MEETINGS

Meeting is an essential part of manager’s work. They are held for three main reasons: 1) to carry out training, 2) to transmit information, 3) to solve a problem.

Read the following recommendations and try to follow them in your life.

Before you call the meeting:

· Decide if the meeting is the best method of achieving the objective;

· Put the objective in writing;

· Collect all the information necessary;

· Select specific items for discussion;

· Anticipate difficulties, awkward members and prepare documents and courses of notion to overcome the difficulties expected;

· Prepare the agendas with no more than 5 objectives.

During the meeting:

- state the purpose of the meeting

- outline the objectives it is hopedto achieve

- do not impose your views on the group

- direct discussion toward the objectives

- develop participation by contrasting different viewpoints

- watch the clock and note reactionof members who appear to be loosing interest

- where opinion is divided a vote is to be taken.

After the meeting:

- the secretary of the meeting prepares "minutes"

- minutes must be an accurate account of the substance of the meeting. No opinions, no discussions, no irrelevant talk. They should be brief

- minutes should follow theagenda of themeeting.

Tips for better meeting.

1. Hold them early in the day and don’t allow phone calls to in­terrupt the proceedings.

2. Pay particular attention to meeting; chairs should not be plastic-covered but fabric-covered and firm.

3. If you know you are going to have a difficult person at the meeting, sit that person on your right or left. If this person is allowed to sit opposite you, the meeting will often be split into two.

4. Get everyone to contribute to the discussion but don't put people on the spot by asking, "What do you think, Jane?"

5. Place your watch on the table in front of you so that people can see you are going to run to time; start on time; finish when you say you will.

6.Avoid letting people know what you think before they have made their views known.

1. You often take part in different meetings. What are their main drawbacks? Are they held in accordance with the recommendations given in the text? What points are most often violated?

TEXT 9