afghan healthcare leadership development course leadership iv: effective meetings and committees...

Afghan Healthcare Leadership Development CourseAfghan Healthcare Leadership Development Course

Leadership IV:Effective Meetings and

CommitteesAFAMS Lesson #6


Objectives

• Address when to call a meeting, the four types of meetings, how to prepare for a meeting, and the key actions in running an effective meeting

• Describe how to divide responsibilities and how to create ground rules for running meetings

• Discuss effective meeting behaviors (including what to say), and how to deal with difficult personalities.

• Describe techniques to evaluate meeting/committee effectiveness


Module Outline

• I. Purpose of Meetings

• II. Ground Rules for Effective Meetings

• III. Evaluation of Group Effectiveness


I. Purpose of Meetings


Why Have a Meeting?

• You want information or advice from a specific group

• You want to involve your group in solving a problem or making a decision

• There is an issue that needs to be clarified

• You have concerns you want to share with your group as a whole

• The group itself wants a meeting


Why Have a Meeting?

• There is a problem that involves people from different groups

• There is a problem and it is not clear what it is or who is responsible for dealing with it

• When you need to develop plans (e.g., a strategic planning meeting)

• When there is dysfunction in the team or when you wish to improve team effectiveness (e.g., a team-building meeting)

• You want to ensure that all are informed or that work is being coordinated (e.g., a daily check-in meeting or weekly staff meeting)


Types of Meetings I

• (1) Check-in– Frequency: Daily / Weekly– Time Required: 5 minutes– Purpose: Share daily schedules and activities – Keys to Success:

• Don’t sit down• Don’t cancel even when some people can’t be there


Types of Meetings II

• (2) Tactical Meeting– Frequency: Weekly / Monthly– Time Required: 45-60 minutes– Purpose: Review weekly activities and metrics,

and resolve tactical obstacles and issues – Keys to Success:

• Focus on current issues• Postpone strategic discussions


Types of Meetings III

• (3) Strategic Meeting– Frequency: Monthly / Bi-Monthly– Time Required: 2-4 hours– Purpose: Discuss, analyze, brainstorm, and

decide upon critical issues affecting long-term success

– Keys to Success:• Limit to one or two topics• Prepare and do research• Welcome opposing ideas


Types of Meetings IV

• (4) Organizational Review– Frequency: Quarterly / Annually– Time Required: 1 day– Purpose: Review goals and strategy, trends,

environment, key personnel, and team development

– Keys to Success:• Change the normal work environment, if possible• Don’t overstructure or overburden the schedule


Meeting Roles/Responsibilities I

Role Responsibility

Leader This person has the responsibility for the meeting, including calling the meeting,

developing the agenda, holding members accountable, and ensuring

that goals/objectives are met

Facilitator This person keeps the discussion on track and stimulates and encourages participation, problem solving, and

consensus

Timekeeper

This person tells the group how much time is left for a specific agenda item and alerts the group when time limits

are being approached


Meeting Roles/Responsibilities II

Role Responsibility

Minute Taker

This person takes notes on the meeting discussion, records decisions, and

disseminates them as meeting minutes as soon as possible after the meeting

Record Keeper

This person maintains all the records accumulated by the group, such as the agenda, minutes, member information,

reports, correspondence, data, and other documentation

Meeting

Planner

This person organizes and coordinates all the behind-the-scene details of meeting

preparation


Meeting Roles/Responsibilities I

Role Responsibility

Leader This person has the responsibility for the meeting, including calling the meeting,

developing the agenda, holding members accountable, and ensuring

that goals/objectives are met

Facilitator This person keeps the discussion on track and stimulates and encourages participation, problem solving, and

consensus

Timekeeper

This person tells the group how much time is left for a specific agenda item and alerts the group when time limits

are being approached


Meeting Preparation I

• Why is a meeting required?– What tasks are planned?– What is the overall purpose or goal of the

meeting?

• Who?– Who is invited?– Are the right people going to be present?– Who is not going to be there? – How does attendance affect successful

completion of tasks?– Do the participants know each other? How well?


Meeting Preparation II• When?

– When is the meeting scheduled?– How long should it be?– How much time should be allocated to each

agenda item?

• Where? – What type and size of room are most

appropriate for the group? – Does the room have the equipment needed

(e.g., screen, projector, flip charts, white boards etc.) available?

– Can the seats/room be rearranged?


Developing a Meeting Agenda

• The agenda is critical in structuring the meeting and in reminding participants of their role and responsibilities prior to the meeting.

• Includes:– A List of Attendees– Topics to be covered– Time per topic– Responsibility for leading a discussion on that topic

• References (attachments to the agenda) are provided so participants can prepare for the meeting and more time can be devoted to problem solving and decision making at the meeting.


