Meeting technique. Meeting Rules

If, due to your job responsibilities or 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 implementation 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 the decision will be made, how contentious issues and 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 host has every right to stop a 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 leader of the meeting himself does not record anything, but he must follow the secretary-protocolist, if necessary, pointing out especially important points meetings (facts, ideas, opinions, etc.) subject to mandatory recording.

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?

Chapter 6

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 certain period activities, an approved report, a resolution, etc., drawn up in writing in accordance with the document flow rules adopted by 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, by virtue of different reasons were unable to participate.

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. Especially interesting ideas support: ask clarifying questions, ask for more details, 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. Check how the implementation of the decisions made has begun. 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 (and expressed through) a whole "ensemble" of rhythms - physical, biological, social, psychological, etc. However, in order not to violate the established tradition of using the 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 features) 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 calculating 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

Chapter 6

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: average duration 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.) in various spheres of 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 completely based serious research three-peak and four-peak (and further; up to the allocation of ultra-tradian 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 is 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 long-term periods of the life cycle and related normative life (age) crises that occur about once every year (the moment of 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 recommend the book by G. Sheehy "Age Crises. Stages of Personal Growth". St. Petersburg. , 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 when strategic planning the main achievements of his 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 plans, and time is running- 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”.

Chapter 6

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

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 to a global problem, form a new proposal for its 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 about simple rules conduct 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.

• tutorial

How often have you sat in meetings that, having exceeded the duration of 2 hours, tried to solve all the problems in the world at the same time? When people, red from stuffiness, losing self-control from fatigue, start trying to shout down each other in an attempt to find the right solution? When every meeting ends in nothing, and all the participants swear to themselves that they will never again gather for these meaningless meetings?

Original article: tvoyplan.com/2013/04/28/effective-meeting-rules

What makes a meeting effective?

If we apply the popular logic of calculating return on investment (ROI, return on investment) to evaluate the effectiveness of meetings, we get something like this:

Meeting efficiency = value of decisions made / (meeting time * number of participants * average participant salary)

Obviously, by increasing the value of the decisions made (numerator) and reducing the meeting time and number of participants, as well as trying to minimize the use of highly paid people's time (denominator), you can maximize the return on it. While trying to optimize each of these parameters, you will already achieve considerable success, there is an interrelationship between them and skillful balancing of them is a difficult task that not many managers succeed in.

Therefore, a meeting is a rather expensive thing, which rightly earned itself fear and hatred among office workers. The same emotions extend to the organizers of these meetings, including you. If you want to earn the respect of your team, you must be able to lead effective meetings.

This article is about teaching you how to get the most out of your meetings with the least amount of time and emotional wastage of participants.

Preparing for the meeting

Is a meeting necessary?

“Meetings are a symptom of bad organization. The fewer meetings, the better." - Peter Drucker, The Effective Leader.

The ROI of a meeting is often less than a call, text, or instant messaging. A meeting is only needed on those rare occasions when other means of communication would be less effective. Typically, more than one of the following conditions must match:

• Complexity. The topic being discussed is so complex that participants need to look at the visuals together so as not to fall out of the flow of the discussion. For example, discussing the architecture of database entities or the complex business process of reviewing a loan application.
• Urgency. The topic under discussion is so urgent that the development of an action plan on this topic e-mail spend prohibitively a large number of time.
• Importance. The topic under discussion is so important that its importance overrides any possible time spent by the group members on the meeting.

In other cases, you can safely refuse to collect the meeting.

No need to call meetings for the wrong reason. If you are:

• want to shift responsibility for the problem to the group,
• looking for listeners for your ideas or
• Do you want to strengthen your team?

then look for other ways to communicate.

Set a clear goal and agenda

Like any other endeavor, without a clear purpose, a meeting is doomed to failure.

The purpose of any meeting is a plan of action. Not to “discuss the possibilities”, not to “resolve the issue”, but to “instruct so-and-so to do so-and-so by such-and-such date”. Any other goal setting could result in the meeting having no impact.

