During the meeting, the leader should convey to subordinates useful information and set clear goals for them. If everything is done correctly, labor efficiency will increase, otherwise the order of meetings should be reviewed.

How often do you hold meetings? How often do your employees get something useful from them? Do they understand the goals and objectives that you have set for them?

Does the efficiency of their work increase after planning meetings? Are you getting adequate feedback? If you answered “no” to at least one question, then you need to learn how to conduct effective meetings and planning meetings in order to waste a minimum of time on them and get the maximum benefit.

Effective meeting

With the help of meetings, communication is maintained between different departments and within the departments themselves, the decisions made are embodied and the motivation for the performance of work among individual employees is increased. But only an effective meeting can solve these problems, so check yourself if your meetings meet the following criteria:

1. Format conformance. There are several types of meetings: meeting, briefing and operative. Each of these meetings has its own goals and accordingly lasts different time. The operative is designed to solve the problem that has just arisen.

It usually lasts 5-10 minutes, it gathers people directly related to the problem. A planning meeting is usually held every day in the morning and lasts 25-30 minutes. During this time, the manager needs to set tasks for the day, get feedback on the results of the previous day and adjust plans if necessary.

The meeting aims to find a solution global problem, form a new offer for your market, develop new program motivation, etc.

Often meetings are divided into two stages - the first is held in the evening, it sets the goals of the meeting, outlines the problems that will be discussed. In the morning, the second stage begins, which can last up to two hours. A full meeting is pure creativity.

2. Specification of tasks. Each meeting should have clearly defined tasks that are announced to the participants in advance. Deviation from the agenda is highly undesirable.

3. Rigid regulations. A meeting must have a start and end time, whether or not all the invitees show up. Set clear time limits, eg end agenda item 1 in 25 minutes.

For each speaker, take certain time- 5 minutes is enough, it will teach people to speak to the point. If you hear extraneous conversations or digression from the topic, stop these attempts, save your time.

4. Optimal composition. The meeting must be attended by the people it concerns. Just like that, sit and listen, do not invite anyone. Let everyone mind their own business.

5. Word to everyone. Each participant in the meeting should have the opportunity to express their opinion on a particular issue. Do not interfere and, moreover, do not interrupt the employee’s speech, even if it goes against your point of view. Do you need adequate feedback?

6. Record keeping. The agenda is not the only binding document of the meeting. The protocol, which records all the main points, the employees who spoke in order of priority, their opinion on a particular issue, and most importantly the results of the meeting, is a very useful paper.

Be sure to send out a newsletter to the meeting participants so that they always have it at hand for clarification of any points. So it will be more convenient to control the implementation of tasks and analyze the results. It is the “task - results - control - task” scheme that allows you to make the meetings the most efficient and concise.

7. Planned meeting. Every employee should know when Once again invited to the meeting room. Surprise is a bad helper in organizing meetings, participants do not have time to prepare or do not come at all due to absence from the office.

If a problem arose suddenly, and you decided to call an operative to solve it, get ready for the answers “I don’t know,” “I need to check,” and “I will provide you with a report later.”

How to prepare and conduct an effective meeting?

To have an effective meeting, you must first prepare for it. Before starting the meeting, the leader should clarify the following questions for himself:

• What goals does the meeting pursue and what tasks does the meeting solve?
• what is the format of the meeting, what are the roles of the meeting participants. The roles of employees are distributed in advance: there must be a chairman and a secretary. Also determine the exact start and end time of the meeting.
• what is the structure of the meeting. A typical structure looks like this:
• greetings;
• announcement of the goals of the meeting, the tasks set, the format of the meeting;
• discussion and analysis of existing problems;
• receiving feedback from performers;
• analysis of the results and setting tasks for the near future;
• summarizing.
• what is the agenda of the meeting. Determine the exact time to work through each agenda item, allocate time for a break if the meeting involves a long time.
• what documents are needed. Prepare all the necessary information that will be of interest to the participants, make a distribution of materials so that they are studied in advance.
• whether a meeting is necessary. Before sending out invitations to a meeting, check if it is really necessary.

Answer these questions for yourself:

• Do the tasks you set need to be addressed right now?
• What should the participants take away from the meeting?
• How should their work change after the meeting?
• Has all the necessary information been collected? Will you get a “I don't know” answer to any question?
• Is it possible to solve the problem in another way, without holding meetings?

Remember the simple rules for conducting effective meetings, keep the audience's attention on main goal, keep the discussion positive or neutral and encourage people to express their own opinions.

Then you will get an increase in the efficiency of your employees and at the same time reduce the amount of time wasted.

Problem meetings are meetings aimed at finding optimal solutions, bringing economic problems for discussion, consideration of promising development issues, discussion of innovative projects.

The next step in holding a meeting is timing.

Psychologists have noticed that meetings held strictly on schedule with a predetermined date and hour are more productive. At the same time, it is recommended to schedule meetings for the first half of the working day.

Regardless of the planned nature of the meeting, the leader must follow the basic rule for preparing events of this type: to familiarize all participants in advance with the goals, objectives, list of issues under consideration, and the list of speakers. Failure to comply with this rule leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of the meeting, disruption of relationships in the team.

One of the most difficult and important issues in the preparation of the meeting is the planning of the leader's own speech. When sketching a message, it must be remembered that at a normal pace of speech, no more than one page of typewritten text can be recounted in two minutes. Digital information must be used very carefully. As a rule, no more than 20 figures per 40 minutes of speech are well perceived and analyzed. It is better to present digital information in writing: in tables and graphs.

The speaker is required to state the essence of the matter from memory or with partial reliance on the text, and not to read. Assimilation with free presentation reaches 95%, and with reading only 35%. The speaker must exclude excessive length or excessive haste of speech, controlling its rhythm. A tempo of 240 syllables per minute is considered acceptable. Therefore, special attention must be paid to pauses. They occupy 10-20% in speech. According to their purpose, pauses are of different types and duration. So, there are emotional pauses that the speaker needs when he is very excited in order to calm down, full of holes - if he does not know what to say, backlash - for exhalation and inhalation, dramatic - to emphasize the tragedy of the situation with silence, grammatical - are made on punctuation marks, mobilization - give weight to the message, pedagogical - for better assimilation of the material.

Great importance also has the correctness of the presentation of the material. Literacy, logic, emotional coloring - all this is a prerequisite for any official contact. It is necessary to monitor the correct use of words, their pronunciation, stress (contract, expert, provision, at the same time, let's call, gross, wholesale, etc.). It is not recommended to use phrases containing extra words: "absolutely new" instead of "new", "pre-planning" instead of "planning", "cooperate together" instead of "cooperate", "each one" instead of "each", etc. Great care must be taken when using foreign words. Incorrect or parallel use of foreign vocabulary leads, as a rule, to unnecessary repetitions. So, for example, "industrial industry" - the word "industry" and includes the concept of industrial; "forcing construction at an accelerated pace" - "forcing" and means "to conduct at an accelerated pace." It must also be remembered that impersonal constructions often cover up the speaker's unwillingness to take responsibility, to think independently ("it seems appropriate" - "I think it is appropriate", "I think that ..." - "I think that ...), and the use of verbal "pretty things", exaggeration speaks of the desire for reinsurance and ostentatiousness ("express criticism" - "express wishes", "do something" - "achieve goals, boundaries, horizons").

The tone of the conversation is of great importance during a business meeting. Psychological research shows that people often focus not on the content of the statement, but on the tone of the speaker. The emotional excitement of the speaker is transmitted to the listeners. Psychologist P. Vatslavek determined that in the process of solving any problem, interpersonal relationships play a dominant role. If relations between people are broken, then even the best arguments do not lead to a positive result. This phenomenon is called the "iceberg model". If all the parameters influencing the solution of the problem are taken as a "big ice floe" - 100%, then "part above water" (10-20%) - occupies the subject area, and "in water" (80-90%) - the area of ​​relationships . In order to avoid this phenomenon, and also just to reduce it, one of the rules in the training materials of the Volkswagen Educational Institute is to focus on the goal of negotiations, conversations, meetings, and not on the problem, on recognizing and developing common interests, patience and sincerity.

