A work meeting makes it possible to deal with in group one or more problems which, if they were treated by isolated individuals, would be likely little to be solved within the time limits and to answer the necessary level standard. In addition, the Decision making, insofar as the various actors are present, is extremely fast.

Rules to make a success of a work meeting

A meeting should be organized only if the telephone and epistolary contacts are not enough to deal with the problem arising. The interest of a meeting is to benefit from the dynamics of a group and its Créativité. The participants must aim at the Efficacité and the Productivité.

To be effective and powerful in meeting, a rigorous preparation is necessary. That makes it possible to avoid the Out-subject S and waste of time on the one hand, the fights of influence, the excessive speeches and dispersion on the other hand. Here the principal rules which should enable you to conclude your meeting while benefitting as well as possible from the exchanges between the various present:

1. To define the topic meeting (title + a sentence of introduction)

2. To specify its natural : to inform, discuss, negotiate, discuss, decide, solve…
3. To indicate its objective : to inform in connection with what, to solve which problem…
4. To indicate a responsible for the organization of the meeting: its role and its delegations must be defined. It must choose the participants, send a convocation to them, define the place and the date of the meeting. If the problem were already dealt with, it can charge somebody with analyzing the conclusions even the existing solutions in order to expose them to the remainder of the group during the meeting.
5. the time between the convocation and the meeting depends on the more or less formal character of this one. For example, a simple meeting between colleagues can be decided a few days in advance whereas a meeting where would be present chairman or of the outside contributors would require a time of approximately two weeks.
6. In addition, an important time makes it possible to compile documents to be addressed to the participants a few days before the meeting to enable them to think of their possible intervention (role and contribution).
7. To choose the place of the meeting according to the number of the participants, to reserve the room, to think on the provision of the participants and the audio-visual material which will be necessary.
8. In the convocation, to specify if one wishes the effective presence of the recipient or if it can be made represent.
9. To prepare an day order precise : in the shape of a table with in column points being approached, times to pass above, members responsible.
10. To produce clear and exploitable documents preliminary like a card of synthesis of the document concerning to the subject, accompanied by the exhaustive list of the documents which one can consult or ask. It should be noted that the sending of many photocopies returns nothing to send whole because nobody does not read them.
11. To indicate a stimulating , whose role is to take care of the respect of the scheme of work and the active participation of each one.
12. To prepare its intervention using clear supports and precis : transparencies, slides, vidéos.
13. To make a repetition of what one envisaged to say during the meeting, other ideas being able of course to come in the course of discussion.
14. To be strict on punctuality and to start per hour.
15. At the beginning of the meeting , the organizer must reformulate the problem , to point out the day order and to define maximum time assigned on each subject of about a day.
16. Fast tower of table so that each one can decline its identity.
17. To indicate a secretary charged to take notes in order to establish minutes of the meeting which will be sent to each guest (who they is present or not) and a scribe if you have at your disposal a white table or a paper-board, useful to make diagrams or explanations requiring a support in the course of meeting.
18. To introduce each subject by a short presentation then to call on the participants either in a preestablished order, or in the order of the requests for control. Attention, it is necessary to take care to measure the speaking times and to press to conclude the logorrhéiques ones.
19. To reformulate at the end of the discussion the expressed positions and to propose the conclusion which seems to emerge some. If there is no consensus, to summarize the antagonistic positions .
20. At the end of the meeting , to take stock decisions taken, to check that one with the agreement of all the participants, to ask whether somebody has something to add.
21. the finished day order, to consign the principal continuations in writing to be given retained (in the form of table with in column tasks being made, awaited results, dates of deliverable, the person in charge).
22. To fix the date of the next meeting . To specify the date on which the report of meeting will be addressed.
23. To control the report later on written by the secretary and to address it to the promised date. It must comprise the main part of the debates and bring back the principal conclusions accurately.

Leading causes of failure

If the meeting badly proceeded, it is necessary to analyze the causes of this failure, which can be of two natures: either they relate to a problem of organization, or they are located in unfolding even meeting.

