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Archive for the ‘meeting management’ Category
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
I was asked to sit in on a religious committee meeting yesterday. As I sat listening to the various disagreements between the members, I noticed that the action items and needs vital for a happy congregation are not that much different than the requirements of today’s businesses.
While I have served on several committees, I have not served on this particular committee before. I was surprised at the different way this cleric had to handle this group compared to other groups. While both groups are comprised of volunteers, this committee seemed to be more volatile.
Group Dynamics
 Let me give you a list of characters from this group (aliases). Rich is a fast mover; a “change it now” type of person, while Frank is a traditionalist and feels the tried and proven ways are good enough. Dave is the resident expert; well-read, but young and inexperienced. He has a ready answer to any question. Ryan is ultra -liberal and controversial. More importantly, he enjoys being out there. Joanne is the “when I was at… we did it…” Leslie is quick to pass judgment even before all the facts are on the table. Joe appears to be a stoic, but actually is very interested. The problem is he only voices his opinion only to those he trusts and not necessarily in the meeting. Cindy is very knowledgeable but quiet. She often feels others don’t respect her opinions and therefore frequently has her feeling hurt. Karen is willing to bring her agendas to the table, even when the group is talking about other issues. Do any of these people resemble members of your team?
Tips to Getting Started
You, like our leader, probably see many opportunities that would make the organization more effective in satisfying the needs of those involved. Unfortunately, you need to get all these personalities to effectively function together in order to seize opportunities.
The following tips will help you maintain sanity in working with your group.
- First and foremost, don’t take the group’s behavior personally. It isn’t you, but the topic that may be frustrating.
- Set the agenda and stick to it. Let the participants know what topics will be discussed and how long you expect the meeting to last. Members will appreciate this courtesy. Also, it alleviates unexpected departures. If someone becomes long-winded, remind them of the group’s time limits.
- Set ground rules. This may seem unnecessary, but you would be surprised how a simple set of rules can set the tone for discussion. For example; CMOE’s meeting rules include:
- No side conversations
- Actively participate
- Avoid becoming defensive
- Be positive
- Focus on the topic
- Avoid stories
- Finally, don’t get discouraged, stay up-beat and confident that the group will come to a consensus resolution, one that each member can commit to.Notice that these tips center on the situation or topics, not personalities or abstract agendas. It demands that respect for each other is maintained. Remember though, these tips are no means a guarantee of perfection. They serve only as a great starting point.
Notice that these tips center on the situation or topics, not personalities or abstract agendas. It demands that respect for each other is maintained. Remember though, these tips are no means a guarantee of perfection. They serve only as a great starting point.
Posted in achievement, leadership, meeting management, planning, time management | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
The adult learner is in charge of his/her own learning. The trainer cannot impose or insert learning, but instead must serve as a leader, guide, and catalyst.
1. Adults are motivated to learn as they develop needs and interests that learning will satisfy. Therefore, the needs and interests of adult learners are the appropriate starting points for organizing adult learning activities, and are the crucial guideposts for delivering training.
2. Adult orientation learning is either life-centered or work-centered. Therefore, the appropriate frameworks for organizing adult learning are life-related and/or work-related situations, not academic or theoretical subjects.
3. Experience is the richest resource for adult learning. Therefore, the core methodology for adult learning programs involves active participation in a planned series of experiences, the analysis of those experiences, and their application to work and life situations.
4. Adults have a deep need to be self-directing. Therefore, the role of the trainer is to engage in a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision-making with learners, rather than to transmit his/her knowledge to them and then evaluate their conformity to it.
5. Individual differences among adult learners increase with age and experience. Therefore, adult learning programs must make optimum provision for differences in style, time, place, and pace of learning.
Adapted from: Frederic H. Margolis and Chip R. Bell, Managing the Learning Process, Lakewood Publications, Malcolm Knowles, The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, and The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Androgogy.
Tags: adult learner, adult learning, adult learning styles, adult learning techniques, facilitation and training, facilitation skills
Posted in facilitation skills, learning, meeting management, train the trainer, training others | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 16th, 2009
Wrapping-up and concluding a workshop or training event can be difficult. After a day or more of learning, questions, and discussions it is hard to sum things up in just a few minutes, while at the same time ending with impact and excitement. To make this easier, here are a few ways to be sure you conclude workshops effectively.
1. Summarize the training by restating the main points.
2. Review the objects and highlight how they have been met.
3. Provide time for participants to create action plans and set goals for applying the training topics.
4. Use humor. Here is a humorous way David Peoples from IBM frequently closes his presentations: “I fully realize that I have not succeeded in answering all your questions. Indeed, I feel I have not answered any of them completely. The answers I have found only serve to raise a whole new set of questions, which only leads to more problems. To sum it all up, I feel we are just as confused as ever in some ways, but I believe we are confused at a higher level and about more important things.”
5. Close with a quote. For example: Confucious said in 451 B.C. “What I hear, I forget; what I see, I may remember; but what I do, I understand.” Another great quote that is recommended is by C.S. Lewis, “A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.”
Adapted from: Robert W. Pike, Creative Training Techniques Handbook.
