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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
TOPICAL WORDS and WORD COMBINATIONS
PLAN: Types of meetings The essentials of the meeting Chairing a Meeting Main rules about the meeting Types of meetings Business people spend quite a lot of time in meetings, and meetings come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from formal committee meetings to informal one-to-one meetings. There are several reasons why meetings are held: ü Reaching decisions in a meeting means that all the participants can feel more committed to the decision ü More information is available ü Different and unexpected ideas can be contributed ü Meetings can lead to more imaginative and informed decisions – often more courageous decisions than one person might feel brave enough to make Some of the drawbacks of meetings are: ü More time is required than if one person made the decisions ü There’s more talk (and this is sometimes irrelevant and repetitive) ü There’s more group pressure ü The larger the meeting, the longer it may take to reach a decision. It seems to be ideal sizes for meetings, depending on the purpose. A meeting where information is being given to people can be quite large, because there is not likely to be much discussion, and questions may be asked by a few individuals on everyone else’s behalf [9, 18, 22]. A successful meeting has no surprises. With proper preparation and careful organization, a meeting can run smoothly. The most typical complaint about meetings is that they run too long. Meetings that run longer than necessary can be very costly to a company or business. As the famous business expression says: Time is money. Setting goals and time limits, keeping to the agenda, and knowing how to refocus, are key components of an effective meeting. This may sound simple in your own native language, but it is a little trickier when you or the participants do not speak fluent English. This lecture focuses on the language of meetings, which are central to business communication and it’ll help you hold or attend a meeting with success. Meetings come in all shapes and sizes. There are everyday office meetings, board meetings, seminars − all the way up to major conferences. And now meetings can be face-to-face, teleconference, videoconference, or online via the Internet. And when is the last time you heard someone say, " Gee, we need to have more meetings." There are more than enough meetings to go around these days, and for a good reason. Meetings are more important than ever. Modern workplaces are built on teams, sharing of ideas, and effective project coordination. If communication is the lifeblood of any organization, then meetings are the heart and mind. The place where we communicate our ideas, hash them out, share our passion for better or worse, develop new understandings and new directions. It’s where deals can happen or fall apart, where strategies are articulated and debated -- in short -- where we engage with others. That’s what it’s all about, people meeting with people. Survey results published by the Annenberg School of Communications at UCLA (University of California and Los-Angeles) and the University of Minnesota’s Training & Development Research Center show that executives on average spend 40%-50% of their working hours in business meetings. Further evidence of the pervasiveness of meetings comes from a recent issue of Fast Company magazine, where organizational psychologist Jon Ryburg says that he advises corporate clients to provide twice as much meeting space as they did 20 years ago. Studies also point out a discouraging trend: Surveyed professionals agree that as much as 50% of that meeting time is unproductive and that up to 25% of meeting time is spent discussing irrelevant issues. Typically, they complain that meetings are too long, are scheduled without adequate time to prepare and end without any clear result. Most of us have been to seminars or conferences where we’ve left feeling inspired and rejuvenated. But how many of us have ever left everyday meetings feeling the same way. Rarely, no doubt. The reason is that good seminars and conferences are organized precisely to engage us. Sadly, most office meetings are not. Believe it or not, meetings can and should be the most interesting and productive part of your day. And if you’ve ever been to a great conference or seminar, you already have seen some of the basic principles at work. These can be summarized as: 1) preparation, 2) facilitation, 3) inspiration, 4) results. Preparation means making sure your meeting has a clear, stated purpose, and an agenda. Participants are chosen carefully, invited in professional way and given sufficient prior information. Preparation also means attention to details including: room bookings, catering, a/v equipment, reminders. Facilitation means that someone or a team is responsible for guiding the meeting, a plan for the meeting is reflected in the agenda and the facilitator (or chair) keeps things on time and on track. Inspiration is probably the most overlooked aspect of everyday meetings. All the attention to detail and process can push the opportunity for spontaneity and enthusiasm aside. Build in activities that engage participants, use strategies to generate discussion, or visual aids to grab attention. Results mean that every meeting should be directed toward one or more outcomes. The participants must feel that something has been accomplished, and see all of their meetings as part of the bigger strategy to involve them in the future of the organization. Achievements at one meeting should be recapped in the next, and so on.
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