Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Understanding Ourselves and Others

• Understanding that when we ask others to attend a meeting, we are imposing our priorities upon them
• What drives our behaviour?
• Are we aware of how our behaviour affects others: do they always respond as we want or as they should? If not, why not…?

The Process for Managing Meetings

• Why is a meeting necessary; what are the alternatives; are any of these preferable?
• The process for calling, managing, and preparing for meetings:
  • Creating a meaningful agenda covering the meeting’s objectives, subjects to be covered, and suggested timings
  • Inviting only the right people – and nobody else
  • Managing the meeting: allowing only relevant contributions (while carefully differentiating between relevant and irrelevant inputs); sticking to the agenda; keeping to time
  • Creating outputs: not necessarily detailed minutes, but at least action points
  • Arranging follow-up meeting(s)

Attending Meetings

• Do I need to attend every meeting to which I am invited?
• How do I decide whether or not to attend meetings?
• What justifications do I have for declining to attend?
• What else am I allowed to do during a meeting, considering the attendees, subject matter being discussed, and timings?

Other Personal Efficiency and Time Management Issues

• Setting Objectives – personal and professional – and adhering to them
• Work Prioritisation
  • How do I decide what needs to be done?
  • How do I prioritise these activities?
• Employee-Imposed Time: are my staff and colleagues working for me, or am I working for them…?
• Time Bandits: what else steals time away from me, and what can I do about it?
  • E-mails
  • Telephone calls
  • Unplanned interruptions
  • Displacement activities: procrastination…
  • Other things…
• Effective Delegation
• Assertiveness: seeking a compromise; learning to say “no” effectively