Managing Meetings

As organisations become more complex and more people become involved in decision-processes, we must expect to deal with more meetings. Different skills are required when dealing with groups of people in a meeting than are required in one-to-one meetings.

This module covers the key elements in ensuring a successful meeting, the elements required to set-up a meeting and chair it, as well as the skills needed as an attendee. The module focuses on meetings with groups of people, though many of the skills and principles apply equally if the meeting is between two people.

A meeting can be a valuable and motivational event, or a sad waste of money. Unfortunately too many meetings take place due to precedent and preference, rather than being a careful investment.

Elements covered:

• Introduction to Managing Meetings
• Planning for meetings
• Chairing and agenda setting
• Essential listening skills
• Essential questioning skills
• Understanding non-verbal communication
• Meeting control skills

Competency addressed:
This module is designed to contribute to the PRE4M™ Organised Planner Persuasive Influencer Competencies at Foundation and Advanced level.

At the end of this module learners will understand how to:

• Articulate poorly expressed meanings where appropriate to check understanding
• Articulate the difference between simple question types
• Earn and maintain the respect of others through evidence of integrity, expertise and sound judgement
• Encourage team members to propose new solutions
• Inspire confidence in others through a commanding presence which gains attention
• Listen and pick up on clear content of others’ messages
• Reflect back what is said to check understanding
• Select an appropriate question type for each situation
• Structure conversations using questions
• Summarise discussions to check understanding
• Take account of the needs of others before responding
• Use a range of listening techniques to build rapport and tailor propositions
• Use third parties to effectively support and lobby for own agenda