After analyzing ineffectively conducted business conversations, meetings, meetings, negotiations, psychologists, as the main reasons hindering productive communication, identify the following:

a) the use of offensive, incorrect words, various barbs;

b) attempts to interpret the words of another person (for example: "You are silent because you have nothing to say");

c) the use of various kinds of metaphors (for example: "You blush like a tomato", and in response: "And you could not compare me with anything better");

d) the use of the words "always", "never"; e) attributing thoughts unspoken by him to another (for example: "Do you think ..."); e) use of direct instructions.

Conducting a business meeting

You need to start the meeting right on time and immediately agree with the participants on the rules for working together, for example, the time limit for speeches or the procedure for making decisions. After that, one of the participants should be entrusted with keeping the protocol.

Psychologists suggest preparing 2-3 compliments to the participants before the opening of the meeting. At the same time, they refer to the so-called “law of the edge”: the beginning of a business conversation creates a background for the main part, or setting, and the end of the conversation leaves in memory the attitude to this conversation.

It is also a good start when the secretary reminds those present which decisions were made at the previous meeting, which of them have not yet been implemented, although the deadlines have expired, and who is personally responsible for this. Such a beginning immediately sets those present in a businesslike mood and disciplines.

The moderator should be technically proficient introductory remarks which usually takes 3-4 minutes. During this time, the leader must report:

greetings;

appeal

substantiation of the need for the meeting;

agenda;

staging common task for the entire headquarters;

the main directions of activities for the preparation of the planned event;

the procedure for maintaining and formalizing the protocol;

transition to the main part of the meeting - discussion.

Then it should be decided in what order the items on the agenda will be discussed. It is generally believed that they should be considered in terms of their importance and complexity. This approach is considered the most appropriate, but psychologists argue that

The first question to be discussed is an interesting and non-debatable one. As a rule, it takes a little time, but at the same time, the participants of the meeting have a favorable psychological mood: having successfully completed one issue, they are ready to solve the others just as quickly and effectively;

the discussion of each issue should end with a summing up of intermediate results;

it is necessary to give everyone the opportunity to speak;

a quarrel should not be allowed;

it is necessary to work out alternative solutions to each problem;

it is important to encourage the constructiveness and creativity of the participants, but to evaluate the relevance and realism of the proposals made;

during the meeting, the leader should remain in neutral positions, supporting the conversation, not losing the initiative and, if necessary, stimulating the activity of the participants;

it is necessary to use a variety of forms of speech to guide the course of the discussion, including different kinds questions for the meeting participants.

The facts and how the experts present at the meeting evaluate them are the basis for making a decision. It is easier and faster to get the data necessary for this through the right questions. With the help of such questions, you can successfully convey your thoughts and build a chain of inferences that leads to the desired conclusions. Questions are a great tool to steer a meeting in the direction you want.

The whole variety of questions used in the process of any business meeting can be divided into two types: closed and open questions.

Closed questions are leading questions that can be answered very briefly. Most often they are answered with “yes” or “no”. Answers can be "correct" and "incorrect". This is determined by the moderator.

Too often, it is inappropriate to use closed questions: some employees like to answer the way we expect them to. But the manager of the meeting may put the question very narrowly so as not to miss some important aspect of the problem.

It is easier and faster to get the necessary data through open-ended questions. By using open-ended “what” and “how” questions, you get a complete picture of how the speaker perceives the situation. They allow invitees to express their views on the situation under discussion.

By asking others and adding your own experience, you can systematize the problem. Before acting, it is necessary to understand what a person feels and thinks and why this way and not otherwise. Reasons are also important in decision making, and they are learned through the classic “why?” question.

By asking the question "why?", we push, force those present to look for the near or distant causes of the situation. But due to the forced nature of this question, it should not be used too often.

As you know, people willingly express their thoughts when they are encouraged to do so. Someone helps to speak only your silence. There are other ways.

A nod of the head is already a good encouragement. Open palms, freely lying on your knees, indicate that you want to continue the conversation. Smiling conveys warmth and helps the speaker to be frank. These are some non-verbal ways of reward.

Verbal encouragement is expressed in direct repetition keywords and expressions of the person you are listening to. It looks so simple that it is often ignored. Meanwhile, psychologists have found that it is he who significantly increases the effectiveness of communication. Encouragement - the repetition of the key words of the speaker literally pushes him to reveal his thoughts in detail.

People enjoy being listened to. But it is especially pleasant for them to know that they were definitely heard and their thoughts are not distorted. By retelling, you seem to return to the speaker the essence of what he said in an abbreviated form. Retelling the main thoughts of the speaker is also a form of encouragement. Thus, a combination of techniques (open-ended questions, encouragement and retelling) helps to better understand what and how the speaker thinks. Using them, you will understand the course of his thoughts and will be able to convince him faster if such a need arises.

There are many highly qualified managers who use the techniques of emotional impact on the speaker. Psychologists call these techniques "reflection of feelings." They are good because they connect you with the emotional sphere of a partner, establishing feedback with him through the retelling of the emotions observed in him.

A brief acknowledgment of the other person's feelings is often helpful. Suppose your employee is deeply upset about something, and this prevents him from working. Until he has used up all his emotional fuse, you should not immediately move on to the case that interests you. Recognizing him as a person, expressed in a reflection of his feelings, increases the positive attitude towards you in the process of his story, thereby improving the positive attitude towards work in general.

Sometimes you have to listen to a long confused monologue. This happens for two reasons. Firstly, not everyone knows how to clearly articulate their thoughts. Secondly, people often tend to give much more facts than is necessary. One of the most subtle ways to stop them is to succinctly and briefly summarize what you hear (formulate a summary).

Such a generalization is similar to a retelling, but it has two differences: 1) the generalization directly sums up everything heard, and 2) it indicates only its main points. A typical meeting leader would do something like this: “We heard what you said, and I think you said the following…”

Although such a summary only says that the speaker was listened to, this technique allows you to continue discussing the problem and eliminates time-consuming repetition.

Thus, all the microtechniques described above business communication forms the BASIC HEARING ORDER during the business meeting. Its main elements are as follows.

Open-ended questions to get a big picture of the problem, including “what” questions to identify facts and “what” questions to understand feelings and values ​​about these facts.

Encouragement, which consists in the repetition of keywords. This way you get more information.

Feedback in the form of a retelling so that the speaker understands that he was heard correctly.

Reflection and recognition of feelings, making it clear to the interlocutor that you have noticed his main emotions.

By following this pattern, the leader will be able to run the meeting well. Open questions will allow everyone present to express their opinion. Encouragement will help develop the main ideas, and the retelling and reflection of feelings will tell the manager if he listened to the group correctly. A generalization (summary), applied during the meeting and mandatory at the end, will help him organize facts and feelings into a system.

During a business meeting, it is very important to control its progress. In this connection big interest present the advice of the German psychologist Michael Birkenbiel.

The leader should remain neutral! This has a positive effect on the emotional state of those present.

Keep the conversation going. If there is an awkward pause, intervene immediately: with additional questions, explanations, or by summarizing the preliminary results.

Take immediate action in case of tension caused by emotions. In no case should a dispute flare up!

Reject ill-conceived decisions! Only evidence-based decisions should be taken into account.

The statement of all participants should be carried out by calling by name.

Only one person should always speak. Spontaneous discussions at the meeting must be prevented.

The leader of the meeting must listen to the views of all opponents! No ideas are held on so stubbornly as those that have not been discussed.

The meeting is not a battlefield where the enemy must be "destroyed", so it is necessary to strive to develop common approaches. You can always find common ground, if you only want to.

Excursions into the past and deviations from the topic that individual participants allow should be intolerant. The meeting should consistently, step by step, approach the solution of the problem posed.

To avoid misunderstandings, the meeting leader should, if necessary, clarify the messages of individual sections with the words: “Did I understand this correctly? Would that be right?;

It is necessary to sum up intermediate results more often in order to demonstrate to the participants how close they are already to the goal. The leader of the meeting should save time! Already at the very beginning it is necessary to explain that the problem can be, no doubt, solved in the allotted time. If possible, you should not drag out the meeting for even one minute.

If due to your official duties or because of tradition in your organization you often have to act as the moderator (see Section 6.14) of a meeting, you may find it helpful to following rules effective meetings:

1. No meetings without preparation and agenda! If possible, categorically refuse to hold unprepared, "spontaneous" meetings. Their effectiveness, most likely, will be extremely low, and it is the leader who can easily be “guilty”.

