1. First of all, you need to think about what goal you, as a leader, set by holding a specific meeting. The purpose of the meeting is a description of the required result, the desired type of solution, the desired outcome of the work ( possible options purposes: preliminary exchange of views, preparation of recommendations for decision-making, decision-making on the issue, etc.). The topic of the meeting is the subject of discussion. The more accurately and in the right direction the subject of discussion is formulated, the more likely it is to get the desired result. The topic should be formulated in such a way as to interest each participant of the meeting. Everyone should know that he is contributing to the solution of a common problem. Topics become interesting when they are formulated concretely.
2. It is necessary to submit for discussion only those issues that cannot be resolved in the working order. A meeting agenda is a written document distributed in advance to meeting participants and includes the following information:
Topic of the meeting;
Purpose of the meeting;
List of issues discussed;
Start and end time of the meeting;
The place where it will take place;
Surnames of speakers, co-rapporteurs responsible for preparing questions;
Time allotted for each question;
Places and times where you can get acquainted with the material on each issue.
A well-thought-out meeting agenda, sent out in advance (in extreme cases, announced), allows participants to better prepare and, therefore, increase their output at the meeting itself (and the leader to demand such output).
3. It is better if the time of meetings is determined by the schedule established in the organization (department). Unscheduled meetings knock out the rhythm, reduce the culture business communication deprive the manager of the opportunity to plan his own working time and dispose of it, disrupting scheduled meetings and affairs.
In order not to knock employees out of the working rhythm, it is advisable to arrange meetings at the end of the working day or in the second half of it.
The duration of the meeting should not exceed one and a half - two hours (more than two hours of continuous work for most participants, for purely physiological reasons, it becomes indifferent how the issue is resolved).
4. The optimal number of participants in joint discussions is 5-7 people. Increasing the number of invitees drastically lowers the average attendance (or return) rate while lengthening the meeting. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the number of invitees to a minimum.
It is best when, with a heterogeneous meeting agenda, the composition of its participants is variable: persons whose issues are discussed are allowed to leave the meeting, while other participants whose issue is not considered first are invited at the appropriate time.
Instead of an invitation, some employees can be asked, just in case, to be at their workplace at the specified time interval in order to call or receive help by phone if necessary.
It is desirable that the participants of the meeting include people who are capable of playing the role of an "expert", "generator of ideas", "critic" in the course of collective mental activity.
5. Preliminary (several days) notification of the participants with the transfer of the agenda to them is an important element in the preparation of the meeting. Draft decisions, abstracts of reports, references can be sent as an annex to the agenda. It is very good if, before the start of the meeting, the persons preparing the questions are provided with comments from the participants of the meeting on draft decisions, abstracts of speeches.
6. Instruct subordinates (meeting participants) in advance about the rules of conduct at the meeting.
Briefly, they can be summarized as follows.
Represent yourself in your statements. Say "I" instead of "we" or the impersonal form. The figure of speech using the pronoun "we" is almost always a game of hide and seek. The speaker does not take full responsibility for what he says.
If you are asking a question, say why you are asking it, what it means to you. Questions should leave no doubt as to why they are being asked. Trap questions poison the atmosphere.
In statements, be yourself, do not play a role chosen by yourself or expected of you by others. If you think you need to shut up, shut up.
Refrain, as far as possible, from interpreting the thoughts of others. Express your own position. Try not to make unjustified generalizations.
Speak not about the actions and thoughts of others, but about your perception of these actions and thoughts, that is, formulate judgments in the language of "I - messages", and not "You - statements." Instead of "You made a mistake here" it's better to say "It seemed to me that a mistake crept in here ...".
7. It has been established that, ceteris paribus, people sitting opposite each other begin to conflict more often, and less often - those who sit next to each other. The leader, knowing the characters of those invited, can, without drawing attention to this, seat the participants in such a way that those who can break loose and interfere with the consideration of the issue are not facing each other.
8. Goals and functions of the leader (chairman). the main objective manager at the meeting - to find the optimal solution for all issues on the agenda in the shortest possible time. To achieve it, he must provide from each participant and give a constructive character to the discussion as a whole.
The leader must regulate the direction, efficiency of speeches. To do this, one should not allow deviations to the side, delaying speeches, stimulating concreteness, the presence of meaningful analysis and real proposals. If the beginning of the discussion revealed the unpreparedness of the issue, then it is necessary to decisively remove it from the discussion and make a comment to the person who prepared the issue.
The speeches of some participants may differ in excessive categoricalness, categoricalness emanating from others. Such a tone can cause serious damage to the discussion, turn it into a struggle of ambitions. Therefore, the leader must ensure that the speeches are correct; to this end, you can adjust their order. The leader closely monitors the progress of the meeting, controls the content of the speeches, makes the necessary notes, and with short remarks focuses the attention of those present on the most valuable proposals of the speakers.
9. If the purpose of the meeting is to exchange information and set forthcoming tasks in the course of current work, then only heads of departments should participate in the meeting. At such a meeting, the state of affairs should be briefly described, since it is possible that some of those present may not be familiar with the problem as a whole. It is then necessary to report on progress in the implementation of the decisions taken at the previous meeting. If something has stalled, you should not look for the guilty: time will be lost on fierce disputes, and most importantly, mutual accusations can split the team. But it is necessary to clearly formulate the tasks for the future.
