How to Write an Agenda for a Meeting
(Source: http://www.wikihow.com)
An organized meeting needs a well written agenda.
Steps
1. Start preparation well in advance. It will show if you rush the agenda – you’re likely to forget things or to put things in the wrong order.
2. Ask the key people attending the meeting if they have any issues they would like to raise. Do this well enough in advance to be able to incorporate it into the agenda.
3. Organize the agenda issues. Consider whether there any issues that can be combined because they are related, similar, or even the same in terms of means or ends. If so, arrange them under one agenda item. Organize the order events according to time and importance. If something really needs to be discussed urgently or as a matter of priority, you may wish to put it near the top of the agenda so you can be certain you will get to it in the course of the meeting. Some people like to put things that take a lot of time near the top of the agenda, so that they can be certain they will be able to talk at length about them. Others prefer to put such items near the bottom as it means that discussion on these topics won’t push other items off the agenda and discussion that does occur will be forced to be succinct; it’s your call dependent on the topic. It may take a little trial and error to decide on an organization style you like.
4. Check the agenda for errors. Doing so reflects on your attention to detail and care for your position. It also prevents people being distracted by minor errors or by making points of order about errors.
5. Print the agenda or email it to all attendees. You should do this as near to the actual meeting as possible. If emailing, only do so if this has been agreed to by prior arrangement and always have spare paper copies up your sleeve at the meeting. Someone always forgets to bring a printed copy!
Tips
· If your company has a special form for agendas, use this form as a template. For some places, it is essential to stick to the formula.
· Depending what your colleagues are prefer, it might be worth keeping to a deadline for people suggesting ideas to add to the agenda. Name a cut-off date and time, and stick to it. Allow for amendments where these enhance the agenda or are simply a case of events overriding your original agenda.
· If somebody cannot make the meeting, consider creating an "Advance Apologies" section at the top of the agenda, or leave a space for this and simply announce them during the meeting.
· An excellent tool for having a productive meeting is using "OARR": Objectives, Agenda, Roles & Responsibilities. First, your meeting should have an objective. If you are having a meeting to just impart information, don’t waste people’s time with a meeting. Send them a newsletter. The objective should have an active component and if possible, a product to show for it: "Determine the quarterly goals for the team". The agenda is a list of the topics you’ll address to get to that objective, with a time limit to keep you on track. For example "1. Review the status of last quarter’s goals (15 minutes), 2. Round-table suggestions for goals (20 minutes), 3. Pick top 5 goals (10 minutes), etc.) For Roles and Responsibilities, determine who is running the meeting, who is keeping notes, and who will assign actions/"to do" items resulting from the meeting.
(Source: http://www.wikihow.com)
So, you were just elected secretary of that board you sit on? How do you complete the most important part of your job, the writing of the minutes? They are a record of what was decided and proposed. Many secretaries give themselves too much work by inserting far too much detail in the minutes. This wikiHow will teach you how to take, prepare and present minutes according to the legislative bible, Robert’s Rules of Order
STEPS
1. Bring a notebook or laptop with you. Make sure that it is something you are comfortable working with. If you will be writing minutes often, it may be advisable that you buy a decent book rather than taking your son’s "Winnie The Pooh" binder. Also, it is advisable that you have a good pen. Some seasoned secretaries would also suggest using a pencil instead.
2. Head a paper with columns for name and contact information. Put a note on the top of the page indicating that the paper should be returned to you. Pass it around the table, as soon as the chairperson calls the meeting to order. You will be able to refer to this record in order to document attendance.
3. Call The Meeting To Order The president will say "At 6:00PM on Friday, February the 21st, 2007, I call the meeting to order." Note on your piece of paper the time the meeting was called to order.
4. Read The Agenda Since you are the secretary, you will have prepared a draft agenda. The president will ask you to read it. After you have done that say "I move the adoption of this agenda. Note on your piece of paper that the draft agenda was read and that you moved for adoption (no seconder is needed). Note either motion carried or motion failed.
5. Read the Draft Minutes The president should ask you to read the minutes from your last meeting. It is essential that you have them with you. They can be distributed beforehand or you can read them right there and then. After you are done say "I move for the adoption of these draft minutes." No seconder is required. Note who made the motion and note either motion carried or motion failed.
6. Listen to the Other Reports After that the treasurer and some committees may have a report to make. Make sure at the end of the meeting, they give you a copy of their report. Note who read them, and whether the motion either carried or failed.
7. Record the Old Business This is anything that needed a follow up from last meeting. Did someone need to write a letter? Was it sent? Note anything that was done or not done and by whom.
