Meetings: planning, presentations, figures, graphs and diagrams

 

How to Conduct Effective Meetings

Running an effective meeting is crucial to the function of any company or

organization. It presents an opportunity to organize, share information, collabo-
rate with diverse team members, and tackle objectives efficiently. Being pre-
pared, taking leadership when needed, and delegating effectively are important
elements of effective meetings. Additionally, when conducting meetings, be sure
to leverage team energy and engagement as much as possible.

 

Conducting a Meeting

Be prepared

. Make sure that you have the agenda on hand, a sense of

what key points need to be emphasized, and a grasp on the outcomes that need
to be reinforced before the meeting ends.

Show up on time.

Workplace perception matters. If you show up to meet-

ings 15 minutes early, people will assume that you lack productivity or are using
the meeting to take time away from other tasks.

Have a copy of the agenda on hand.

While most things are digital these

days, sometimes the best thing to do is print off a copy of the agenda so you can
take quick notes as needed.

Establish meeting rules.

This doesn't have to be formal or punitive but

it's helpful to suggest protocol to ensure the meeting goes smoothly and every-
one gets to share their insights. This can be done at the beginning of the meet-
ing. Simply state "In the interest of time, hold questions and comments until af-
ter each speaker has presented. If we don't get to your comment during the allot-
ted discussion time, email me later and we can talk."

Set time frames

. As part of your agenda, include how long the meeting

will last as well as indicators for how long individuals speakers will talk, and
how long there will be general discussion following each agenda point. This
gives participants a sense of timing when they contribute and can reducing ram-
bling or extraneous discussion points. A good rule of thumb is to budget at least
10 minutes after each talking point for discussion.

Circulate the agenda.

The day before the meeting, circulate the meeting

agenda. This ensures everyone has a copy, and is prepared for what to expect
from the meeting itself. This also gives them the opportunity to approach you if
there is incorrect information in the agenda.

Send out reminders.

If this is a new or infrequent meeting, send out a

reminder one hour before the meeting to remind everyone to attend.

Presentations

When it comes to making a presentation as part of a meeting, the issue is

seldom the specific information being shared — after all, a personal presentation
is often much more effective at communicating an idea than text alone.

Most presentations are divided into 3 main parts (+ questions): ―Introduc-

tion – body – conclusion‖. There is a golden rule about repetition: ―Say what
you are going to say, say it, then say what you have just said‖.

In other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your

message. In the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going
to be. In the body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion,
you summarize what your message was.

We will now consider each of these parts in more detail.

Introduction

The introduction is a very important - perhaps the most important - part of

your presentation. This is the first impression that your audience have of you.
You should concentrate on getting your introduction right. You should use the
introduction to:

1.

· Welcome your audience

2.

· Introduce your subject

3.

· outline the structure of your presentation

4.

· give instructions about questions

The following table shows examples of language for each of these func-

tions. You may need to modify the language as appropriate.

Function                                                            Possible language

 

1Welcoming
your audience                                · Good morning, ladies and gentlemen

                                                        · Good morning, gentlemen

                                                        · Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman

                                                        · Good afternoon, everybody

2Introducing
your subject                                   · I am going to talk today about...

                                                       · The purpose of my presentation

                                                         is to introduce our new range of...

 

3Outlining
your structure                  · To start with I'll describe the progress made this year.

                      Then I'll mention some of the problems we've encountered
                      and how we overcame them. After that I'll consider the pos-
                      sibilities for further growth next year. Finally, I'll summar-
                      ize my presentation (before concluding with some recom-
                      mendations).

4Giving
instructions
about
questions                   · Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions.

                             · I'll try to answer all of your questions after the presenta-

                                      tion.

                                     · I plan to keep some time for questions after the presenta-

                                     tion.

Body

The body is the real presentation. If the introduction was well prepared

and delivered, you will now be 'in control'. You will be relaxed and confident.

The body should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of

carefully spaced visuals.

Remember these key points while delivering the body of your presenta-

tion:

1. Do not hurry

2. Be enthusiastic

3. Give time on visuals

4. Maintain eye contact

5. Modulate your voice

6. Look friendly

7. Keep to yours tructure

8. Use your notes

9. Signpost throughout

10. Remain polite when dealing with difficult questions

Conclusion

Use the conclusion to:
1. Sum up

2. (Give recommendations if appropriate)

3. Thank your audience

4. Invite questions

The following table shows examples of language for each of these func-tions. You may need to modify the language as appropriate.

 

Function                                                                     Possible language

 

Summing up

                                                                        To conclude,...

                                                                         In conclusion,...

                                                                         Now, to sumup...

                                                          So let me summarise /recap what I've said.

                                                    Finally, may I remind you of some of the main

                                                                    points we've considered.

Giving

recommendations                        In conclusion, my recommendations are...

                                                 I therefore suggest/propose/recommend the fol-

                                                                               lowing strategy.

3Thanking your
audience                                                         Many thanks for your attention.

                                                    May I thank you all for being such an attentive

                                                                                     audience.

4 Inviting questions                      Now I'll try to answer any questions you may

                                                                                         have.

                                                                    Can I answer any questions?

                                                                       Are there any questions?

                                                                      Do you have any questions?

                                                                   Are there any final questions?