Secrets of Effective Managers
18 October 2010
Read by 1866 persons
Not only is your company suffering from acute meetingitis, but these meetings rarely lead to concrete decisions. Here's how to change your habits to increase productivity.
Do you feel like you spend your days in meetings? A few simple techniques can make them shorter and more effective. "First of all, ask yourself if the subject justifies bringing your colleagues together," says Didier Noyé, author of "Successful Meetings" (Insep Consulting Editions). "If it's just to give them information, an email is enough." Bringing them together remains essential to coordinate their actions, spark ideas, or build relationships between them. But in this case, be inflexible about the schedule: starting on time is the best way to finish on time, and tough luck for latecomers. Next? It's your ability as a facilitator that will make the difference.
Prepare the meeting agenda carefully
Considering the hourly wage of the participants, a meeting represents a considerable investment for the company! "That's why we don't get together for fun, but for a specific purpose," recalls Jacques Laverrière, consultant at Demos. It's up to you to clearly state what you expect from this meeting and to schedule follow-up meetings to develop anything that is not directly related to the theme of the day. Note the points to be discussed: what? with whom? how many? when? where? Specify the meeting schedule in an agenda that you will send to those concerned before the chosen date. Marc Fiorentino, president of EURLand Finance (financial engineering), brings together six to ten employees twice a week. "They are notified of the theme at least two days in advance. And I collect all the information on the subject we are going to discuss in order to write a summary that is distributed to them at the beginning of the meeting."
To ensure that the discussions are constructive, there is no need to gather too many people. You don't ask someone simply to keep them informed or to spare their feelings: their skills must be able to help solve the problem. Lionel Bieder, founder of the cleaning company Augias, rarely calls his ten directors together. "When we have a specific challenge to meet with a client or when we encounter a technical difficulty, I only contact the three or four people who can take concrete action." And the others appreciate it.
Lead the discussions and encourage everyone to participate
Nothing worse than a schedule that slips. Because rhythm is the key to efficiency. "Break down the agenda into sections: ten minutes for the presentation, ten minutes for a round table, and twenty minutes of debate, for example," recommends Didier Noyé. The trick to being sure to finish on time? Organize the meeting before lunch! Above all, avoid lunchtime and Friday afternoons, when people's minds are elsewhere. The duration obviously depends on the subject discussed. However, you should know that it is difficult to remain productive beyond an hour and a half. But even a short meeting can become soporific if you don't take care. It's up to you to capture the attention of those present and to encourage participation. Start by refining your opening. "Tell a memorable event, reveal the results of a survey or study," suggests Bruno Barjou, author of "Successfully Leading and Facilitating Your Meetings" (Territorial Editions). Move on to the objectives to be achieved. After presenting the subject, give your personal opinion, then encourage discussion.
Some participants remain withdrawn? Form subgroups of three or four people for a few minutes to allow the shy ones to express themselves. "Ask them for their opinion," continues the consultant. "Note everyone's ideas on a whiteboard to capture attention and refocus the debate when participants stray from the subject." Don't hesitate to systematically explain complex concepts: not everyone is supposed to know what a "B2B push" technique is, for example…
Finally, be careful not to hide behind your documentation. PowerPoint presentations, essential when you need to provide figures or a graph, quickly bore everyone. "I reserve slides for my executive committee," explains François Fay, administrative and financial director at Fiat France, "always making sure to enrich this information orally. With my own team, I avoid them because it takes too much time." Despite your efforts, do your meetings seem dull? Change your habits! Find a new room, for example, switch from a U-shaped table to a round table. A simple modification in the arrangements of a recurring meeting can be enough to revive the atmosphere and spark new ideas.
Before concluding, summarize the progress made
Keep in mind that a meeting must lead to concrete actions. "In France, people too often settle for 'we'll think about it and then we'll talk about it again.' You have to decide during the meeting, even if you have to correct course later," advises Bruno Barjou. Make sure to listen to all points of view to avoid creating frustration. The tone rises? "Outbursts sometimes do good," admits Jacques Laverrière, from the Demos group. "But to restore calm and refocus the debate, take stock of the areas of agreement or disagreement between everyone." The essential thing is to show the minority that their opinion is also taken into account.
After regularly summarizing the progress made during the session, conclude by leaving the feeling that the meeting was a success and brought something to each person present. Emphasize the progress made. Then have this conclusion validated by everyone through a final and quick round table. Once you have thanked the participants and said goodbye, write a report "while it's fresh." This "record of decisions" will include the steps of the action plan developed: the tasks planned, the names of those responsible for their execution, the resources needed, and, of course, the deadlines set. A chore? Not necessarily. Know that in this area, using telegraphic style will facilitate both reading and memorization of your note.
