Slide 1 : Copyright @ 2011 IILM Institute of Higher Learning. All rights Reserved. Business Communication SUCCESSFUL MEETING SKILLS
UNDERSTANDING GROUP DYNAMICS OF MEETINGS : UNDERSTANDING GROUP DYNAMICS OF MEETINGS A meeting is always called for a purpose that gives form to it. The interactions and processes that take place in meetings are called the group dynamics that determine the outcome. Although people assemble to achieve work- related tasks, there is always a personal agenda involving private motives that also affect group interaction. These motives may be:
‘A’ wants to prove that he is more powerful than ‘B’
‘C’ may be trying to share the risk of decision making with others
‘D’ may be seeking approval of his peers etc
Such hidden agendas may either contribute or detract the group from its ability to perform. Thus success of meetings not only depends upon the goals but also on the groups’ approach to the task(s).
INTRODUCTION : INTRODUCTION With the increasing trend towards participative management, importance of teamwork and group decisions is going up. More teamwork means more meetings. Future managers / leaders should acquire the skills involved in attending and speaking purposefully and persuasively. It is estimated that already managers are spending 25 to 30 % of their time in meetings and the trend is increasing. Senior executives spend even more time in meetings.
(1) Advantages of meetings:Several merits are:
(i) Meetings are extremely useful for coordinating activities of people and departments and taking decisions in consultation with persons involved.
(ii) Fact-to-face interaction among participants at a meeting leads to better decisions as they are based on the combined intelligence of the team.
(iii) Whether meetings are for solving problems or just sharing information, participants feel a sense of recognition, importance and involvement.
(iv) Because participants take joint decisions, they accept them more willingly and become involved and committed for execution.
(2) Disadvantages of meetings :A few deficiencies of meetings are:
(i) If unproductive, meetings can be very frustrating.
(ii) They are expensive – if ten persons are attending, ten staff hours are spent every hour of the meeting held.
(iii) Poorly organized meetings can be counter-productive as they may lead to taking bad decisions.
(iv) If participating members are pressurized to conform, they abandon their personal responsibility in such decisions.
ROLE DISPLAY IN MEETINGS : ROLE DISPLAY IN MEETINGS Individuals have many parts of their personality; sometimes they are carefree and fun loving and at other times they are serious and hardworking. Individuals assume different roles to suit the situation and the context. Although these roles are consistent with ones’ self-respect, they vary their image from time to time to suit demands of situation and cues received from others. Role-playing in meetings can be classified as under:
(1) Self-seeking roles:These take the form of:
(i) Controlling – Trying to dominate over others by exhibiting superiority or authority – aggressive behaviour
(ii) Withdrawing – Retiring from the group by remaining silent or refusing to deal with a particular issue – submissive behaviour
(iii) Attention-seeking – Calling attention to oneself and demanding recognition from the group – manipulative behaviour
Diverting – Discussing individuals rather than the task-related issues
(2) Group-maintenance roles:These are:
(i) Encouraging – Drawing out members by verbal and non-verbal support, praise etc
(ii) Harmonizing – Resolving differences or conflicts, using humour to diffuse tension etc
(iii) Compromising – Yielding to a point in the interest of reaching a mutually acceptable decision
Slide 5 : (3) Task-facilitating roles:These may take the form of:
(i) Initiating – Getting work started
(ii) Information giving / seeking – Offering / seeking relevant information on the issue under discussion
(iii) Coordinating – Highlighting relationships among ideas, classifying issues and summarizing discussions of the group
(iv) Procedure setting – Suggesting comprehensive procedures that can move group towards the goal
In most groups a certain amount of power politics occurs as each person tries to establish his relative status. These power struggles come in the way of real work.
GROUP NORMS OF BEHAVIOURS : GROUP NORMS OF BEHAVIOURS A group that meets regularly develops its own unwritten rules of behaviour and participants are expected to follow them. Some groups are more cohesive. When groups have their own identity, members observe the norms more religiously. There is greater pressure to conform and deviations are frowned upon. Such group loyalty can have both positive and negative implications:
(1) Positive aspects
Members have strong commitment to one another
Members are highly motivated for the group to succeed
(2) Negative aspects
Members become susceptible to the deficiency of groupthink as belonging to a group becomes important. Individuals set aside personal opinions and go along with others even when they are wrong.
GROUP DECISION MAKING : GROUP DECISION MAKING Group decision-making passes through the following four stages:
Orientation phase (Forming)
Conflict phase (Storming)
Emergence phase (Norming)
Reinforcement phase (Performing)
These are detailed below:
(1) Orientation phase (Forming):Group members socialize with other members, establish their roles and agree on the reasons / justifications for the meeting.