10. If the purpose of the meeting is to solve a specific problem, then it is necessary to involve those without whom the matter will not move forward, and those who are able to offer their own solution to this problem. Participants of the meeting must be provided with information about the problem, clearly and unambiguously formulate the task. It is advisable to do this in advance so that people can prepare their proposals. Try to mentally distribute the roles between the participants: the first will make proposals, the second will be able to evaluate them from one point of view, the third - from the other, the fourth will finally formulate the decision ... In the order that seems most correct to you, you should give the floor to the participants in the discussion.
11. The order of presentations should be such that their order will be reverse to the authority and position of the speaker: then participants with a lower status will not be dominated by the already expressed judgment of more authoritative colleagues.
Each participant must be put before the need to speak. It is clear that this can be achieved with a relatively small number of conferees. But if the person present has never spoken, is he needed at the meeting?
12. Following the procedure normalizes the course of the meeting. It must begin and end at a strictly appointed time, so as not to undermine the trust in the leader and those who prepared him.
One of the tasks of the leader is to preliminarily agree on, and then not allow, the rules of speech to be violated.
13. The meeting, as a rule, begins with an introductory speech by the head, in which he formulates the goals and objectives of the forthcoming work. The order of work may be different. If pre-prepared proposals are submitted for discussion, they are brought to the attention of those present, after which they are discussed. If this is not done, then it is proposed to make proposals, and only then discuss them.
You can fully prepare the text of the speech in advance, you can limit yourself to theses. If necessary, it is advisable to use video and audio tools. When discussing the most important topics, it is very good to prepare a text in advance and distribute it to the meeting participants.
It is not necessary to cover a wide range of issues in a speech. It is enough to dwell on the cardinal fundamental idea, but it must be stated convincingly, conclusively, intelligibly. During the speech, you need to control yourself and the audience. At the first signs of a weakening of attention on the part of those present, it is advisable to use well-known methods to mobilize it.
14. Even with the most careful preparation of the meeting, you will not succeed if you do not control the discussion. For this, the following methods can be used:
a) to preserve the unity of the meeting participants:
Defuse the situation in a conflict situation;
Do not take sides until the final debriefing;
Protect someone who has less experience, works recently;
b) to mobilize the meeting participants:
Do not relax yourself and do not let others turn off work;
Avoid repetition;
Do not disregard even the most insignificant proposal, if it somehow helps the cause;
c) to focus attention on the problem under discussion:
Fact-based;
Record proposals made;
Arrange them in such a way that a complete picture emerges in the eyes of those present;
d) to activate meeting participants:
In order to strengthen the evidence of certain provisions, raise additional questions;
Express an approving remark to the participant who made a constructive proposal.
15. Long and vague speeches can be interrupted. Of course, this should be done tactfully, without giving vent to irritation, without hurting the pride of the subordinate, without holding back his initiative.
It is not worth repeating this. For the first time, you should be patient and listen to what this employee will say, and for the future (when preparing for the next meeting), try to have an individual preliminary conversation. You can use detailed logging, stenography, or tape recording, and then in a convenient, inoffensive way, invite this subordinate to read or listen to his speech.
16. At the end of the meeting, one should briefly sum up its results, thank the participants for the constructive proposals made, and set tasks for the implementation of the decisions made.
From wisdom flow the following three characteristics: to make excellent judgments, to speak unerringly, and to do what is right.
Democritus
If opposing opinions are not expressed, then there is nothing to choose the best from.
Herodotus
Meetings: purpose and degree of effectiveness
The prevalence of such a form of search for solutions as a meeting is explained by the fact that the vast majority of fruitful ideas are the result of an exchange of views, a collective discussion of a particular issue.
Types of meetings, depending on the issues considered at them: problematic; instructive; operational. Meetings are one of the most expensive types management activities. This is due to the following reasons: usually the leaders, that is, the highest paid workers, confer; at the same time, there are losses of time associated with the need to gather participants, the working day is broken; in many cases, accidents at work occur during the absence of the manager at his workplace; meetings “discourage” some people, knock them out of the working rhythm.
The second problem is that most of the meetings are ineffective. For example, in the United States, experts estimate that 90% of meetings do not reach the goal. Apparently, the situation is no better in other countries. There is also the problem of accountability for decisions: some leaders see meetings as a way to avoid personal responsibility, which causes considerable harm to the cause.
The most important problem is to reduce the cost of working time for holding a meeting.
In the USA, for example, this method is used: in the meeting room they install electronic scoreboard, showing the current duration of the meeting and its cost with a cumulative total (indications change every minute). Such a reminder works well for business people who know how to count time and money.
Another way rational use working hours - reducing the number of meetings. In Japan, for example, a technique called "kingsho" is used. Collect written feedback on the draft decision. This allows management to resolve the issue without holding a meeting or arrange a meeting with a very narrow circle of people.
Such a technique appeared with us in the first years of Soviet power - it was called "let it go around." So kingsho is not an original invention, but a useful borrowing from our domestic practice.
In summary, to reduce the duration and increase the effectiveness of meetings, they need to be properly prepared.
Meeting preparation
Purpose of the meeting. It is the "beginning of all beginnings": the more specific the objectives of the meeting are, the more likely a productive outcome. The vague wording - "to discuss the state of the issue" - does not aim at anything specific. At many meetings, participants cannot agree on anything, as they are actually talking about different things.
Are reports always needed? A report on the issue under discussion is not always needed. In many cases, it is enough to duplicate and distribute to the participants in advance an information note containing the necessary factual material and a draft decision. In addition, sometimes the report is like a good sleeping pill.
If, nevertheless, a report is necessary, when preparing it, it is worth using the recommendations set out in paragraph
7.2.
