Business Etiquette & Social Skills

Sonia Singh IMS Ghaziabad

Objectives
You will learn effective meeting preparation You will be able to write INFORMATIONFULL agendas You will understand the basics of meetings and conferences You will learn to manage meeting time effectively

Are meetings needed

Collective decision-making Planning and follow-up Accountability Democracy High efficiency Build a good organization.

Meeting Etiquette
Before the meeting Starting the meeting After the meeting

Identify purpose of the meeting

The general members meeting Special meetings Executive meetings Annual General Meeting Other kinds of meetings like discussing policy/ implementation of policy/ problem solving etc

Identify purpose of the meeting

Purpose of the meetingwhat you hope to accomplish
Formal board, organization or club (e.g. of the purposes)
Set and monitor policies and procedures. Fiscal oversight. Hire, direct and evaluate Executive Director.

 Public meetings (e.g. of the purposes)

Gather inputnetwork, generate ideas, solve problems. Planningdevelop action agenda. Announce decisionsanswer questions. Monitor progressmake adjustments to the plan. Celebrationsrecognize peoples contributions/accomplishments.

Decide participants
Who should attend?
People affected by potential actions decided at the meeting. People with knowledge and experience in the topics to be considered (strive to gather a variety of perspectives). Decision makers, i.e., public officials if governmental support is needed

How to conduct?
Decide HOW to conduct the meeting to best accomplish the purpose Through guest speakers Are videos needed? Should it be through brainstorming session Panel sessions or discussion groups etc.

Determine time and place. Time, start, and length of meeting Will breaks be needed Decide place depending on
any special needs of attendees. Maximum convenience for attendees. Strive to meet in a facility that meets your needs (will vary according to the group processes you use).

 Prepare and distribute a meeting agenda much in advance to the meeting (bring extra copies to the meeting- you never know).

Information gathering before meeting and agenda making

Review correspondence Review minutes and action items from previous meeting Contact chairman/person who would chair the meeting Review jurisdiction ( for taking decisions) Contact staff manager of the person chairing the meeting Prepare agenda

What is an Agenda
It is an official notification of the impending meeting in addition to some other details Why is an agenda important?

WHY IS AN AGENDA IMPORTANT??

Prepares chairman Prepares attendees Creates an interest Clearly defines objectives Provides a valuable organizational tool To make meeting successful and Avoids wastage of time

INFORMATION AGENDA INCLUDES

Title of meeting Purpose of meeting Introductions Meeting date, time, location General information Last meetings agenda/minutes approvals (key decisions, action items, etc.) group memory (flip chart notes) Current agenda items with background/goals

 Review of Ground Rules Assigned meeting roles. (On-going meetings rotate assignments) Discussion items (process to use, who will lead activity, may include time allotted for this item). Old/New Business Summary/ Assignments Ensure proper distribution of the agenda

Example Agenda

Evaluation Review Committee

Committee members: Tom, John, Tammie, Phyllis, Mary, Linda, Dallas and Duane, May 15, 2003, 8:00 a.m. to Noon, UW Campus, 123 1/2 Ag. Hall

Example Agenda
Purpose: Organize the committee, review committee's charge, evaluate the performance appraisal process, identify and prioritize issues and establish an action plan.

Example Agenda
Activity Introductions, role call, review 8:00 AM ground rules and review agenda. 8:10 AM Determine meeting assignments. Person Responsible monkey monkey

monkey
8:20 AM Review yesterday's results. Organize prioritized issues into an action plan.

(1) Group topics into workable 8:50 AM tasks. (2) Identify information needed 9:35 AM and organize task groups. 10:00 AM BREAK

Donkey Donkey

Example Agenda
Activity Person Responsible Donkey

10:10 AM

10:30 AM 11:15 AM 11:45 AM

(2) Identify information needed and organize task groups, continued. (3) Discuss time required and develop a schedule (dates and meeting locations). (4) Develop an agenda for the next meeting. Benefits and concerns of today's meeting.

Donkey
Donkey Donkey Donkey

12:00 PM Close meeting.

Exercise

Etiquette at Business Meetings: Before the Meeting

Arrive early to make sure meeting room is set up correctly. Put agendas in place. Provide for drinks and a light snack (if needed) Stand near the door to thank each person who arrives. Ask what issues are of particular interest to them (or assign somebody the task) Introduce new members to existing members

 Is the room set properly Audio visual are working Number of seats are adequate

Etiquette at Business Meetings: During the Meeting

Ask new members of group to introduce themselves. Ask historical members to give their names and positions. Preview the agenda and set a time limit for each item, including time at the end of the meeting to come back to issues.

Etiquette at Business Meetings: During the Meeting

Ask non-contributing members if theyd like to add their perspectives. Note: Interestingly, research shows talkative members welcome the comments of othersand shy members value inclusion in the conversation.

Etiquette at Business Meetings: During the Meeting

START ON TIME!! Delegate the task of taking minutes if you do not have a subcommittee secretary Review the agenda/obtain agreement on the meetings objectives and goals Revise agenda if necessary

Etiquette at Business Meetings: During the Meeting

Focus attention on the agenda Set time limits Identify different opinions Establish task groups/chairman as needed Avoid Repetition Do not wander from the agenda Keep tab on lengthy discussion of controversial issues

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND, FIND A REPLACEMENT BRIEF YOUR REPLACEMENT ON THE AGENDA

Etiquette at Business Meetings: Ending the Meeting

Summarize agreed upon actions, responsibilities and timing, later written as minutes and distributed to relevant parties. Thank group and guests for their time and contributions.

PREPARING MINUTES

Prepare minutes as soon as possible after the meeting

actions and discussions that took place are fresh in the writers mind committee members may rely on receipt of minutes before they implement promised actions

Send electronic version of minutes to the staff manager/ concerned person for approval and right distribution

PREPARING MINUTES
Follow the format of the meeting agenda and include:
The committee number and title, date/location of meeting, and time called to order Names of those present Names of visitors Apologies An accurate summary of the decisions and conclusions reached The assignments that were made The follow-up action required Time of adjournment and notice of the next meeting date, time and location (if any)

Make documents inviting to read

Overall appearance Margins Type Size Boxing Typeface Chunking Overall length Short paragraphs Short sentences Short words

Example Ground Rules

Arrive and start on time Be Prepared Everyone Participates Stick to the Agenda Focus Discussion on Agenda Topics Listen to Understand Respect different View Points End on Time

Example Ground Rules

No side bar conversations. No interruptions. Turn cell phones off. Work towards group goals.

MEETING PREPARATION
Continuous Cycle
Preparation Conducting a meeting Follow-up to meeting

WHY MEETINGS ARE CONSIDERED A WASTE OF TIME?

MEETINGS WILL BE ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL IF WE ALL ADHERE TO FOLLOWING : You should always know the time it starts Do not forget the main reason of the meeting Praise in Public, Criticize in Private Do not convene meeting outside normal official business hours

 Do not use group pressure to come to your conclusions Do not use meetings to destroy others careers Do keep the personal and the corporate distinct Try to remember that the best model for meetings is democracy, not monarchy Always prepare a clear agenda and circulate it beforehand Terminate a regularly scheduled meeting when its purpose for being no longer exists