2. At the beginning of the meeting, be sure to formalize (if you are nevertheless drawn into a “spontaneous” meeting) or remind (if the meeting is pre-planned, well organized) Key points of the procedure: agenda (topic), purpose of the meeting, time limit, order of speeches, how decisions will be made, how controversial issues will be resolved, etc.

3. The most important task and responsibility of the moderator is during the meeting monitor compliance with established procedures and the implementation of the agenda, taking, if necessary, prompt decisions on deviations. For the duration of the meeting, the moderator is endowed with special powers that allow him to control the behavior of all participants in the meeting, regardless of their status. For example, the leader has full right stop the speaker who has exhausted the time limit set for the report.

4. The facilitator makes sure that in the final section "Miscellaneous e » only mini-issues would really be discussed. If, in the opinion of the facilitator, the "miscellaneous" section proposes too broad issues, the discussion of which threatens to drag on for a long time, he has the right to reject consideration of these issues or transfer them to another meeting.

5. Basic speakers must prepare for the meeting in advance her . The correct organization of the meeting assumes that the topics and content (and most importantly, the volume) of the reports must be known in advance (several days or at least hours) to the moderator. This will allow the facilitator to more accurately build the meeting procedure, adjusting, if necessary, the order of reports, the time allotted for each of the reports, etc.

6. The time of the entire meeting, as well as the time of its individual parts(speeches, discussions, decision-making, etc.) necessarily regula-

6.1b. Meeting Rules

mented, that is, limited in time. As soon as at least some non-regulated part or procedure appears in the meeting, a “thief of time” instantly penetrates through this “time hole”, dragging out the meeting indefinitely!

7. The most important task of the leading meeting is keeping track of the "constructive tone" of the meeting. Attempts of incorrect attacks, accusations, insults, etc., of the meeting participants must be severely suppressed. The presentation of information and the generation of new ideas should take place without criticism. Discussion and dispute should be rational, reasoned, aimed at finding the best way to overcome disagreements.

8. Require speakers and all participants of the meeting participating in the discussion to use any convenient for them and available in the organization visual aids(board, flipchart, computer presentations, etc.).

9. Record everything! Of course, the moderator of the meeting himself does not record anything, but he must follow the secretary-protocolist, if necessary, pointing out especially important points of the meeting (facts, ideas, opinions, etc.) that must be recorded without fail.

10. Of course, the shorter the meeting, the better. However, if the meeting is longer than 90 minutes, you must take short breaks for 5-15 minutes approximately every 40-45 minutes. At the same time, breaks should be planned in advance, and the leader should ensure that, in addition to regulated breaks, the meeting participants are not distracted by any extraneous matters.

“J Carefully read the proposed rules. Which of them would you add, make more detailed and precise? Perhaps you could suggest any other rules that are important for efficient meetings?

Which of the suggested rules are followed (and which are not followed) when conducting meetings in your organization? What rules, in your opinion, lead to the greatest loss of time?

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PLANNING AND PREPARING MEETINGS

Here are seven tips for meeting facilitators (as well as the leaders who initiate the meeting and whose vision the facilitator needs to embody):

1. First of all, it is necessary to formulate a topic, a goal in advance And objectives of the meeting, as well as the specific desired “product” (result) that will be obtained as a result. The “product” of the meeting can be a management decision, a plan for a certain period of activity, an approved report, a resolution, etc., drawn up in writing in accordance with the document flow rules adopted in the organization.

2. Decide on date, time and place holding a meeting. With scheduled meetings, everything is simple - they are usually held With at certain intervals on the same days of the week, on the same That same time (for example, every first Thursday of every month at 16.00). As a rule, employees whose participation in these meetings is mandatory include the scheduled meeting in their work schedule in advance, and therefore there are no problems in conducting it.

Some the situation is more difficult This is the case with unscheduled meetings when there is an urgent need to bring together the required number of participants. In this case, determining the most suitable date, time and place for the meeting to ensure a “quorum” becomes a real headache for the organizers. I would like to say right away that there are no ideal situations when it is possible to “please” all potential participants. Therefore, as harsh as it sounds, the date, time and place of an unscheduled meeting are chosen based on their convenience for the organizers (not participants). Holding unscheduled meetings also obliges the manager (organizer) to be more loyal to those employees who, for various reasons, could not take part in it.

3. Decide what will be the best composition and number of participants(see section 6.14): Who will be the active participant (speaker) and who will be the listener? Who should prepare in advance? Who will be from among the employees of the organization, and who will be invited from outside? Who needs to be officially invited in advance (send an invitation)?

6.16. Planning and preparing meetings

4. Consider possible participant roles and, if necessary, teamwork. If necessary, discuss these roles with the appropriate members. Together with the manager, it is imperative to select (appoint) an employee for the main role - the leader of the meeting and inform him about this in advance.

It can also be added that creativity to meetings (especially of the second type, see section 6.14), it is possible to distribute socio-psychological roles among the participants, such as “generator of ideas”, “critic”, “erudite”, etc. The introduction of such role positions into the work will contribute to a deeper and qualitative understanding of the issues under discussion, will make the meeting procedure itself more lively.

5. Think over the agenda and rules of the meeting. What order are the performances in? How much time is spent on each? etc. Discuss the agenda and agenda of the future meeting with stakeholders, primarily with the moderator of the meeting (see section 6.15).

6. The host may need additional permissions to actually prepare the meeting and resources which he will have to receive from the head at the time of preparation and holding the meeting.

7. The organizer must prepare in advance package of documents to the meeting, which includes:

1) official invitations indicating the topic, time and place of the meeting;

2) a list of participants (with the obligatory indication of the organizer, moderator, secretary of the meeting);

3) agenda, including the purpose and objectives of the meeting, the list of reports and open questions;

4) if necessary, minutes of past meetings;

5) if necessary, supporting documentation that may be needed for discussion and decision making;

6) if necessary, presentation materials ("handouts") of speakers;

7) if they exist in the organization, then standard forms for keeping minutes of the meeting.

With% Compliance with which of the following rules for organizing meetings WITH What do you think is the biggest time saver in a meeting?

Which of the following rules are observed (and which are not observed) in your organization? Does your organization have its own rules (traditions) for organizing meetings? Which of these rules speed up and which slow down meetings?

What do you think needs to change first to make meetings in your organization “eat up” less time? Formulate your proposal in the form of a rule.

MEETING FOR THE MANAGER

Conducting meetings is a difficult managerial task for the manager, if only because he has to take on the simultaneous performance of several roles and functions at once. For example, before the meeting, the leader acts as its initiator and organizer; during the meeting itself, often combines the roles of participant and moderator; after the meeting, he performs not only his managerial functions (planning, operational management and control over the implementation of decisions made at the meeting, etc.), but often also “psychotherapeutic” functions, dealing with the resolution of contradictions and conflicts that may arise at the meeting.

The following is a list control questions, which will help the leader evaluate and improve the effectiveness of their management skills related to the various stages of the meeting.

Before the meeting

1. Do you need a meeting at all? Any meeting is a waste of time and a cause for conflict. Perhaps there is an opportunity to effectively resolve the issue without holding a meeting?

2. What are the internal (“political”) and external (production) goals of the meeting? What to focus on? Roughly speaking, will the meeting be entirely devoted to solving objective problems related to work, or is it also important psychological aspect meetings (development of a common opinion, creation of motivation, raising "fighting spirit", etc.)?

3. Is there enough time and other resources to prepare the meeting and deliver quality work at the meeting itself? Who will not-

6.17. Meeting for the head

mediocre organizer? How should the meeting be organized to be most effective?

4. Are the main participants of the meeting and “key figures” known? Are the roles of participants clearly defined? Is an additional “rehearsal” necessary (perhaps the leader needs to meet with one of the participants in the future meeting to agree on positions, opinions, approaches, etc.)?

5. If exist different approaches to solve the problem, how strong is my position? What are the "weak points" and possible objections? From whom can they come? Who is in my "support group"?

During the meeting

1. Know how to listen. A leader is a person who is used to speaking (ordering, instructing, giving orders, etc.). A meeting is one of the few situations where employees can and should speak. Let every constructive thought come through. Support especially interesting ideas: ask clarifying questions, ask to explain in more detail, etc.