Agenda. The more carefully it is worked out, the shorter the duration of the meeting, as its participants can better prepare and make specific proposals.
It is advisable to pre-circulate the agenda of the upcoming meeting. A sign of bad taste is inviting participants to a meeting (most often by phone) when the inviter (secretary or other employee) does not really know either the purpose or the agenda of the meeting.
Sometimes it is possible not to hold meetings - it is enough to reproduce and send to interested parties written information about something, which is much more effective than oral information.
The meetings should not consider issues that are resolved in the working order. The meeting is the work of the collective mind, which should not be distracted by trifles.
Circle of participants. The optimal number of participants in a joint discussion is 5-7 people. With a larger number of invitees, the degree of their participation (or return) in the discussion of the issue sharply decreases, and the duration of the meeting increases.
One of Parkinson's laws says: "The more people, the longer the debate." However, there are frequent cases when, in the pursuit of a falsely understood prestige, they collect more people. Some presiding officers perceive it almost as an insult when an invited leader sends his
deputy or specialist on the subject under discussion. For the good of the cause, the manager himself decides who will go to the meeting, which allows him to manage his working time more efficiently, although absence from the meeting does not exempt him from implementing the decisions made there.
It is best to change the composition of the participants in case of a heterogeneous agenda of the meeting: persons whose issues have been considered can leave the meeting, other participants are invited at the appropriate time in the order in which the issues are considered. Meeting cost. It is calculated as follows. The number of participants in the meeting, its duration and the hourly rate of each participant are determined. The found value is likely to unpleasantly surprise many. The calculation is made according to the formula:
where C is the cost of the meeting, rub.; N is the number of participants; T is the duration of the meeting, h; 5sr - the average monthly salary of participants; TLav - the average number of working hours per month.
Time spending. It has become a good tradition to set the time of meetings taking into account the work schedules of departments. Unscheduled meetings knock out the rhythm, do not contribute to the culture of business communication, deprive their participants of the opportunity to carry out what they had previously planned.
The distribution of meetings by day of the week depends on their type: problematic meetings are best held in the middle of the week, when labor productivity is highest, instructive and operational meetings - at the end of the week or on Monday (very short).
Meetings are usually best convened in the afternoon. It is known from the theory of biorhythms that a person has two peaks of increased efficiency: the first one is approximately from 9 to 12-13 o'clock, the second one is between 16 and 18 o'clock. Meetings are best timed to coincide with the second peak. This will serve as an additional factor in encouraging meeting participants to work quickly and efficiently so as not to stay up late.
Meeting duration. It must be planned in advance and then notify the participants about the time of its beginning and end. Unfortunately, this is not very common in our country, although such an effective means of setting the necessary pace for a meeting can reduce its duration.
In order to estimate the duration of the meeting as accurately as possible with the solution of all the planned issues (and the meetings must end at the designated time!), It is advisable to allocate time between the issues in accordance with the agenda, appoint those responsible for their preparation. The task of those responsible is to meet the resolution of issues in the allotted time. For them, even material incentives can be introduced: bonuses in cases where the issue is resolved in less time, and, conversely, de-bonuses for exceeding the allotted time.
Experience shows that 30-40 minutes is enough to resolve even an important issue at a meeting.
When developing the agenda of the meeting, it is necessary to proceed from the following recommendations: the duration of the problem meeting should not exceed one and a half to two hours (after two hours of continuous work, most participants lose interest in solving the problem under consideration), briefing and operational meetings - 20-30 minutes. Note that the optimal duration of joint mental activity of a large number of people is 40-45 minutes. Therefore, in the education system, the duration of the academic hour is 45 minutes with a mandatory subsequent break. For most people, the physiological limit of fatigue when working together is one hour.
When working without breaks, most participants feel tired. This continues for about 30-40 minutes, then the state of health of those present improves, and the debate flares up with renewed vigor. But since most people's attention has been switched off for the last half hour, speakers often begin to repeat previous speakers. Experts call this phase of the meeting the "period of negative activity." It is characterized by the fact that a person becomes uncontrollable, treats everything incredulously. Decisions made at this time are usually characterized by extremism.
If a meeting goes on without interruption for two hours, more than 90% of the participants will agree with any decision, as long as they leave quickly.
Thus, the optimal duration of the meeting is no more than an hour. If the circumstances of the case require longer work, it is imperative to arrange 5-10-minute breaks.
Room. best place for the meeting is a specially equipped room: with a round table, a wall clock, without a telephone and a selector (it is desirable to have a telephone and a selector in an adjacent room so that you can go out and get help or invite the necessary specialists without distracting others).
The round shape of the table contributes to a more democratic discussion - it levels out official statuses. (As a rule, participants with a higher official or personal status sit at an elongated rectangular table closer to the chairperson, and the position of the leader of the meeting is emphasized by his dominant position at the table.) A trapezoidal table provides good opportunities in this regard.
If the meeting is held in the manager's office (as is most often the case), you need to turn off the phone and selector (or at least turn down the volume of the calling buzzer) so that they do not distract, let alone annoy the meeting participants.
The meeting room must be well ventilated. In the absence of proper ventilation, the productivity of mental labor decreases (by at least 10%), and this affects both the duration of the meeting and the quality of the decisions made at it. The temperature in the room also matters: cool air helps to reduce the duration of the meeting, and, conversely, the temperature above normal room leads to
its increase.
