|
Return to
articles about meeting and event planning.
|
|
10 Tips for Better Participation in
Meetings
By Steve Kaye
A meeting can be led (or misled) from any chair in the room. Here's
how to make sure that you add value to your next meeting.
1) Focus on the issue. Avoid stories, jokes, and unrelated issues.
These waste time, distract focus, and mislead others. Save the fun for
social occasions where it will be appreciated.
2) Take a moment to organize your thoughts before speaking. Then
express your idea simply, logically, and concisely. People are more
receptive to ideas that they understand. Long, complex explanations always
work against you.
3) Use positive comments in the meeting. Negative comments create
defensive reactions that distract from your goals.
4) If it is your meeting, ask a facilitator to lead the group through
major solution finding activities. This frees you to participate in them
and gives responsibility for keeping order to an impartial party.
5) Test your comments by asking, "How does this add value to our work?"
If you sense it subtracts, keep silent or jot down the idea. This frees your
to think about what others are saying, and that idea may be more appropriate
later.
6) Use structured activities. These process tools ensure equitable
participation and systematic progress toward results.
7) Respect others. Different views force us to think. After all, if
we were all the same, they would need only one of us.
8) If you notice that you are speaking more than anyone else in a
meeting, take a rest. You are either dominating the meeting with
monologues or conducting a conversation with a minority of the participants.
In either case, you're preventing the participants from working together as
a team.
9) When voting give the participants veto power over ideas they strongly
oppose. This avoids sabotage or partial support from people who were
forced to accept decisions that harm them.
10) Rescue wayward meetings by challenging seemingly unrelated comments.
Ask, "How does that contribute to the issue?"
Note: Learn more about Effective Meetings at: http://www.squidoo.com/OneGreatMeeting/
About the author:
Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified
Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and
leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for
details. Visit
http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.
|
