Managing Meeting Problems

Effective Meetings

Managing Meeting Problems

If you are called upon to chair meetings, you will doubtless encounter some common problems that occur when any group of people get together. While these problems are common, if they are left unmanaged, they will cause long term problems. Unmanaged meeting problems will result in wasted time, frustration, and a general dread of attending meetings in which these problems occur unchecked.

Before we discuss some strategies for addressing these common problems, one basic approach needs to be stressed. Make sure that there are agreed-upon roles and processes for the meetings. That is, it must be clear to all attendees what is expected in terms of behaviour, and how breeches of these expectations will be dealt with. One critical role that MUST be defined is that of the chair. Attendees and the chairperson must be on the same wavelength.

We suggest that a group that meets on a regular basis establish meeting parameters, roles and chairperson authorities early in their life cycle. We also suggest that the group revisit these parameters periodically to see if they are working, or need revision.

Remember that when roles and authorities are not clear from the outset, meetings can deteriorate into procedural wranglings" that are largely unproductive. Get the roles clear from the beginning so that you will not have to deal with them in each and every meeting.

Long-Windedness

Some people are naturally long-winded. They talk a lot. Unfortunately, long-winded people can monopolize meeting time, and turn off other meeting participants.

If you are chairing a meeting with long-winded people in attendance, you need to take some action. The general rule to any intervention is to start with the most subtle or mild approach, and then increase "force" as required.

Try using a non-verbal "stop sign". One common one is holding up one's hand, palm outward towards the speaker. Generally, this will be better received by the speaker if it is accompanied by a smile rather than a frown or obvious anger. Make sure that you don't thrust your hand too quickly, since that will be considered an aggressive act.

Another non-verbal tactic is the "Aha sign". The "aha sign" consists of one finger held up, and is used to signify that you are enthusiastic about a point the speaker has made. Generally, you will follow up this sign with a comment like "John, your point about x is excellent. I really want to hear what Barb thinks about that idea." You couple the non-verbal sign with what we call a "redirect" cue (see next point).

Use the redirect cue to signify that you want another person to respond to the issue. It is best to jump in when the speaker is catching a breath, saying something like "Mary, thank you for your ideas. Brent, do you have any comments on whether we should [whatever]?"

Finally, you may have to take a strong stance. For example, interrupt with "Fred, we have agreed that it is important that we accomplish x,y, and z before we leave today. I appreciate your comments, but I am going to insist that we move on. Perhaps if we have time at the end of the meeting, we can come back to this." Then move immediately to the next agenda item. Keep in mind that this approach may result in some ruffled feathers. It may be appropriate to speak privately to the long-winded person after the meeting to explain why you felt this was necessary so that meeting goals would be met.

Involving The Silent

Some people are naturally reticent to speak in meetings. The chairperson must respect individual differences of this type, while at the same time setting up a climate that increases comfort levels, and inviting quiet attendees to be more involved.

You can ask silent group members to be involved. The way you do it is important. The best approach to involve a shyer person is to pose a specific question to that person. The question should be one that the person can answer easily. After the initial answer, you can probe for more detail. For example:

Chair: John, you talk to more customers than any of us. Do they ever talk about what they want from us?

John: Uhh...sometimes.

Chair: What kinds of things do they tell you?

Also, make sure that meetings are respectful and that ideas and people are not attacked. Again, enforce rules that have been established by group consensus early on. If necessary, when a person's position is being challenged, support that person by highlighting a positive aspect of what the person has said.

If there are chronic silent meeting attendees, you may want to approach each one privately to ask if they are benefitting from attending meetings, and to find out if there is any way that the meetings can be made more effective.

Managing Disputes

Conflict in meetings can be productive. If the conflict energy can be funnelled into developing constructive solutions, new ideas can emerge from the conflict. However, some disputes that occur in meetings are about things other than finding solutions. They may be about personal agendas, stylistic differences, power or other things. Meetings are usually not the best place to address these agendas.

Disputes that are non-constructive are characterized by lack of listening, personal attacks or innuendo, and hostile tones of voice.

First, the chair should avoid taking sides if the dispute is non-constructive, although if the chair is also the group manager, it may be necessary to supply an arbitrary solution. If the chair is at the same organizational level as the disputing parties, stay away from taking a side.

Second, stop the dispute early. As soon as you see signs that the discussion is becoming non-constructive or insulting, jump in. For example, you can say something like "I don't think we are going to resolve your disagreement at this point, so I am going to ask that we move on. John and Mary may want to talk about this in private."