2. Stop any non-constructive behavior: personal attacks, vague criticism, attempts to break the rules, distractions, etc. This task is usually performed by the leader (see section 6.15, paragraph 7), but in some cases he may simply lack authority and authority Therefore, the role of "controller of the constructiveness of communication" can and should be assumed by the leader.

3. Be able to summarize what others have said and highlight valuable facts, thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. Write down “for yourself” the most valuable and interesting ideas expressed by employees.

4. Follow progress towards the result. If the meeting goes “major”, then make management decisions immediately, in parallel with the issues discussed. If there are many contradictions and a conflict is brewing, postpone the decision to the end of the meeting and use special procedures to make it (for example, secret ballot).

5. Be attentive and flexible. If the meeting does not go according to plan, but is productive enough - “don't spit against the wind”, don't try to change anything! If you have to choose between time and efficiency in a meeting, always choose efficiency.

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6. " The last word' should be behind you. At the end of the meeting, be sure to summarize: what goals (tasks) have been achieved, what results have been obtained, what decisions have been made, what interesting ideas have been expressed, which of the participants worked especially well (productively, constructively, etc.).

After the meeting

1. Make sure that all interested participants of the meeting, as well as employees for whom this is necessary in accordance with their job responsibilities, are familiar with the minutes of the meeting.

2. Monitor how execution started decisions taken. It may be necessary to clarify the details and more precise operational planning.

3. Provide necessary resources and get the first results. Notify (at the next meetings) the participants of the meeting about the results obtained (that is, about the implementation of the decisions taken at the meeting).

4. Be sure to meet with the "offended", whose opinion was not heard or taken into account at the meeting, and conduct an individual discussion of their vision of the problem. If the arguments of these employees seem important to you, it may make sense to schedule detailed consideration their positions at the next meeting.

Q Which of the proposed rules, in your opinion, is the most conducive to saving the manager's time during meetings? Which of these rules, in your opinion, are risky and can, on the contrary, easily turn into “time thieves”?

Suggest your own rules (3-4) for holding meetings for managers that would allow him to minimize the time and effort spent on this event?

HUMAN BIORHYTHMS

One of the most important areas for improving "low efficiency" (see section 6.1) is to take into account the rhythmic patterns of human life, traditionally called

6.18. Human biorhythms

biorhythms. It is assumed that knowledge of individual biorhythms makes it possible to more accurately and "human" design a personal time management system. The TM system, in which goal-setting is carried out “adjusted” for biorhythms, is more realistic and effective.

Note. In fact, the name "biorhythms" is not entirely correct (the use of the term "biorhythms" is permissible only in the context of the relevant biological sciences- physiology, medicine, chronobiology, etc.), since a person is a complex creature whose life activity is subordinated to (and expressed through) a whole "ensemble" of rhythms - physical, biological, social, psychological, etc. However, in order not to violate the established tradition of using term, in this book, in relation to any rhythms of human life, the word "biorhythm" is used.

Why did I refer the section on biorhythms to the chapter on "low efficiency"? The point is that, despite the fact that scientific study biorhythms will soon be two hundred years old, this problem is still little studied, and there are more questions than answers. The literature devoted to the study of biorhythms is full of contradictory (and even mutually exclusive) data.

It is my deep conviction that the data of serious scientific research, based on extensive statistical generalizations, are of little value for solving applied TM problems. The fact is that almost all biorhythms specific person, generally coinciding with the laws derived by scientists, in particular, they always have many significant deviations (individual characteristics) that distinguish them from the norm. That is why the knowledge of scientific calculations about “what biorhythms are and what they should be for most people” does not relieve a person from a thorough study of his own biorhythms (which, by the way, is quite within the power of any observant person). The simplest, but very effective way to calculate your personal biorhythms is qualitative timing (see section 3.14).

Depending on the duration of one rhythmic period (cycle), more than two dozen human biorhythms can be distinguished. The smallest of them last a fraction of a second (for example, those associated with cellular metabolism), and the longest ones coincide in duration with a person's life (for example, the life cycle of a person as a whole, from the moment of conception to the moment of death). One part of these biorhythms has been studied quite well and is of a completely objective nature, the status of others is less clearly defined and about

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the reality of their existence is still a serious debate.

For example, such "doubtful" biorhythms include monthly biorhythms associated with the very popular "theory of three rhythms" at one time: physical (duration 23 days, sign change every 11.5 days), emotional (26 days, sign change every 13 days ) and intellectual (33 days, sign change every 16.5 days). It is believed that it is possible to calculate these monthly biorhythms from the moment of birth of a person, which makes it possible to predict, for example, “especially dangerous days” (when the negative points of two rhythms coincide, which happens 6 times a year) and calculate the “fatal day” that comes once a year " (when the negative points of all three rhythms coincide).

The author of this book, at the dawn of his passion for TM, for several years calculated (according to the algorithm published, it seems, in the journal Science and Life) these biorhythms and firmly believed in the existence of all sorts of “terrible” and “happy” days. But after some time (a few years later, already on a new round of interest in TM), I was visited by a “seditious” idea - should I not conduct an experiment “on the contrary”? I summarized the data of my high-quality timekeeping for almost two years, graphically displaying my physical, emotional and intellectual state, after which I retroactively calculated (already on a computer) three monthly biorhythms for the same period of time. I can say right away that a severe disappointment awaited me - the “theory of three rhythms” turned out to be inoperative for me personally. But I fully admit that for someone else, the use of this model will be quite an adequate means for understanding changes in their behavior and state during the month.

In this section, we will touch on only some biorhythms, the knowledge of which, in my opinion, is most important when designing and implementing a personal TM system.

1. Daily human biorhythms

The daily (or circadian) biorhythm of a person is associated primarily with the rhythm of sleep - wakefulness, in accordance with which the functioning of many physiological processes in the body is "tuned". Normally, wakefulness is associated with active expenditure of energy and is tied to daylight hours;

6.18. Human biorhythms

sleep is associated with rest, energy recovery and is "tied" to the dark (night) time of day.

There are numerous biological and medical studies that convincingly prove that any deviation (de-synchronosis) from this “schedule” programmed by nature (at night - sleep, during the day - wakefulness) is undesirable, as it causes stress, and in the future provokes the emergence and development of a whole “bouquet of » diseases.

At the same time, the ratio of sleep and wakefulness is individual: the average duration of normal sleep, according to various sources, is from 7 to 9 hours. But at the same time, there are people for whom a sleep time of 2 to 4 hours a day is sufficient (without harmful health consequences). There are people for whom the required sleep time is 10-12 hours a day, and this cannot be considered a pathology (in infants and the elderly, normal sleep time is even longer). In order to fully restore the energy spent during the day, a person must not only fulfill his sleep norm - sleep must be of “quality” (during the usual period of time, in comfortable physiological conditions, without interruptions, etc.).

At TM training, participants often ask the question: “Is it possible to reduce sleep time so that there is more time to achieve the main goals?” I always answer this question like this: "You can and you can't." To begin with, using timekeeping, you need to accurately set your sleep rate, and the sleep rate is always a time interval that has variability (for example, my sleep rate, when I get enough sleep "at 100%", varies from 8 to 10 hours). This means that with a fairly comfortable ratio of daily work and rest, I can “squeeze” my sleep to 8 hours without harmful consequences (maximum - up to 7 or 7.5 hours; this greatly depends on the state of the body). If you try to “compress” your sleep time even more, reducing the minimum value of your normal sleep time for a long time, get ready for bushiness and illness! Moreover, if during the day you encounter excessive loads (lack of rest), then most likely the body will require an increase in sleep time, and the minimum allowable hours of sleep will no longer be enough.

