Effective Meetings

More and more work is done by teams and therefore, more and more work must be done in meetings. Meetings are held to make decisions, to solve problems, to plan, to monitor, etc. Meetings can take 50% or more of people's time. How effective and efficient are your meetings?

Leading more effective meetings is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. In this two-day workshop, you will learn how to lead a group through the three stages of every meeting. You'll learn how to lead a group through a collaborative decision making process and also a collaborative problem solving method. You'll learn how to lead a group to consensus instead of conflict.

Good meeting skills are no longer optional - they are a core competency for everyone who leads a meeting. In this higher interactive, participative workshop, you'll learn by doing - making team decisions, solving team problems, brainstorming, analyzing ideas, facilitating, setting ground rules, designing agendas.

Learning Objectives:

1. Facilitate effective meetings
2. Lead decision making discussions
3. Lead problem solving discussions

Skills You Will Learn:

1. Planning a meeting
2. Creating an agenda
3. Opening a meeting
4. Facilitating a meeting
5. Leading a team to a decision
6. Leading a team through solving a problem
7. Determining the attendee list
8. Issuing the meeting report
9. Conducting a conference call meeting
10. . . . and more

Tools You Will Learn:

1. Brainstorming
2. Affinity Diagramming
3. Mind Mapping
4. Parking lot
5. Grid Diagram
6. Strengths/Weaknesses/Countermeasures
7. Multi-voting
8. Action Item List
9. Decision List
10. Plus/Delta Meeting Evaluation

Core Skills for Leading Effective Meetings Two-Day Agenda

Day One: Cost of Meetings Types of Meetings Roles & Responsibilities Phases of a Meeting Meeting Facilitation Consensus Core Facilitation Skills Opening a Meeting Facilitator Tool – Parking Lot Introductions Content vs. Process The Decision Making Process Thinking Pitfalls Define & Requirements Stages Identify Options Write it! Say it! Slap it!

Day Two: Analyze Options S/W/C Tool High Level Planning Core Facilitation Practices - Part 2 Multi-voting Meeting Leader Characteristics Process Checks Decisions vs. Problems Define Stage - Problem Solving Process Identify Stage - Problem Solving Process Affinity Diagramming Tool Grid Diagram Closing a Meeting Decision List Action Item List Plus/Delta Meeting Evaluation Post Meeting Phase Meeting Report Pre-Meeting Phase Designing the Agenda Review Meeting Process Virtual Meetings