Participant notification. It is best to inform all the invitees about the agenda of the meeting in writing (we have already mentioned this above): less distortions, misunderstandings, greater commitment. The agenda should indicate the start and end times of the meeting; the place of its holding; a clear statement of the issues to be discussed; names of speakers, co-rapporteurs and persons responsible for consideration of issues; the time allotted for each question; where you can find preliminary information.
Discussion is most effective when it is proposed finished project solution (one or more of its alternatives). The person preparing a certain issue is interested in having comments on the draft decision in advance, and the decision-making process itself is accelerated.
Holding a meeting
Tasks of the Chairman. The main task of the chairperson of the meeting is to come to the best decisions on all issues on the agenda in the shortest possible time. To do this, it must ensure that each participant gets the most out of it and that the discussion as a whole is constructive.
The presiding officer has a lot of power to manage the progress of the decision, but they are not always used to their full extent. Compliance with procedural points streamlines the course of the meeting. It must begin and end exactly at the appointed time.
Management of the meeting. As a rule, the meeting begins with the chairman traditionally: “Who wants to speak on the first question?”. Usually the first to take the floor are people who are more authoritative, self-confident, occupying a higher official position and older in age, who set the tone and direction of the discussion. However, the solutions they offer are often traditional. Unexpected, non-standard proposals often come from their younger colleagues. But after the speeches of the "masters", especially sustained in a peremptory tone, the young people lose their desire to express their point of view, which does not coincide with the one already proclaimed. Thus, the meeting is deprived of fresh ideas and at the same time acquires passive observers who waste precious time aimlessly (they say that it was at poorly organized meetings and meetings that such games as “sea battle”, “tic-tac-toe”, “literary bullshit” arose and etc.).
How can the chairman avoid this? He needs to organize such an order of speeches, in which their order will be reverse to the authority and position of the speakers, then no one will be influenced by the already expressed judgment of more authoritative persons.
Another way to increase the participation of meeting participants is to give everyone a chance to speak. It is clear that this is possible with a relatively small number of conferees. The participant never spoke out - was it worth inviting him at all? You need to know who can make a useful suggestion. The number of sittings will be reduced, and this in itself is not bad!
The presiding officer has one more means at his disposal - to regulate the direction and efficiency of speeches. Deviations from the merits of the matter, delaying speeches, stimulating concreteness, meaningful analysis of the issue and real proposals should not be allowed. If the beginning of the discussion revealed a clear unpreparedness of the issue for discussion, it is necessary to immediately remove it from the agenda, and write down in the minutes the comments of the person preparing the issue for their negligence.
Unfortunately, only a few are able to succinctly and clearly express their thoughts. This requires careful preparation for the speech: on the basis of systematization and analysis of the material, to separate the main from the secondary, to find the relationship
and, as a result, offer a reasoned solution.
Often the speeches of speakers without preparation do not carry any new information, and when they reach the main point, the interest of the listeners is already lost. Therefore, the task of the presiding officer is not only to observe the time limit, but also to monitor efficient use time for each speaker, not to allow violating the established time limit.
In order not to abuse the attention of listeners, special techniques have long been used. For example, in some tribes, the speaker had to stand on one leg, so he tried to speak shorter. In the Danish parliament there is a special device that raises the podium higher and higher as the speaker continues to speak after the allotted time has elapsed. Laughter and advice from those present are such an unpleasant accompaniment that few people want to experience this procedure for themselves.
Some experts believe that the presiding officer needs an assistant who would monitor compliance with the rules. For example, he makes a sign to the speaker and the chairman - "time is up."
To help the speaker, you can put sand in accordance with the accepted rules of speeches.
Much in the process of a collective search for an optimal solution also depends on the tone of the discussion. Some people are distinguished by excessive categoricalness, categoricalness in their judgments, including in relation to proposals coming from others. The discussion becomes a struggle of ambitions, capable of "burying" a new, extraordinary approach to resolving the issue. Therefore, the task of the presiding officer is to monitor the correctness of the speeches.
An even greater danger comes from the harsh, tactless statements of some participants about others. The presiding officer must most resolutely suppress manifestations of excessive emotionality of those present. Interested in the active participation of the “victim” in further discussion, he can raise his status by emphatically respectful appeal to him.
Unwanted attacks can provoke poor seating of meeting participants. Ceteris paribus
conditions, people sitting opposite each other more often begin to conflict, and less often - those sitting next to each other. The presiding officer, knowing the nature of those invited to the meeting and their established (more precisely, not established) relationships, can tactfully influence the placement of those present, seating them so that they cannot suddenly “grip” and interfere with constructive work.
About breaks. As already noted, during a meeting lasting more than two hours, breaks are necessary, they should be arranged based on the fact that the optimal time for continuous joint mental activity of people is no more than 40-45 minutes. If the number of participants is small, short breaks every hour of work are advisable, and if there are a lot of invitees, extended breaks every one and a half to two hours (during this time, everyone can leave, and then enter and take their seats again).
However, breaks at meetings are not always suitable: either the organizers do not take their need seriously, or they want to take advantage of the fatigue of the listeners who agree with any solution to the issue.
About smoking during meetings. When, for example, Poland introduced a ban on smoking during meetings, their duration was reduced by 40%. It's worth considering, isn't it?
