Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings Training Course

Understanding Ourselves and Others

• Recognising that inviting others to a meeting imposes our priorities upon them
• Exploring the factors that influence our behaviour
• Understanding how our behaviour impacts others: do they respond as we intend, and as they ought to? If not, why?

The Process for Managing Meetings

• Determining the necessity of a meeting, identifying alternatives, and evaluating which option is preferable
• The process for calling, managing, and preparing for meetings:
  • Developing a meaningful agenda that outlines meeting objectives, topics to be covered, and suggested timings
  • Inviting only the necessary participants
  • Managing the meeting: encouraging relevant contributions while distinguishing them from irrelevant ones; adhering to the agenda and time limits
  • Creating outputs: producing action points rather than just detailed minutes
  • Scheduling follow-up meetings where appropriate

Attending Meetings

• Evaluating whether attendance at all invited meetings is necessary
• Deciding whether to attend or decline meetings
• Formulating justifications for declining an invitation
• Identifying permissible activities during a meeting, related to attendees, subject matter, and timings

Other Personal Efficiency and Time Management Issues

• Setting and maintaining personal and professional objectives
• Work Prioritisation
  • Determining what tasks need to be completed
  • Establishing priorities for these activities
• Employee-Imposed Time: Assessing whether staff and colleagues are working for us, or if we are working for them
• Time Bandits: Identifying other factors that consume time and strategies to address them:
  • Emails
  • Telephone calls
  • Unplanned interruptions
  • Displacement activities: such as procrastination
  • Other distractions
• Effective delegation
• Assertiveness: Seeking compromise and learning to say "no" effectively