Meeting AgendasPhase I: Opening

• Opening:– Set the stage for the meeting and get the group oriented,

warmed up, and ready to start work

– Tasks:• Welcome participants and introduce any new members • Review the meeting’s purpose and its expected

outcomes. (Answer the question: “Why are we here?”) • Review the agenda. Solicit input, if appropriate • Gain agreement from members on the purpose or agenda • Establish or review meeting ground rules, if appropriate.


Meeting AgendasPhase I: Opening

• Opening:– Tasks:

• Review key roles and who’s doing what, including facilitator and note-taker or scribe

• Gain agreement, if appropriate, on how decisions will be made and what authority the group has

• Review housekeeping details, if necessary, especially in longer meetings: timing and breaks, access to bathroom facilities, use of mobile phones, etc.


Meeting AgendasPhase II: Work

• Work:– Actively address the tasks and issues of the meeting– Tasks:

• Follow agenda; work on accomplishing the meeting’s objectives

• Facilitate discussion and decision making • Manage or resolve conflicts • Discourage interruptions and unacceptable behavior.

Review agreed-upon group norms or meeting ground rules, if appropriate

• Monitor time as the meeting proceeds. If remaining tasks exceed the time left, solicit input from the group on how best to use the remaining time or present options for how the remaining issues will be handled.


Meeting AgendasPhase II: Work

• Work:– Tasks:

• Change the group structure to help accomplish tasks and get people involved; for example, divide a larger group into smaller subgroups that break off to work on items, then report back to the whole group

• Have the scribe or note-taker record issues discussed, key points or decisions made, and other details

• Use a flip chart to record and highlight information for the group

• Facilitate participation and keep the channels of communication open


Meeting AgendasPhase III: Closing

• Closing:– Bring the meeting to a clear, constructive close

– Tasks:• Summarize the progress of the meeting • Review major decisions and/or agreements and

commitments made • Gain closure on issue if possible. If not, develop a way

for outstanding issues to be addressed, such as in a follow-up meeting or by an ad hoc subgroup

• Develop next steps, with input from the group. Assign a person to be responsible for each step and establish a timeline

• Ask for feedback on how the group worked, if appropriate


Meeting Agendas Phase III: Closing

• Closing:– Tasks:

• Ask if there are any outstanding questions or comments that need to be expressed, and answer them or refer the person to someone who can answer them

• Wrap up any loose ends, if possible • Offer some feedback to the participants and a closing

motivational message, if appropriate • Identify the date, time, and location of the next

meeting • Thank participants for their contributions


Ground Rules for Meetings I

• Common Problems with Meetings– People arrive 10 to 15 minutes late– Multiple-sided conversations going on

throughout the meeting– People attack or try to one up others– People take mobile phone calls– People leave early– There is no follow-up– Many people feel that meetings are total waste

of time


Ground Rules for Meetings II

• 1. Start and stop on time– If enforced, this rule minimizes disruptions in

the meeting, maximizes the scarce meeting time, and ensures that everyone is in attendance at the start of the meeting (when the minutes and agenda are reviewed) and at the end of the meeting (when follow-up actions and responsibilities are assigned)


Ground Rules for Meetings III

• 2. 100-mile rule – This means that it is as though the group is

100 miles away at a retreat site. – Group members cannot go back to their office

to check e-mail, pick up messages, etc. – Members are out of pager, cell phone service.– Mobile phone calls will be taken only if

planned.


Ground Rules for Meetings IV

• 3. Publish and stay focused on the agenda – Disseminate the agenda ahead of the meeting,

specifying responsibilities and time limits for each agenda item.

– Keep on the agenda whenever possible. – Important side issues can be tabulated “on the

side”, and discussed at the end if time remains.

• 4. One speaker only– Everyone must respect the speaker, and side

conversations must not be allowed


Ground Rules for Meetings V

• 6. Equal participation– This rule is meant to ensure that all group

members get equal time to present their ideas.

– If one or two people dominate the discussions, the team leader or facilitator should go around the room to ask each member to provide their thoughts and ideas on the topics being discussed without any interruption from others in the group.


Ground Rules for Meetings VI

• 7. Attack issue, not the speaker. – This rule deals with the problem of group

members attacking one another. – When this occurs, the team leader or facilitator

asks the person to attack the problem by providing their ideas and information to address the issue at hand.


Ground Rules for Meetings VII

• 8. Seek understanding. Use paraphrasing, if necessary – This rule encourages group members to gain a

depth of understanding of the ideas and perspectives of others.

– When a group leader or facilitator notices that a person is not appreciating or listening to the speaker’s comments, they may ask the person to paraphrase the speaker’s comments to the satisfaction of the speaker.


Ground Rules for Meetings IX

• 9. Use decision-making and planning tools– The team should use decision-making and

planning tools as appropriate.– Brainstorming of ideas by asking each

individual for a contribution.– After ideas are generated, a decision-making

process should be made known to all members– Finally, the most important planning tool is the

action plan that defines what is to be done, by who, and when


Ground Rules for Meetings X

• 10. Test for consensus– This is done to avoid “groupthink” where the

group quickly makes a decision without critical evaluation or a meaningful discussion of the issues and alternatives.

