
Meetings can be the life-blood of an organisation or the death.
It all depends how you approach them.
People need to communicate ? that's a fact, and it's not enough to do it over computers. At some point a face-to-face is needed to ensure full understanding on key items, and there's a bonding and rapport between colleagues that is often taken for granted.
But for something so important to the operational health of an organisation why do so many meetings produce negative feelings and little in the way of results? Why do people keep going to meetings that they know will be a waste of time? Surely there must be a solution to meeting madness?
The key is to involve people and encourage sharing ideas and building on possible solutions. When you set up the meeting so that every individual feels valued and involved then you can only succeed. When the Chairman produces the agenda and assumes that this is the central focus for the meeting you are likely to alienate attendees.
At one blue-chip company they resolved this problem by asking everyone to bring their 'personal unwritten agenda' to the meeting for discussion. The result was that everyone felt involved and began working for the higher purpose and not their own personal needs and concerns.
It is possible!
We've put together an e-book containing many ideas and tips to keep your meetings relevant, productive and vibrant. It contains the following:
1. Introduction
2. Getting people involved
3. Information frames for facilitators
4. Twenty simple tips to make meetings work
5. 'Yes, but' exercise
6. Ideas for jazzing up your meeting space
Team e-books can be found at www.quadrant1.co.uk/teams.php
Quadrant 1 International help individuals excel at their work and with their personal ambitions.
We are business people with many years experience in senior management and entrepreneurial positions. We have trained, coached and developed hundreds of managers and directors to greater success. We are authors of several international best selling books on personal development, and often present at major events around the world.
Sign-up for our free newsletters at http://www.quadrant1.com
AP - Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza early Friday and Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel, indicating there may be no quick end to the fighting despite a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.
AP - Lawmakers are under orders to finish action on President-elect Barack Obama's nearly $800 billion economic recovery plan by mid-February. But already it is plain that a set of serious fissures need to be bridged if the bill is to be completed within five weeks.
AP - Democrats are ushering in what they believe will be a new labor-friendly era in Washington with House votes on two bills aimed at helping women fight pay discrimination in the workplace.
AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.
AP - Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama is completing his national security team by announcing his unusual choices for CIA director and a national intelligence director who may face tough Senate confirmation questioning over how he confronted the Indonesian military when civilian massacres were occurring in East Timor.
AP - Just minutes after George W. Bush took the oath of office eight years ago, he signed papers formally nominating 13 Cabinet-level officials. Several hours later, the Senate, meeting in a special Saturday session, confirmed seven Cabinet secretaries, including the heads of the key posts at State, Treasury and Defense.
AP - Tim Tebow enjoyed the battering-ram runs. He liked the old-school jump pass. Drawing a rare penalty, that really made Tebow's day. With No. 1 Florida about to finish off No. 2 Oklahoma 24-14 for the BCS championship Thursday night, Tebow was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Reuters - U.S. employers probably cut the most jobs in at least 34 years last month as the global economic crisis gathered pace and moves by policy makers took time to filter through to struggling companies.
Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip, ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Reuters - Europe sought a swift restoration of gas supplies on Friday after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a pricing dispute with Kiev.
Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.
Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is urgently overhauling the $700 billion financial rescue package to broaden its scope beyond Wall Street, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
Reuters - An analysis of proposals to overhaul U.S. health care by President-elect Barack Obama and members of Congress suggests it is possible to insure all Americans without significantly raising total health spending.
AFP - Israel and Hamas launched heavy air strikes and rocket attacks on each other Friday, ignoring a UN Security Council order on the warring rivals to end their conflict.
AFP - The European Union demanded Friday that Russian gas supplies to Europe resume immediately now that details of a mission to monitor the flow through Ukrainian pipelines have been agreed.