Or, "Remember that we agreed that we would discuss issues rather than personalities. If we can return to the issue at hand, we can continue this important discussion, otherwise I am going to ask that we stop now."

Third, don't become involved emotionally. React calmly and firmly, not with anger.

Finally, if a full scale verbal brawl ensues, consider adjourning the meeting. A coffee break may be enough to cool off tempers. If not, the meeting may have to be stopped. There is no point having non-constructive angry discussions where nobody is listening.

Conclusion

The chairperson plays important roles in managing meeting problems that occur. If rules have been developed by the group, it is far easier to enforce these rules without appearing to be arbitrary or heavy-handed. By managing the long-winded, the silent people involved in disputes, a considerable amount of time can be saved, and meeting can become more productive and positive for all those attending. (work911.com)

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Principles of Credibility When Doing Presentations

Public Speaking Tips and Advice

Principles of Credibility

Bacal & Associates publishes a help card with tons of tips to help you deal with resistant, difficult or hostile groups. If you speak to, or present to groups who are not keen on hearing or accepting what you have to say.

It doesn't matter who you are speaking to. Whether to a group of a thousand, a radio or television audience, or one person in the privacy of your office, much depends on your ability to come across in a credible and honest fashion. Good intentions are not enough. Many the honest, open speaker has created an impression of shiftiness and dishonesty due to a lack of understanding about how to structure content, and how to use language and speaking style to come across in a credible manner. In this column, taken from notes from our "Dealing With Hostile Groups" seminar, we provide some tips for you.

What Does Credibility Mean?

You will be perceived as credible when you:

• appear relatively unbiased
• appear similar to the audience
• communicate in ways the audience understands
• demonstrate understanding of the audience's opinions
• do not sound defensive or aggressive
• do not over react to criticism

Specific Tips

1. Don't oversell or ignore downsides from the audience's points of view. Research suggests a mix of focusing on evidence to support your position AND considering objections is most effective.

2. Pre-empt attacks by bringing up audience concerns yourself. For example: "I know some of you are probably thinking [fill in objection]. Let me address that."

This is much better than ignoring these until an audience member attacks you with an objection.

3. Match your language to the audience. That is, stay away from all bureaucratic language and abbreviations, unless your entire audience is very familiar with them. Even then, explain the abbreviations.

Match your language to the anticipated educational levels and dialects of the audience members. Don't use huge words, or language that isn't used in the world your audience lives in. Don't use long, convoluted sentences, either. Speak like them!

4. Whenever possible DON'T READ A PREPARED SPEECH. This reduces your power of influence, and credibility. Very few people are able to read a speech effectively. Most attempts at reading make you appear to be unconfident, stiff, and artificial. Reading occasional quotes, however, is OK.

5. Generally, a lectern separates you from the audience. Consider using a wireless microphone so that you can leave the lectern, or dispense with it entirely. However, if you must use a lectern, don't use a death grip on it. The audience will perceive this as discomfort and stiffness. By the way, walking around is relaxing for you (usually), and is more interesting for the audience.

6. Use a well-organized structure for your presentation. Use the old saw: Tell em what you are going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. This corresponds to the introduction, body, and conclusions/summary.

7. When using the above structure, indicate in your opening that you imagine that some have concerns, that you will be addressing. Then, in your body, present both sides. You may want to emphasize any positives you have identified.

8. Speak with energy and intensity to show your commitment to your topic, but don't go "over the top", by sounding like a preacher or sales-person.

9. Make an extra effort to make eye-contact with people in the group. The listeners need to feel that your primary concern is each of them, not selling them on the ideas YOU have. So you want to appear as listener focused as possible.

10. Don't try to accomplish too much, or present too much information. The more you present, the less impact each point has. By trying to do too much you risk the possibility that the listeners will miss your main points, or simply get lost and frustrated.

Conclusion:

While most of the tips we have presented relate to sounding credible to a group of people, most apply to talking to individuals also. Remember that the best way to sound credible is to focus on the audience, and its concerns, rather than your concerns, or the concerns of your government. There are a good many other tactics you can apply to difficult groups or difficult people. Our half-day seminar on the subject is available to help. For more information, call us at (204) 888-9290. (work911.com)

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Twelve Tips For Recognizing The Contributions of Your Employees And Colleagues

In any organization, it is important that employees feel that their contributions are both valued and recognized. In traditional top-down organizations, it is usually management that designs and implements recognition strategies for employees. However, as organizations are moving to quality improvement initiatives that are based on different organizational principles, process of developing recognition system must change.

