Meeting Prep
Every effective meeting should begin with a clear one of these.
What is a purpose?
This table shape encourages equal interaction and collaboration among participants.
What is a round table?
A facilitator should begin a meeting at this time.
What is promptly/on time?
Participants should avoid these unrelated conversations that distract from the main discussion.
What are side discussions/tangents?
Phone calls and conference calls are examples of this type of interaction.
What is audio-only interaction?
This provides a list of topics that will be discussed during a meeting.
What is an agenda?
Rows of chairs facing a speaker work best when there is very little of this expected from the audience.
What is interaction?
The chapter says a facilitator should “guide” rather than do this.
What is dictate?
Poor facilitation can cause people to present these as if they were facts.
What are opinions?
These three characteristics influence how your spoken words are interpreted.
What are voice quality, volume and pitch?
An agenda should clearly indicate these two times.
What are the start and end times?
The head of a rectangular or U-shaped table is often associated with these three things.
What are power, status and hierarchy?
This rule means “No One Speaks Twice Until Everybody Speaks Once.”
What is the NOSTUESO rule?
When people repeatedly make the same points without reaching conclusions, discussion has become this.
What is circular?
When communicating across cultures, the chapter recommends using direct sentences and avoiding these because they may not translate literally.
What are figures of speech?
These groups are generally more productive when a meeting requires a lot of interaction.
What are smaller groups?
If your meeting requires a projector or microphone, you should do this before the meeting begins.
What is test the equipment?
A facilitator should watch for these physical cues, such as posture, facial expressions and crossed arms.
What is nonverbal communication?
The chapter recommends criticizing these rather than criticizing people.
What are positions?
Unlike audio-only meetings, this form of communication allows participants to observe nonverbal gestures in real time.
What is audio-visual communication?
This stage of group formation may occur when members' roles aren't clear.
What is storming?
The chapter recommends confirming a meeting-room reservation at these two times.
What are one week before and the day before?
This type of assessment occurs DURING a meeting and allows participants to make changes while it's happening.
What is formative assessment?
Facilitators should encourage different opinions to help prevent this phenomenon where a group discourages disagreement.
What is group think?
If someone's meaning isn't clear during a virtual meeting because nonverbal cues are missing, you should do this rather than assume their intention.
What is ask for clarification?