When world leaders meet, the pomp and ceremony is what the public sees.

However, wouldn’t you like to know WHAT gets done and HOW it gets done behind closed doors?

How much lobbying and earlier negotiation is required?  How much of that can turn based on fleeting comments by a leader?

Many political groups follow these events closely.  From a recent agenda release PM Harper has listed 4 areas of concern for the June 2010 G8 summit:

“the global economy, climate change, development and democratic governance” ¹

Look past the political posturing of the leaders…the real work of these events is done by government ministers in advance of such summit or at more results-oriented talks that go on simultaneously with the leaders’ speeches.   Like you Wed morning sales meeting, the success of any decision-making meeting hinges on 5 areas: 3 before, 1 during and 2 after the meeting. See how closely your work relates in chart below.

	Summit	Meeting
Objective	Lobbyists jockey to have their issues at the top of the list.	5 sales people and 2 executives meet for an hour, weekly, to keep 4 existing clients happy and 20 potential clients to say YES.
Agenda	Who speaks, for how long, in what order, with what impact?  Much orchestrating with travel, protocol and security.	Get it to people in advance!  Priority of effort and key decisions about sales offerings to different clients.  Focus on achieving previous action list.
Logistics	Event organizers must consider all the ramifications of place, security, travel and attendee?	Make sure it is the right setting, and secure it ahead of time.
Participation	The chairs for specific meetings that will take place must be very adept at responding to egos and maintaining decorum. They must know the participants and potential agenda hotspots in advance and strategize their responses.	It is more about listening and learning form each other.  The chairperson must allow for open discussion, without fear of the boss.  Similarly, everyone must be ready based on their agenda responsibility.
Action List	The note-takers (scribes, secretaries) for such meetings need careful wording for formal minutes of these affairs.  Motions are tabled that need later action.	On-going diary of completed tasks with a point person and timeframe.  Make sure your team is committed to their word.
Results	Your meetings should have more results than meetings of this importance and size. Generally actions are too slow, disjointed or inadequate.	Time for accountability and for applauding success.  Any personal criticism should not be done publicly.

Final word:  The sheer # of people involved in the G8 and the public scrutiny make it difficult to expect much change.  We have become cynical about the ability of international groups to create positive change.

However, your sales meetings can get results.  You have the shared vision for business success so with the right decisions and actions you can achieve strong results.

Action:  Have your meetings “rated”.  Call us for an assessment today.

1. http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2010muskoka/2010plans/2010-g8plans-100412.pdf (pg 3 of 147 page agenda)

Contact us any day, any way, to make your team Meet with Success!

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Skill-set: Chairing

It should never come to this but sometimes meetings get out of hand.

Was it a presentation that went on too long?

Was it a heated argument that hijacked the agenda?

Maybe people coming and going from the room changed the dynamics of the group. The chairperson needs to have the pulse of the participants to know when to ask a change.  Key word is request (or politely suggest). It is the group’s consensus, even in the face of the boss, that should decide a break. Ask the group whether they want to keep the momentum going.

Mediators in a Negotiating Meeting are adept at understanding the flow of discussion and the mood of each side to know when to suggest a change. Experienced facilitator will know how long to stay on each discussion point before changing the tack to get the group re-energized.

Remedies to re-focus the meeting, some break ideas:

Stand and stretch – relax for a minute.

Plan for a meal (of all things, food is usually a non-argumentative topic)

Take a break (5 min, 1 hour, 1 day) – always with an action goal for when people return or give them something to think about.

Change topic and speaker.

Turn discussion to a topic that will make sure consensus (ie revisit group goals, ___)

Final advice:

As the chair, be ready. The chair person should recognize the dynamics in the meeting and have a set of ready suggestions that can bring the group back to a positive focus.

We would like to hear your hidden communication gems:

That helps focus your team

That instills your leadership

That gets constructive feedback

…

Our website has on-line training resources and we offer webinars, personal coaching and seminars that offer PDU from many associations.

Contact us any day, any way, to make your team Meet with Success!

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Be the One for Change

Someone scheduled this for a reason… but why?

It cuts into my time to get things done… Is it really worth to attend?

Same old lecture and discussion but no clear plans or accountability…

We can be better!

Wouldn’t you like to be the one to change these sentiments about your meetings?  You can easily increase your team’s performance by taking initiative and being persistent. Trust in your own judgment and ability;

“The best way to predict your future is to create it”.

The most striking improvement for most groups is a common goal for each meeting. It is a statement that clearly lists what the group expects to do at the meeting.  It should headline the agenda that goes to participants in advance. The aim should be modified or extended, agreed to before and measured at the end of the meeting.

Below are some sample goals that need improvement.

Objective:

a)      To improve the Smith Project;  (“improve” is too vague to be well-measured)

b)      To increase profits by 10%;      ( lofty goal, needs more focus)

c)      To cut staff from 14 to 11;  (very negative, especially if I may be on the chopping block)

d)      To brainstorm about international markets;  ( needs specifics so people can prepare with background information)

Three criteria will help improve these goals:

1)       An objective needs simple and clear sentences.

2)       It should be attainable with the people, resources and time available.

3)       It should have measurable statements listed so you can consider quantifying the achievement.

So, here are ways to improve the above goals:

Objective:

a)      To discuss the Smith Project and decide:

1. i.      What has gone well and how that should continues
2. ii.      What needs improvement and how to make that happen

b)      To plan for a profit increase by 10% over the next 12 months by :

New projects,  new staff, reduced expenses or other

c)      To decide on ways to cut the operating budget by 15% over next 2 months.

Options include:   Staff reduction, travel moratorium, cancel golf memberships,

new office  space outside the city or other methods.

d)      To brainstorm about 3 new international markets for product expansion in next 3 months.

In advance, research your ideas on: current partners overseas, competition, cost to trade or build foreign plants.

Notice that each of these apply to 4 different types of meetings:  Discussion, Planning, Decision-making, and Brainstorming.  The agenda of timed items would give much more detail on how each of these goals could be reached.  That is yet another way to improve your meetings.

Final word:   Each participant has an obligation to make a meeting beneficial.  Much of its success depends on the planning done in advance.  A clear meeting objective puts everyone in the right mindset to share and create common knowledge.  Develop measurable aims for all your meetings and check how well you did at the end.  The difference in group effectiveness will be tremendous.

Action:  For your next 3 meetings, ask the planner or chairperson to write an objective at the top of the agenda and have others review it in advance.

Contact us any day, any way, to make your team Meet with Success!

-Bill Clarke

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In this blog we will be providing you with our expertise on meetings, team communication and agile processes that are utilized to improve productivity of your company.

Our goal is to become a one stop online location for all your meeting and process analysis inquiries and needs.

Please share your valuable thoughts with us, as we provide you with interesting statistical researches, resources and techniques that can be utilized in your teams.

Better meetings are essential to any successful business. With good planning and effective use of time, your meetings will give you positive returns and the competitive edge. – Bill Clarke (President, Clarke Communication)