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Video Arts Production - More Bloody Meetings

The Video Arts Production, "Meetings Bloody Meetings" dealt with how to organise the mechanics of meetings - how to prepare, inform others, use the agenda to plan the sequence of discussion, and record the decisions.

But learning the organisational lessons about chairing meetings is not enough. It is also necessary to handle the people in the meeting. This is the thrust of the video "More Bloody Meetings". It sets out:

 

  • how to calm people down and unite them when they get worked up and aggressive

  • how to focus them when they are rambling, confused or at cross purposes

  • how to stop people squashing other’s ideas and how to get people to work constructively together

  • how to build better decisions

 

To chair a meeting effectively means to get better results from the group than they would have achieved had you not been there. Most managers spend most of their time in meetings. If they cannot manage meetings then they cannot manage.

The video suggests that there are three laws when it comes to the human side of managing effective meetings. These are stated below with some techniques for accomplishing them.

 

LAW 1: UNITE THE GROUP

Danger: Aggression

t let off the steam

t don’t take sides

t bring in the others

t stick to the facts

LAW 2: FOCUS THE GROUP

Danger: Getting off the point

n stay alert

n keep a hand on the wheel

n test comprehension

n paraphrase/ check back

LAW 3: MOBILISE THE GROUP

Danger: Squashing

            Ø protect the weak

            Ø check around the group

            Ø record suggestions

            Ø build up ideas

 

 

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