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Digg it UP - What's on Your Meeting Agenda?
Basic business writing (letters, memos, emails) today is supposed to be informal and conversational. "Write more like you talk" is the advice frequently given by business writing experts. Many of the grammar rules that we learned in school either no longer apply or have been altered to fit the times. American English is based on common usage, which means that even if something is done incorrectly according to the rules, if it's done often enough and by enough people, it becomes acceptable, much to the chagrin of most high school English teachers.One rule that is “on the cusp” regards the word alright, a nonstandard form of the words all right. American Heritage dictionary defines all right as an adjective: acceptable, correct, average or fairly healthy, and as an adverb: adequately, yes o
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those partici
People will do something—including changing their behavior—only if it can be demonstrated that doing so is in their own best interests as defined by their own values.All of us delude ourselves about our achievements, status, and contributions. We overestimate our contribution, and take credit for successes that belong to others. We have an elevated opinion of our skills and our standing among our peers. We ignore our costly failures and exaggerate our impact on net profits.These delusions are a direct result of success, not failure. We get positive reinforcement from our past successes, and we think that they portend great things in our future. This wacky delusional belief instills us with confidence, however unearned it may be. It erases doubt and blinds us to risks and challenges, which isn’t all bad. If we ha
Use Meeting Notices to Alert Your Attendees
Meeting notices act as an "early warning system" for your participants. You should use them regularly and give recipients plenty of lead time -- for example, at least a week. Avoid surprising people with a last-minute summons that disrupts their entire day. Be sure your meeting notice includes all key information:
1) Meeting date
2) Starting and ending times
3) Purpose and objectives
4) List of participants
5) Location with directions or access instructions, and
6) Proposed agenda
That way, everyone will know exactly what to expect, what to do, what their time commitment is, and what's in it for them!
Do All Meetings Need an Agenda?
You may be wondering whether an agenda is absolutely necessary. The answer is, it depends!
An agenda provides structure; however:
* the fewer the people involved
* the fewer the topics you'll have to discuss
* the longer the time you have available, and
* the lower your expectations are...
...the less you'll need structure to get something done. If, say, you're just going out for a long lunch with a few people to toss around some ideas on a single topic, and you have no real expectations for what you need to accomplish, then you probably don't need an agenda.
Conversely, if you:
* involve more people
* to discuss more subjects
* in a compressed time frame
* with some very specific expectations for the outcome...
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
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Meeting Notice & Agenda
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Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those particip
If you've ever held a brainstorming session to come up with new product names, you know that it is usually not hard to get people to attend. In fact, such meetings generally start off with a lot of enthusiasm and elation. This quickly fades though as the cold reality sets in. Naming a new product is really difficult.Naming a product is about as close as you can get to having a root canal without going to the dentist. Even done well with an expert team, it's an exercise in pain, frustration, and disappointment.Nevertheless, there are some things you should know about the process.First of all, get a reality check on how important a product name really is. Some people tend to think that it's a life and death matter, others rate it as inconsequential, and the truth is probably somewhere in between. Having a g
3) Purpose and objectives
4) List of participants
5) Location with directions or access instructions, and
6) Proposed agenda
That way, everyone will know exactly what to expect, what to do, what their time commitment is, and what's in it for them!
Do All Meetings Need an Agenda?
You may be wondering whether an agenda is absolutely necessary. The answer is, it depends!
An agenda provides structure; however:
* the fewer the people involved
* the fewer the topics you'll have to discuss
* the longer the time you have available, and
* the lower your expectations are...
...the less you'll need structure to get something done. If, say, you're just going out for a long lunch with a few people to toss around some ideas on a single topic, and you have no real expectations for what you need to accomplish, then you probably don't need an agenda.
Conversely, if you:
* involve more people
* to discuss more subjects
* in a compressed time frame
* with some very specific expectations for the outcome...
