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That too is
essentially the purpose of a meeting. It’s an opportunity to share information, to motivate, to
educate, and if necessary, to reach a decision, develop action plans, and ultimately to increase sales!
You need to be able to use a variety of skills to ensure that all types of meetings are conducted
effectively.
Having identified the best type of meeting, you then need to:
• Define the PURPOSE more specifically. Ask yourself, “What is the objective of the meeting?
What do I hope to accomplish or impart to the attendees? What will be the call to action?
• Having clear objectives for your meeting enables you to remain focused on your topic, and
ensures that your preparations are appropriate.
Whichever type of meeting you are planning, you need to make certain preparations.
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Preparing for a Meeting
Step X Agenda
Sample Agenda
1. Recognition/Review.............................................................................................................................................. 20 min.
Welcome with personalized words
Recognize people for accomplishments
2. Plan/Educate............................................................................................................................................................. 30 min.
Conduct discussion on topic
Invite attendees to ask questions
4. Close................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 min.
Tip: You might want to consider a “time keeper” to ensure everyone stays on task and that the meeting
ends on schedule. Also, jot down any ideas generated from conversations. If time permits, these ideas
could either be covered at the end of the meeting, or could be an appropriate topic for the next meeting.
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Step Y Time and Place
When you are deciding when to hold a meeting, keep in mind that certain days of the week and times
of day work better than others.
• Avoid late afternoons before a holiday or weekend
• Avoid early mornings following a day off
• Consider lunch or breakfast meetings
Whom you invite to the meeting depends primarily on the meeting’s agenda, but it may also depend
on the criteria you have determined for attendance.
Invite Attendees:
• You could telephone each person, send out invitations by e-mail, or use a three-way call to
invite attendees to a meeting.
Step \ Recognition
Recognition is an important part of all meetings. As part of your preparation, you need to plan for
recognizing Distributors’ accomplishments.
• Identify who you will recognize
o Consider the achievements to be recognized in your organization to help identify the
appropriate Distributors
• List the specific accomplishments of each of the Distributors you will recognize
• Prepare a brief recognition statement
• Use the Distributor’s name during your statement (at least 2-3 times). Try to avoid saying she
or he…people love to hear their name!
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Effective Openings
The following openings can be particularly effective when you are writing a Recognition Statement:
• I appreciate _______________________________________________________ .
• I want to express my gratitude to _______________________________________ .
• Thank you to _______________ for ____________________________________ .
• I would like to tell of ________________’s success at _______________________ .
• I hope you will share my pleasure in _____________________________________ .
• I want to congratulate ______________ on ______________________________ .
• I am indebted to __________________ for ______________________________ .
• Please share my joy in __________’s accomplishment of _____________________ .
• You will love ___________’s idea about _________________________________ .
• __________ is most deserving of _________ because ______________________ .
• __________ has been particularly helpful in ______________________________ .
• __________ has set high standards for the rest of the group.
Step ] Evaluation
Although an evaluation is not essential to the meeting itself, it is a very useful tool in helping you to
prepare and conduct future meetings.
If you were evaluating a meeting you had planned and conducted, here are some questions you might
ask yourself afterward:
• Where did things go well? Why?
• Where did I have problems? Why?
• Did I keep to the agenda? If not, why not?
• Did I achieve my objective(s)? If not, why not?
• What would I do differently next time?
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An observer/note taker attending the meeting may be able to detect responses to the meeting that
you may not have noticed; be sure to brief the observer/note taker on your purpose of the meeting,
your objectives, and the call to action.
Evaluation Form
For each of the following questions, circle the number that indicates your level of agreement:
1 = Strongly Agree 2 = Agree 3 = Hard to Decide 4 = Disagree 5 = Strongly Disagree
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Creating a Conducive Environment
Introduction
An appropriate environment is an essential part of conducting a successful meeting. When people
feel comfortable in their environment they are relaxed, receptive, more apt to pay attention to the
business of the meeting, and to participate.
Room Arrangement
You also need to consider environment in relation to the type of meeting you have planned:
• A room arranged where attendees sit at tables in rows facing the front of the room is most
conducive to a Business Opportunity presentation, seminar etc...
• A room arranged where attendees face each other promotes dialogue and a free exchange of
ideas, and is more conducive to a meeting such as a strategic meeting with your team.
Additional Considerations
Other considerations about the meeting’s environment may include:
• Where you will place equipment (e.g., flipchart, video monitor, etc.) for maximum visibility
o To make sure things run smoothly, set up and test any audio/visual equipment prior
to the meeting
• Where the refreshment table will be located. (if applicable)
• How and where you will arrange the product display
• How you will distribute materials (e.g., agenda, reports, etc.)
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Generating Participation
Whatever extent you consider appropriate, participation is an important part of every meeting.
Introduction
Although you need to be sure to get your points across during the meeting, you don’t want it to
become a lecture. Generating participation not only helps the meeting to be successful, it also helps
attendees to:
• Build their communication skills
• Feel more comfortable expressing their ideas
• Gain confidence by understanding that their contributions are valuable
Generate Participation
Generate participation during the meeting by:
• Listening to other people’s ideas
• Encouraging everyone to participate
• Using a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions
• Acknowledging and responding positively to attendees’ contributions
• Asking for and being open to different points of view
• Listening carefully to what is said
• Using active listening techniques
Active Listening
When someone else is speaking it is integral that you listen carefully and make sure they know you
are listening. One way to do this is to use active listening.
• Encouraging
• Restating
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Encouraging:
• Verbal and non-verbal support that let the speaker know you are listening and interested
o Verbal encouragement includes saying things such as “I see” and “Go on”
o Non-verbal encouragement includes nodding, making eye contact, smiling and other
facial expressions, hand movements, and a receptive posture
Restating:
• Restating what a speaker has said from his/her point of view
o Restating is used as an acknowledgment of what has been said and helps to confirm
your understanding
o Restating techniques include acknowledging the speaker’s feelings, showing empathy,
and stating the focal point of the speaker’s message in your own words
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