In addition to the obvious “sleep-wake” rhythm, a number of biorhythms can be distinguished during the day, one of which is associated with daily fluctuations in the energy level (working capacity) of a person. An example of a graph showing such a daily energy rhythm is shown below:

Chapter 6improving personal efficiency

It should be noted that among the many studies of the daily energy rhythm conducted by various specialists (doctors, physiologists, hygienists, valeologists, specialists in the field of labor psychology, etc.) different areas human life, there is no single point of view on this biorhythm. Most often, the result of these studies is the construction of a two-peak model (graph), according to which during the day a person has two energy rises (periods of the highest performance). The first (and most pronounced) falls on the period from 9 to 11 hours, the second (less pronounced) - for the period from 17 to 19 hours. However, it should be noted that, along with two-peak models, there are three-peak and four-peak models based on quite serious studies (and beyond, up to the identification of ultra-drian performance rhythms lasting less than an hour). In addition, there are also disagreements even regarding the seemingly traditionally identified “main” peak of performance (in the first half of the day): the exact time of peak performance for different researchers “drifts” from 9.00 to 12.30. The time of the nighttime minimum of working capacity also varies in a very wide range from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Also, most models of the energy rhythm are averaged and do not take into account the individual specifics of the inner time of the individual. I am talking about such chronotypes as "owls" and "larks" (sometimes "doves" are added to them). For example, I am a pronounced "owl", for which the usual time for going to bed is around two in the morning. Accordingly, the normal time of awakening is around 10-11 o'clock in the afternoon. And now solve a simple riddle: will my working capacity peak between 9 and 11 in the morning? Based on the results of self-observations and timekeeping, I was able to build my own individual model of the daily energy rhythm.

6.18. Human biorhythms

I can say that it also turned out to be two-peak, but otherwise there is no similarity with the above standard schedule (for example, the most pronounced “main” performance peak is the second, and not the first, as in the traditional model, and falls on the evening-night time). Nevertheless exact knowledge my own energy rhythm allows me to effectively carry out daily operational planning (see section 4.17), allocating time for better performance to solve the most important tasks.

2. Human weekly biorhythms

The weekly (or circa-septidian) rhythm in its origin is an external social one, connected with the historically established "working week". Nevertheless, over many years of study and work, clearly expressed internal biological and psychological weekly rhythms are formed in a person. The first weekly rhythms were discovered by doctors and physiologists. For example, during the week there is a gradual increase in blood pressure, with its lowest value observed on Sunday, and the highest on Friday afternoon.

Quite quickly, a weekly energy rhythm was revealed, which characterizes the dynamics of working capacity during the week. In the very general view schedule of changes in performance during working week as follows:

The beginning of the week is associated with the period of working out, when the level of working capacity after the weekend is still quite low. Normally (if a person has a good rest during the weekend), “entrance” to work takes no more than 0.5-1 day (that is, only Monday or even part of it). If a person did not have the opportunity to have a good rest on the weekend, then the period of development can stretch until Wednesday.

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It has been experimentally proven that the beginning of the weekly biorhythm (the “entry” stage) is associated with a reduced level of mental functioning: mental processes are somewhat inhibited, poor concentration of attention, reaction time is slowed down, etc. There is also numerous statistics, according to which the peak of accidents at work and traffic accidents also occur on Monday.

Thus, folk wisdom right: Monday is indeed a “hard day”. When drawing up a plan for the week (in particular, a plan for Monday), it is impossible to plan the solution of complex and responsible tasks on Monday at least before lunch. Unfortunately, this rule is rarely observed in many organizations, where Monday mornings are often set aside for a briefing or meeting. There is a certain logic in this (starting the week by setting tasks for the week), but the meeting itself is likely to be ineffective, taking too much time and effort from the participants.

In the weekly biorhythm, the peak (optimally high level) performance normally lasts from Tuesday to Thursday inclusive. The decline in performance ("exit") usually begins on Friday (most often in the afternoon) and stretches over the weekend, reaching an energy minimum on Saturday evening - Sunday afternoon. The deterioration in mental functioning during the decline in performance (Friday) is usually never more severe than at the beginning of the week (Monday). It is believed that the main reason for the decline in performance at the end of the week is the fatigue accumulated during the week. The effect of reducing efficiency depends on the experience of the employee, and, as a rule, it is less pronounced in more experienced and competent employees with a sufficiently long work experience.

From the point of view of effective operational TM planning, at the end of the week it is necessary to plan for small tasks that can be successfully completed, as well as finishing the “work in progress” that has accumulated over this (or previous) week.

3. Periods of life (life cycles)

Biggest rhythms human life are multi-year periods life cycle and related normative life (age) crises that happen about once every year (birth, 6-7 years old, 13-14 years old, 22-25 years old, 33-35 years old

6.18. Human biorhythms

or "mid-life crisis", 43-45 years, etc.). The allocation of such long-term periods, at the "turn" of which significant psychological changes occur with the personality, is the task of developmental psychology, as well as personality psychology. It should be noted that the description of periods of life and life crises is too ambitious a task and will not be considered within the framework of this book (everyone who wants to learn more about age crises can be recommended to the book by G. Sheehy "Age Crises. Steps personal growth". SPb., 2005).

It should be noted that long-term rhythms of the life cycle and age crises are closely intertwined with the stages of career growth (see Section 1.10). Therefore, the rhythms of the life cycle must necessarily be taken into account in the strategic planning of the main achievements of one's life. When setting goals, within the planned time frame for achieving goals, an amendment must be made, taking into account, for example, the possibility of a destructive impact on our plans from the crisis; or, on the contrary, the most ambitious achievements should be planned for periods of stability between crises.

However, such long-term planning is (due to its low accuracy) an extremely thankless task. The problem lies, on the one hand, in the fact that crises never come "right on schedule", and on the other hand, it is not always possible to foresee the degree of "difficulty" of a crisis and the nature of one's own behavior in a crisis. The subjective experience of the crisis can be extremely difficult and destructive - and then all our beautifully drawn up strategic plans “fly to hell”. But sometimes a crisis becomes the starting point for radical changes in a person's lifestyle, inspires him to commit large-scale and amazing deeds - and then the "overfulfillment" of the previously outlined plans borders on a miracle! It also happens that a crisis goes unnoticed: we prepare for it, we worry, we make adjustments to our plans, but time passes - and subjectively nothing happens. Life flowed like a measured stream, and continues.

If, when setting goals and designing a system of plans (see Section 4.16), you were able to predict and “plan” crises, you took into account this “biorhythm” (long-term periods of the life cycle) in the context of improving “great efficiency” (see Section 6.1). If you managed to use the energy released by the crisis to solve your tasks more quickly, this is a “small effect”.

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effectiveness". But it is also possible to “saddle” the energy of life crises in the context of “great efficiency”. To do this, it is necessary to use the crisis as a starting point for serious personal changes, for example, in order to become a leader (see section 6.3).

О Below are graphs showing the dynamics of accidents, injuries and accidents (due to the fault of an employee) at work during the day (according to D. Neuger). Two schedules are presented: for people working in the first shift (from 5.00 to 13.00, break from 9.00 to 10.00), and for people working in the second shift (from 13.00 to 21.00, break from 17.00 to 18.00).

Based on the information given in the section on the daily biorhythm, analyze and comment on the graphs.

6.19. Personal rules for a "good" working day

business meeting is a form collegiate discussing issues in order to inform and make decisions on them.

There are three main types of meetings presented in Table 10.

Table 10 - Types of business meetings

Meeting type	Characteristic
1) Informative meeting	It is applied for operational reporting its members in front of the leader. (for example, operational planning meetings and five-minute meetings in hospitals) May also represent analytical meeting(the speaker introduces the meeting participants to analytical information, new technologies, new products; this is basically the speaker's monologue). It has an advantage over written reports, since the manager, in case of doubt, can immediately ask the necessary question. Also, everyone present listens to the messages of others and thanks to this they get a better idea of ​​​​the general state of affairs.
2) Meeting withdecision-making purpose	It is applied for coordinating staff considerations(often representing different departments) regarding a specific issue and can be used to working out a collective solution(i.e. each participant is given the opportunity express your opinion and make a proposal on the final solution). Can be used for approval of ideas, programs and decisions(in order to enlist the support of the meeting participants, you need to give them the opportunity to make their constructive proposals that affect the decision), and also for reconciliation of different points of view(sometimes it becomes necessary to collect " round table" in order to pay off internal conflict. It is necessary to listen and discuss different points of view and bring them to an agreement) Subject of discussion Such meetings may include: 1) organization planning issues- long-term goals, strategy and tactics for achieving goals, resources necessary for the implementation of plans; 2) organizational matters- structuring the organization, coordinating the actions of structural divisions, making adjustments to the structure or direction of the organization's activities due to changes in the external environment; 3) personnel matters; 4) issues of control over the activities of employees– discussion of performance results, achievement of set goals, problems of disruptions and low productivity and their causes, correction of plans and tasks in accordance with the prevailing circumstances, disciplinary

	workers' responsibility. In addition to these general issues meetings can also be specific for organization issues (for example, to discuss operational management issues in connection with the situation in the organization, innovations and the possibility of their implementation, problems of survival, competitiveness, image of the organization, etc.).
3) creative meeting	It is used to search for and develop new ideas and concepts, as well as to further develop previous achievements (“brainstorming method”) (this is a creative meeting; therefore, meetings of this kind are desirable to be held in a more relaxed and more comfortable atmosphere; the most fruitful ideas of the meeting are recorded and submitted for further discussion and revision.