Problems of organization

If the period of notice is too short, of many desistances can occur and the participants can miss time to prepare the meeting. In the same way, the absence of preparatory documents involves an ignorance of the covered subject and thus a risk of satisfying of the participant in the wire of the meeting. The fact of convening too many people brings an additional difficulty for the organizer and can give place to an impression of undulation in the organization, certain people being able to remain a long time with the variation of the debate or the discussion. Not to be itself indicated on the qualification level of the speakers can prove to be prejudicial for the reputation of the organizer (undertaken, association, political party…) A strong delay on planning and the interventions out of matter resulting from a vague day order (it is known just that one will speak about…). An inadequate place by its dimension or its form can cause a difficulty of listening for the participants, either because they are too numerous for the size of the part, or because they see their interlocutors badly. An insufficiency or inexistence of means, audio-visual in particular, can lead to a lassitude of the audience. This one does not understand anything if the microphone does not function or visualizes various the presentations badly if the overhead projector or the portable initially envisaged is absent.

The difficult parking with the accesses of the place of the meeting or its bad indication (plan on the convocation vague even absent) can cause important delays.

The unavailability of an essential actor is a brake with the dynamics of the group and leaves an impression of waste of time to the participants, since it will certainly be necessary to meet again in the presence of this actor.

Problems involved in the course of the meeting

Participants passive, too discrete or distracted, lead to fights of influence over the speaking times, which unbalances the debate, slows down the progression of the meeting and decreases the chances to arrive at a true consensus, result of the best solution to the problem arising. A soporific animation creates asides between small groups of people and a lack of assiduity which can go until the drowsiness of certain participants. On the contrary, a stressing and authoritative animation leads to a reserve with the speech.

Lastly, the incidents of meeting (shouts, abrupt departure of one or more participants) are to be managed by the organizer, which must keep its coolness throughout the meeting.

Main difficulties of decision making in group

It is necessary to take care to respect the speaking time of each one and to make take part everyone.

The participants must listen to the opinion of each one in order to adopt the best solution, which must rest on a consensus and not a compromise. At the time of a consensus, the agreement on a problem is done on the basis of the mutual assent and not by the arbitration of a third or a vote. The vote indeed tends to produce gaining and of the losers what harms the harmony of the team.

The organizer should not hesitate to point out the day order regularly so that the group “does not scatter” not.

The decision taken in team multiplies competences and the points of view: united we stand, divided we fall.

Big steps of a work meeting

Collection of the data.

● the organizer poses the problem and makes a round table in order to collect the solutions suggested.

Resolution of the problem.

● the team proposes various possible solutions by using the basic methodological principles (preparation, concision, effectiveness), examines them and one chooses some.

● If no solution is recognized valid the decision is deferred while requiring of part of the team to work it over again.

Action plan.

● the practical methods of realization are definite joint by examining the means necessary and by deciding a date of follow-up to take stock.

How to optimize its participation in the meeting

• It is necessary for all well identifying its interlocutor (commercial, technician, customer, owner…) in order to adapt its speech to competences and the quality of this one.
• to involve itself with speaking in public (in front of an ice, a camera…) and not to forget that the gestural one (language of the body) should not be neglected when one wants to convince somebody.
• To anticipate the possible objections of its audience and to envisage additional arguments to face there.
• not to be afraid to fail and thus to speak because that causes a frustration
• To know to negotiate vis-a-vis a group: to identify the argument-keys of its presentation well in order to emphasize the coherence of its matter. This last can be based only on one plan of argumentation clear and precise.
• To try to include/understand the argumentation of its interlocutor before putting forth a judgment (this one having to be based on solid arguments). To in no case one should not reject in a categorical way the opinion of a participant.
• To know to take retreat
• the force of persuasion is also located in the concision and the relevance of its speech. To avoid the lyrical flights and the ergotage.
• the catch of personal notes is very useful: it obliges not only the candidate to follow and to reformulate the interventions of each participant but also allows him to have a comprehensive view of the meeting and to reconsider, if need be, one or more points not included/understood or litigious.

References

external bonds

• http://www.animerunereunion.com/
• http://www.capitecorpus.com/formation-professionnelle/conduite-de-reunion.html
• http://www.pwcgloballearning.com/elearning/Comment-preparer-et-reussir-ses-reunions-de-travail.htm
• http://www.regus.fr/
• http://membres.lycos.fr/papidoc/36prepreunion.html

Random links:

Jonas Quinn | Teignmouth | The Collection 1977-1982 | Infiniti Pro Series 2003 | 1844 in sociology