ocesses. Leaders monitor and track performance goals. CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE TEAM MEETINGS One of the very essential skills that all qualified managers should acquire is being able to conduct effective team meetings. Meetings occur so frequently in organizations, that many times managers do not take the time to plan them out. This lack of preparation comes across to the employees and often is the reason why they do not view meetings with enthusiasm. Meetings are also very important because through them you convey ideas, strategies, and desired goals to your employees. Unit efficiency and management effectiveness is dependent on this ability. There are four steps that managers should keep in mind when preparing an effective meeting. The first of these steps is purpose. What is the reason for the meeting? On occasion, money and time is wasted on meetings, when this same information could have been circulated in a memo or letter. Sometimes the cost of having the meeting is higher then the possible outcomes. Other times, key people are not able to attend the meeting, which would make having one a waste of time. There are four guidelines that can be followed to determine whether it is necessary to conduct a meeting. They are: h When there is more than one person with pertinent information and group ideas and planning is needed, h When commitments are required by the team members, h When the group requires the same important information and feedback is necessary, and h When problem solving and decision making is necessary in a group format. The second step to planning an effective team meeting is related to the participants. Who do you want at this meeting? The size of the group depends on what kind of meeting you plan to have. Certain meetings such as decision making and problem solving meetings should not have more than five participants. This will insure that tasks get accomplished effectively. Problem identification and b...
