Effective Meetings Training Course - One Day

About this Effective Meetings Training Course

In order that meetings can to be seen as being positive and productive, they need to be effective. Badly planned meetings will be seen as a waste of time by attendees. The high cost of meetings is often another cause for concern and should be taken into account when organising meetings.

This Effective Meetings training course examines the common mistakes which are made and how to avoid them. We will show how to make your meetings more purposeful, as well as developing your skills to keep meetings on-track. We discuss the importance and roles of the chairperson and minute taker. Learn how to gain co-operation from attendees, manage any conflict, or attendees who are disruptive or cynical; together with how to make logical decisions and action planning.

Effective Meetings Training - One Day Course Overview

Available Dates and Locations

In-House Course Available Call us on +44 (0)20 3856 3037 to discuss your requirements or Read More >

Please note all our training courses include optional three months FREE telephone coaching to answer any on-going questions.

Course Timings: Start 09:00 - Finish 16:30. Lunch at 13:00, Tea Breaks at 11:00 and 15:00.
6 trainer-led hours, additional 2-3 via post-course portal independent learning

Our Open Training Courses run in: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Maidstone, Scotland, Reading, Dublin, Ireland, Leeds, Luton, Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Gloucestershire.
In-house courses can be run in the UK or worldwide to suit you.

Effective Meetings Training Course Content

Effective Meetings Training - Day One - AM

Introduction

The purpose of this course is to answer the following question.

“How can we have more productive meetings that are Goal focused, well designed, well managed, well prepared and held in the correct frame of mind?”

The high cost of meetings

If you are going to have a meeting, then make sure that the value derived from the meeting outweighs the cost of the meeting.

This course sets out the method by which you may avoid the pitfalls of bad meetings and reap the benefits of good meetings.

1. The cost of the meeting is very high. Therefore, the value of the meeting must be even higher.
2. Don't hold a 2k meeting for a 1k decision
3. What are the three practical alternatives to having a face to face meeting?
4. What are the benefits to having a face to face meeting?

The five qualities of productive meetings

In order for your meetings to be more productive, they should conform to the following five key principles:

1. Clear Purpose
   There must be a definite purpose to the meeting - Too many meetings drift on without purpose.
2. Accurate Language
   The language must be focused and accurate. Not too much ambiguity, vagueness, repetition or digression.
3. Planned Approach
   The meeting should have an agenda, a definite structure.
4. Rational conflict management and decision methods.
   The meeting will often be held in order to make some kind of decision, or to analyse a difficult situation, therefore, the meeting may create disagreements and some conflicts. Such Decisions, analysis and conflicts need to be discussed and aired rationally, not emotionally: With logic, not with upset or anger.
5. Positive atmosphere
   To be most valuable, the meeting must be held in the spirit of cooperation: not antagonism.

The role of the chairperson

The chair person is a member of the meeting who directs and coordinates the activities of the delegates.
Notes on the chairing the meeting skills.

The agenda

The agenda is a written document that states the purpose of the meeting. It gives the meeting a structure.

The minutes / notes

The minutes of the meeting are the written notes (or recordings) of the main essentials of the meeting. Notes on note taking skills.

Effective Meetings Training - Day One - PM

The Delegates

The delegates are those people who attend the meeting. They come in various types:

• The railroader
  The railroader is the person who tries to dominate the meeting by pushing his ideas on the others without proper thought.
• The joker
  The joker misuses humour and detracts rather than adds value to the meeting.
• The digresser
  The digresser is the person who cannot keep his mind on the issue at hand and talks for too long about non-related or trivial issues.
• The cynic
  The cynic is the person who criticises all ideas without having any positive or practical ideas of his own to offer in their place.
• The 'broken record'
  The person who is obsessive over one issue: The delegate who cannot stop from thinking and talking about only one thing.

Most meetings are about making decisions

• Don't procrastinate unnecessarily on making the decisions.
• Don't be tempted to endlessly delay making the decision on the grounds that you do not yet have perfect knowledge.
• You need to decide even in the face of incomplete and uncertain knowledge.

Decision matrix methods

There are six types of decision:

1. Yes or No? Decisions. (Should we or should we not.)
2. Which one, What kind? Decisions
3. What is the priority order? Decisions
4. What is the correct logical sequence? Decisions.
5. Problem cause solution. Decisions.
6. Problem implication and countermeasure. Decisions.

Three skills of proper analysis.

1. Analyse the MEANING of key words and phrases. Agree a SINGLE meaning of your key terms.
2. Analysis: Analysis is the act of breaking complex concepts into their constituent parts.
3. Analysis of problem cause and solution. Assume that all problems have multiple causes, each of which suggest potential solutions.

The importance of taking good notes

1. In the meeting take good written notes.
2. Mental notes. (Memory training).
3. Make up your written notes.
4. Make up your action plans.
5. Review your notes. Don't ignore them.

Meeting skills. A Practice Exercise.

Let us hold a meeting in order to come to definite conclusions.
Let us see how well you do.
Discussion and questions.

Summary and Action Plan.

The Course Training Method

The training method follows this general pattern - the training is very interactive and interesting:

1. The trainer gives a clear explanation of the point in question with specific examples.
2. Then, the delegates practice by doing an exercise with each other.
3. The delegates practice by doing an exercise with the trainer.
4. All points are supported with full written notes to take away.
5. Delegates are asked to write down an associated action, for each point made.
   (At the end of the day, we have about twenty such actions, from which the delegates choose six which are the most personally meaningful).

Note: we do not believe in placing people in any situation of embarrassment by demanding that they 'perform' in front of the whole group. So you can relax: come on this course and be at ease; ready to learn new skills!

Express an Interest

If you feel you would like to attend but cannot yet commit to a secured booking, you can express your interest here.

In-House Training Course Pricing and Proposal

This course is available from just £1,950 +VAT per day as a bespoke in-house group training course in the UK and worldwide.

It has been designed to provide a similar experience to our open courses, however we can tailor the content to fit your specific needs. In-House Group training costs from just £1,950 +VAT per day for up to 20 delegates (international training price varies). Plus, hotel accommodation for trainer if necessary. (Premier Inn type: not the Hilton!)

This price includes:

• Quality training delivered by an experienced trainer
• Full days training
• Full colour course handbook
• Preparation work
• Travel costs and time
• Written action plan to take away
• Access to our post course portal
• Access to our on-line leadership and management decision matrix templates and tools
• Plus three months FREE telephone coaching to answer any on-going questions

Contact Us Today

Please call us on +44 (0)20 3856 3037 to discuss your requirements for the in-house training course.

If you want to know more about any other Management Training Courses, or their suitability for you or a colleague, call us on +44 (0)20 3856 3037.

Email your Manager

If you are reading this page with the intention of attending the course, then you may need to 'put forward a case' to a manager who makes the final decision.

So, you may find it beneficial to give your manager this document, which will give all the information needed to make the right decision.

To do this, please enter the manager's email address below and.. take me to your leader!

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