Now consider the process of preparing and holding business meetings (see Figure 6).

Figure 6 - Stages of a business meeting

Meeting preparation

IN preparation for the meeting it is important to define it goals - the expected result, the desired type of solution, the desired outcome of the work. The exact wording of the subject of discussion will help to obtain the desired result.

Subject meetings are the subject of discussion. It must be specific and of interest to the participants.

meetings. It is advisable to bring up for discussion only those topics that cannot be resolved in a working order.

The most important stage in the preparation of the meeting is the development agenda, a written document circulated in advance to meeting participants.

The agenda of the meeting usually contains the following information:

Topic of the meeting;

Purpose of the meeting;

List of issues discussed in the order of their consideration;

Start and end time of the meeting;

The place where it will take place;

Names and positions of the speakers who speak on the main information and are responsible for preparing questions;

Time allotted for each question;

A place where you can get acquainted with the materials on each issue.

The agenda ensures the course of the meeting and the work of the thoughts of those present in the right direction. The agenda and materials of the meeting must be sent to the participants of the meeting in advance, with a mark of familiarization with the documents before the start of the meeting (some information materials can be “circulated” with a list of persons to whom the information concerns, and after reading, make a note and pass it on to the next one). This is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to fit the meeting into their work schedule and prepare for it. Participants of the meeting, informed in advance about the subject of discussion, can not only familiarize themselves with the materials in advance, but also think over constructive proposals for solving problems. In cases where the participants of the meeting are not previously informed, at the meetings they express opinions, points of view that provoke discussion and do not contribute to the adoption of an effective decision.

It is advisable to hold business meetings on a certain day of the week (with the exception of emergency meetings), preferably at the end of the working day or in its second half.

The duration of the meeting should not exceed one and a half to two hours. After two hours of continuous work, for purely physiological reasons, most of the participants become indifferent to how the issue is resolved. Therefore, the shortest meeting is the best.

Reasonable number of participants meetings. Often there are people at meetings who have nothing to do there. P. Bird in the book "Time Management" proposes to determine the cost of the meeting in terms of money in terms of the wages of the participants. Suppose ten people present at an hour-long meeting spend a total of ten hours of working time on it. Let's determine the amount of the cost of the meeting by adding up the cost of an hour of working time for each of them - we get an impressive amount. If the meeting is attended by employees of a sufficiently high rank, then the cost of the meeting for the organization can be very significant.

The optimal number of participants in joint discussions is 6-7 people. If necessary, the number of participants can increase, but within reasonable limits, so as not to exceed 15. An increase in the number of invitees drastically reduces the average participation rate (or return) of those present, while simultaneously lengthening meetings. To invite to the meeting, depending on its topic, you need only those middle managers and specialists in whose competence the problem under discussion is located.

From each department, the presence of one person is desirable. It should be allowed to leave the meeting of those employees whose issue has already been resolved, and specialists should not come to the entire meeting, but according to the regulations, at the time of discussing their problem.

When conducting business meetings, it is possible for the manager to carry out delegation authority to participation in the meeting specialists who are most competent in the problem under discussion (this helps to save time for the manager: a properly trained employee will inform the manager about the results of the meeting at a convenient time for him, and he will be able to make the necessary decisions in a calm atmosphere; in addition, for the employee, participation in meetings will contribute to the acquisition experience and professional skills, developing the ability to act independently and successfully cope with a variety of situations).

Authorities are delegated not only to participate in the meeting, but also to reference meetings (the meeting is entrusted to those specialists who are most competent in the problem under discussion; this contributes to increased responsibility for decisions made, and also increases the activity of participants in generating ideas or constructive proposals).

There is a difference between meetings held by the first manager and a competent colleague. In the first case, the meeting participants think not so much about the problem as about self-preservation and often approve the solution proposed by the leader, not considering it effective (this does not mean that the first managers should refuse to conduct meetings, but the leader needs to take into account the psychological effects, moving away from time, from stereotypes).

Organization of the spatial environment- when preparing the meeting, you need to consider the order of placement of participants. The meeting should be held at a large table and in a spacious room. Crowding is itself a source of conflict. It has been noticed that when the room is small, the pulse of those present quickens, blood pressure rises.

Participants should be placed in such a way that they see the face, eyes, facial expressions, gestures of each other, which contributes to a better perception of information (for example, as in Figure 7).

Figure 7 - Accommodation of meeting participants

For these purposes, a round or oval table is best suited. The leader of the meeting should be able to look into the eyes of the largest number of participants in the meeting.

The order of placement, starting with six participants, must be established using special cards before the participants appear. When placing participants in a meeting, one should take into account the following consideration: representatives of competing groups should not sit opposite each other, with such seating, each edge of the table turns into a trench, and conflicts arise on their own. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the groups that have formed as "resistance units." People who dislike each other are seated as far as possible. The organizer of the meeting, knowing the characters and psychological characteristics of those invited, can, without drawing attention to this, seat the Participants so that those who can break loose and interfere with the consideration of the issue are not opposite each other.

Questions to be asked meeting organizer:

Is a meeting required at all? Is it possible to do without it?

Do I have to personally take part in it?

Which employees should attend the meeting?

What can be done to reduce the number of participants to a minimum?

Is the selected time convenient or should the meeting be rescheduled for another time?

Is the room closed from strangers?

Are all materials needed for the meeting available?

How best to seat the meeting participants and what techniques to create a creative atmosphere to use?

Holding a meeting

Meetings are more effective when participants know their goals and rules of conduct.

Supervisor. For the meeting to be successful, its leader must solve both general and special tasks.

TO general The tasks of the meeting leader include:

1) it is necessary to open the meeting with a brief and clearly formulated message regarding the problem at hand (and the opening speech of the leader should focus on a positive solution to the problems and carry confidence in their successful solution);

2) In the organizational plan, it is necessary to agree on the rules of work, clarify the agenda, report on the regulations, warn about the removal of speeches that are not on the merits of the issue;

3) During the meeting, it is necessary to briefly and essentially sum up the results worked out in order to adhere to agreements and compromises with their help.

4) It is required to keep the discussion in the direction provided by the leader (this means that he needs to besiege the verbose, force those who remain silent to speak, and not allow the speakers to deviate from the intended issue; in case of criticism, demand its constructiveness and prevent the transition to personalities ).

1) Stay in neutral positions - this has a positive effect on the emotional state of those present.

2) Keep the conversation going. If there is an awkward pause, intervene immediately by asking follow-up questions, explaining, or debriefing.

3) Take immediate action in case of tension - the dispute should not flare up.

4) Anticipate the possibility of implementing the proposed ideas and solutions, reject ill-conceived solutions. Consider only evidence-based solutions.

5) Call the meeting participants by name to speak.

6) Remember that only one person should always speak, keep discussions out of the meeting.

7) Listen to the views of all participants. No ideas are held on so stubbornly as those that have not been discussed.

8) Remember that the meeting is not a battlefield where the enemy must be "destroyed", so strive to develop common approaches, look for common ground.

9) Be intolerant of excursions into the past, deviations from the topic, destructive criticism that some participants allow. The meeting should consistently step by step approach the solution of the problem.

10) To avoid misunderstandings, if necessary, clarify the messages of individual participants: “Did I understand this correctly?”, “Will it be right?”

11) Summarize subtotals more often to show the participants how close they are to the goal.

12) Save time. At the very beginning, explain that the problem can no doubt be solved in the allotted time. If possible, do not drag out the meeting for one minute.

The authority of the head of the meeting largely depends on how competently and consistently he conducts the meeting, how much he monitors compliance with the regulations. The head of the meeting, who allows someone to be late, to discuss among themselves during the meeting, to come to the meeting unprepared (without collecting and analyzing the materials on the issue under consideration), threatens with a complete loss of authority.

