Making meetings work
Subtitle: how to get started, get going, and get it done
By: Ann M. Delehant, with Valerie von Frank ; foreword by Stephanie Hirsh.
Contributors: Von Frank, Valerie.; National Staff Development Council (U.S.)
Publisher: Corwin Press; NSDC
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Thousand Oaks, CA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 181
ISBN-13: 9781412914604; 9781412914611
Subjects: Business communication; Meetings
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-176) and index.
Table of contents: title: About the author; title: Planning a meeting; title: Decide whether to meet : consider these strategies to determine whether meeting as a group is the best response to the issue at hand; title: Plan with a few colleagues : help sustain participants' involvement and dedication to the task over time by outlining a clear purpose for the group's work; title: Select group members : give careful thought as to the right people to be involved in the work of the team; title: Build the agenda : use a structured agenda to guide and focus the group's work and ensure a meeting's success; title: Arrange the facility : set up the meeting room in advance in a way that will maximize the group's productivity; title: Getting the group started; title: Set the norms : ensure all group members understand the expected norms of behavior; title: Establish roles : help groups function effectively by identifying which team members will fill certain responsibilities, including facilitator, timekeeper, recorder, scribe, process observer, and agenda builder; title: Build a knowledge base : ensure that group members have the knowledge they need to support quality decision making; title: Running a meeting; title: Use introductions and warm-ups : take time to make connections between and among participants; title: Organize small groups : introduce strategies for reorganizing the large group into small groups to ensure that all members are active participants; title: Break up the time with energizers : keep the energy alive with strategies for breaks and transitions to improve the quality and productivity of long meetings and to keep spirits upbeat; title: Ask questions : clarify, confront, and prod group members to keep the focus and achieve the goal; title: Manage the challenges : prepare for typical challenges and develop a process to count on when the going gets tough; title: Close the meeting well : acknowledge the team's work and review decisions and assignments for a smooth ending; title: Making decisions; title: Review what will be decided : assist groups in developing a clear understanding of the need and what the group expects to accomplish; title: Determine who will decide : review different ways of making decisions to clarify who has the authority in which cases; title: Determine how decisions will be made : use different tools to aid groups in reaching decisions, from brainstorming to many variations on voting; title: Taking action; title: Analyze the problem : clearly defining the issue and analyzing obstacles helps the group begin to develop an action plan; title: Develop strategies : help the group identify actions that can help achieve the desired outcome; title: List action steps and timeline: work with the group to specify activities that will help members meet the goal in the allotted time; title: Implement the action plan : begin the work, and remember to communicate at key junctures; title: Assess the solution : monitoring progress is part of the cycle of continuous improvement; title: Conclusion; title: References; title: Extended readings; title: Index.