Meetings can be an effective way of making best use of diverse skills and experience, but too often they waste both time and resources. Run well, the meeting is an effective decision-making tool. To ensure that meetings are productive they must be skilfully planned and expertly managed.
This workshop gives you the opportunity to develop and practice the skills of an effective chairperson or facilitator through practical “hands-on” exercises. You will learn how to set meeting goals, develop clear agendas, and handle difficult group dynamics effectively.
Program content
Preparing for the meeting
- Invite the right people, in the right number
- Set and prioritize the agenda objective(s)
- Motivate people to attend
Chairing the meeting effectively
- Guide the group through the decision-making process
- Keep focused on the objective
- Keep group notes
- Strengthen the group process
- Work effectively with the minute taker
- Achieve group consensus on the final decision
- Ensure all decisions are SMART decisions (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed.)
- Apply operating guidelines (protocols) for teleconferences and videoconferences
- Develop the group’s meeting skills by regular debriefings
What an effective facilitator says and does:
- Develops a results-driven agenda
- Establishes the ground rules at the start of the meeting
- Listens actively
- Uses a collaborative problem-solving approach
- Encourages all participants to contribute
- Maintains a neutral standpoint
- Keeps the meeting on track by controlling irrelevant discussions and digressions
- Handles disagreement in a way that enhances the decision-making process
- Minimizes conflict between dissenting participants
- Helps to bring the group to consensus on final decision
- Makes skilful interventions to move the discussion on
- Summarizes the discussion at key points
- Keeps the meeting on track and on time
- Ensures that the decisions fully meet the meeting objectives
- Closes the meeting with clarity and commitment
Course Approach
This workshop is interactive and fun. You will be given the opportunity to facilitate part of a meeting, enabling you to develop your facilitation skills quickly in a supportive environment.
Course objectives
- To develop skills in setting the agenda
- To develop skills in motivating members to attend and to prepare for meetings
- To develop and practice skills in making a point persuasively and assertively
- To identify and apply techniques for keeping the meeting on track and on time
- To identify the causes of tension and conflict within the decision-making group
- To practice techniques for handling disagreement in a way that enhances the decision-making process
- To identify and apply special techniques for effective teleconferences and videoconferences
- To ensure that effective follow-up actions are implemented
Who should attend
As this is a core management competence it is useful for managers, supervisors and project team leaders, and for anyone who is given the responsibility for chairing a meeting.