(2) Conflict phase (Storming):Members begin to discuss the problems and issues involved. If groups are chosen carefully to represent different interests, expertise and viewpoints, disagreements are natural and healthy. At the end of this phase, considerable agreement is reached regarding the possible solution.
(3) Emergence phase (Performing):Members who advocated different solutions put aside their objections either because they are convinced of the majority solution or because they recognize that arguing would be futile.
Slide 8 : (4) Reinforcement phase (Performing):Consensus among members emerges and solutions are agreed. Individual members are given specific assignment for carrying out decisions and arrangements are made for following up on these assignments.
The above four phases almost always occur. If leader emerges or is appointed early, his background work may help reach the final stage a little faster.
ARRANGING THE MEETING : ARRANGING THE MEETING By developing a good understanding of the entire process, effective leaders can ensure that their meetings are productive. They need to plan the following steps carefully:
Determining the purpose
Selecting the participants
Setting the agenda
Preparing the location
These are described below:
(1) Determining the purpose:Meetings are expensive. Before convening a meeting, we must ask about the purpose and what is the best way to achieve it. Generally, purposes can be:
Information sharing
Decision-making
Combination of information sharing and decision making
Slide 10 : Informational meetings:Usually an international meeting is for sharing information among participants. Every participant gives a brief speech and it is followed by question-answer session.
(ii) Decision-making:Meetings are intended to develop a course of action. It entails analysis of issues involved, persuasion, brain storming session etc. It is useful if members are aware of the nature of problem and criteria for solution before attending the meeting.
Combination of information sharing and decision-making:This is most common and hence circulation of agenda prior to the meeting is a good practice.
Selecting participants:It should include key persons and still limit the number of participants. Despite the pressure to include several persons, only those persons whose presence is essential should be invited. Number of participants reflects the purpose of the meeting – it is said that if you want to kill an issue, appoint a large committee!
In informational meetings, since one person does most of the talking, we can have a large group.
In decision-making and problem-solving meetings, participants should be limited to seven or below.
Ensure to include those persons who can contribute and who can take decisions.
Slide 11 : (3) Setting the agenda:Nature of meeting decides the agenda – some of them are not amenable to fixed agenda and others should adopt a flexible approach to adding to the agenda. Agenda should be distributed several days ahead of the meeting. This ensures that the participants are better prepared.
Some are of the opinion that important issues be scheduled first; others favour a few minutes of warm up before taking up serious agenda. However, starting and ending meetings on time sends a signal of good organization and facilitates members to meet other commitments.
(4) Preparing the location :Location of meeting should be decided early and advance reservation should be made. Organizers must think through:
Seating arrangements
Room temperature
Lighting
Ventilation
Acoustics
Refreshments
Microphones, projection and other technology aids to be used
These may sound trivial but they can make or mar a meeting.
CONTRIBUTING TO PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS : CONTRIBUTING TO PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS Leaders have a major role in ensuring that meetings remain productive and successful. They are responsible for:
(1) Keeping the ball rolling
(2) Not domineering so as to close all discussions
(3) Not being passive as to lose control
(4) Inviting persons whose opinions can contribute
(5) Drawing out shy participants
(6) Steering the pace of discussions to complete the agenda on time
(7) Asking someone to record the proceedings
(8) Not being rigid on the agenda and cutting out meaningful discussions
(9) Summarizing at the end of each point of agenda, giving major viewpoints
(10) Concluding the meeting with a wrap up of the major feelings of the group
(11) Sending a copy of the minutes of the meeting (MOM) to all concerned clearly marking the actions, names of persons responsible and the date of completion.
Members are also responsible for making useful contributing not only to the subject or issues under discussions but also the general interaction among the participants. Members should have good listening skills and powers of observation to understand the group dynamics at work and adjust their own behaviour to help meetings achieve the objectives.
SEVEN DEADLY BLUNDERS OF MEETINGS : SEVEN DEADLY BLUNDERS OF MEETINGS Meetings should be success experiences for all involved. Leaders should encourage people to participate and feel that their participation has made all the difference!
However meetings have a bad reputation – they never seem to end. One person had suggested that meetings should be short and the only sure way to make them happen is ask each participant to stand on one leg for the duration of the meeting!
Virginia Johnson, a consultant on communication with 3M of USA suggests that, ‘Tell people what time the meeting will end as well as when it will start’. According to her, people should avoid the following blunders:
(1) Monopolizing :Leaders’ role is to manage the participation by others and not deliver a monologue.
(2) Clowning: Allow humour but not clowning because if there are comical characters, meeting will have trouble dealing with serious issues.
Slide 14 : Losing control:Leader should not let participants take the meeting away by going off at tangents. Always use agenda to control events.