Over the next few pages, you will find some tips and principles related to developing and using recognition systems within a Total Quality Management framework.

1) Any recognition strategy must be designed and implemented with the notion that the employees are the "customers" of the program. It is these "consumers" that must specify the requirements of the system.

2) A recognition system must fit into the organizational culture and climate. Sometimes it is better to delay a formal recognition system until prerequisites are in place. Within a climate where distrust of management is high, it will be very difficult to introduce recognition systems.

3) Generally, a recognition system should be consistent with the notion that today's workplace requires a high level of teamwork and coordination with other employees. In a sense any individual achievement or contribution has been helped along directly or indirectly by coworkers. "Stars" need recognition, but so do solid team members.

4) Informal recognition (e.g.. the informal pat on the back) can happen anytime. However, a formal system should be based on some form of measurement of results. Recognizing a good idea in an informal way is one thing. A decision to give an "award" should be based on data that illustrates that the idea brought measurable results. TQM in general involves moving away from gut-feeling decisions to data driven processes. Your recognition process should do they same. Philip Crosby, TQM guru states:

"Recognition that lasts...comes as a result of work that is performed to agreed-upon measurements. That is why it is absolutely necessary that the measurement process be set up and established prior to recognition." (Quality without Tears, p.165)

5) Use a quality improvement team to determine recognition needs. Make sure that the team understands what a recognition program is to accomplish, however, and then let them figure out how to get the information they need.

6) Communicate the intent and purpose and process used for your recognition system, and make the entire process as open and employee-based as possible. When employees understand that there is a rhyme and reason to the process, they are less likely to resent recognition of others.

7) While we shouldn't underestimate the role that management recognition can play, Crosby suggests that "The most valuable recognition comes as a result of peer judgment".

8) The higher the monetary or utilitarian value of any "award" the more likely that a competitive environment will be created, along with subsequent conflict and bad feelings. To counteract this, keep the value of actual rewards low, and look to team based rewards.

9) Think of recognition as a system...a process that uses many ways of sending the same message -- "We (I) see the good work you do...we value it...we appreciate it." Plan your recognition systems to include formal and informal things...occasional formal rewards, and whole lots of informal interpersonal stuff...pats on the back. Don't make the mistake of relying only on a once a year award of a plaque (or something).

10) The manager (or supervisor) sets the tone for informal recognition. By publicly recognizing achievement or effort, he or she starts to get the message across that "we celebrate our effort and our accomplishments".

11) Avoid situations where people are recognized for doing something as opposed to accomplishing something. Within TQM you want to encourage an emphasis on results rather than work done. As Crosby suggests: "If you focus on work you get more of it. If you focus on results you get more of that."

12) Make recognition a standard and integrated part of any staff meetings. Consider asking the question: "What wonderful things have we accomplished since our last meeting?" Encourage people to talk about their own accomplishments, and to talk about those of their coworkers.

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Job Not Working? How To Fix It

What if your daily life habits were actually secret clues that held the key to reconstructing your work-life or business to make it fit you? How would it change your happiness meter if you looked forward to going to work every day?

I had a client who began to notice that he dreaded going to work. This was perplexing to him because he generally enjoyed his job. His energy and enthusiasm were dwindling and he was ruminating about quitting even though he knew he needed to keep working.

He tried several changes to reverse his downward slide. For example, during the morning commute he switched from listening to news to singing along with his favorite tunes, he tried changing his exercise routine, even driving a different route to work to shake things up. No luck. Walking up to his office building every day was beginning to resemble walking the plank.

As I listened to him describe his job, it was clear that he did not dislike what he was doing. We decided that rather than developing more surface, fix-it strategies we would look for clues to uncover what was working well in his life. Finding the right clues would yield strategies that he could apply to his work life.

I asked him to think of the first event that happened during a typical day that brought him a positive feeling. He puzzled for a moment and then began to smile as he described his first cup of morning coffee. He talked about sitting on his back deck viewing a small pond that he could just make out in the distance through the morning fog. He could usually hear birds singing and see sunlight filtering through the trees.

We examined his story in detail to figure out what it meant to him. He listed his clues as: being alone, sense of clarity, having plenty of time to think and viewing a powerful scene in the distance.

What began to emerge was his need for solitude, visioning time and feeling calm. I asked him to describe what happens as he enters his office each day.

He grimaced. It turns out that as soon as he got to work the staff was waiting almost hungrily for him. They tended to pepper him with questions as he walked past their desks to reach his large, windowless office. His motivation to produce his best work took a nosedive before he could even start the day.

