Meeting Activities
Roadblocks To Successful Meetings
Objective - Identifying the differences between good and bad meetings.
Time: 25 minutes
Note: If it is a large group, then break it down into small table groups (3 to 6 people)
Each learner takes about 5 minutes to think about meetings that he or she attended which was not as successful as it might have been. The learner writes down the reasons that blocked the people from doing their best and prevented the meeting from becoming a success.
The learners then use a round-robin method (going from one person to the next for a single block until all blocks are completed) to develop a list of blocks that kept the participants from doing their best.
Select the six most common blocks for general discussion. (If the group was broken down into small groups, rejoin them for this discussion)
A Model for Successful Meetings
Time: 40 minutes
Note: If it is a large group, then break it down into small table groups (3 to 6 people)
Hand out the graphic on meetings:
Using the drawing as a guide, have each group discuss and list what it takes to create a successful meeting.
Bring the groups together and using the learner's lists, discuss what it takes to develop a successful meeting:
- Planning: Although this is one of the smallest illustrations on the drawing, it is the biggest factor that will determine if the meeting is successful. Poor planning produces poor performance.
- People and resources: Bringing the right people to the meeting and structuring the meeting so that they can follow their expected norms and roles. Having the needed resources on hand (e.g. meeting room, flip charts, projectors).
- Communication tools: Notice that the mouth is bigger than the ear...should it be the other way around - more listening and less talking?