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One of a series of workshops prepared for the University Library System (ULS) Leadership Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Covers how to make meetings more productive and deal with common problems, for example, getting people to participate and managing dysfunctional behaviors.
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Effective Meetings Workshop
ULS Leadership ProgramKaren Calhoun
22 October 2012
This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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What You Said About Problems with MeetingsLack of agendas* Hard to schedule *Tracking outcomes and
assignments; following up *
Better facilitation; getting people to participate
Clearer, better, more creative and innovative outcomes
Effective use of meeting time
Unproductive meetings; meetings held “just because”
Attendees unprepared Too many meetingsMeetings too longTraveling between
Thomas and Hillman when meeting is not productive
Technology in 272 not good for virtual meetings*Top three
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Agenda Topic Time
Arrival, social time, & What You Said
10:00-10:15 am
Why have a meeting?10:15-10:30 amYour role as chair – are you
willing?
Ground rules10:30-10:45 amGetting people to participate
(handouts)
Short break 10:45-11:00 am
Designing a meeting – Agendas (exercise)
11:00-11:45 am
Outcomes, assignments, following up (handouts)
11:45-12:00
Lunch and social time 12:00-12:30 pm
Dealing with process problems (exercise)
12:30-1:15 pm
What have you learned today? (exercise)
1:15-1:45 pm
Close and get on shuttle 1:45-1:50 pm
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Why Have a Meeting?Inform and gather
inputKick off a project or
processEvaluate work in
progress; identify next steps/assignments
Evaluate completed work
Plan and/or prioritizeMotivate
Make or validate decisions
Establish new ways of doing things
Provide forum for airing concerns or asking questions
Solve problemsWhat else?Can you classify the meetings you
are going to next week?
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Does the meeting have a clear purpose or purposes? If not (and you are in charge) DON’T MEET!Alternatives to meeting
Weekly newsletter?Post info on SharePoint?Plain old memo, report or email?Have an informal conversation(s) on phone, in
person, via email?Combine with something else?What other ideas?
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Kinds of Meetings – Face-to-Face and VirtualStand up meetings – operational – very short
– sometimes dailyWeekly / tactical / progress reviewMonthly / strategic / longer term planningFormal governance meetingsQuarterly/Semiannually etc. – long time
horizon, sometimes off site (less often virtual)
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Your Roles as Chair
Chair
Organizer
Facilitator
+ Delegator:Be specific – who,what, when, how?
+ Sometimes:Recorder – if you can’t recruit one
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Am I Willing to …Invest my time in planning meetings?Invest my time in capturing actions, decisions,
following up and communicating?Model the behaviors that the organization needs?
Encouraging and engaging in dialogue?Building consensus?Listening?Facilitating listening and 2-way learning?Communicating sideways, up and down?Engaging in crucial conversations (managing
conflict)?
Based on ideas in Haycock 2011:http://www.slideshare.net/KenHaycock/effective-meetings-7169529
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Chair as FacilitatorReflect the group, not yourselfObserve and manage meeting progressManage disruptions and conflictDevelop peopleEncourageSeek participationClarify Summarize
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Ground Rules and Norms – for everyone in the meetingArrive on time, end on timeCome preparedBe respectful and honest in communicationsComments succinct and on topicDon’t interruptSeek first to understandFollow up actions that are assigned to youSigns for “accept,” “can live with,” and “cannot accept”?Oral reports okay or not?What happens when someone misses a meeting or is
frequently late?Confidentiality?What else?
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Getting People to ParticipateTakes practice!Tell less, ask more - Ask questionsSee handouts
Listening Observer WorksheetRoles People Play in GroupsData Collection/Discussion Methods and
TechniquesLinear Problem Solving/Decision Making
ModelBrainstorming Rule Sheet
The handouts are used with thanks to Chet Warzynski, Roxi Bahar, and Clint Sidle, Cornell University Organizational Development. They are taken from their“Discovering Leadership” Workshops, 1999-2000.