8. Record the New Business When someone has an issue to address they will make a motion. For example "I move to give 100$ to the editors of this wikiHow." It is important that you write down the exact words!
9. Note who made motions, seconded motions and whether or not they passed or failed. Also, write down who has to do what.
10. Note what time the meeting adjourned.
11. Write down any points of order, points of information, etc.
12. Leave out unimportant detail. If an amendment is made, you do not have to write that someone proposed making an amendment. Just make sure, if it is passed, that it is in the main motion when you write it down.
13. Make Sure You Have Everything You Need After The Meeting Adjourns
14. Who sent regrets?
15. Who was there?
16. All the reports.
17. Location of the meeting.
18. Type up the minutes. Don’t put in it "Member A said he did not agree." or "The treasurer gave an excellent report." You must not put the debate into the minutes. Even if you spend 3 hours debating something, only put who made the motion, the exact wording and whether it passed or failed.
19. Distribute your draft. Once you have typed them, send them out to members. But remember, until they are approved by the organization, they are only draft minutes, subject to change at any time.
Tips
· It is a good idea to sit as close as possible to the chair of the meeting as this will allow you to hear everything and to ask for clarification without having to raise your voice.
· Make note not only of the concerns, but also of any accomplishments discussed in the meeting.
· Write things as they happen. For example, if someone said something about one subject, then you moved on to another issue, but something else happened about the first subject, don’t group them together.
· Make sure you have the correct name spellings, contact email addresses and telephone numbers.
· Remember, minutes are very important. They are saved and might be referred to for years and years to come. If it is a legal matter, someone’s reputation may depend on it.
· Remember, even though you are taking notes, you may still participate in the debates.
· Have people write down their motions. This will save you the trouble of having to phrase things so as to meet other’s ideas.
· Read certain parts of Robert’s Rules of Order, such as the section on being a secretary.
· Keep these minutes filed in a safe place.
· Consider learning shorthand or using a laptop for the taking of the minutes.
· Type up your minutes as soon as possible after the meeting. Its best to do this while the events are still fresh in your mind. Its also important that meeting participants get a copy of their action items as soon as possible after the meeting.
Warnings
· Don’t give yourself too much work by putting too much detail in the minutes.
· Don’t be afraid to interrupt and ask for a clarification.
“I remembered how he used to teach this idea in the Group Process class back at Brandeis. I had scoffed back then, thinking this was hardly a lesson plan for a university course. Learning to pay attention? How important could that be? I now know it is more important than almost everything they taught us in college.”
“Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom (1997)
________________________________________
| • | First of all, recognize that listening has to be learned. We teach children to speak and adults to speak in public, but we don’t teach listening – so it’s hardly surprising that most of us are not very good at it. |
| • | Next, appreciate that listening takes time – but, as the Greek philosopher Epictetus put it: “God gave man two ears but only one mouth that he might hear twice as much as he speaks.” |
| • | Normally, listen while seated. This will show commitment and aid concentration. |
| • | If you expect the conversation to last some time and/or to be sensitive, isolate yourself. So, if you’re in an office, have the door nearly but not totally closed (so that you have privacy but your intentions are not misunderstood), advise colleagues that you’re not available, and switch off your mobile. |
| • | Compose yourself physically. So don’t twist your legs around each other or cross your arms, but instead be loose and open. |
| • | Compose the space physically – if it is your space as opposed to someone else’s office or a café. So try to have a quiet, welcoming space with fruit, flowers or pot pourri. |
| • | Now listen with an open mind and an open heart – free of preconceptions and prejudices. |
| • | To listen effectively, concentrate totally on the speaker and what is being said. Avoid the temptation to be preparing mentally an immediate reply. |
| • | Give visual encouragement to the speaker – such as facing the speaker, offering eye contact, and indulging in mild head nodding. |
| • | Give oral encouragement to the speaker – such as, in conversation, periodically using words like “yes”, “I see”, “I understand” or even just sounds like “mmm” or “ah”. |
| • | Don’t interrupt. Let the speaker tell the story in his/her own words and at his/her own pace. |
| • | Don’t rush to fill a silence. Often a speaker will be more forthcoming or revealing if he/she is given a chance to compose his/her thoughts. |
| • | Beware of making judgments and instead ask open questions – so not “You must have hated that”, but “How did you feel about that?” |
| • | If you want to be sure that you’ve understood a particular point, reflect it back to the speaker and check that this really is what he/she meant. |
| • | When you want to remember a detail – such as a name or meeting arrangements – repeat immediately and aloud whatever it is you wish to remember. Then, as soon as it is convenient, write it down. |
| • | If you’re listening at a meeting or a conference, take notes. This will aid your concentration at the time and assist your recall after the event. |
| • | When someone says ‘Can I talk to you sometime?’ try to make the time immediately to have a conversation. If someone has a worry or a suggestion or just a query, the sooner one can address it, the better for them (and, if you have a relationship with that person such as parent, partner or manager, probably for you). |