Therefore, when scheduling a meeting, clearly list the participants the action plan for solving which problem or problems you want to receive and send them the resulting agenda. A written agenda will allow people to make sure that they do not waste time in pointless discussion, and the issues discussed will be relevant to their area of ​​interest.

In case there is not enough time for the meeting, the issues on the agenda should be sorted in descending order of importance (then you will have time to discuss the most important) or in ascending order of complexity (then you will have time to close the maximum of questions).

Do not invite extra participants

Every person in the meeting will inevitably spend the general time speaking and asking questions, whether out of genuine interest in an issue or simply to justify their presence. Moreover, the likelihood that an additional person will know something that others do not know decreases with an increase in the number of participants. That is, in addition to the obvious increase in group time, an increase in the number of participants reduces the effectiveness of the discussion.

• Does he have exceptional knowledge of the subject that other participants in the meeting do not have?
• Does the topic under discussion affect his interests? Do not his interests coincide with the interests of any other participant?
• Is this person ready for a constructive discussion?
• Would it be sufficient to simply notify this person of the results of the meeting?

Holding a meeting

The organizer of the meeting, that is, you, is responsible for ensuring that its goals are achieved. You must:

• follow all the discussion rules described below
• interrupt those who break them
• summarize the group's decision
• follow the agenda and determine when the group moves on to the next question

Here are the 7 rules for effective meetings:

1. One says... Don't let the participants interrupt each other. Not only is this a sign of disrespect, but most likely, at the moment of simultaneous speaking, the participants do not try to understand each other, which is not good for the meeting as a whole.
2. …and everyone else is listening. The key to effective discussion is for everyone in the group to follow what is being said in the group. Everyone should have the same "picture" of the issues under discussion. Once the group breaks up into several discussions, or someone starts to get distracted (for example, checking email on the phone or just "withdrawing"), further time will be lost until the group becomes one again. Everything that happened while someone was “absent” will have to be repeated for him, spending the time of everyone else on this.
3. Get to the point! Even though when tired people want to relax and talk about distracting topics, any such sidetracking wastes the time of everyone involved and moves you away from reaching a solution. Gently bring everyone back to the topic of discussion.
4. Fight the problem, not the people. In the heat of the discussion, participants can afford comments that others may take personally. Such situations, if not nipped in the bud, will inevitably spoil the working atmosphere, create unnecessary tension, "disable" affected members, waste time, and most likely prevent the group from achieving its goals. Immediately stop discussions that have gone "in the wrong direction."
5. Record everything you say. This can be done by you or by another member whom you assign the role of secretary of the meeting. Without fixation, the group will begin to forget the facts or conclusions that were made, and the effectiveness of the process will inevitably fall. In addition, notes help the group save time by allowing the speaker to simply point to one or another part of the notes, instead of explaining in detail what exactly they mean by what has already been said. Fixation should take place on a sheet of paper that is visible to the whole group, or on a board hanging on the wall.
6. Take breaks. Use the Pomodoro Technique (work in cycles with a 5-minute rest every 25 minutes of work). In my experience, meetings that last more than an hour and a half lose their effectiveness altogether due to the fatigue of the participants. It is better to interrupt such meetings by moving the continuation to another day.
7. If the group is no longer needed, disperse. As the problem is discussed, there are fewer and fewer complex issues that require general discussion. If you understand that the problem has broken down into several tasks that require individual execution, it makes no sense to spend the total time on a group discussion - the meeting must be completed. If the meeting is still too early to end, but there are already people whose knowledge will not be required in further discussion or whose interests will no longer be affected, let them go.

End of the meeting

At the end of the meeting, return to its goal - the development of an action plan (aka minutes of the meeting). This protocol must: Add labels

For a meeting to be productive, engaging, and not a waste of valuable time, a clear purpose, open dialogue, and a strong leader are required. This will ensure that the meeting will give the desired result and effectively save you and your team members time and money!

Steps

Make sure every meeting makes sense—or don't meet at all. Determine if a meeting is really necessary and invite only the necessary people. A huge amount of valuable time is wasted simply because managers believe that personal contact time is important, or simply get used to a certain routine. Typically to keep your team up to date recent events or project status, enough email. But if you need an immediate reaction from all team members, then a personal meeting of the participants will be much more effective than correspondence.

