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How to Conduct a Meeting
(c) 2003 Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach
For
many of us,
attending a meeting is right up there with a root canal.
If you're the
one in charge of meetings, use these EQ competencies to create better ones.
A meeting, after all, is a microcosm of your business and philosophy.
INTENTIONALITY
Intentionality
means accepting responsibility for your actions and motives. Always ask
yourself, Why am I having this meeting? Could this be done better another
way?
Meetings exist
for different reasons - sharing information, receiving instructions,
planning, crisis management, socializing, process.
Define the
reason for the meeting, share this information, and stick with it. This goes
to credibility.
Avoid the
anathema of productivity and morale, "Because we've always done it this
way."
Check in with
your thoughts, opinions and feelings before you start the meeting to make
sure you're centered and will be doing what you intend to do.
PERSONAL POWER
Running a
meeting is not a committee affair. Someone needs to be in charge.
The leader
sets the tone in attitude as well. People will seek opportunity to test
limits, upstage, divert, entertain and manipulate instead of staying
on-task. The first time you allow this to happen, you set precedence, and
lose credibility.
RESPECT
Respect for
everyone - their time, opinions, contributions and feelings. If you hold off
starting til Paul arrives, you establish the precedent that the meeting
doesn't start at 10, it stars when Paul gets there, because, by inference,
he's more important than the others.
So why are the
others there?
To lead, you
must "make sense" to your followers. Surely your intent is to
reward those who come on time, and not the ones who come late.
CONSTRUCTIVE
DISCONTENT
The opposite
of this EQ competency is destructive content. Being able handle disagreement
is one of the strongest indicators of leadership. It means being able to
stay calm, focused and emotionally grounded during conflict.
If there is no
conflict, nothing is happening. If there are 10 people in a planning
session, and they all agree on every point, you either really have a
goldmine, which is unlikely, or there are 9 people you don't need for the
brainstorming.
CREATIVITY
If your
meeting is to generate creative ideas, alternative and solutions, you have
to create the atmosphere where this can happen. If you ask for ideas, and
reply to the first one, "no," you'll deadend the process. Brush up
on the rules of divergent and convergent thinking in the creative process.
PROCESS
AFTERWARDS
It's a good
idea, if you're serious about improving the quality of the meetings at your
office to have your coach "shadow," observe and then process with
your afterwards. You'll learn a lot!
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©Susan
Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc.
Emotional intelligence coaching for individuals, executives and businesses
for leadership, resilience, personal power, positive thinking and success in
career and relationships. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc
for free ezine.
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