Session 12: Communication in Groups

Business Meetings

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A Snapshot of your professional ability in
conducting/ attending meeting
Does it Sound Familiar?

 Came to a meeting without completing your assigned

task?
 Made statements like, “No one told me what I had to do” or I was
not sure what to do, so I didn’t want to do it wrong.”?
 Missed a meeting without giving your group members
advance warning?
 Missed a group meeting and did not proactively find out
what you needed to do for the next meeting?
 Participated in a meeting without an Agenda?

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Does it Sound Familiar?
 Gossiped about a colleague/ group member?
 Pushed your ideas forward without allowing
others to express their ideas?
 Did not share your idea because you did not
want to start a conflict or did not want the
meeting to last longer?
 Wasted time of others by coming late or
discussing issues which were not relevant for
the meeting Agenda?

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When Should a Meeting be called?
 Need to clear an issue that can not be resolved in a one to one
exchange.
 Want the team to participate in making a decision or solving a
problem.
 Want to share information, success, or a concern with the whole
group.
 Explain plans and programs.
 Listen to reports.
 Keep things moving and for building morale.
 Tell people what they're supposed to do and how they're to do it.

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 Don't call a Meetings when:

 A phone call, an E-mail, or a memo would

work well
 A key person is not available.
 Participants don't have time to prepare.
 It costs too much.

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Mining Group Gold Video

 Process of getting the best ideas out of your

people.

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Preparation for a meeting
Five basic Questions
1. Purpose of the Meeting
1. Who should attend
2. How to invite them
3. What time, date, place, equipment?

2. Build the Agenda

3. Role Allocation
4. Desired Outcomes
5. Time Allocation

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Purpose
 To share information
 To receive reports
 To reach a decision
 To discover, analyze, solve a problem
 To gain acceptance for an idea or program
 To announce a new product launch
 To resolve a conflict
 To obtain reactions
 To gain understanding

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 1. Who should attend
1. The key decision makers
2. Those who have information or knowledge about the subject
3. Those who have a stake or role in that issue
4. Those who will be required to implement any decision made

2. How to invite them

Invite personally, by phone or through an IOM

3.What time, date, place, equipment?

In office / Off site meeting
To avoid last minute problems and embarrassment, be
sure to confirm and check the space and test equipment
required
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Build the Agenda

 A meeting without an Agenda is like a search

party without a map

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Agenda:
What goes in to an Agenda

Purpose Pricing for new product

Meeting being called by Regional Sales Manager
Objective Developing pricing guidelines for new products

Meeting Topic To consider the variables that effect pricing, to decide on

the pricing guidelines

Attendees Meena, Ramesh, Tina, Aditya, Rahul

Location 5th Floor, conference room

Date & Time 2 pm, Sept 20th,2013

Length of meeting 2 hours

Participants role in the

meeting
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Agenda Item Who Time
allotted
1. Opening Meena 5 min

2. Review of standard product cost, Ramesh 5 min

excluding developments cost
3. Report on optimal distribution Tina, 10 min
channel
4. Review of competitors’ pricing Aditya 5 min

5. Report result of customer focus Rahul 10 min

groups, product testing etc.
6. Group discussion of pricing All 15 min

7. Decide final pricing guide lines All 5 min

8. Next step Meena with 5 min

inputs from all
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Roles and Responsibilities
 Primary Facilitator
 May or may not run the meeting.
 clarifies objectives, constraints and scope of authority.
 Takes responsibility for follow up
 Secondary Facilitator
 Guides the group through the discussion,
 Intervening quickly to control productivity robbing behaviour.
 Keeps open and collaborative environment
 Scribe
 Captures the key point, ideas and decisions.
 Prepares the minutes of the meetings and action points
 Time Keeper
 Contributors

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Pre- meeting information

 Circulate the Agenda

 Provide background material
 This helps to use meeting time more effectively by
avoiding explanations and moving right in to an
informed discussion

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Conducting the Meeting:

Every meeting goes through three phases

1.An opening up (for Warming up),

2.Work Phase during which task are
accomplished.
3.A Closing phase when matters are
summarized and next steps are determined.

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Conducting the Meeting:
1. An opening up ( for Warming up),
 Introduce the matter to be discussed.
 Introduce people if people don’t know each other.
 Establish the ground rules
 Commit to “beginning” and “end “ time of the meeting ,
 Understand how decisions will be made.
 Clarify constraints that exist for any issue
 Ask for everyone’s participation.

2. Work Phase during which task are

accomplished.
 Follow the Agenda
 Interpersonal Behaviors Taking place during the
meeting

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 Interpersonal Behaviors Taking place

Group Task Behaviors Group Maintenance

 Proposing Behaviors
 Building • Encouraging
 Information Seeking • Harmonizing
 Information Giving • Performance Checking
 Opinion Seeking • Standard Setting
 Opinion Giving • Tension Relieving
 Disagreeing**
 Summarizing
 Testing Comprehension Gate Keeping Processes
 Consensus Testing • Gate Opening

 (** Different from • Gate Closing

Defend/Attack)

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3. Closing Phase
 Summarize the progress of meeting
 Review major decisions
 Gain closures on issues
 Develop future steps
 Ask for feedback on how the group worked
 Thank participants for their contribution.
 Restates next meeting if required and end with a
motivational message.

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Minutes of The Meeting

 An accurate written record of meeting is

essential for

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Minutes of The Meeting: Content

 Title
 Date of the meeting
 Venue
 Purpose of the meeting
 Members present
 Regrets if any.
 Action:

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Minutes of The Meeting: Action
 What
 Specific decisions and outcomes resulted from the meeting
 What tasks need to be done as a result of the meeting
 Who
 Has the responsibility for these tasks.
 Probability of task accomplishment is high if the commitment has
been given in front of group members
 When
 Must the task be completed

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Possible meeting topics
 To enter the export market or not
 New building is being constructed, have a review
meeting
 National level games organising committee meeting
 Daily morning meeting
 Setting in a power plant
 Meeting to organise annual day in iemr
 Sales review meeting
 Some firefighting meeting
 A foreign delegation is coming,
 Orgainsing a conference on the challenges in the power
sector

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ThankYou

 Pritima Kaushal
 Director,
 Enablers India
 www.enablersindia.com/
 pritimakaushal@gmail.com
 9818423259
 B-2/C, Gangotri, Alaknanda, New Delhi 110019

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