Business meetings are one of the most important forms of activity of a leader, a way to involve subordinates in the exchange of information and development management decisions on topical and most complex issues that arise in the organization. Achieving the goals of the meeting is carried out by observing its mandatory stages:
Stage 1. Preparation of the meeting, which includes:
- - Formulation of the goals and objectives of the meeting (decision on the appropriateness and necessity, the main topic of the meeting, the conditions that the final result must meet)
- - Determination of those responsible for the preparatory work (for example, the creation of a working group to prepare the agenda, the appointment of a person responsible for keeping minutes, gathering participants, etc.); It should be noted here that for the effectiveness of a business conversation, it is necessary to invite only those who are directly needed when discussing issues. When holding meetings, it must be taken into account that too many participants will negatively affect the meeting. The optimal number is from 5 to 12 people, depending on the issues being addressed.
- - Drawing up an agenda, which should include the venue, date, start time, rules and duration of the meeting, a list of issues from previous meetings and new items for discussion, a draft action plan for all items, composition of participants, the use of audiovisual and other technical means, etc. .;
Stage 2. Conducting a meeting, while observing the following:
- - Duration of the meeting. It has been scientifically proven that the effectiveness of a meeting depends on its duration. The longer it is, the more the performance of its participants decreases. Ideally, the duration of the meeting should not exceed 30-40 minutes. After this period, all performance parameters decrease sharply.
- - Schedule: optimal schedule - 1 hour of work; if more time is required, then after 40-45 minutes of work, a 10-15 minute break is required. The rules must be observed by all participants, regardless of rank;
Graph 3: Effectiveness of the meeting
Stage 3. Making a decision and summarizing the results of the meeting. The decision can be made:
- - with a small number of participants (up to 20) - by simple majority voting;
- - the basis is taken prepared by a special working group the draft and when making changes and additions, the final version is adopted;
- - The chairman of the meeting sums up the discussion and formulates a decision.
When summing up the results of the meeting, it is necessary to check the accuracy of the protocol, to review the results of the meeting with the obligatory coverage of the following issues.
Purpose of the meeting. It is the "beginning of all beginnings": the more specific the objectives of the meeting are, the more likely a productive outcome. The vague wording - "to discuss the state of the issue" - does not aim at anything specific. At many meetings, the participants cannot agree on anything, as they are actually talking about different things.
Are you always needed reports. A report on the issue under discussion is not always needed. In many cases, it is enough to duplicate and distribute to the participants in advance an information note containing the necessary factual material and a draft decision. In addition, sometimes the report is like a good sleeping pill.
If, nevertheless, a report is necessary, it is worth using the recommendations set out in paragraph 7.2 when preparing it.
Agenda. The more carefully it is worked out, the shorter the duration of the meeting, as its participants can better prepare and make specific proposals.
It is advisable to pre-circulate the agenda of the upcoming meeting. A sign of bad taste is inviting participants to a meeting (most often by phone) when the inviter (secretary or other employee) does not really know either the purpose or the agenda of the meeting.
Sometimes it is possible not to hold meetings - it is enough to reproduce and send to interested parties written information about something, which is much more effective than oral information.
The meetings should not consider issues that are resolved in the working order. The meeting is the work of the collective mind, which should not be distracted by trifles.
Circle of participants. The optimal number of participants in a joint discussion is 5-7 people. With a larger number of invitees, the degree of their participation (or return) in the discussion of the issue sharply decreases, and the duration of the meeting increases.
One of Parkinson's laws says: "The more people, the longer the debate." However, cases are not uncommon when, in pursuit of a falsely understood prestige, more people are gathered. Some presiding officers perceive it almost as an insult when an invited leader sends his deputy or a specialist on the issue under discussion instead of himself. For the good of the cause, the manager himself decides who will go to the meeting, which allows him to manage his working time more efficiently, although absence from the meeting does not exempt him from implementing the decisions made there.
It is best to change the composition of the participants in case of a heterogeneous agenda of the meeting: persons whose issues have been considered can leave the meeting, other participants are invited at the appropriate time in the order in which the issues are considered.
Meeting cost. It is calculated as follows. The number of participants in the meeting, its duration and the hourly rate of each participant are determined. The found value is likely to unpleasantly surprise many.
The calculation is made according to the formula:
where C is the cost of the meeting, rub.; N- number of participants; T - duration of the meeting, h; 5 cf - the average monthly salary of participants; Т^.ср - the average number of working hours per month.
Time spending. It has become a good tradition to set the time of meetings taking into account the work schedules of departments. Unscheduled meetings knock out the rhythm, do not contribute to the culture of business communication, deprive their participants of the opportunity to carry out what they had previously planned.
The distribution of meetings by day of the week depends on their type: problematic meetings are best held in the middle of the week, when labor productivity is highest, instructive and operational meetings - at the end of the week or on Monday (very short).
Meetings are usually best convened in the afternoon. It is known from the theory of biorhythms that a person has two peaks of increased efficiency: the first one is approximately from 9 to 12-13 o'clock, the second one is between 16 and 18 o'clock. Meetings are best timed to coincide with the second peak. This will serve as an additional factor in encouraging meeting participants to work quickly and efficiently so as not to stay up late.
Meeting duration. It must be planned in advance and then notify the participants about the time of its beginning and end. Unfortunately, this is not very common in our country, although such an effective means of setting the necessary pace for a meeting can reduce its duration.
In order to estimate the duration of the meeting as accurately as possible with the solution of all the planned issues (and the meetings must end at the designated time!), It is advisable to allocate time between the issues in accordance with the agenda, appoint those responsible for their preparation. The task of those responsible is to meet the resolution of issues in the allotted time. For them, even material incentives can be introduced: bonuses in cases where the issue is resolved in less time, and, conversely, de-bonuses for exceeding the allotted time.
Experience shows that 30-40 minutes is enough to resolve even an important issue at a meeting.
