Running meetings is an art form and unless you master the basics, it will only become more difficult throughout your career. Why call a meeting. A meeting is called because you want to sort something out. Why do you need to sort something out. Because you are unsure of something or need help with something or disagree with others about something etc etc.
SO...What do you need to know: Who to invite the meeting - People with influence and who can produce something that will assist you. Who not to invite to the meeting - People who shoot from the hip and put up road blocks for the sake of it. How long the meeting should go for - Depends on what your agenda is, but don't be afraid to book out 30mins-60mins if its only going to take 10mins (people love meetings that are efficient and to the point).
Presentation slides are important for the meeting but ensure you have the facilities available. If anyone needs to bring something along ensure you give them plenty of notice for it to be a success. Create an action list / agenda items / accountability for the key issues to be discussed.
Quite often the discussion in meetings will become heated and people will have different views. The parking lot is a great tool for these sorts of issues. Always remain neutral and calm. Agenda: Context - Reasons for having a meeting, and the issues you have. Stakeholders - Ensure the correct people are involved and feel empowered. Your position - Discuss your ideas for the path forward. Action items - Keeping track of what is required and by when and whom and the context. Close out - Let everyone know that you appreciate their time.
When presenting to management its always a daunting task and you need to understand what it is that they find useful to see and hear. Congratulations that you have the opportunity to present to management, its not something that everyone gets a chance to do. What does management want. To understand the work in progress and ensure its in line with their vision for the future. They also want to reward good performance and it is a credit to you that you are an 'adviser' to the management team. What do you want from management. This is obviously different for each individual but in general we want recognition, money or power. This is a harsh way of framing it however when we break down motivation it is quite simple.
Trust and respect are key elements of what you want at the end of any presentation or interaction. With trust you can continue on as you were and make decisions with the backing of your peers and managers without feeling like you continually need to justify your position. Respect is more around the recognition for your work and respect leads to further job opportunities and additional workload. With trust and respect you can change an organisation.
Presentation tips and tricks
Start with the context, move to the key learning and goals, finish on the benefits to the business and success.
Impression is everything so don't let yourself down. You have done a great job and finish with some positive notes on current work.
Go through the negative details early on so that you can discuss how they arose and what you did to rectify them , always prepare for the hard questions. Preparation can be done in a number of ways, brainstorming for causes and effects is a great way to show all the possibilities.
Graphical representations and dot points are great as they are easy to focus on and understand.
In finishing, keep it simple (KISS principle)
REMEMBER - The managers are people too, they get nervous and they have to do what you are doing to their boss. Show them how its done!
SO...What do you need to know: Who to invite the meeting - People with influence and who can produce something that will assist you. Who not to invite to the meeting - People who shoot from the hip and put up road blocks for the sake of it. How long the meeting should go for - Depends on what your agenda is, but don't be afraid to book out 30mins-60mins if its only going to take 10mins (people love meetings that are efficient and to the point).
Presentation slides are important for the meeting but ensure you have the facilities available. If anyone needs to bring something along ensure you give them plenty of notice for it to be a success. Create an action list / agenda items / accountability for the key issues to be discussed.
Quite often the discussion in meetings will become heated and people will have different views. The parking lot is a great tool for these sorts of issues. Always remain neutral and calm. Agenda: Context - Reasons for having a meeting, and the issues you have. Stakeholders - Ensure the correct people are involved and feel empowered. Your position - Discuss your ideas for the path forward. Action items - Keeping track of what is required and by when and whom and the context. Close out - Let everyone know that you appreciate their time.
When presenting to management its always a daunting task and you need to understand what it is that they find useful to see and hear. Congratulations that you have the opportunity to present to management, its not something that everyone gets a chance to do. What does management want. To understand the work in progress and ensure its in line with their vision for the future. They also want to reward good performance and it is a credit to you that you are an 'adviser' to the management team. What do you want from management. This is obviously different for each individual but in general we want recognition, money or power. This is a harsh way of framing it however when we break down motivation it is quite simple.
Trust and respect are key elements of what you want at the end of any presentation or interaction. With trust you can continue on as you were and make decisions with the backing of your peers and managers without feeling like you continually need to justify your position. Respect is more around the recognition for your work and respect leads to further job opportunities and additional workload. With trust and respect you can change an organisation.
Presentation tips and tricks
Start with the context, move to the key learning and goals, finish on the benefits to the business and success.
Impression is everything so don't let yourself down. You have done a great job and finish with some positive notes on current work.
Go through the negative details early on so that you can discuss how they arose and what you did to rectify them , always prepare for the hard questions. Preparation can be done in a number of ways, brainstorming for causes and effects is a great way to show all the possibilities.
Graphical representations and dot points are great as they are easy to focus on and understand.
In finishing, keep it simple (KISS principle)
REMEMBER - The managers are people too, they get nervous and they have to do what you are doing to their boss. Show them how its done!
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