Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Understanding Ourselves and Others

• Recognising that requesting others to join a meeting imposes our specific priorities upon them
• Exploring the factors that drive our behaviour
• Assessing awareness of how our conduct impacts others: do they consistently respond as we expect or as is appropriate? If not, what are the underlying reasons…?

The Process for Managing Meetings

• Evaluating the necessity of a meeting; considering alternatives; and determining if any alternative is more suitable
• Implementing the workflow for convening, conducting, and preparing for meetings:
  • Drafting a meaningful agenda that outlines meeting objectives, topics to be covered, and suggested time allocations
  • Inviting only essential participants – excluding those who are not required
  • Conducting the meeting: ensuring only relevant contributions are made (while distinguishing clearly between relevant and irrelevant input); adhering to the agenda; and respecting time limits
  • Generating clear outputs: ensuring action points are recorded, even if detailed minutes are not required
  • Scheduling any necessary follow-up sessions

Attending Meetings

• Questioning the need to attend every meeting to which one is invited
• Determining the criteria for deciding whether to accept or decline an invitation
• Identifying valid reasons for declining to participate
• Understanding permissible actions during a meeting regarding attendee management, subject matter, and timing

Other Personal Efficiency and Time Management Issues

• Setting personal and professional objectives – and committing to achieving them
• Work Prioritisation
  • Establishing methods for deciding what tasks are essential
  • Developing strategies to prioritise these activities effectively
• Employee-Imposed Time: evaluating whether staff and colleagues are working for you, or vice versa
• Time Bandits: identifying other factors that drain your time and strategies to address them
  • E-mails
  • Telephone calls
  • Unplanned interruptions
  • Displacement activities: such as procrastination
  • Other factors
• Effective Delegation
• Assertiveness: finding compromises and learning to say “no” effectively