Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Understanding Ourselves and Others

• Recognising that inviting others to a meeting imposes our priorities upon them
• Exploring what drives our behaviour
• Considering whether we are aware of how our behaviour impacts others: do they respond as we expect or as they should? If not, why?

The Meeting Management Process

• Why is a meeting necessary? What alternatives exist, and are any preferable?
• The process for convening, managing, and preparing for meetings:
  • Developing a meaningful agenda that outlines meeting objectives, topics to be covered, and suggested timings
  • Inviting only the right participants—and no one else
  • Managing the meeting: encouraging only relevant contributions (while distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant input), adhering to the agenda, and keeping within the allotted time
  • Producing outcomes: not necessarily detailed minutes, but at minimum, clear action points
  • Scheduling follow-up meetings where needed

Attending Meetings

• Do I need to attend every meeting to which I am invited?
• How do I decide whether or not to attend?
• What valid reasons can I provide for declining an invitation?
• What else am I permitted to do during a meeting, considering attendees, topics under discussion, and timing?

Other Personal Efficiency and Time Management Considerations

• Setting and adhering to personal and professional objectives
• Prioritising work:
  • How do I determine what needs to be done?
  • How do I prioritise these tasks?
• Colleague-Imposed Time: are my staff and colleagues working for me, or am I working for them?
• Time Bandits: what else is stealing my time, and what can I do about it?
  • Emails
  • Phone calls
  • Unplanned interruptions
  • Displacement activities, such as procrastination
  • Other time-wasters
• Effective delegation
• Assertiveness: seeking compromise and learning to say “no” effectively