Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Understanding Ourselves and Others

• Recognizing that inviting others to a meeting imposes our specific priorities upon them
• Exploring the factors that influence our behavior
• Assessing our awareness of how our conduct impacts others: do they consistently respond as we expect or as required? If not, what are the underlying reasons…?

The Process for Managing Meetings

• Evaluating the necessity of a meeting, identifying alternatives, and determining if any are preferable
• The process for calling, managing and preparing for meetings:
  • Developing a meaningful agenda that covers the meeting objectives, the subject(s) to be covered and suggested timings
  • Inviting only the right people – and nobody else
  • Managing the meeting: allowing only relevant contributions (but being careful to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant); keeping to the agenda; keeping to time
  • Creating outputs: not necessarily detailed minutes but, at least, actions points
  • Arranging follow-up meeting(s)

Attending Meetings

• Questioning the need to attend all meetings to which I am invited
• Determining the criteria for deciding whether (or not) to attend meetings
• Identifying valid justifications for declining to attend
• Understanding what else am I allowed to do during a meeting related to attendees, subject matter being discussed and timings?

Other Personal Efficiency and Time Management Issues

• Setting Objectives – personal and professional – and keeping to them
• Work Prioritisation
  • Determining what needs to be done
  • Learning how to prioritise these activities
• Employee-Imposed Time: are my staff and colleagues working for me or am I working for them…?
• Time Bandits: identifying what else steals time away from me and what can I do about it?
  • E-mails
  • Telephone calls
  • Unplanned interruptions
  • Displacement activities: procrastination…
  • Other things…
• Effective Delegation
• Assertiveness: seeking a compromise; learning to say “no” effectively