MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION



MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

STUDENT NOTES 10

EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

Today we will look at another form of communication that takes place in the business environment – meetings. “Meetings matter because that’s where an organisation’s culture perpetuates itself.” They are a sign of an organisation’s health.

Meetings are ubiquitous. However, just because they are common doesn’t mean that they are always productive. [Survey showed that executives consider one third of the meetings they attend are unnecessary. Another found that unproductive meetings cost U.S businesses as much as $37 billion annually.]

It is therefore necessary that you understand some methods for planning and participating in meetings to produce satisfying and efficient results. We will therefore look at:

a. Types of Meetings.

b. Planning a Problem Solving Meeting.

c. Conducting the Meeting.

TYPES OF MEETINGS

In the business and professional settings meetings fall into three categories: information sharing, problem solving, and ritual activities:

INFORMATION SHARING MEETINGS.

These aim to exchange information. [police and nurses begin every shift with a meeting to brief their incoming on happenings. In many offices Monday morning meeting is meant to share information on new developments, emerging trends, or the week’s tasks.]

PROBLEM SOLVING/ DECISION MAKING MEETINGS.

These may decide on actions to take or changes to make in existing policies or procedures. This is the most common reason for a business meeting.

RITUAL ACTIVITIES.

In these the social function of meeting is more important than any specific task. This is as we would call the normal “liming” after work or at the end of a work week. Ritual meetings can serve to: reaffirm the members’ commitment to one another and the company; and provide an informal channel of communication as members use to gaff and exchange information.

Some meetings can serve more than one function. Additionally, technology has made meetings possible even when the participants are half a world apart. These are termed Virtual Meetings. They can be done by teleconferencing, online meetings, or videoconferencing. The advantages of virtual meetings are:

a. People can interact more quickly, easily, and affordably.

b. They are easier to schedule and participants do not have to worry about getting to the site.

c. There is greater participation by lower status members who may feel freer to participate in discussions.

The disadvantages are:

a. There is less access to nonverbal feedbacks, increasing the chances for misunderstanding.

b. Those without access to technology can be excluded.

PLANNING A PROBLEM SOLVING MEETING

Successful meetings, like interviews, have to be planned. Two factors must be taken into consideration when planning a problem solving meeting and these are:

1. WHEN TO HOLD A MEETING. A meeting should be held:

a. When the job at hand is beyond the capacity for one person to handle. This can happen when more information than one person possesses might be needed (the job of improving health conditions in a food plant would probably require a health professional, employees who have experience with the work and someone who knows what resources are available), or the job might take more time than one person has available.

b. When individuals’ tasks are interdependent. Persons who share a task have to coordinate. Coordination also makes for a sharing of experiences and ideas.

c. When there are no fixed outcomes and there is more than one decision or solution.

d. When there are likely to be misunderstandings or reservations due to communication of confusing or controversial information.

2. SETTING AN AGENDA. An agenda is a list of topics to be covered in a meeting. A meeting without one is like a ship without a compass. The agenda must include:

a. The time, length, and location.

b. Who are the participants? Generally, it is best to keep the size of a meeting small if the aim is problem solving as this aids total participation. If the meeting is informational, a larger group may be acceptable.

c. Background information. This is sometimes necessary to give participants new details or to remind them of issues. It can also give an indication of the meeting’s significance.

d. The items or goals for the meeting. A good agenda goes beyond listing topics and describes the goal for the discussion. In this way meetings will be outcome rather than process driven. Goals have to be result-oriented, specific, and realistic. Goals are also useful as they help participants prepare and keep the meeting focused and on track. See Handout 1.

Poorly Worded Goal

Let’s talk about how we can solve the sales problems in the North West area.

Better

We will come up with a list of specific ways our product can be shown to be useful to the improvement of the Amerindians in the North West area.

CONDUCTING THE MEETING

Some experts suggest that the first third of a meeting should deal with relatively simple business of: announcements, minutes, and the easiest decisions. Once members hit their stride and a good climate has developed, the group can move on to the most difficult items in the second third of the meeting. The final third can focus on easier items to allow for a period of decompression and goodwill. The order of agenda items should ensure this. This is called a Bell-Shaped agenda structure.