Posted online October 19, 2010
www.capital.fr
Do you feel like you spend your days in meetings? A few simple techniques can make them shorter and more effective. "First of all, ask yourself if the subject justifies bringing your colleagues together," says Didier Noyé, author of "Successful Meetings" (Insep Consulting Editions). "If it's just to give them information, an email is enough." Bringing them together remains essential to coordinate their actions, spark ideas, or build relationships between them. But in this case, be inflexible about the schedule: starting on time is the best way to finish on time, and tough luck for latecomers. Next? It's your ability as a facilitator that will make the difference.
Prepare the meeting agenda carefully
Considering the hourly wage of the participants, a meeting represents a considerable investment for the company! "That's why we don't get together for fun, but for a specific purpose," recalls Jacques Laverrière, consultant at Demos. It's up to you to clearly state what you expect from this meeting and to schedule follow-up meetings to develop anything that is not directly related to the theme of the day. Note the points to be discussed: what? with whom? how many? when? where? Specify the meeting schedule in an agenda that you will send to those concerned before the chosen date. Marc Fiorentino, president of EURLand Finance (financial engineering), brings together six to ten employees twice a week. "They are notified of the theme at least two days in advance. And I collect all the information on the subject we are going to discuss in order to write a summary that is distributed to them at the beginning of the meeting."
To ensure that the discussions are constructive, there is no need to gather too many people. You don't ask someone simply to keep them informed or to spare their feelings: their skills must be able to help solve the problem. Lionel Bieder, founder of the cleaning company Augias, rarely calls his ten directors together. "When we have a specific challenge to meet with a client or when we encounter a technical difficulty, I only contact the three or four people who can take concrete action." And the others appreciate it.
Lead the discussions and encourage everyone to participate
Nothing worse than a schedule that slips. Because rhythm is the key to efficiency. "Break down the agenda into sections: ten minutes for the presentation, ten minutes for a round table, and twenty minutes of debate, for example," recommends Didier Noyé. The trick to being sure to finish on time? Organize the meeting before lunch! Above all, avoid lunchtime and Friday afternoons, when people's minds are elsewhere. The duration obviously depends on the subject discussed. However, you should know that it is difficult to remain productive beyond an hour and a half. But even a short meeting can become soporific if you don't take care. It's up to you to capture the attention of those present and to encourage participation. Start by refining your opening. "Tell a memorable event, reveal the results of a survey or study," suggests Bruno Barjou, author of "Successfully Leading and Facilitating Your Meetings" (Territorial Editions). Move on to the objectives to be achieved. After presenting the subject, give your personal opinion, then encourage discussion.
Some participants remain withdrawn? Form subgroups of three or four people for a few minutes to allow the shy ones to express themselves. "Ask them for their opinion," continues the consultant. "Note everyone's ideas on a whiteboard to capture attention and refocus the debate when participants stray from the subject." Don't hesitate to systematically explain complex concepts: not everyone is supposed to know what a "B2B push" technique is, for example…
Finally, be careful not to hide behind your documentation. PowerPoint presentations, essential when you need to provide figures or a graph, quickly bore everyone. "I reserve slides for my executive committee," explains François Fay, administrative and financial director at Fiat France, "always making sure to enrich this information orally. With my own team, I avoid them because it takes too much time." Despite your efforts, do your meetings seem dull? Change your habits! Find a new room, for example, switch from a U-shaped table to a round table. A simple modification in the arrangements of a recurring meeting can be enough to revive the atmosphere and spark new ideas.
Before concluding, summarize the progress made
Keep in mind that a meeting must lead to concrete actions. "In France, people too often settle for 'we'll think about it and then we'll talk about it again.' You have to decide during the meeting, even if you have to correct course later," advises Bruno Barjou. Make sure to listen to all points of view to avoid creating frustration. The tone rises? "Outbursts sometimes do good," admits Jacques Laverrière, from the Demos group. "But to restore calm and refocus the debate, take stock of the areas of agreement or disagreement between everyone." The essential thing is to show the minority that their opinion is also taken into account.
After regularly summarizing the progress made during the session, conclude by leaving the feeling that the meeting was a success and brought something to each person present. Emphasize the progress made. Then have this conclusion validated by everyone through a final and quick round table. Once you have thanked the participants and said goodbye, write a report "while it's fresh." This "record of decisions" will include the steps of the action plan developed: the tasks planned, the names of those responsible for their execution, the resources needed, and, of course, the deadlines set. A chore? Not necessarily. Know that in this area, using telegraphic style will facilitate both reading and memorization of your note.
Posted online October 19, 2010
www.capital.fr