Many of my client’s worst moments occurred when other people dictated his pace at the start of his day. He realized if he was going to stay at this job, he had to create a workspace that allowed him to work his way.

To be effective, he needed to control his ‘ease in’ pace so that he could maximize his natural strengths. It was as if he was coming to work and started writing with his left hand even though he was right handed. It immediately made him uncomfortable and his performance suffered.

A new plan emerged. His idea was to arrive at the office thirty minutes before his staff came to work. This allowed him to plan his day at his pace. With the full support of his boss, he was able to add 30 additional minutes to his lunch break and take a long walk at lunch allowing him to think and experience the outdoors each day.

This was a winning solution for both my client and his employer. My client was able to produce the quality of work in the way he wanted to resulting in a positive upward spike in his feelings about going to work. The employer was able to keep a very valuable contributor.

How to Make Your Work Fit You:

1. When in your day are you at your best?
2. What exactly are you doing? Thinking, doodling, talking to people, reading, exercising?
3. What is the hardest part of your day? What exactly are you doing?
4. Take what you discover in step 2 and incorporate it into the hardest part of your day to customize your day to fit you so you can be at your best.

Never underestimate the difference one small change can make if you make the right change.

Elizabeth Partin works with career professionals expanding their options by adding solo entrepreneur to their resume. Visit http://trueoutcomecoaching.com and http://trueoutcome.blogspot.com for resources and contact. "

By Elizabeth Partin

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How To Leave Your Dead End Job

This is for everyone who is sticking with a job that no longer fits. Maybe it was right for awhile, for a certain time and place in your life. But not anymore. When was the last time you jumped out of bed with excitement about what the day would bring?

"But I love the people I work with."
"It's so convenient."
"The money's pretty decent, considering…"

I've heard all the excuses. Hell, I've made them. You know that job is sucking your soul and it's time to leave. The only thing left to decide is how.

Above all, you want it to be your decision. Don't let boredom and apathy lead to an attitude that gets you fired or passed over. Who wants to work with a burnout no matter how skilled they are?

The number one reason people stay in bad jobs is fear of the unknown. Are you hanging on to something that doesn't fit just because it's familiar? What if the unknown wasn't scary? What if it was filled with joy and delightful possibilities? Sure, there's that transition period where you leave what you can do in your sleep and head into new territory. I assure you that the downhill slide of staying too long is far greater than the steepness of a little learning curve. How might you make unknown territory more comfortable?

1. Make It Known
Learn about it. Do research. Talk to people. Do informational interviews. Volunteer, be a trainee. Find ways to educate yourself. Go to school. Hire a trainer. Shine some light on the stuff the scary ignorance and it's no big deal. If you're drawn to it you probably have a knack.

2. Make It Up
There are a lot of successful people in the world who just decide that they know what they're doing. I'll never forget my friend Susan, a beautiful and confident woman who discovered her gift for public speaking in Toastmaster's and went on to become a highly paid consultant just because she decided she was worth listening to. I had just finished grad school and was trying to get my nerve up to go pitch companies. She read a book or two, made a presentation, and was suddenly crossing the country getting big fees. There's a lot to be said for chutzpah.

3. Try It On A Small Scale
Part-time or pilot projects work well particularly if you're thinking of venturing out on your own. The hours are long when you don't give up your day job but if you're pursuing your passion you generally can find the energy. Cater a friend's party for the cost of the supplies. Print some business cards on your computer. Do some pro bono work for a civic group for the testimonials. Before long you'll feel ready to go for it.

4. Dive In
This is my favorite. I get enormous energy from leaping off metaphorical cliffs. Instead of screaming "NO", try saying "Wheee!" or "Geronimo." I've crossed the country on three occasions with no job and no place to live. I keep having soft, successful landings so I keep leaping. Sometimes it takes a geographic change to get yourself out of a rut. Try something out there and see if you can fly.

5. Be Prepared
So maybe you're not a leaper. You can plan for contingencies, save that nest egg. Find an answer for all the what-ifs. But be careful not to over prepare. Just how likely are those eventualities that you're covering? There comes a point when it's time to take steps.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now".

—J. W. von Goethe

Remember, if you only do what you already know how to do your world would get pretty stale. Growth is an essential part of life. There comes a time to move on. You can feel when change is due. When that time comes the universe makes it easy for you. The money for graduate school appears, child care arrangements work out, an article about a new company catches your eye. Pay attention to the signals. Then trust your judgment. If something tells you this new opportunity is right, it probably is.
By Liz Sumner

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