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Take_charge_Seven_tips_to_successful_meetings
| Take charge! Seven tips to successful meetings
We've all been there. We attend a seminar or a meeting and gnash
our teeth as the leader falters, gets off track or allows other
participants to waste our time. These tips create a strategy for
effective leadership.
1. You're the leader. Be strong! Don't abdicate your role to the
participants.
2. Get buy-in on your agenda and goals before you begin Begin
with, "Here's what we're covering today. Do these topics meet
your needs?"
3. Keep the group on track. Sooner or later, a participant will
toss out an irrelevant comment or (worse) a long-winded story.
Another will dominate the discussion. Be ready with tactics:
"I'm sorry to interrupt, and I'd like to hear that story during
our break." Or, "That's a great topic -- next week's class." Or,
"Let's hear a question from someone who's been silent all
morning."
4. Demand attention! Cell phones off, private conversations in
the hallway. Participants will be grateful. They're usually
afraid to speak up themselves.
5. Eyelids drooping? Time for a break, even if you haven't
scheduled one. Sleepy participants lower the meeting's energy.
Incorporate exercises and breakout sessions into any event that
lasts more than an hour. Keep everyone moving.
6. Just before your meeting ends, identify take-aways. What do
you want participants to learn? What should they remember?
7. End early. Use the last fifteen minutes -- no more -- to go
around the room and ask everyone a question. "What will be
different next time you sit down to write?" "What surprised you
most in today's class?" "What is your next step?"
About the author:
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., author of Making the Big Move, offers
straightforward career and business consulting to midlife
professionals "When Your Career Means Business." Your Next Move
ezine: http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html Website:
http://www.cathygoodwin.com
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