Cairn - March 2008 - Get More From Your Meetings - Part 1
Published: Thu, 03/06/08
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Cairn One Step At A Time |
March 2008
Issue 47
clare evans |
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personal & business coach | ||
Welcome to all new subscribers since last month.
We're coming to the end of the first quarter of the year. Winter has been a bit sporadic but it's slowly giving way to Spring, although we seem to have a few mild, sunny days followed by cold weather, biting wind and threats of snow.
I was down in Somerset for a few days last month, taking responsibility for not only a house and a dog but two teenagers. Being used to just looking after me, it was certainly a change of routine. Getting up early to walk the dog, getting the girls off to school, acting as a taxi service and cooking in the evening. Even though they are pretty self-sufficient, I have a renewed admiration for working Mum's who have to do so much more on a day by day basis, juggling looking after a household, children and working or running a business.
At least the early morning routine means I've pretty much stuck with it since getting back home, also helped by the fact that the morning are so much lighter. It's now light when I leave for my weekly breakfast meeting and there's still a reasonable amount of daylight in the late afternoon. The clocks will be changing soon, so it will be even lighter in the mornings.
Stirred into getting back into a more regular exercise routine. Although I'm now dancing a couple of times a week, I've not been out running quite as regularly and I've noticed a few extra pounds creeping on as a result of spending more time indoors and being less active generally. We all tend to put on a few pounds over winter, so with the weather warming up and the days getting longer, it's a good time to boost our activity before we start stripping off for the summer.
I've recently been writing about meetings as a Chapter for my book and wanted to share some of the ideas with you all. There's quite a lot to it, so I've broken it into two if not three parts. This is the first part.
You can catch up on the rest of what I've been up to in my blog - http://www.clareevans.blogspot.com.
Enjoy the rest of this newsletter.
Get More From Your Meetings - Part 1
Meetings can be a great excuse to waste time and yet another frustration in an already busy day. While meetings can be a good way of communicating and discussing new opportunities, they can also be an unproductive use of several people's time.
Before you arrange or attend a meeting, decide whether it's the most effective use of everybody's time? Could the information be better communicated by email or with a phone call or report? The purpose and outcome of the meeting should balance the input of time and effort by all those involved.
Studies have shown that ineffective meetings lead to general dissatisfaction and an increase in employee turnover. Badly run and ineffective meetings are listed as one of the top three timewasters and is the reason that 70% of employees feel they're unproductive. Don't make things worse. Meetings need to be relevant and appropriate. Don't hold a meeting just for the sake of it.
If it's your meeting, before you even start arranging it, decide what you plan to achieve. Write it down.
"As a result of this meeting - I want to ..."
Decide on the type of meeting required. Face to face meetings are good if you're working in a team, if you all work in the same office or within a short distance from each other and it's easy to arrange.
If you're part of a distributed team then meeting up face to face might not be as practical but can still happen when the end justifies the means. It might be the only chance that people get to meet and talk to each other in person.
Technology means that people don't always have to be in the same room to meet. It's easy to set up meetings using teleseminars or group conference call facilities or using the internet. This can include presentations and notes in a 'classroom' format. As there are no visual cues on a group conference call, these need to be handled carefully to ensure that everyone is allowed to speak, key points are documented and that communication is clear.
Web conferencing can be useful but can also be distracting and the quality of the technology can make a difference to its effectiveness. Make sure you test out the technology in advance.
If you regularly attend networking events, what do you plan to get from the meeting:
- Meet new contacts
- Develop existing relationships
Networking meetings are not just about doing business. No one likes to have a sales pitch in the first few minutes of meeting you. They're about making connections and building relationships.
The key to managing yours and everyone else's time is planning - particularly when it comes to meetings. When organising your meeting, decide on a suitable location, how long the meeting needs to be, who needs to attend and most importantly have an agenda.
If you haven't been given an agenda for a meeting you've been asked to attend - don't go. You could be completely wasting your time if there is no objective, no agenda and no agreed outcome.
There will be more on meetings in future issues - planning meetings, getting to meetings on time.
If you would like to have more time in your day, increase your effectiveness and be more productive give me a call, send an email to info@clareevans.co.uk or sign-up for one of my Friday Focus sessions.
What's On, What's New
Up-coming teleclasses, workshops:
Friday Focus - A free 30 minute focused session to discuss your specific challenges, objectives and goals for 2008, get a sounding board for your ideas, increase your motivation and create accountability. Call or email to arrange a date and time.
Procrastination Teleclass. A specific teleclass on one of the more common challenges facing most people today. Find out why you procrastinate and some effective ways to deal with it. Join this one-hour call on Tuesday 25th March at 12.45pm.
If you were forwarded this issue of the newsletter you can register to receive your own copy each month by sending a blank email to claresnews@aweber.com. If you'd rather not receive my monthly newsletter, just click the link at the bottom of this email.
Until next month, don't get bogged down in meetings.
Clare
Clare Evans - Personal and Business Time Management Coach
Phone: +44 (0)1273 588297
Email: info@clareevans.co.uk
Website: www.clareevans.co.uk
Get organised! Get a new perspective!