BEGINNING THE MEETING

Effective openings get the meeting off to a good start. They give everyone a clear picture of what is to be accomplished; they define how the group will try to reach its goal; and they set the stage for good teamwork. The first few remarks should cover the following points:

1. Identify the Goals of the Meeting. This can be done by restating the information in the agenda. This helps to remind everyone of the meeting’s goals and focus discussions. [Inventory losses have almost doubled so we need to what is causing these losses and decide how to reduce them.]

2. Provide Necessary Background Information. This explains the context of the meeting and gives everyone the same picture of the subject. It prevents misunderstandings and helps understanding. [By inventory losses we mean materials that are missing or damaged after we receive them.]

3. Show how the Group can Help. Outline the contributions members can make. [We are counting on everybody here to suggest areas we can cut losses.]

4. Preview the Meeting. Outline how the meeting will run. [We will begin by hearing reports from x, y and z and then we will brainstorm a list of ways to cut our losses.]

5. Identify Time Constraints. Clarify how much time is available to prevent time wasting. In some cases you can state how much time is to be spent on each item.

CONDUCTING BUSINESS

These may vary according to organizational culture. Some of the approaches that use meeting time effectively are:

1. Using Parliamentary Procedure. This is a set of rules that govern the way groups conduct business and make decisions in meetings. It helps to keep discussions clear and efficient while safeguarding the rights of everyone involved in the deliberation. It can be used when:

a. A group’s decision will be of interest to an external audience, so there is a need to keep minutes.

b. Haste may obscure critical thinking. It can help groups deliberate before making decisions.

c. Emotions are likely to be strong and there is a need to give minority viewpoints a chance to be heard. It can prevent uncivil behaviour when enforced.

Under Parliamentary Procedure the Order of Business is determined by an agenda which has: the Reading, Correction and Adoption of Minutes to ensure the record describes what really happened; Matters Arising; Reports; AOB.

Motions are part of Parliamentary Procedure. When a member wants the group to deliberate, he introduces a motion, which is a specific proposal for action. [I move that we direct 10 percent of the student’s fees to payment of lecturers.] Once introduced a motion it must be seconded and this ensures only those motions deemed worthy by at least two members are discussed.

2. Encouraging Participation. Three ways to encourage participation at meetings are:

a. Use the Nominal Group Technique. This is a method that gives everyone’s ideas a chance to be considered. It has five phases:

(1) Each member writes down his ideas on a paper that is collected by the discussion leader. This ensures that good ideas from quiet members are considered.

(2) All ideas are posted for everyone to see with the authorship being kept private. This helps to ensure that consideration of the ideas is less likely to be based on personal factors such as authority and popularity.

(3) Members discuss the ideas to understand them better and criticism is prohibited. The goal is to clarify the possibilities and not evaluate them.

(4) Each member then rank orders the ideas from most to least promising. This helps to prevent domination by the talkative or influential members.

(5) Items that receive the greatest number of votes are discussed critically and thoroughly by the group to arrive at a decision.

b. Use questions to draw out listeners. Four types of questions that can balance the contribution of members are:

(1) Overhead questions. These are directed at the group as a whole by the leader and anyone is free to answer it. [Sales have flattened out. Can anybody suggest what’s going on?]

(2) Direct questions. These are aimed at a particular individual who is addressed by name. They are useful for drawing out quiet members but must be used skillfully.

(3) Reverse questions. Here the leader refers the question back to the person who asked it. This is good when the leader senses someone wants to make a statement but is unwilling to do so directly. One has to be careful though as the questioner may be genuinely asking for information.

(4) Relay questions. These occur when a leader refers a question asked by a member to the entire group. This is good when a leader wants to avoid disclosing his opinion for fear of discouraging or influencing the group.

c. Have Members Take Turns. Here every member is given a chance to speak. It may not be wise to conduct the entire meeting like this but this technique can be useful at the beginning to start members off on an equal footing, or in the middle if a few people are dominating the discussion, or at the end if some people have not been heard.