When developing the agenda of the meeting, it is necessary to proceed from the following recommendations: the duration of the problem meeting should not exceed one and a half to two hours (after two hours of continuous work, most participants lose interest in solving the problem under consideration), briefing and operational meetings - 20-30 minutes.
Note that the optimal duration of joint mental activity of a large number of people is 40-45 minutes. Therefore, in the education system, the duration of the academic hour is 45 minutes with a mandatory subsequent break. For most people, the physiological limit of fatigue when working together is one hour.
When working without breaks, most participants feel tired. This continues for about 30-40 minutes, then the state of health of those present improves, and the debate flares up with renewed vigor. But since most people's attention has been switched off for the last half hour, speakers often begin to repeat previous speakers. Experts call this phase of the meeting the "period of negative activity." It is characterized by the fact that a person becomes uncontrollable, treats everything incredulously. Decisions made at this time are usually characterized by extremism.
If a meeting goes on without interruption for two hours, more than 90% of the participants will agree with any decision, as long as they leave quickly.
Thus, the optimal duration of the meeting is no more than an hour. If the circumstances of the case require longer work, it is imperative to arrange 5-10-minute breaks.
Room. The best place for holding a meeting is a specially equipped room: with a round table, a wall clock, without a telephone and a selector (it is advisable to have a telephone and a selector in the next room so that you can go out and get help or invite the necessary specialists without distracting others).
The round shape of the table contributes to a more democratic discussion - it levels out official statuses. (As a rule, participants with a higher official or personal status sit at an elongated rectangular table closer to the chairperson, and the position of the leader of the meeting is emphasized by his dominant position at the table.) A trapezoidal table provides good opportunities in this regard.
If the meeting is held in the manager's office (as is most often the case), you need to turn off the phone and selector (or at least turn down the volume of the calling buzzer) so that they do not distract, let alone annoy the meeting participants.
The meeting room must be well ventilated. In the absence of proper ventilation, the productivity of mental labor decreases (by at least 10%), and this affects both the duration of the meeting and the quality of the decisions made at it. The temperature in the room also matters: cool air helps to reduce the duration of the meeting, and, conversely, the temperature above normal room leads to its increase.
Participant notification. It is best to inform all the invitees about the agenda of the meeting in writing (we have already mentioned this above): less distortions, misunderstandings, greater commitment. The agenda should indicate the start and end times of the meeting; the place of its holding; a clear statement of the issues to be discussed; names of speakers, co-rapporteurs and persons responsible for consideration of issues; the time allotted for each question; where you can find preliminary information.
The discussion is most effective when a ready-made draft decision is proposed (one or more of its alternative options). The person preparing a certain issue is interested in having comments on the draft decision in advance, and the decision-making process itself is accelerated.
EFFICIENT MEETING
Meetings as a type of management activity.
Why are meetings necessary?
It is known that 90% of fruitful ideas arise from the contact of opinion. Apparently, this explains the prevalence of such a collective form of decision-making as a meeting.
What are the types of meetings? Meetings are divided into:
Problematic;
Instructional;
Operational.
What do meetings cost?
Meetings are one of the most expensive types of management activities. This is due to the following reasons:
· managers usually confer, that is, the highest paid workers;
· there are hidden losses associated with the time for the gathering of participants, the "brokenness" of the working day;
Most emergencies occur during the absence of the manager at his workplace;
· some employees of the meeting are discouraged.
How effective are meetings?
The problem is that most of the meetings are ineffective. For example, in the US, according to experts, 90% of the meeting does not reach the goal. Apparently, the situation is no better in other countries. There is also the problem of responsibility for the decisions made. Some leaders view meetings as a collective way of avoiding personal responsibility, which does a lot of harm to the cause.
How to save time on meetings?
1. The organizers of production and management in different countries are concerned about these problems. In the USA, for example, to reduce the duration of meetings, the following method is used: an electronic scoreboard is installed in the meeting room. It shows the current duration of the meeting and its cost with a cumulative total (indications change every minute). Such a reminder works well for business people who know how to count time and money, and as a result, the pace of meetings increases.
2. It is not necessary to consider at meetings the questions resolved in the working order. The meeting is the work of the collective mind and therefore you should not distract it with trifles. It is more efficient to send written information to employees and not collect them. This saves time.
3. Reducing the number of meetings. In Japan, for example, a technique called “kingsho” is used: written feedback is collected on a draft decision. This allows management to resolve the issue without holding a meeting or to hold a meeting with a very narrow circle of people, which requires less time. This method of coordinating the issue was introduced in our country in the first years of Soviet power. It was called "letting go round". So kingsho is not an original invention, but a useful borrowing from domestic practice.
4. Careful preparation of the meeting. Unprepared meetings are ineffective meetings, so in order to reduce their duration and increase efficiency, you should not spare time for preparation.
How to prepare for meetings?
Determine the purpose of the meeting. It is the "beginning of all beginnings", since the more specifically the goals of the meeting are formulated, the greater the hope for a productive result. Conversely, the vague wording “to discuss the status of the issue” does not aim at anything definite. At many meetings, the participants cannot agree in any way, as they are actually talking about different things.
Develop an agenda for the meeting. A detailed meeting agenda shortens the duration of the meeting, as it allows participants to be better prepared and more specific to speak.
It is advisable to pre-circulate the agenda of the meeting. It is a sign of bad taste to invite participants to a meeting by phone, when the inviter (secretary or other employee) does not really know about the goals and agenda of the meeting, which, unfortunately, is not such a rarity.