THE MARGINAL PERFORMER: Every manager must, from time to time, deal with... Read More
This short story, Coworkers Collaborate to Complete Successful Initiative, is part of... Read More
Criticism has the power to do good when there is something that... Read More
Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take our eyes... Read More
As a training manager, there are two important aspects to managing your... Read More
The title of this article sounds like simple advice, but so often... Read More
Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It can be... Read More
Sometimes.In fact making some small changes to the circumstances when we use... Read More
Cost cutting has become a necessary and important reality in the modern... Read More
A virtual assistant is an individual who provides business services to other... Read More
I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company about how... Read More
When asked what part of their job they find a major time... Read More
Does your organisation have one of those annual 'occasions' that few look... Read More
1. Base your business in the Magic Triangle. Honesty, integrity, and quality... Read More
The company decided to develop and implement an improvement program. The main... Read More
While it's probably not true to say that the traditional 9-5 job... Read More
Have you ever hired the wrong person? If so, perhaps you are... Read More
Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to have the... Read More
Does your company need to retain the services of a competent computer... Read More
Trust is essential. You can't run a business without it. Customers leave.... Read More
Your organization's continued growth and success depend on making smart choices and... Read More
Define the Problem First. It seems obvious, but how many times have... Read More
In the bestseller, Good to Great, Jim Collins discovered that, "the good-to-great... Read More
Last month I talked about the Skilled Facilitator principle of being curious.... Read More
Creativity measurement is often required in order to benchmark existing competencies, monitor... Read More
I recently gave a presentation to a group of business and community... Read More
Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in a software... Read More
There is a growing movement in the spiritual and holistic... Read More
AbstractThe electrical products industry is one characterized by fierce competition, declining margins,... Read More
I personally struggle with the term 'managing people' - because I firmly... Read More
Aligning business organizations to be successful in the present and keep on... Read More
Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one thing in... Read More
Every day, everyone can make the world a better place. It's simple;... Read More
Recognizing good performance through praise or other positive action is one of... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation... Read More
Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses. They do... Read More
Usually, we're most interested in communicating outwardly; getting our messages out to... Read More
Because, like you I suspect, they have key target audiences whose behaviors... Read More
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the question: Who's... Read More
If you are like most business people, voice mail has both simplified... Read More
Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why one management... Read More
The other day one of our overseas clients called in a state... Read More
Interest in the field of human resources has exploded in recent years... Read More
Have you noticed that some sound ideas get bad publicity? Two I... Read More
I see a PR firm has done a survey on the amount... Read More
IntroductionManagers have two powerful ways of improving the performance and productivity of... Read More
And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on people, who... Read More
PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION:Appraisals help spot employees with potential for advancement.... Read More
You can't solve a problem with the same thinking... Read More
According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said the availability... Read More
You do your best to make sure your organization is operating as... Read More
There is a new trend taking hold in business today which translates... Read More
I witnessed some interesting behaviour from one of our premier management schools... Read More
Positive versus Negative WorkplacesWe have all worked in places where we grew... Read More
It's clear to me that a workplace is a better place when... Read More
The good news is that a new hire orientation program offers an... Read More
A lone ranger is someone who prefers working in solitude or isolation.... Read More
Which documents must I keep for ISO 9001?In addition to the legislative... Read More
People talk to me about making personal and professional changes in their... Read More
Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt that in... Read More
While there exist several useful definitions of motivation, for our purposes we... Read More
A successful leader told me, "The biggest challenge I've had in my... Read More
People are empowered when they are given the authority and responsibility to... Read More
Does your company need to retain the services of a competent computer... Read More
It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job quality increase... Read More
Somewhere in the world is a person who wants to see their... Read More
Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place atmosphere and... Read More
At one time or another, all of us have experienced the frustration... Read More
Many HR managers believe that by sending their workers to participate in... Read More
The difference between leaders is ears. Good leaders not only ask good... Read More
Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why one management... Read More
All of us have knowledge, expertise, and experience that others can benefit... Read More
In numerous programs I've conducted on performance appraisals, with Human Resource people... Read More
If you were to take the people out of an organisation you... Read More
As a small business owner, entrepreneur or independent professional, it's important to... Read More
In a management role procrastination can seriously hold back progress and demotivate... Read More
Ah, the wretched pain of delegation. It comes easy to some people.... Read More
Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or a senior... Read More
Kicking Winning Business Goals The competition for business is hotting... Read More
The old saying 'You have to spend money to make money' can... Read More
In today's competitive environment, companies realize that a good boss is one... Read More
Here are some quick thoughts on ways to turn things around.Determine the... Read More
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on... Read More
Now we turn the corner to our final phase: Re-Discovery.Last year marked... Read More
New York, NY, February 25, 2005 ? Employee retention and motivation?why should... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation... Read More
1. Personal insight. Great CEOs are great leaders. They know themselves and... Read More
"Where did it go? It was here yesterday. Wait. Here it is.... Read More
The use of temporary services to stock a farm of employees is... Read More
In a previous life I was a Navy Pilot. Great life, great... Read More
Go into any bookstore and you will find a big selection of... Read More
Any IT manager who wants to pursue the IT Service Management journey... Read More
This is a story about a man and three dogs.I walk a... Read More
A bold title, don't you think? I mean, change is a complex... Read More
Business Management Business Management |