Tags: facilitation skills, facilitation training, presentation skills, presentation skills training, training and facilitation
Posted in facilitation skills, meeting management, train the trainer, training others | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
Toys, balls, and any other fidget reliever are great training tools. When participant’s hands are busy, it can create a physical, emotional, and intellectual connection with the material they are learning, making it easier to recall the information when they need it. Remember, it is important to have a toy for each participant in the class. When only one person has a toy or game, other participants tend to shift their attention and watch the person play with their toy or game. The variety of toys you can bring to a training session is as long and wide as your imagination. However, be sure the toys you bring don’t have distracting noises, flashing lights, are too complex, or are too hard (may cause injuries if thrown). Here is a possible list of toys, puzzles, balls, and other fidget relievers that have been successful for other facilitators:
- Koosh balls
- Stress balls
- Bouncy balls
- Squishy balls
- Wire puzzles
- Slide puzzles
- Lego bricks
- Hacky sacks
- Play dough
- Modeling clay
- Wikki Stix
- Silly putty
- Foam dice
- Markers or crayons and paper
- Pipe cleaners
- Poppers
Because most of these objects are small in size, soft, and compactable, they are easy to take with in a small plastic container or plastic bag. Trainer and facilitators can toss them in their luggage. If you can’t find these items in a local novelty store, many on-line vendors that carry these products for a reasonable price.
Tags: training
Posted in facilitation skills, meeting management, train the trainer | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
 When training and using visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides, flipcharts, objects, and so forth, it is important to do so in a way that is interesting, rather than distracting. When you are presenting, you should think of yourself as if you were an entertainer on stage. Notice how you walk, where you position yourself, and if your posture and poise appears confident. An effective way to develop stage presence when presenting visual aids is to take a lesson from the forecast specialist on your evening news. You will see when they explain the forecast, they will touch the visual aid, turn to the audience, and talk as they explain the forecast. Keeping your body facing forward and your eyes on the audience will keep your participants engaged.
Tags: training
Posted in character, facilitation skills, meeting management, talent, train the trainer | No Comments »
Friday, February 13th, 2009
Trainers and facilitators often use color to enhance the training experience. Whether it be PowerPoint slide backgrounds, markers for flipcharts, or bright colored handouts, different colors can elicit different responses in people. Here’s a look at what colors can do! 
- Blue: Relaxes people and sparks creativity. Use blue when brainstorming, but avoid it for writing or posting warnings or cautions.
- Red: Stimulates people (increases blood pressure, pulse, and respiration). Use red for cautions, warning and exclamatory tiles. When writing or printing in red, make word big because red is hard for people to see.
- Green: Both excites and pacifies people, so use it with caution. Great is great for borders and accents.
- Purple: Creates a sense of power and confidence. Unlike red, purple reduces blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates.
Tags: training
Posted in emotional intelligence, facilitation skills, meeting management, talent, train the trainer | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
There are a number of ways trainers, facilitators, and consultants can increase training participation. Below are just a few ideas to help you get started.
 1. When participants ask you a question, ask another member of the group to answer it.
2. When you feel the need to reach consensus or to move the group along, call on someone to summarize.
3. Give participants enough time to think out their answer to a question before calling on someone to answer. Then, call on others to add to what was said.
4. Don’t wait for volunteers to answer questions; call on people by name. This will avoid having the same people answering every time.
5. When someone answers, do not say, “I don’t agree.” Let the group make their own decisions to ask participants to “weigh-in” on what was said.
6. As leaders emerge within the group, ask these people to summarize your discussions on a flip chart.
7. Encourage participants to sit in different places at each meeting to get to know others in the group and to provide a diverse learning experience.
Adapted from: Scott B. Parry and Edward J. Robinson, Participative Techniques of Group Instruction.
Tags: increasing participation, training
Posted in facilitation skills, meeting management, talent, train the trainer | No Comments »
Monday, February 9th, 2009
In most organizations and in most situations, people come into a training session to learn, willing and eager. But sometimes you may encounter resistance from one or more of the participants.
Clues to resistance include:
- Refusal to participate.
- Disruptive and/or inappropriate behavior.
- Excessive questioning by participants who are trying to make a point rather than gaining knowledge.
- Questions that challenge the relevance of the training and/or the competence of the instructor.
- Questions that are aimed at trapping or baffling the instructor.
- Numerous side conversations between participants.
When you encounter resistance, your first task is to find out why. Reasons may be due to a perception by participants that they are being controlled, coerced, or manipulated, and have little to do with you, but relate to experiences outside the training. Most resistance is due to one or more of the following reasons:
1. People being sent to training:
- inappropriately.
- when they are too busy.
2. Participants not understanding:
- why the program is relevant to them.
- why the program is relevant or important to their job.
- why they were selected to attend.
3. Outside influence from:
- family, money, health, etc.
- problems with a superior, subordinate, etc.
4. Emotional issues such as:
- negative past experiences with training programs.
- disruptive interpersonal behavior characteristic of the person (e.g. intense need for attention, need to dominate, etc.).
Tags: handling resistance, training
Posted in facilitation skills, meeting management, train the trainer, training others | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Training and developing others is an important aspect and function of the most successful and competitive organizations. This series of blogs is designed to provide you with some fundamental information about training and developing others to increase individual and organizational success.
As S.I. Hayakawa says, “Good teachers never teach anything. What they do is create conditions under which learning takes place.” Through these series of blogs, readers will learn to bring learning to life with improved facilitation skills and a better understanding of adult learning. The series will consist of the following topics:
 1. Identifying and Handling Resistance
2. Increasing Participation
3. Colors to Enhance Training
4. The Eight Intelligences
5. Stage Presence and Visual Aids
6. Fidget Toys
7. Concluding a Workshop or Training Event
8. The Adult Learner
As you read, we encourage you to use this site as a forum for further discussion and to share personal insights and experience. If you would like to request a blog to be focused on a specific topic around training and developing others, please contact us. If you are a trainer within your organization, or would like to become one, please contact us for more information about our Train the Trainer Workshop.
Tags: organization success, training
Posted in facilitation skills, meeting management, train the trainer, training others | No Comments »
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