the end of the meeting, the agenda has been acheieved n the meeting starts n ends in time ...

Regards
Swati