| 1. Speak up everyone! Create an environment where people can speak up without fear of mockery, reprisals or condemnation. Use meeting “ground-rules” written up on a flip-chart, to ensure everyone in the meeting understands what behaviour is expected and acceptable. 2. Stick to plan Agree and stick to an agenda. Don’t go off topic, however interesting a diversion this may be. 3. Two ears, one mouth! Let one person speak at a time. If this proves hard to enforce, maybe use a “talking stick” or some other object which is held by the speaker and passed to the next speaker. 4. Empty vessels make the most noise Increase the thought put into individuals' contributions by encouraging them to write down their points before it is their turn to speak. 5. Agreed? Let's move swiftly on Avoid “violently agreeing” within the group – if you have achieved consensus, move on and don’t waste time discussing why the idea is so good. 6. One meeting one memory Take comprehensive notes on a flip chart, for all to see, that way you'll reach agreement quicker than if everyone is taking their own, slightly different, notes. Publish these notes quickly after the meeting. 7. Get a reputation Behaviour breeds behaviour, so be consistently good at running meetings and in turn, your meetings will become more effective. By Lyndsay Swinton, Owner, Management For The Rest Of Us www.mftrou.com |
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| TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS MEETINGS |
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