Organizational Development Consultant and Leadership Coach

20 Techniques to Improve Meeting Productivity: #3 Groundrules

December 2, 2013

“Sometimes people act inappropriately at our meetings. They come in late, interrupt others, ramble from topic to topic, dominate discussions, are hostile to the ideas and opinions of others, and have side conversations. Is there an easy way to handle these situations?”

Technique 3. GROUND RULES

What Are GROUND RULES?
GROUND RULES, as a productivity technique, help establish and maintain acceptable standards of meeting behavior. Using this technique virtually eliminates behavior problems before they begin. When behavior problems do occur, pre-established GROUND RULES support your request for change.

This technique involves discussing and posting the resulting meeting GROUND RULES in Continue reading

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20 Techniques to Improve Meeting Productivity: #2 Clearing

November 25, 2013

“It seems like when our meetings begin, everybody is still focused on what they just left behind—their work, their weekend, their vacation, or whatever. It really takes a long time for us all to get settled. What can we do to get focused sooner?”

Technique #2. CLEARING

What Is CLEARING?
CLEARING is a productivity technique that allows the members of your group to clear their minds and focus on the meeting. It provides a transition from what participants just left behind to the meeting itself. CLEARING significantly decreases the time it takes participants to settle themselves at the beginning of Continue reading

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20 Techniques to Improve Meeting Productivity: #1 Introductions

November 17, 2013

Over my years as a meeting facilitator, I have identified twenty fundamental techniques for facilitating successful meetings. These essential productivity techniques provide specific, uncomplicated processes to define meeting behavior, keep meetings on track, improve the clarity of communication, and maintain maximum energy. Employing these procedures not only saves time and increases effectiveness and efficiency but also adds immediate power to every meeting agenda by eliminating time wasters, focusing discussions, expanding the quality of input, and significantly increasing participation and results.

These 20 techniques include:

Specific techniques for defining and controlling meeting behavior include:
1. Introductions
2. Clearing
3. Ground Rules Continue reading

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Creating Agendas for Meetings that Matter

November 6, 2013

Many experts would argue that the meeting agenda, if properly prepared, is the most important and powerful component of any meeting. It is, at the very least, your road map to success. The agenda is a fundamental and essential element of every meeting, serving as your preparation tool and script notes.
Once you have answered the premeeting planning questions (listed in my last blog), you can effectively build your agenda.

This process includes:
• Finalizing the order and flow of the agenda
• Reviewing the selected techniques, processes, and time frames for each agenda item
• Identifying alternative techniques in Continue reading

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Planning is critical to successful meetings: use this checklist to help you prepare

October 29, 2013

What you do before your meetings is every bit as important as what you do in them. In fact, without effective pre-meeting planning and organization, the quality of your meetings will certainly suffer, and some will very likely fail.

Most facilitators plan to some degree. Many consider their meetings planned if they create an agenda, send it out, book a room, and order the coffee. But proficient pre-meeting planning needs to go beyond these basics. The level of planning a facilitator attains before the meeting separates the true professional from the rank amateur. And meeting results speak for themselves.

Use Continue reading

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Why effective meetings are so important

October 7, 2013

Meetings are commonplace in every organization, but most of them are underutilized at best. In most organizations, employees perceive meetings as the primary time waster. However, when used correctly, meetings are a powerful mechanism for expressing ideas, gathering information, making decisions, and communicating changes.

Meetings are a place where people experience and observe an organization’s culture, and organizations use meetings to define and perpetuate their cultures. Is time valued or wasted? Are people’s ideas encouraged and used or dismissed? Are problems addressed proactively or ignored? Are participants expected to guard their turf or work together toward the good of all? Continue reading

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Practical techniques for meeting facilitation

October 7, 2013

Over my decades as an organizational development consultant, I have learned to appreciate the importance of meeting effectiveness. Meetings are mission critical to almost every aspect of organizational life. Without effective meetings, an organization’s chances of success are greatly diminished. But despite the importance of meetings, most of them are irrelevant. This is unfortunate and completely avoidable.

I’ve learned so much from all my mentors, clients and colleagues over the years. I’m so grateful for all they’ve taught me. This blog and my upcoming book are my opportunity to share what I’ve learned and are my small contribution to growing Continue reading

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Sustainability Analysis

September 12, 2013

“It seems that every time we implement a change, within a few months, people are back to their old ways of working. What can we do to make change stick?”

What is it?
Many changes do not ‘stick’ because no one has taken the time to identify and address the issues which will support or sabotage the change over the long term. Sustainability Analysis is designed to identify and address issues critical to making the change stick.

Examples of issues which can impact sustainability include:

  • Ensuring the right people are in the right jobs
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Roles and Responsibilities Charting (RACI)

September 9, 2013

We will need to change some of our existing processes and ways of working with other departments when we implement new technology next month. I’m expecting complete chaos. How can I avoid confusion and bad feelings? “

What is it?
RACI is a method to agree and document roles and responsibilities. RACI stands for:

R = Responsible Persons involved in doing the work, or making the decision
A = Accountable The buck stops here. The person who is ultimately accountable. Only one ‘A’ is allowed
C = Consulted Persons who are consulted before a decision is made or action is taken
I = Informed Persons informed after the decision is made or action is taken

Where most other methods document only the person who is accountable for a decision or activity, RACI also documents who will be involved in doing the work, who will be consulted before a decision is taken, and who will be informed after the decision is taken or action accomplished.

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Meetings as Transformation Tools

September 7, 2013

“I hate meetings, but I think I’m going to have to resort to them. This change project is going nowhere. I need to get everyone on the same page, or I think this project is doomed. How can I make my meetings ‘mission critical’ and a break from the past? “

What is it?
Meetings are a common part in organizational life. But most of them are underutilized at best, and a complete waste of time at their worst. However, when used correctly, meetings are a powerful mechanism for expressing ideas, gathering information, making decisions and communicating changes.

Meetings have Continue reading

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