– This can be avoided by asking each person (in a round-robin fashion) to express any lingering reservations about the proposed solution


Ground Rules for Meetings XI

• 11. What is said here, stays here– This mandates that the data, information, and

comments provided and “who said what” are not revealed to outside sources unless agreed to by the whole group.

– This promotes candor, honesty, and information sharing among group members


Ground Rules for Meetings XII

• 12. Respect and support each other– Freely share information with others– Keep confidential information confidential– Express appreciation for the contribution of

others– Provide assistance when others need help– Treat all with respect


Ground Rules for Meetings XIII

• 13. Critique the meeting and reflect on new learning and insights

• Reflection should occur on:– (1) The progress of the group– (2) How the group is functioning – (3) What was learned or what insights were gained. – (4) Another way to look at meeting evaluation:

• What went well? • What should be done differently the next time we

meet? • What did we learn today; i.e. “What were our

takeaways?”


Ground Rules for Meetings XIV

• 14. Summarize decisions at the end of the meeting and document the discussions– Each group should summarize and document

their activities. – At a minimum, minutes should contain a

summary of the discussions, decisions, follow-up actions, responsibilities, and timelines.


Dealing with Difficult Personalities I

• The “Know-it-all”– This person appears as the expert, wants constant

attention and often argues with people

– How to deal with this person:• Be well prepared for the topic under discussion• Listen and paraphrase what they say• Don’t challenge—ask questions to lead them to see

their errors• Praise their ability• Focus on solutions


Dealing with Difficult Personalities II

• The “Sniper”– This person attacks and criticizes, usually

indirectly, masking their aggression by using humor, sarcasm or saying things under their breath

How to deal with this person:• Address the behavior openly, asking them why they

said that• Ask others if they agree with the criticism• Don’t let them hide behind humor or sarcasm• Address sniping each time it occurs, until it stops


Dealing with Difficult Personalities III

• The “Talker”– This person distracts by holding side

conversations

– How to deal with this person:• Say, “There are many little meetings going on. May

we have just one meeting?”• Ask the person directly to share their thoughts with

everyone (use tact and diplomacy)


Dealing with Difficult Personalities IV

• The “Quiet Type”– This person is quiet or timid. Their silence is often

mistaken for agreement

– How to deal with this person:• Address them by name and ask them to share their

thoughts• Focus your attention directly on them to create the

time and space they need to answer• Commend their participation when it occurs• Talk to them before the session, casually, to help

them become more comfortable in speaking• Ask them some safe things early in the session to get

them involved


Dealing with Difficult Personalities V

• The Complainer/Whiner– This person tries to put you on the spot to fix it.

He/She blames others and never themselves.

– How to deal with this person:• Don’t be defensive• Listen and acknowledge, don’t argue• Ask questions• Solicit solutions from them• Encourage them to act


Dealing with Difficult Personalities VI

• The Dominator– This person will try to run over you and everyone else in

the group and they tend to monopolize the discussions

– How to deal with this person:• Stand up to them in a non-combative way• Don’t argue with them• Present the facts• Get them into problem solving mode• Protect the space of those they dominate, by asking

the people who were dominated to repeat their thought or by asking others in the group how they feel


Dealing with Difficult Personalities VII

• The Hair-splitter– This person wants absolute answers and

definitions

– How to deal with this person:• Acknowledge their need for absolute answers and

definitions• Ask them to honor the work or style preferences of

others


Dealing with Difficult Personalities VIII

• The Interrupter– This person interrupts others

– How to deal with this person:• Say, “Please let Mary finish her thoughts”• Whenever they do it, repeat the above statement


Dealing with Difficult Personalities IX

• The Inarticulate Person– This person has ideas but has problems putting

the ideas into words

– How to deal with this person:• Encourage them to speak• Exhibit patience when they speak• Ask them for permission to help them phrase or

rephrase


III. Evaluation of Group Effectiveness


Evaluation of Group Process

• In evaluation of group meetings, the leader should always think of ways to improve the overall functioning of the group.

• He/She can ask individual members for input, and should also reflect on possible ways for improvement in the future.

• Questions to ask are as follows:


Evaluation of Group Process: Questions I

• How well did the meeting match your expectations?

• What are you taking away from this meeting? What is the group taking away?

• How did we work together? (What was helpful? Not helpful?)

• How could we have been more efficient today? More effective? More inclusive?


Evaluation of Group Process: Questions II

• If we were to have this meeting all over again, what, in hindsight, should we do the next time?

• What was the best part of our meeting?

• What was the worst part of the meeting?

• What should we continue doing?

• Are you hopeful or are you concerned about the progress we are making?

• What should we do differently next time?


Thank you for your attention!Questions?

AFAMS - Lession #6

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