The leader of the meeting should not allow a situation where some undisciplined colleagues heat up the atmosphere that is developing at the meeting. Successful completion of the meeting will be possible only with thorough and serious preparation for the meeting of its leader.

At the end of the meeting, the leader must summarize the discussion, clearly develop a solution and outline ways to implement it. The opportunity should be used to thank the failed minority for active cooperation, for only the joint efforts of all participants helped to achieve the desired result. Giving thanks to the underdog will encourage them to speak at subsequent meetings.

Meeting participants.

The rules of conduct for meeting participants are no less significant for an operational meeting.

Tips for meeting participants

1) Represent yourself in your statements and use the pronoun "I" instead of "we" or the impersonal form. When a speaker says "we", he usually avoids responsibility for what he says.

2) In statements, be specific, clearly state your thoughts, answer for your mistakes, defend your personal point of view, be patient with dissent.

3) After listening to the information, ask questions to clarify and understand the problem under discussion. Do not use questions that provoke conflicts and lead away from solving the problem.

4) Refrain, as far as possible, from interpreting other people's ideas and thoughts. Speak not about the actions and thoughts of others, but about your perception of these thoughts, that is, formulate judgments in the language of “I-messages”, and not “You-statements”. For example, don't say, "You made a mistake here," say, "It seems to me that a mistake crept in here."

5) Express your own position and try to find the most rational solution Problems.

The best decision made at a meeting is worth little if, at the same time as making it, you do not take care of its implementation and do not control the progress of its implementation.

At the stage end of the meeting its leader must solve the following tasks:

1) formalize briefly and definitely the result achieved at the meeting;

2) establish what steps should follow the decision, distribute responsibilities, determine those responsible for the implementation of the decision and its control over the implementation.

The course of the meeting and its results are reflected in Protocol which should be kept short and concise. An important point is to familiarize those persons who will implement the decision with this document.

Organization of meetings

meeting- This is a specific type of management activity that has its own rules and patterns, an integral part of the life of the organization. Production meetings allow you to exchange information, identify the full range of opinions, determine possible ways problem solving and make the necessary management decisions. During the meeting, each participant gets the opportunity to clarify their position, to understand the variety of approaches to the subject of discussion.

The meeting is a good remedy team building and development, it increases interest in joint activities ensures optimal decision making. At the same time, the meeting is a complex process that takes up a significant part of the working time of both managers and subordinates. In order to increase the effectiveness of the meeting, it must be carefully prepared.

Meetings can be classified according to features (9) given in Table 21.2.3.

Organization of the meeting consists of three stages:

/. Meeting preparation. The preparatory stage includes:

1. determination of the need and expediency of holding a meeting;

2. development of the agenda;

3. determination of the composition of participants;

4. determination of the date and time of the event;

5. determination of the venue.

Defining necessity and expediency of the meeting, the manager must analyze all other possibilities for achieving the set goal and only after making sure that the meeting is useful, decide on holding it.

Main goals The production meetings held during project management are:

1. control and coordination of activities;

2. improve work efficiency;

3. search for new ideas;

4. carrying out detailed planning;

5. analysis of complex information;

6. allocation of resources;

7. conflict resolution;

8. team development.

Developing agenda, it is necessary to clearly formulate the purpose of the meeting in order to familiarize the participants with the topics and objectives of the meeting in advance, to give them the opportunity to prepare.

List of participants meetings should be selected in such a way that their experience and erudition make it possible to find a solution to the problem. In addition, it is necessary to invite those specialists who are directly affected by this problem. Having determined the composition of the participants, it is advisable to compile a list of them with addresses and telephone numbers, which will ensure the possibility of subsequent contact with them.

Appointing date and time of the event meetings, it is necessary to take into account its frequency. Regular meetings are usually held on the same days, at the same time, in the same place.

Venue meeting may be the manager's office, a specially equipped room.

//. Holding a meeting a complex process that requires certain skills from the moderator (chairman) and from the meeting participants. The chairman is responsible for creating a special climate during the meeting - a climate of trust, therefore, in the course of his work, he must play two roles at once: a leader and a participant. Ensuring role consistency is important point, since the predominance of the leading role leads to administration, formal management, and the goal of the meeting may not be achieved, and the predominance of the second role leads to the loss of meeting management threads. However, as a participant, he has more power and decision-making capabilities.

The roles of other meeting participants are distributed as follows:

1. referent (helps the chairman to conduct a meeting);

2. secretary (keeps minutes of the meeting, prepares Required documents and reference materials, provides the participants of the meeting with them, usually does not participate in the discussion of issues);

3. group members (discuss the problem and propose solutions).

When holding a meeting, you need to remember about the time allotted for this. Prompt conduct of the meeting is facilitated by compliance with regulations. The absence of pre-established regulations leads to a delay in the discussion, a decrease in its effectiveness, and the development of an unbusinesslike situation.

During any meeting, a number of socio-psychological functions are implemented: collection of information in the amounts necessary for a clear understanding of the essence of the problem by each participant in the meeting; processing, evaluation, selection of information, search for possible solutions and making a specific decision. To do this, the chairperson should make sure that the specialization of the participants in the discussion is clear, everyone can make a useful contribution. It is advisable to introduce participants to each other with names and positions. Of great importance is the unambiguous understanding of the problem by all participants, therefore, it is necessary to clearly state the problem, show what its significance is, what results its solution can give, and what are the consequences of the unresolved problem.

Further, the chairman should provide an opportunity to freely express his views and proposals to all participants, observing the course of the discussion and activating the passive ones. During the discussion, it is advisable to bring ideas in a certain sequence, to maintain the thread of the discussion, avoiding the repetition of topics, avoiding the topic, lengthy monologues and personal confrontation of the participants. It is desirable to highlight all aspects of the problem, to collect as many proposals as possible.

After listening to everyone, the chairman can express his own opinion, highlight the main constructive proposals, draw the attention of the group members to the available resources, and make a preliminary analysis.

///. End of the meeting. The final stage of the meeting is the adoption of a decision and its implementation. At the meeting, the decision is made by all participants and can be developed in two ways.

The first way is that a specially elected commission, which is entrusted with the preparation of a decision, prepares its draft in advance. The project is heard by the meeting participants, after which adjustments are made. Taking into account the amendments made, a decision is formed, which is adopted based on the results of voting.

The second way is that the chairman himself summarizes the statements of the participants, sums up the results and forms a decision. He must find consensus, ensuring that a decision is made that suits everyone to one degree or another. After the decision is made, it is necessary to clearly allocate all further actions, indicate those responsible, the deadlines and the mechanism for verifying compliance.

The course of the meeting, the decisions taken, the executors and the dates should be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Protocol of the meeting is a primary official document that allows the manager to demand the performance of assigned work from specific performers.

It happens that individual ideas expressed during the meeting are not subsequently used, however, they should be recorded, written down.

The minutes of the meeting must be approved and distributed to the participants. Is the success of the meeting determined by comparing the initial goals with the results obtained?

Decision making is the main type of managerial work. A managerial decision is a choice of an alternative, an action aimed at resolving a problem situation. Management decision is the result of the manager's managerial activity and is a creative process of meaningful transformation of information about the state of the object into control information.

Depending on the criteria adopted as a basis, a different classification of management decisions is acceptable (Table 21.2.4.).

Table 21.2.4. classification of management decisions
Classification sign	Types of solutions Characteristics of types
duration of effects	1. long-term 2. medium-term 3. short-term
by frequency of acceptance	1. one-time 2. recurring
by breadth of coverage	1. general 2. highly specialized
according to the form of preparation	1. individual 2. group 3. collective
by complexity	1. simple 2. complex
according to the rigidity of the regulation	1. contour, give an approximate scheme of the actions of the performers, giving them the freedom to choose techniques and methods for implementing the solution 2. structured, strictly regulate the actions of the performers, providing the opportunity to take the initiative in solving only issues of secondary importance 3. algorithmic, extremely strictly regulate the activities of the performers, practically completely excluding the initiative on their part
on the conditions and methods of decision-making	1. organizational decision, the choice of the head, necessary for the performance of his official duties to achieve the goals set for the organization, including: a. programmed decision, which assumes the presence of a limited number possible alternatives with the possibility of choice only within the directions given by the project b. an unprogrammed decision that is associated with new situations that are not internally structured or coupled With unknown factors 2. intuitive decision, which is a choice based on the feeling of its correctness 3. judgment-based decision - it is a choice made on the basis of knowledge or past experience 4. a rational decision is justified through an objective analytical process and does not depend on past experience

The decision making process can be represented as a series of steps, presented in Table 21.2.5.