3. Determination of the circle of participants. The optimal number of participants in joint discussions is 5-7 people. Increasing the number of invitees drastically lowers the average attendance (or return) rate while lengthening the meeting. Therefore, it is advisable to minimize the number of invited persons. One of Parkinson's principles: "The more people, the longer the debate."
There are frequent cases when, in pursuit of a falsely understood prestige, as many people as possible are gathered. Moreover, some presiding officers perceive it as an insult when an invited leader sends his deputy or a specialist on the issue under discussion instead of himself. At the same time, it is known that for the good of the cause it is advisable to allow the leader to decide for himself who will go to the meeting, thereby allowing him to manage his time more efficiently. Moreover, the absence at the meeting does not exempt from the implementation of the decisions taken at it.
It is best when, with a heterogeneous meeting agenda, the composition of its participants is variable. Persons whose questions have been addressed are allowed to leave the meeting, and other participants whose questions are not the first are invited at the appropriate time.
Meeting cost is calculated as follows. The number of participants in the meeting, its duration and hourly tariff rate each participant. A simple calculation allows you to get the desired value, which, with its considerable value, usually unpleasantly surprises the manager.
The calculation is made according to the formula:
C = N(T+1)Z
C - the cost of the meeting in rubles;
N is the number of participants;
T is the duration of the meeting in hours;
Z - the average monthly salary of participants;
H - the average number of working hours per month;
1 - coefficient of hidden losses associated with participation in the meeting.
4. Determine the time of the meeting. It has become a good tradition to determine the time of meetings by the plans of departments. Unscheduled meetings knock out the rhythm, reduce the culture of business communication, deprive their participants of the opportunity to plan their time and manage it, disrupt planned meetings and affairs.
In order not to disrupt the working rhythm of employees, it is advisable not to arrange meetings in the first half of the working day. Meetings on the days of the week depend on their type:
Problematic - in the middle of the week, when the highest labor productivity is observed;
· instructive and operational - at the end of the week or on Monday (very short).
Meetings are usually best convened in the afternoon. From the theory of biorhythms it is known that a person has two peaks of increased efficiency:
the first - from about 9 a.m. to 12-13 p.m. and
second - between 16 and 18 hours.
Meetings are best timed to coincide with the second peak. This will serve as an additional factor in encouraging meeting participants to work quickly and efficiently so as not to stay up late.
5. Duration of the meeting it is better to plan in advance and then notify the participants about the start and end time. Unfortunately, this is not very common in our country, but it is effective tool set a good pace for the meeting, allows you to reduce the time for its conduct.
In order to, if possible, more accurately estimate the duration of the meeting and resolve all the scheduled issues on the agenda, it is advisable to allocate time between the issues.
The agenda should include the time allotted for highlighting and discussing issues, and those responsible for their preparation. A task responsible persons- so prepare to keep within the solution of issues in the allotted time.
Experience shows that 30-40 minutes is quite enough time to resolve a very serious issue at a meeting.
When drawing up the agenda of the meeting, determining the number of questions, it is necessary to proceed from the following recommendations. D meeting duration, if possible, should not exceed:
· problem meetings - one and a half - two hours (after two hours of continuous work, most participants become indifferent to how the issue is resolved);
briefing and operational meetings - 20-30 minutes.
The duration, timing and frequency of meetings largely determine their effectiveness.
Note that optimal duration of joint mental activity a large number of people is 40-45 minutes. Therefore, in the education system, the duration of an academic hour is 45 minutes with a mandatory subsequent break. For most people, the physiological limit of fatigue when working together is one hour. Therefore, after 40-70 minutes, the participants of the meeting lose their attention.
If the meeting goes on without interruption, then most of the participants become fatigued. This state lasts for about 30-40 minutes, after which the state of health improves, the normal state is restored, and the debate flares up with renewed vigor.
But since the attention of most of the participants has been turned off in the last half hour, the speakers often begin to repeat the previous speakers. Experts call this stage of the meeting the "period of negative activity." It is characterized by the fact that a person becomes uncontrollable, treats everything nervously and incredulously. Decisions made at this time are usually characterized by extremism.
If the meeting continues without a break for two hours, then more than 90% of the participants agree on any decision, if only to finish the meeting faster.
Thus, the optimal duration of the meeting is no more than one hour. If the circumstances of the case require longer work, it is imperative to arrange 5-10-minute breaks.
6. Requirements for the premises.
1. The best place for holding a meeting is a specially equipped room: with a round table, a wall clock, without a telephone and a selector (it is advisable to have a telephone and a selector in the next room so that you can go out and get help or invite the necessary specialist without distracting others) .
2. The round shape of the table contributes to a more democratic discussion. It eliminates the difference in official status, while at an elongated rectangular table, as a rule, participants with a higher official or personal status sit closer to the chairperson, and the position of the leader is emphasized by being at the head of the table. A good opportunity in this regard creates a trapezoidal table.
3. If the meeting is held in the manager's office (as is most often the case), you need to turn off the phone and selector (or at least turn down the volume of the calling buzzer) so that they do not distract, let alone annoy the meeting participants.
4. The meeting room must be well ventilated. It has been established that the lack of proper ventilation reduces the productivity of mental labor by at least 10%. This affects both the length of the meeting and the quality of the decisions it makes.
5. The temperature in the room also matters: cool air helps to reduce the duration of the meeting, and, conversely, the temperature above normal room temperature increases it.
6. Meeting participants must not sit in chairs. Chairs must be hard.
7. Notification of participants. It is better to inform all those invited about the meeting agenda in writing, since written information is much more effective than oral information: less distortion, more commitment.