Scolding:If leader embarrasses a participant, all others will fear being put in the same position and will become defensive.
Allowing interruptions:Do not allow outside interruptions. Alert your staff to prevent telephone messages and other interruptions.
Resenting questions:Leaders must acknowledge all questions and if they do not know the answer to a question, assure the person that someone will get it for him. Avoid answering a question with just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. These kinds of answers can be very deflating.
(7) Coming unprepared:This is the deadliest and most common blunder. If leader is not prepared, meeting will probably prolong. It will not have a logical flow and will waste participants’ time.
CHECKLIST FOR ORGANIZING SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS : CHECKLIST FOR ORGANIZING SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS There are three stages for organizing successful meetings – preparing, organizing and following up implementation. Quick checklists for the three stages are:
(1) Preparing for the meeting
(i) Determine meetings’ objective
(ii) Work out agenda that will achieve the objective
(iii) Select participants
(iv) Determine location and reserve the room
(v) Arrange for light refreshments, if appropriate
(vi) Check lighting, ventilation, temperature and acoustics of the room
(vii) Determine seating needs – chairs, tables etc and seating arrangements
(2) Conducting the meeting
(i) Begin and end the meeting on time
(ii) Control the meeting by following the announced agenda
(iii) Encourage full participation
(iv) Sum up discussions, actions and recommendations while moving through the agenda. Restate the main points at the end.
Slide 16 : (3) Following up implementation
(i) Distribute notes or minutes of the meeting on time
(ii) Take follow up actions agreed upon.
ACTIVITY
Students of management institutes should be encouraged to form themselves in to multifarious activities at the campus – sports club, social club, cultural club and separate clubs for marketing, finance, human resources, information technology etc.
Usually shy students are left out of these activities. The concerned faculty in charge of the club should make it a point to draw out these reclusive students to bring out the brighter side of these individuals.……………………………………………It is said that every human being is like a feldspar – a kind of mineral stone that shines from at least one angle. The challenge before the managers is to reorient their approach towards individual persons so as to see them from the angle that helps them shine!
GUIDELINS FOR MASTERING INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS : GUIDELINS FOR MASTERING INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS International meetings that bring together persons with diverse cultural backgrounds, have many special problems:
Organizers and participants doing homework :Organizers should learn every important aspect of participants’ homeland – history, geography, people and its politics to find out what subjects are welcome and what should be avoided. If organizers give the impression that they tried to learn about participants’ country, it would be very meaningful to them.
Arranging business meetings in foreign countries:If coming from another country, visitors must find out about the rudimentary rules of holding business meetings in that country. In China, teams of people will be brought in to hear the presentation. In Saudi Arabia, much of the time, one may be talking to one person only with frequent interruptions, telephone calls etc
Knowing rank and status of the participants:In many countries, rank and status of the participants is important. You have to know it before even starting the meeting. In China, it may not be obvious as the leader comes in as one of the participants!
(4) Using correct form of address:Everybody likes to be addressed by the correct name. Visitors must make efforts to learn the style of the country they are visiting. In China, surname is first. It is usually a one-syllable word like ‘Wang’; consequently, address him as ‘Mr Wang’. In Latin America, names may be a little longer – Jorge Rojas Neto; it may be appropriate to address him as ‘Mr Jorge’ or ‘Mr Rojas’
Slide 18 : Dressing properly:Dress codes vary from one culture to another. People must learn it for own comfort and confidence. Also, participants should make the first right impression.
Acquiring basic knowledge about body language:Body language can be baffling in many countries. Some basic knowledge can take us far. In Japan, nodding head up and down is not saying ‘yes’; in fact he is saying ‘no’. If not familiar with local customs, avoid physical contact.
Familiarizing with local bargaining / compromising style:In some cultures, bargaining is a must because it is customary and necessary to win some concessions. This must be taken in to account while quoting the price!
Learning role of dinners and entertainment in business :Business lunches and dinners are playing important role in doing business. It is a normal way of doing business in Europe and USA. In Japan and Mexico, no serious business discussions proceed without several rounds of lunches and dinners!
(9) Aligning pace of communication with local customs:It varies with the culture. Americans like to get in to business straightaway. In Saudi Arabia, pressures of time for concluding business do not go well.
Slide 19 : Acknowledgments We wish to acknowledge the people who actively contributed to the writing and delivery of the learning material
Author
Prof. Manohar L. Gulati
Presenter
M.Sadiqur Rahman, Fullbright Scholar, Lecturer, Employability Skills & Business Communication
A special thanks to the technical support team who were instrumental in the design and implementation of this presentation.
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THANK YOU. : THANK YOU.