How to Chair and Conduct Meetings
Group - One Day Course
Course description
Meetings should be something to look forward to. They should be stimulating – where people say clearly what they want and what they think; where the chair draws out and develops the flow, and deftly draws various points of view together to get agreement or consensus.
This course gives the skills that can be used to make a meeting work like this.
We show how to plan and run an entire meeting or part thereof. This is done with short lectures, course notes, demonstrations and practical exercises.
A two-day version of the course is available, which gives more personal skills which are relevant to meetings, and more time to integrate hands-on skills.
Who will benefit?
Organisations where meetings consume a lot of time. People who work in government agencies, and in law firms are always seeking ways to spend les time in meetings. These skills are also attractive to who want to use meetings to advance their projects and their personal reputation.
Course outline
Overview of meetings. Ensuring that the time and resources needed to hold or attend a meeting are worthwhile. Is there a more efficient method of getting the result? What are the criteria required for people to attend a meeting?
How to plan a meeting or an agenda item - reports, reviews, information items, other business. Need to be clear on specific objective of the meeting or item, and how to know when it has been reached. Activity beforehand – information, lobbying, approvals, judge level of support, key decision makers, prepare opening statement.
Introducing a meeting or an agenda item. Opening statement, specific purpose of meeting or item, how achievement of purpose can be recognised, definition of terms or scope, rules for delegates’ contributions – how often, how long.
Progressing discussion. How to encourage contribution, how to clarify using paraphrasing or language clarification questions, summarising, keeping on agenda, handling problem participant. Four methods of moving from disagreement to agreement – summarise, if…then…, Harvard technique, agreement anchor. Check on self-beliefs to assist in handling frustrations such as insufficient information, or absence of key players, or losing an argument.
Ending a meeting or an agenda item. How we will know when objective is reached, check for problems, responsibility for action, timeframes, specific first step.
We would have brief practical exercises at many points – to learn and discuss specific communication or conceptual skills.
The last hour and a half would be spent on a role play where a chair would have to handle a major disagreement between the members. Time for preparation and debriefing is included. Two people would be observer/reporters – one watching the chair, and the other watching the group.
Course arrangements
This program usually works best when all participants come from one organisation. Individuals who wish to do this course usally seek out friends or colleagues to make up a minimum group size of four. Preferred maximum size is 20.