Copyright: Clare Evans Personal & Business Coaching © 2008
----------
Create your own automated newsletters with Aweber. E-mail follow up, ad tracking, & real-time stats for your emails. http://www.aweber.com/features.htm?207782
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We're coming to the end of the first quarter of the year. Winter has been a bit sporadic but it's slowly giving way to Spring, although we seem to have a few mild, sunny days followed by cold weather, biting wind and threats of snow.
I was down in Somerset for a few days last month, taking responsibility for not only a house and a dog but two teenagers. Being used to just looking after me, it was certainly a change of routine. Getting up early to walk the dog, getting the girls off to school, acting as a taxi service and cooking in the evening. Even though they are pretty self-sufficient, I have a renewed admiration for working Mum's who have to do so much more on a day by day basis, juggling looking after a household, children and working or running a business.
At least the early morning routine means I've pretty much stuck with it since getting back home, also helped by the fact that the morning are so much lighter. It's now light when I leave for my weekly breakfast meeting and there's still a reasonable amount of daylight in the late afternoon. The clocks will be changing soon, so it will be even lighter in the mornings.
Stirred into getting back into a more regular exercise routine. Although I'm now dancing a couple of times a week, I've not been out running quite as regularly and I've noticed a few extra pounds creeping on as a result of spending more time indoors and being less active generally. We all tend to put on a few pounds over winter, so with the weather warming up and the days getting longer, it's a good time to boost our activity before we start stripping off for the summer.
I've recently been writing about meetings as a Chapter for my book and wanted to share some of the ideas with you all. There's quite a lot to it, so I've broken it into two if not three parts. This is the first part.
You can catch up on the rest of what I've been up to in my blog - http://www.clareevans.blogspot.com.
Enjoy the rest of this newsletter.
Get More From Your Meetings - Part 1
Meetings can be a great excuse to waste time and yet another frustration in an already busy day. While meetings can be a good way of communicating and discussing new opportunities, they can also be an unproductive use of several people's time.
Before you arrange or attend a meeting, decide whether it's the most effective use of everybody's time? Could the information be better communicated by email or with a phone call or report? The purpose and outcome of the meeting should balance the input of time and effort by all those involved.
Studies have shown that ineffective meetings lead to general dissatisfaction and an increase in employee turnover. Badly run and ineffective meetings are listed as one of the top three timewasters and is the reason that 70% of employees feel they're unproductive. Don't make things worse. Meetings need to be relevant and appropriate. Don't hold a meeting just for the sake of it.
If it's your meeting, before you even start arranging it, decide what you plan to achieve. Write it down.
"As a result of this meeting - I want to ..."
Decide on the type of meeting required. Face to face meetings are good if you're working in a team, if you all work in the same office or within a short distance from each other and it's easy to arrange.
If you're part of a distributed team then meeting up face to face might not be as practical but can still happen when the end justifies the means. It might be the only chance that people get to meet and talk to each other in person.
Technology means that people don't always have to be in the same room to meet. It's easy to set up meetings using teleseminars or group conference call facilities or using the internet. This can include presentations and notes in a 'classroom' format. As there are no visual cues on a group conference call, these need to be handled carefully to ensure that everyone is allowed to speak, key points are documented and that communication is clear.
Web conferencing can be useful but can also be distracting and the quality of the technology can make a difference to its effectiveness. Make sure you test out the technology in advance.
If you regularly attend networking events, what do you plan to get from the meeting:
- Meet new contacts
- Develop existing relationships
Networking meetings are not just about doing business. No one likes to have a sales pitch in the first few minutes of meeting you. They're about making connections and building relationships.
The key to managing yours and everyone else's time is planning - particularly when it comes to meetings. When organising your meeting, decide on a suitable location, how long the meeting needs to be, who needs to attend and most importantly have an agenda.
If you haven't been given an agenda for a meeting you've been asked to attend - don't go. You could be completely wasting your time if there is no objective, no agenda and no agreed outcome.
There will be more on meetings in future issues - planning meetings, getting to meetings on time.
If you would like to have more time in your day, increase your effectiveness and be more productive give me a call, send an email to info@clareevans.co.uk or sign-up for one of my Friday Focus sessions.
What's On, What's New
Up-coming teleclasses, workshops:
Friday Focus - A free 30 minute focused session to discuss your specific challenges, objectives and goals for 2008, get a sounding board for your ideas, increase your motivation and create accountability. Call or email to arrange a date and time.
Procrastination Teleclass. A specific teleclass on one of the more common challenges facing most people today. Find out why you procrastinate and some effective ways to deal with it. Join this one-hour call on Tuesday 25th March at 12.45pm.
If you were forwarded this issue of the newsletter you can register to receive your own copy each month by sending a blank email to claresnews@aweber.com. If you'd rather not receive my monthly newsletter, just click the link at the bottom of this email.
Until next month, don't get bogged down in meetings.
Clare
Clare Evans - Personal and Business Time Management Coach
Phone: +44 (0)1273 588297
Email: info@clareevans.co.uk
Website: www.clareevans.co.uk
Get organised! Get a new perspective!
Copyright: Clare Evans Personal & Business Coaching © 2008
----------
Create your own automated newsletters with Aweber. E-mail follow up, ad tracking, & real-time stats for your emails. http://www.aweber.com/features.htm?207782
----------