BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
TYPICAL GROUNDRULES AT MEETINGS MIGHT BE
1 Respect each other’s views
2 Keep commitments made
3 Maintain confidentiality 4 Speak one at a time 5 Keep an open mind 6 Discuss openly 7 Listen actively 8 Keep to time 9 Be fair to all 10 Be decisive
By listening attentively and by intervening appropriately and confidently a Facilitator - armed with these groundrules - can transform many poorly performing meetings. Meetings without groundrules? ‘Meetings mayhem’ or ‘moribund meetings’ might ensue!
THE PERSON PERFORMING THE DECEPTION WANTED TO AVOID EFFORT OR CHALLENGE The individual even resorted to changing or deleting the due dates of some points so that decisions were either delayed or ‘forgotten’ about all together. When confronted with the issue the person took great offence and denied ever doing it. However, the notes taken at meetings held weeks and months before provided the evidence that condemned him. It quickly became clear to everyone that the person performing the deception wanted to avoid effort or challenge. This particular key player is now playing elsewhere.
The Facilitator’s role can be made easier when the committee or the meeting adopts ‘Groundrules’. The Facilitator then, during the meeting, reminds people when their words and actions fall short of the agreed groundrules.
AN IMPORTANT DECISION DELAYED IS A DECISION IN ITSELF Deadlocked meetings can also be a discouraging aspect of decision making in the workplace. It is an unfortunate reality that some people at meetings will try and deliberately delay decisions, perhaps out of self-interest. An effective Facilitator, will seek consensus but if that fails will offer different voting methods to the meeting that can break the decision deadlock. A Facilitator can remind the meeting that an important decision delayed (one that may have been delayed for a number of different reasons) is a decision in itself. It is a decision to ‘carry on as we are’ a decision to ‘not change’. It is (so to speak) a win for the people voting ‘no’.
A Facilitator can break this deadlock by suggesting that the decision being delayed be taken for a ‘trial period’ so that, for example, more data can be collected. This approach is particularly useful for people who do not want to make a decision until they have ‘all the information they need to make a decision’. Much better perhaps to run a ‘trial’ and then make perhaps a more confident decision based on the results of the trial.
SO IF THE DECISION MAKING AT YOUR MEETINGS COULD BE BETTER THEN PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER GIVING SOMEONE THE FACILITATOR ROLE. MAYBE YOU COULD TRY OUT THE FACILITATOR ROLE YOURSELF? MAYBE YOU COULD DO IT FOR A TRIAL PERIOD?
In Part Three, I will look at meeting agendas and keeping meetings to time.
If you are having problems and frustrations with meetings at work and you would like some advice that is specific to your situation you can get in touch with Frank directly via the contact tab of his personal website:
www.franknewberry.com
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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