Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Self-Awareness and Interpersonal Dynamics

• Recognizing that inviting others to a meeting imposes your priorities on them
• Examining the drivers behind our behavior
• Evaluating awareness of how our conduct impacts others: Are responses always as expected or desired? If not, what are the underlying reasons…?

Meeting Management Process

• Assessing the necessity of a meeting; exploring alternatives and determining if they are preferable
• Procedures for initiating, conducting, and preparing for meetings:
  • Developing a meaningful agenda that outlines objectives, topics, and estimated timings
  • Inviting only essential participants and no others
  • Conducting the meeting: Ensuring contributions are relevant (distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant inputs), adhering to the agenda, and respecting time limits
  • Generating outputs: Producing action points rather than necessarily detailed minutes
  • Scheduling follow-up sessions as needed

Participating in Meetings

• Questioning the need to attend every meeting one is invited to
• Determining criteria for deciding whether or not to participate
• Identifying valid reasons for declining invitations
• Understanding permissible activities during meetings regarding attendees, subject matter, and timing

Broader Personal Efficiency and Time Management

• Setting and maintaining personal and professional objectives
• Task Prioritization
  • Methods for determining what requires attention
  • Strategies for ranking activities by priority
• Time Imposed by Employees: Evaluating the dynamic between you and your staff or colleagues
• Time Drains: Identifying other factors that steal time and strategies to address them
  • Emails
  • Phone calls
  • Unscheduled interruptions
  • Procrastination and displacement activities
  • Other distractions…
• Effective Delegation
• Assertiveness: Seeking compromises and learning to say “no” effectively