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meeting Notice & Agenda
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those partici
Picture this…The typical business owner starts a business. Usually it’s just them by themselves or maybe one or two other people.They do a great job. As the number of staff is small everyone is working together and they are getting things done.They become successful and it’s time to employ some more people.A couple more people are employed – but some cracks start to appear.As the business employs some more staff – the cracks become wider and wider.Soon the business owner notices that there’s not much money being made by the business.There’s staff problems.There may be some customers complaining. Some customers may even be lost.Things just aren’t working anymore.The business ‘plateaus’ and the owner becomes stressed, tired and overwhelmed.The business
Conversely, if you:
* involve more people
* to discuss more subjects
* in a compressed time frame
* with some very specific expectations for the outcome...
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meeting Notice & Agenda
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those partici
Part 3 of Having a Successful BusinessI’m glad you asked! In this section, our discussion will show you one of the fastest growing industries and how you capitalize NOW!Do you remember the question asked in the first section of this series: How big of a slice of the pie are you willing to cut for yourself?Before you can answer the question above, here is a monetary value to consider. Do you really need “a slice” if an industry is expected to make over a TRILLION dollars within the next decade?I’m going to tell you why the Health and Wellness industry is making some really big waves.When talking about that amount of money, I would be happy just licking the knife that’s cutting this pie! This is what the Health and Wellness industry is expected to make.Here is the kicker. You can ach
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meeting Notice & Agenda
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those partici
• A system to remember your presentation so you don’t have to read your notes • A technique that helps you take a project, see the big picture, focus on the key areas and understand all the inter-connections • A means of making note taking from journals, books, e-articles, quicker, more logical, better organised • A method for brainstorming that presents ideas logically structured • An approach to time management, enabling you to focus on your priorities, make efficiencies How would you like to spend just 10 minutes learning a new skill that will help you in all of the above areas? In the last year, Mind Mapping has given me all of these rewards and truly revolutionised my approach to knowledge, learning and business. Read on for an introduction to using Mind Mapping in business.So what an ea
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those participating via Web seminar, use the standard company Web seminar link and access meeting #123456. You can listen using voice over IP (VoIP), or call the bridge line at +01-555-555-1212 and use access code 54545#. You will see all electronic slide presentations and can interact with the on-site meeting attendees through a Web seminar facilitator.
Proposed Agenda:
1. Overview and agenda review by the VP of Operations (30 min.)
2. Strategic Planning presentation (30 min.)
3. Brainstorming breakout sessions, with facilitators (90 min.)
4. Working lunch and reporting back to the main group (90 min.)
5. Discussion, wrap up, and a review of the next steps (60 min.)
Handouts will be available on the server 48 hours prior to the meeting. The meeting summary and recorded Web seminar will be available 48 hours afterward.
RSVP Requested: Please reply no later than April 19, 2007 with the names and contact information for the representatives from your group who will be attending, either on-site or remotely.
-------------------------------------------------
So, What about the Meeting Summary?
The agenda and summary are the two anchor points for the whole meeting process. They represent the beginning (here's what we aim to do) and the end (here's what we did do).
To create a summary, you simply go down the agenda topics, record the key points, decisions, and action items, and voila! You have a summary. It's really not that hard, but it does take a little time and discipline.
The summary helps ensure that the valuable time people spend in meetings will not be wasted, as the recorded ideas can proceed to drive future actions and decisions.
A sample meeting summary appears below:
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Meeting Summary
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This is a summary of the Strategic Planning & Brainstorming meeting held on May 17, 2007. The Human Resources Dept. called the meeting to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. The following representatives participated...
Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule at least two follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Summary:
* The meeting began with the overview and agenda review by the VP of Operations, followed by the Strategic Planning presentation given by the executive planning committee.
* The brainstorming breakout sessions surfaced a total of 47 major objectives from the centers of excellence, as follows...
* During the wrap-up and review session, 15 key action items emerged that Human Resources has agreed to investiga
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