Liven up a boring meeting
You are in charge of a committee at work that no one seems to care about. Meeting attendance is lackluster, and those who do come rarely speak up. Here are 11 ways to make people feel more engaged.
Category: Meetings
Meeting planning: Expect the unexpected
Planning an out-of-town meeting? Here’s how to deal with delays, cancellations, shutdowns, mergers and other airline industry woes.
3 don’ts for your next meeting
Work is ever more collaborative, and the need for daily efficiency stronger than ever. So who has time for boring, unproductive meetings? No one. Keep meetings focused by heeding these don’ts.
Want results? Complain, but offer a solution
Kate believes the meeting is a huge waste of time because colleagues always ramble on when it’s their turn to speak, and there’s no real structure to the gathering. At this point, says family and divorce lawyer-mediator Laurie Puhn, Kate can handle this situation in two ways. One is a communication blunder; the other a communication wonder.
Hold a gripe session to corral complaints
“I work with a constant complainer. And now, other admins have started to join in. How am I, as the team leader, supposed to put a stop to it?” Hold a gripe session, providing a forum for negative employees to vent.
Nitty-gritty minute-taking
“I hate taking minutes. What do I write down? How do I know what’s important?” Streamline your minute-taking by recording notes as bullet points. Distill any conversation down to its essentials.
Dealing with ‘difficult’ co-workers
Even if you’re not the person’s manager, you can gently coach a “difficult” co-worker toward positive behavior. Try taking the employoee aside after a meeting and follow these steps.
Kick up your meetings
Respondents in Britain deemed cookies more important than lighting, technology and artwork in a boardroom.
The icebreaker: ‘Hi, my name is …’
Break the ice with this activity, geared toward a group of 20 or more, taken from Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers by Brian Cole Miller. The goal isn’t a “meet and greet,” but for everyone to really get to know a few new people.
Teaching Gen Y and making it stick
As baby boomers prepare to retire, offices are left to figure out: “How do we make sure all their know-how and institutional memory are left behind?” Here are a few tips for capturing admin knowledge before it walks out the door, and making sure it sticks with younger generations …