| • | Finally – and perhaps ironically – the last lesson on effective listening is knowing when to stop listening. There are occasions when the wise and proper thing to do is not to listen. If a friend or colleague abuses your willingness to listen by taking an excessive amount of your time or taking time which is inappropriate, you need to say so, politely but firmly. If a colleague is simply using you to pass on negative gossip, you should explain that you’re not in the business of running down colleagues or passing on tittle-tattle. If a colleague raises a work issue that should be taken up with that colleague’s line manager or trade union, you should say so. If the issue raised involves a medical condition or psychological problem, you should encourage the person concerned to seek professional help. You are a good listener – but you are not there to be ‘dumped on’ and you are certainly not a doctor or a psychotherapist. |
http://www.rogerdarlington.co.uk
| • | Remember: leadership skills and techniques can be learned. You don’t have to be a natural leader. Very few people are. |
| • | Know your team. At some point, every day, walk around the office and say “Hi” to everyone who works for you. If you’re not in the office that day, call and see how people are. |
| • | Meet your team. Regularly – daily, weekly or monthly, depending on your place and type of work – have meetings of all the members of the team. Keep these meetings short, focused and action-orientated. |
| • | Train your team. Every team member should have at least two days training a year. Newer and more senior colleagues should have more. If they don’t ask to go on training sessions, suggest some suitable courses. |
| • | Grow your team. Through varied experience and regular training, you should be developing each team member to be more and more confident and more skilled. |
| • | Set objectives for each team member. As far as possible, these objective such be SMART – Specific Measurable Achievable Resourced Timed. |
| • | Review the performance of each team member. At least once a year – at least quarterly for the first year of a new team member – have a review session where you assess performance, give feed-back and agree future objectives and training. |
| • | Inspire your team. Consider making available a motivational quote or story every week or month. |
| • | Socialize with your team. Have lunch or an after-work drink with them, especially when a staff member has a birthday or there’s another reason to celebrate. |
| • | Thank constantly. The words “Thank you” take seconds to say, but mean so much. |
| • | Praise constantly. The words “Well done” take seconds to say, but will be long remembered and appreciated. |
| • | Communicate constantly. Don’t assume that people know what you’re doing, still less what you are planning or thinking. Tell them, using all the communication tools to hand: team briefings, electronic newsletters, organisational newspapers. |
| • | Eliminate. Too often we do things because they’ve always been done. Life changes. Consider whether you could stop doing certain things altogether. |
| • | Delegate. You don’t have to do everything. Develop your team members by training them to do more and trusting them to take over some of the things you’ve been doing. |
| • | Empower. A really effective leader sets clear objectives for his team members, but leaves detailed implementation of these objectives to the discretion and judgement of individual members of the team. As Second World War U.S. General George S. Patton put it: “Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results”. |
| • | Facilitate. A confident leader does not try to micro-manage his team, but makes it clear that, if team members need advice or assistance, he is always there to facilitate and support. |
| • | Be on time. Always start meetings on time and finish them on time. Natural breaks keep people fresh. Short meetings concentrate the mind. |
| • | Be seen. Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk. So visit each unit or department for which you are responsible on a regular basis. Don’t do this unannounced – you are not out to undermine other leaders or catch out staff. So arrange with the unit leader or departmental head when you’ll visit and ask him or her to walk round with you. |
| • | Make time. Managers are often very busy and this can deter people from approaching you, so make time for people and be approachable. People will appreciate you taking five minutes out of your busy schedule, especially if you act on/listen to what they say. |
| • | Really listen. Many of us – especially those who think they are important – don’t really listen, but instead think about what they’re going to say next. Give the person speaking to you your full attention and really take on board what they are saying. |
| • | Accept honest criticism. Criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger – but it’s a powerful tool of learning. Above all, assess criticism on merit, without regard to its originator. |
| • | Think strategically. The doers cut a path through the jungle; the managers are behind them sharpening the machetes; the leaders find time to think, climb the nearest tree, and shout “Wrong jungle!” Find time to climb the trees. |
| • | Have a mentor or buddy, someone doing similar work in the same or a similar organisation with whom you can regularly and frankly discuss your progress and your problems as a leader. |
| • | Have a role model, someone who can inspire you to be a truly great leader. If you can’t find one, study Jed Bartlet as the American President in any episode of the television series “The West Wing”. |
| • | Constantly revisit and review these tips. In his seminal work, “The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey puts it this way: “Sharpen the saw”. |
| • | Plan your succession. You won’t be there forever and you may not be in control of the timing and circumstances of your departure. So start now to mentor and train at least one colleague who could take over from you. |
(Source: http://changingminds.org)
What is the difference between management and leadership? It is a question that has been asked more than once and also answered in different ways. The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of what they do.