Table 21.2.5. sequence of decision making
Formation stage	Stage content
1. Statement of the production problem	analysis of a problematic situation that needs to be resolved, study of the state of affairs, goals, diagnosis of the problem, preliminary formulation of criteria
2. Identification of restrictions and substantiation of criteria for decision making	identification of possible limitations (lack of necessary labor, material, financial resources, lack of required technology, availability of certain legislative acts, ethical standards), which narrow the possibility of making optimal decisions. Establishing the source and essence of restrictions. Substantiation of criteria for evaluating alternative options
3. Definition of alternatives	development of possible alternative ways to solve the problem
4. Comparison and evaluation of alternatives	evaluation of each alternative, taking into account the positive and negative aspects, as well as possible general consequences
5. Choosing the best solution	choosing the alternative with the most favorable overall consequences
6. Implementation of the solution	taking measures to specify the decision and bring it to the direct executive
7. Control over execution	establishing feedback between the control and managed systems, which allows to identify not only deviations from the execution plan, but also the shortcomings of the solution itself and make the necessary adjustments, determine the causes

As a rule, decisions are made in the absence of information, therefore, decision-making processes involve both components of the decision-making process and their substitutes (Table 21.2.6.).

Table 21.2.6. components of the decision-making process and their substitutes
COMPONENTS	SUBSTITUTES
1. Facts - a. irrefutable, undeniable, undoubted; b. may change and become obsolete; c. necessary for decision making, but often not available	1. Information - a. can be true and false; b. associated with judgments; contains facts; used in the absence of facts; should be reliable and justified
2. Knowledge - a. carefully weighed facts with all the revealed shades and relationships from past experience; b. attached to the facts to complete the picture; in case of insufficiency, they require advice and judgment	2. Tips - a. due to the mass of personal factors, presentation of the facts of the past and other people's experience with conclusions; b. often have a hidden connotation, directly opposite to the words, advisers are not responsible for these tips; c. advice is always considered in terms of their knowledge and experience.
3. Experience - a. does not have to be personal, but must be accessible; b. it should be carefully stored, not classifying from those. who needs it, not only positive, but also negative: it must be fixed on the beds; fractional use of experience by each department only for its own should be excluded.	3. . Experiment - a. required in the absence of experience; b. should be carried out with due attention and thoroughness: due to the high cost, experts should only be called upon to solve strategic tasks or in emergency cases
4. Analysis - a. the process of bringing together paragraphs 1-3 in both columns, processing them and evaluating them in a given context, taking into account precedents. 5. Judgment - a. there is no substitute for it, this is the main quality by which a person who makes decisions is evaluated.	4. Intuition - b. used when analysis is not possible; c. on the basis of an instinctive idea of ​​the correct decision, a competent, reasonable guess is made; d. analysis is carried out at the earliest opportunity.

Among the factors influencing the process of preparing and making a decision, the decision-making environment, the influence of a social group, a team, as well as personality traits of a leader are of great importance. Decisions can be made individually or using a group approach.

Group approach to decision-making provides a high degree validity, lower probability of errors, the presence of multivariate studies. This is facilitated by an atmosphere of open communication and cooperation, the possibility of mutual adjustment of decisions.

Forms of group work to develop solutions are a meeting, work in a commission, etc.

If the group is in front of difficult problem, then an effective method of preparing managerial decisions is the method of "brainstorming" ("brainstorming"). Collective methods it is also advisable to solve problems associated with radical changes in the organization, as this ensures their better perception and thereby contributes to an increase in the effectiveness of the implementation of the solution.

However, the group approach requires a lot of time for development, discussion, agreement and decision making.

Individual solutions usually used in cases where the time factor is of decisive importance. These decisions may be novelty, non-standard approach, especially if they are taken by an outstanding person.

The totality of the individual characteristics of the leader, which are With is a solution to the performers, forms personality profile management decision, characteristics of the types of personal decision profiles are given in table 21.2.7.

Type of personality profile	Characteristic
Management type solution	are typical for people who start solving a problem with a pre-formulated initial idea that arose in the process of a preliminary analysis of the conditions and requirements of the problem. The attention of a person is equally attracted by the advancement of hypotheses and their testing. This balanced approach to decision making is the most productive
impulsive decision	are characteristic of people who easily generate ideas, who prefer the process of developing hypotheses to actions to evaluate and refine them, so there is no stage of justification in the decision-making process. The manager's desire to implement a decision without the necessary justification can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of the management process.
inert solution	represent the result of an uncertain, extremely cautious search. After the development of the initial hypothesis, the process of its refinement slows down. A person critically evaluates his approaches to the decision, repeatedly checks them, which slows down the decision-making process.

Table 21.2.7. Types of personal decision profiles
Type of personality profile	Characteristic
risky decision	similar to impulsive, but unlike them, in the course of making a decision, the stage of substantiating the hypothesis is not excluded, although a person begins to evaluate only after discovering a discrepancy. As a result, although not immediately, the elements of constructing hypotheses and testing them are balanced
Cautious Decision	are the result of a careful assessment of hypotheses, are characterized by high criticality. Such decisions are characterized by a proactive assessment of the consequences. A cautious person is more afraid of mistakes than happy with success, so his goal is to avoid mistakes. This makes him commit a large number of a variety of preparatory actions before a decision is made

The conditions in which they are made have a great influence on the decision-making process. Decisions can be made in an environment of certainty and risk (uncertainty). Under certainty, the manager is confident in the outcome of each alternative. In a situation of risk, the manager can only determine the probability of success of each of the available alternatives. Of great importance when making a decision is the culture of the manager, the values ​​and traditions of the organizational culture, which has a significant impact on the behavior and interaction of employees.

In the course of the formation of a solution, it is necessary to coordinate conflicting requirements, to smooth out the existing contradictions. It is advisable to do this not in a formal way, but through reasonable compromises aimed at achieving the final result. An important decision usually causes the need to make many subsequent decisions, and therefore the manager must have a good understanding of the interdependence of decisions in the project management system. In addition, the manager must remember the double effect of the decision: production-economic and moral-psychological. The assessment of the correctness of the decision taken is not only production indicators, but also the behavior of employees when they achieve production goals, their activity, initiative, and collectivism.

Part requirements for management decisions includes:

1. efficiency, which is understood as the most complete ensuring the achievement of the organization's goal;

2. economy, which involves ensuring the achievement of the goal at the lowest cost;

3. timeliness, which is understood not only as a timely decision, but also the timeliness of achieving the goal. A delay in making a decision or an unrealized decision may reduce the expected results (due to inflation, changes in the political situation and other factors). As time passes, the solution may become obsolete and lose its meaning in the future;

4. validity decision, which is understood as the presence of evidence of its reliability and compulsion;

5. realism solution, which implies the possibility of its real implementation. The decision should correspond to the capabilities and resources of the team that implements it. Abstract solutions are not effective, they cause a division of opinion among performers.

Of no small importance in achieving the effectiveness of decisions are the methods of bringing the decisions made to the direct participants in the implementation process. Bringing the decision to the executors, it is advisable to start with its breakdown into group or individual tasks and selection of performers. The assignment of a task to each executor is carried out taking into account his official duties, the ability to transfer tasks to executors is a determining factor in ensuring the effectiveness of the decision made.

Common reasons for failure to implement decisions are (9):

1. lack of clarity in the wording of the decision;

2. the decision was formulated clearly and clearly, but poorly understood by the executor;

3. the decision was clearly formulated and understood by the performer, but there were no the necessary conditions and means for its implementation;

4. The decision was clearly formulated, understood by the executor, who has all the necessary means for its implementation, however, there was no internal agreement of the executor with this version of the solution. Perhaps the performer had his own solution to the problem, more effective from his point of view. Thus, the manager's ability to choose the right methods for implementing the decisions made, the ability to take into account and overcome both objective and subjective factors in their entirety eliminate unnecessary actions and costs, improve relationships between employees, encourage them to be active, and facilitate monitoring of implementation. solutions and identify possible errors.