Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Understanding Ourselves and Others

• Recognizing that inviting others to a meeting imposes our priority list on them
• Exploring the factors that drive our behavior
• Assessing how our actions impact others: Do they consistently respond as we hope or as is appropriate? If not, why…?

The Process for Managing Meetings

• Determining the necessity of a meeting, considering alternatives, and identifying if any are preferable
• The workflow for organizing, conducting, and preparing for meetings:
  • Developing a meaningful agenda that outlines objectives, topics, and proposed timelines
  • Inviting only essential participants
  • Conducting the meeting: focusing on relevant contributions (while distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant points), adhering to the agenda, and respecting time limits
  • Generating outputs: ensuring at least clear action points, rather than just detailed minutes
  • Scheduling necessary follow-up sessions

Attending Meetings

• Questioning the need to attend every invitation received
• Establishing criteria for deciding whether or not to participate in meetings
• Identifying valid reasons for declining an invitation
• Understanding what other actions are permissible regarding attendees, discussion topics, and timing

Other Personal Efficiency and Time Management Issues

• Setting and maintaining personal and professional goals
• Work Prioritization
  • Determining what tasks need to be completed
  • Establishing the order of priority for these activities
• Employee-Imposed Time: Are staff and colleagues working for us, or are we working for them…?
• Time Bandits: Identifying other factors that consume time and strategies to address them
  • Emails
  • Telephone calls
  • Unplanned interruptions
  • Displacement activities: Procrastination…
  • Other distractions…
• Effective Delegation
• Assertiveness: Seeking compromises and learning to say “no” effectively