Making Meetings Matter: The Art of Productive Meetings

Course Description

In today’s fast-paced business environment, meetings play a vital role in decision-making, collaboration, and achieving organizational goals. However, many meetings end up being unproductive and time-consuming, resulting in frustration and wasted resources. This course aims to equip participants with the skills and knowledge to make meetings more meaningful, engaging, and outcome-driven. Through interactive sessions, practical exercises, and real-world examples, participants will learn strategies and techniques to facilitate productive meetings, enhance participation, and maximize outcomes.

Course Objectives

1. Understand the importance of productive meetings in achieving organizational objectives.
2. Identify common meeting challenges and apply effective strategies to overcome them.
3. Develop facilitation skills to lead engaging and outcome-focused meetings.
4. Create an agenda that promotes efficiency, engagement, and accountability.
5. Utilize various meeting formats and techniques to suit different objectives and audiences.
6. Foster a collaborative and inclusive meeting environment that encourages active participation.
7. Manage conflict and handle challenging behaviors during meetings.
8. Apply techniques for capturing and documenting meeting discussions and action items.
9. Evaluate meeting effectiveness and implement improvements for future meetings.
10. Develop an action plan for implementing productive meeting practices in their work environment.

Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Productive Meetings

• Importance of productive meetings
• Common challenges and pitfalls in meetings
• The role of the meeting facilitator

Module 2: Preparing for a Productive Meeting

• Defining meeting objectives
• Developing a focused agenda
• Identifying and inviting the right participants
• Pre-meeting communication and preparation

Module 3: Engaging Participants and Encouraging Collaboration

• Techniques to promote active participation
• Creating a positive and inclusive meeting environment
• Facilitating effective brainstorming and decision-making

Module 4: Effective Meeting Facilitation

• Setting meeting norms and guidelines
• Managing time and maintaining focus
• Handling disruptions and challenging behaviors
• Balancing structure and flexibility

Module 5: Meeting Formats and Techniques

• Different types of meetings and their purposes
• Selecting the appropriate meeting format
• Utilizing technology for virtual meetings

Module 6: Managing Conflict and Building Consensus

• Recognizing and addressing conflict during meetings
• Techniques for managing disagreement and reaching consensus
• Building collaboration and constructive dialogue

Module 7: Documenting and Following Up on Meetings

• Note-taking and summarizing meeting discussions
• Capturing action items and assigning responsibilities
• Communicating meeting outcomes effectively

Module 8: Evaluating and Improving Meeting Effectiveness

• Assessing meeting effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement
• Gathering feedback from participants
• Implementing changes and continuous improvement

Module 9: Action Planning and Implementation

• Developing an action plan for productive meeting practices
• Overcoming challenges in implementing changes
• Sustaining productive meeting culture

Price

Contact us for a custom quote today. Prices vary based on delivery format, number of participants, duration of training, etc.