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Take a Break!
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Meeting Traps Leadership:Poor planningNo agendaInsufficient follow-up
Capabilities:Not enough knowledge about conducting meetingsRight people not presentParticipants are unprepared
Focus:Disruptive behaviorDelayed decisionsUnclear objectives
From Endicott , Lazar and Ford 2006http://www.slideshare.net/ringer21/too-much-time-wasted-in-meetings-why
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Designing a Meeting (Exercise)Work in pairs – 30 minutes (15 minutes each person)15 minutes - reporting outIn pairs, study the following handouts:
Key Questions for Meeting DesignersMeeting Design ExerciseRoles People Play in Groups (from prior exercise)Data Collection/Discussion Methods and Techniques (ditto)Meeting Agenda
Work together to design and produce agendas for two upcoming meetings using these handouts
Reporting out: Discuss the process of completing your Meeting Design Exercise form and describe what you learned from the exercise (max 2 minutes each person)
Handouts are from “Discovering Leadership” workshops
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Actions and Decisions - Outcomes, Assignments, Following Up Identify actions and/or decisions/proposals madeAssign responsibility and time frame for actionsCreate action log and use it to track progress and
encourage accountabilityAfter the meeting, ask yourself: Who needs to know?
What and when?Follow up with other stakeholders as needed (esp. if all
the stakeholders were not in the room)Communicate results (e.g., post agendas and action
notes to SharePoint and announce their availability)Keep “parking lot” of undiscussed topics What else?
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Lunch!
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Dealing with Process ProblemsApathyFearBlockingNegativityCynicism, sarcasmDominatingInterrupting on a
regular basisWithdrawal,
“checking out”
Late arrivalsConflict avoidanceInattentionSide conversationsStraying off topicMultitasking (e.g.,
working on cell phone or tablet not related to meeting)
SnipingWhat else?
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Coping with Dysfunctional Behaviors in Meetings (Exercise)Purpose – Review and test various coping strategiesWork alone – 5 minutes – examine the situations in the
Meeting Management Worksheet (handout)Work in groups of 4 – 20 minutes – try to achieve group
consensus on the best way to rank the suggested responses (1 = best suggestion; 2=middle; 3=worst suggestion). Write your responses on the flip chart.
Karen distributes Meeting Management Suggested Rankings Sheet and explanatory notes. Groups compare their responses to the Suggesting Rankings – write on flip chart (see next page) – 5 minutes
Group discussion of the questions on the next slide – 10 minutes
Credit: Doyle, Patrick, and C.R. Tindal. 2003. “Meeting Management: Coping with Dysfunctional Behaviors.” In The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Leadership Development Tools, 291–304. San Francisco CA: Pfeiffer.
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How to Write Your Results on the Flip ChartSituation One - Saboteur
Your Group’s Ranking Doyle and Tindal Suggested Ranking
# #
# #
# #
Situation Two - Sniping
Your Group’s Ranking Doyle and Tindal Suggested Ranking
# #
# #
# #
Situation Three Etc.
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What are the best ways to cope with dysfunctional behaviors?Which of the behaviors in the exercise did you
recognize? What were your reactions to being in the chair role and deciding how to deal with the dysfunctional behaviors?
What, if any dysfunctional behaviors occurred in your subgroup as you worked toward consensus? How did your subgroup deal with these?
We did not discuss coping with conflict. What interest might you have in covering conflict management in an hour-long future workshop?
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Closing Exercise – What Have You Learned Today ?Work again in pairs – 10 minutes (5 minutes
each person) – answer this question:What have you learned today that you will use
tomorrow or before the end of the week? How will you use it?
How will you evaluate your progress over the next six weeks or so?
Reporting out and group discussion – 15 minutes
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Thanks for coming!
Please don’t forget to fill out the evaluation
form in DropBox!
Photo by Edgar Barany. CC-BY-NC. http://www.pragjesu.info/prague-autumn-leaves-l.htm