Many people, by the way, are both. They have management jobs, but they realize that you cannot buy hearts, especially to follow them down a difficult path, and so act as leaders too.
Managers have subordinates
By definition, managers have subordinates – unless their title is honorary and given as a mark of seniority, in which case the title is a misnomer and their power over others is other than formal authority.
Authoritarian, transactional style
Managers have a position of authority vested in them by the company, and their subordinates work for them and largely do as they are told. Management style is transactional, in that the manager tells the subordinate what to do, and the subordinate does this not because they are a blind robot, but because they have been promised a reward (at minimum their salary) for doing so.
Work focus
Managers are paid to get things done (they are subordinates too), often within tight constraints of time and money. They thus naturally pass on this work focus to their subordinates.
Seek comfort
An interesting research finding about managers is that they tend to come from stable home backgrounds and led relatively normal and comfortable lives. This leads them to be relatively risk-averse and they will seek to avoid conflict where possible. In terms of people, they generally like to run a ‘happy ship’.
Leaders have followers
Leaders do not have subordinates – at least not when they are leading. Many organizational leaders do have subordinates, but only because they are also managers. But when they want to lead, they have to give up formal authoritarian control, because to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity.
Charismatic, transformational style
Telling people what to do does not inspire them to follow you. You have to appeal to them, showing how following them will lead to their hearts’ desire. They must want to follow you enough to stop what they are doing and perhaps walk into danger and situations that they would not normally consider risking.
Leaders with a stronger charisma find it easier to attract people to their cause. As a part of their persuasion they typically promise transformational benefits, such that their followers will not just receive extrinsic rewards but will somehow become better people.
People focus
Although many leaders have a charismatic style to some extent, this does not require a loud personality. They are always good with people, and quiet styles that give credit to others (and takes blame on themselves) are very effective at creating the loyalty that great leaders engender.
Although leaders are good with people, this does not mean they are friendly with them. In order to keep the mystique of leadership, they often retain a degree of separation and aloofness.
This does not mean that leaders do not pay attention to tasks – in fact they are often very achievement-focused. What they do realize, however, is the importance of enthusing others to work towards their vision.
Seek risk
In the same study that showed managers as risk-averse, leaders appeared as risk-seeking, although they are not blind thrill-seekers. When pursuing their vision, they consider it natural to encounter problems and hurdles that must be overcome along the way. They are thus comfortable with risk and will see routes that others avoid as potential opportunities for advantage and will happily break rules in order to get things done.
A surprising number of these leaders had some form of handicap in their lives which they had to overcome. Some had traumatic childhoods, some had problems such as dyslexia, others were shorter than average. This perhaps taught them the independence of mind that is needed to go out on a limb and not worry about what others are thinking about you.
In summary
This table summarizes the above (and more) and gives a sense of the differences between being a leader and being a manager. This is, of course, an illustrative characterization, and there is a whole spectrum between either ends of these scales along which each role can range. And many people lead and manage at the same time, and so may display a combination of behaviors.
|
Subject |
Leader |
Manager |
|
Essence |
Change |
Stability |
|
Focus |
Leading people |
Managing work |
|
Have |
Followers |
Subordinates |
|
Horizon |
Long-term |
Short-term |
|
Seeks |
Vision |
Objectives |
|
Approach |
Sets direction |
Plans detail |
|
Decision |
Facilitates |
Makes |
|
Power |
Personal charisma |
Formal authority |
|
Appeal to |
Heart |
Head |
|
Energy |
Passion |
Control |
|
Dynamic |
Proactive |
Reactive |
|
Persuasion |
Sell |
Tell |
|
Style |
Transformational |
Transactional |
|
Exchange |
Excitement for work |
Money for work |
|
Likes |
Striving |
Action |
|
Wants |
Achievement |
Results |
|
Risk |
Takes |
Minimizes |
|
Rules |
Breaks |
Makes |
|
Conflict |
Uses |
Avoids |
|
Direction |
New roads |
Existing roads |
|
Truth |
Seeks |
Establishes |
|
Concern |
What is right |
Being right |
|
Credit |
Gives |
Takes |
|
Blame |
Takes |
Blames |
|
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