Set goals ahead of time and let everyone know about the meeting plan. Consider the structure of the meeting. Often the same wording desired result inspires the team and improves meeting productivity. At the very least, the emphasis is on what each such meeting needs: a purpose. Before the meeting starts, make sure everyone knows what the purpose of the meeting is. To do this, inform everyone in advance of the agenda.

Be the moderator of your meeting, control the flow of the discussion, and keep the agenda on track. Good meetings always result good leadership. Take control and make it clear to all participants that you intend to ensure that the discussion is useful, time-bound, and on-topic. Show co-workers that you respect their time by having everyone watch the clock or timer. The key point is also to follow the theme of the meeting. If the conversation gets sidetracked, bring the group back to the subject by saying something like, "That's interesting, but I don't think we're going to get there. Let's get back to the agenda."

Challenge yourself to get constructive input from each participant. Because the main feature meetings are two-way communication, it is critical to hear everyone's honest opinion. It is the leader's responsibility to ensure that everyone has a say. In order to reach consensus among the entire group, don't keep your opinion up your sleeve; a manager can easily wind down a discussion if everyone assumes that the outcome is already decided. Avoid the temptation to immediately reject proposed ideas - even if they are really terrible.

End the meeting with a plan of action. Try to make sure everyone present understands what the next step is. Also, at the end, ask the participants for their opinion on whether they found the time spent in the meeting useful, and if not, what could be done better next time. Conduct a self-assessment of the meeting to improve your own level of meeting skills.

Follow the development of events and the implementation of the decisions made at the meeting. Ask the group to write a progress report. This will help you organize your next meeting even more effectively.

1. Make sure your meeting doesn't remain an isolated event. Inform all relevant people about decisions taken and action plan. It's extremely easy to leave the meeting room, return to your desk and forget all the changes, decisions, and new ideas your group has come up with. Develop a system for monitoring the execution of decisions so that it is convenient for you to track which decisions have been made, which tasks are assigned to whom, and manage further movement.

   • An excellent tool for preparing and holding an EFFECTIVE meeting is the "CPRO": goals, agenda, roles and responsibilities. First of all, your meeting must have a PURPOSE. If you're holding a meeting just to share information, don't waste people's time. Send them a newsletter. The goal should include the active component and, if possible, desired result: "Define quarterly team goals. Agenda is a list of topics that you consider to achieve the goal, as well as a time frame to control the progress of the discussion. For example, "1. Review the status of previous quarterly goals (15 minutes). 2. Circle the participants to propose new goals (20 minutes). 3. Select 5 goals (10 minutes), etc." In terms of roles and responsibilities, determine who leads the meeting, who takes notes, who assigns responsibility for completing the tasks identified during the meeting.
   • Make sure to start and end the meeting on time.
   • Allow all participants to freely give feedback. Avoid ridicule and humiliation.
   • Prepare for the meeting. Obviously, but neglected by many.

   Warnings

   • Some reasons why a meeting should be canceled or rescheduled:
     • Key member cannot be present. Rescheduling a meeting is inconvenient, but it's even worse to get everyone together and not be able to get the job done. If you require this key person to attend, please reschedule the meeting.
     • The summons was not sent or was sent too late. People need time to prepare. Perhaps they could make proposals to change the agenda. Agenda should be sent to participants at least three days in advance.
     • The purpose of the meeting is unclear. If the meeting is purely informational, participants feel like their time is wasted. Give them a clear vision of what needs to be done, why, how and when.
     • Work can be done faster and better in a different format (by mail or phone). Do not hold meetings unless it is the most efficient way to get the job done.
     • Participants did not receive reading materials in advance. Everyone should read on their own, and not while at a meeting.
     • The only available room does not meet the technical needs. If the material cannot be presented in the required form, wait for a better opportunity.
     • Recent events have influenced the purpose of the meeting.
   • The manager must know not only how to conduct a good meeting, but also when it is better NOT to have it.

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 needed to implement 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 performance results, achievement of 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.