The agenda should include:
the start and end time of the meeting;
the place where it will take place;
a clear statement of all issues to be resolved;
· names of speakers, co-speakers and those responsible for questions;
the time allotted for each question;
a place where you can find information on each issue.
Discussions are most effective when a ready-made draft decision (one or more of its alternative options) is proposed in advance. The person who prepares a particular issue should collect comments on the draft in advance. This greatly speeds up the resolution of the issue at the meeting.
Holding a meeting.
Chairman's goals. The main goal of the chairperson of the meeting is to find optimal solutions for all issues on the agenda in the shortest possible time. To achieve it, it must ensure the return of each participant and give a constructive character to the discussion as a whole.
At The presiding officer has great opportunities to manage the development of a decision, but they are not always used in full.
As a rule, the meeting begins with the chairman traditionally: “Who wants to speak on the first question?”.
Usually, people who are more authoritative, self-confident, of higher official position and older age, who set the tone and direction of the discussion, take the floor before others.
However, the solutions they offer are often traditional. Decisive, unexpected, non-standard proposals often come from their younger colleagues. But after the performance of the "masters", especially sustained in a categorical tone, the young people lose the desire to express their point of view, which does not coincide with the one already proclaimed. Thus, the meeting is deprived of fresh ideas and at the same time acquires passive observers who waste precious time aimlessly.
How can the chairman avoid such a situation?
He should organize the order of speeches, in which their order will be reverse to the authority and position of the speaker. Then the participants with a lower status will not be dominated by the already expressed judgment of more authoritative comrades.
2. Another way to get the meeting participants active is to demand that each of them speak. It is clear that this can be achieved with a relatively small number of people participating in the meeting. If the participant has never spoken, is he needed at the meeting? Therefore, only those who can express a useful opinion should be invited.
3. The presiding officer has one more means at his disposal - to regulate the direction and efficiency of speeches. To do this, one should not allow deviations from the essence of the issue, delaying speeches, stimulating concreteness, meaningful analysis and real proposals. If the beginning of the discussion revealed a clear unpreparedness of the issue, then it is necessary to decisively remove it from the discussion with a note in the minutes of the remark to the specialist who prepared the issue for negligence.
4. Much in the process of collective search for a solution depends on the tone in which the discussion takes place. The speeches of some participants may differ in excessive categoricalness, peremptory attitude towards both their own proposals and proposals coming from others. Such a tone can seriously damage the discussion, turn it into a struggle of ambitions. By themselves, categoricalness, categoricalness can, on the one hand, turn against the speaker, and on the other hand, “bury” a new, extraordinary approach to resolving the issue. Therefore, the presiding officer must monitor the correctness of the speakers, for the same purpose, the order of speeches can be regulated.
5. The presiding officer must most resolutely suppress sharp, tactless statements of some participants about others. If the speaker nevertheless managed to hurt the opponent, then the chairperson, who is interested in the active participation of the “victim” in further discussion, should raise his status at the meeting by respectfully addressing him.
6. It has been established that, ceteris paribus, people sitting opposite each other more often begin to conflict, and less often - sitting next to each other. The chairperson, knowing the nature of those invited to the meeting and their relationship, can, without drawing attention to this, influence the seating of the participants so that those who can “grab” and interfere with constructive work are not opposite each other.
7. Rules of the meeting. Compliance with procedural points streamlines the course of the meeting. It should begin and end at a predetermined time so as not to undermine the credibility of the leader and the persons who prepared the meeting.
8. Breaks. If the number of participants is small, then short breaks after every hour of work are advisable. If there are a lot of invitees, then every one and a half to two hours of work (this is determined by the need for more time so that everyone can leave, and then have time to enter and take their seats).
Despite this, breaks in meetings are often not respected due to:
The organizers do not take their need seriously,
They want to take advantage of the listeners' fatigue when they agree to any decision, just to finish faster.
9. Efficiency of speeches. You should express your thoughts concisely and clearly, and for this you should carefully prepare for your speech. Analyze the material, separate the main from the secondary, find the causes, deduce the consequence. And as a result - to offer specific measures, reasoned solutions.
Some speakers, speaking without preparation, spend the first minutes pronouncing words that do not carry any information, and when they reach the main point, the interest of the listeners is already lost. Therefore, the presiding officer must ensure that the speaker makes effective use of the time allotted to him.
10. Rules for speeches. One of the tasks of the presiding officer is not to allow violating the time limit for speeches. In order not to abuse the attention of listeners, special techniques have long been used. For example, in some tribes, the speaker had to stand on one leg and therefore tried to speak briefly. In the Danish parliament, a special device is arranged that raises the podium higher and higher as the speaker continues to speak after the allotted time has elapsed.
Some experts believe that due to the heavy workload of the presiding officer, he needs an assistant who would monitor compliance with the regulations. For example, when there are 3 or 1 minutes left and “time is up”, he signals to the speaker and chairperson (one of the participants who is less busy at the meeting is usually appointed as an assistant).
To help the speaker, you can put an hourglass for 3, 5 or 10 minutes, depending on the accepted time limit for speeches.
Smoking during meetings lengthens them. When, for example, Poland introduced a ban on smoking during meetings, their duration was reduced by 40%. It's worth considering, isn't it?
Are reports needed? A report on the issue under discussion is not always needed. In many cases, it is sufficient to duplicate and distribute in advance to the participants an information note containing the necessary factual material and draft decisions. This order compares favorably with reports, many of which are like a good sleeping pill.