3. Keeping Discussions on Track. This can be done by:

a. Reminding the group of time pressures.

b. Summarizing and redirecting the discussion. Summarise what has been accomplished and mention the next task – “It seems we have a list of factors that contribute to absenteeism. If there are no more thoughts let us move on to…”

c. Using relevancy challenges. This is asking a member to explain how an apparently irrelevant idea relates to the group’s task. “I am confused Frank. How can leasing new equipment help boost productivity.”

d. Promising to deal with good ideas later. This is another way to keep goodwill when a member brings up an irrelevant idea. “That equipment leasing idea sounds promising. Let’s bring it up to Jeff after the meeting and see what he thinks.”

4. Keeping a Positive Tone. This is necessary to create harmony. To help in handling irritating situations one can:

a. Ask questions and paraphrase to clarify understanding. Criticising an idea can generate ill will so it is useful to handle bad ideas by asking for some clarification.

b. Enhance the value of members’ comments. This can be done by praising and thanking the people who contribute them. Even if an idea is a bad one you can take advantage of the merits of it by using a three-part response: (1) acknowledge the merits of the idea; (2) explain the concerns you may have; and (3) improve the usefulness of the idea by building on it or asking for suggestions

“You’re right Pat. Your department could use another person (acknowledges the merit of comment). But Mr. Peters is really serious about this hiring freeze (balancing concern). Let’s try to come up with some ways we can get you more help without having to hire a new person (builds on original idea).”

c. Pay attention to cultural factors. Like every other type of communication, the rules for conducting productive and harmonious meetings vary from one culture to another. (In Japan problem solving meetings are usually preceded by one- to- one sessions between participants to iron issues, a process called nemwashi. The culture is that two people may speak candidly to each other but if there is a third then it becomes a group and the need to maintain harmony is necessary. In other cultures it is the norm for emotional expressiveness or to have volatile exchanges.)

CONCLUDING THE MEETING

The way a meeting ends can have a strong influence on how members feel about the group and how well they follow up on any decisions that have been made or instructions given.

1. When to Close the Meeting. There are three times when a meeting should be closed:

a. When the scheduled closing time has arrived. Even if the discussion has been good it is wise to close at the scheduled time to avoid members from drifting, losing attention or becoming resentful. If the subject is important and members indicate a desire to carry on then that is different.

b. When the group lacks resources to continue. If the necessary facts or persons are needed and absent then it is good to adjourn until such resources become available.

c. When the agenda has been covered. This is self explanatory.

2. How to Conclude. A good conclusion has three parts:

a. A signal when time is almost up. This is a warning that allows the group time to wrap up business and gives everyone a chance to have a final say. “We have 15 minutes before we adjourn.”

b. Summarizing of the meeting’s accomplishments and future actions. To ensure common understanding review what information has been conveyed, what decisions were taken, and remind members of their responsibilities.

c. Thanking the group. This serves as reinforcement that you appreciate the group’s efforts and encourages good performance in the future.

FOLLOWING UP THE MEETING

There must be a follow up to make sure that the desired results have really been obtained. A thorough follow up involves three stages:

1. Building an Agenda for the Next Meeting. A smart leader plans the next meeting by noting which items need to be carried over, what unfinished business must be addressed, what progress reports must be shared, and what new information should members hear?

2. Following up on Other Members. This is to ensure that they are reminded of their commitments. You may need to do this tactfully so as to avoid offending sensibilities.

3. Taking Care of Your Own Assignments. Here the leader attends to his taskings.

END

HANDOUT # 1 FOR EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

EXAMPLE OF AN AGENDA

DATE: July 20, 2005.

TO: Pat Gonsalves, Fred Jones, Kevin Johnson, Monica Flores, Dave Khan

FROM: Danny Hunte

SUBJECT: Planning Meeting for new Lethem office

TIME/PLACE: Monday, July 25, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the third-floor conference room

BACKGROUND: We are still on target for an August 10 opening date for the Lethem office. Completing the tasks below will keep us on schedule – vital if we’re to be ready for the start of the new school year.

We will discuss the following items:

1. Office Equipment

Please come with a list of business machines and other equipment you think will be needed for the office. At the meeting we will refine this list to standardize our purchases as much as possible. Let’s try to start out with compatible equipment.

2. Office Decoration

Jason Singh of the Lethem Branch will present a preliminary design for our reaction. He will come up with a final plan based on our suggestions.

3. Promotion

Kevin wants to prepare a series of press releases for distribution in Lethem a month or so before the office opens. Please come with suggestions of items that should be mentioned in these releases.

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