Effectiveness of meetings

 A critical reflection on the effectiveness of meetings 

A meeting is a tool of great importance for the business. Through that, the administrators can manage conflicts in their companies and or implement new strategies. 

With this same thought, the ISS Facility makes monthly meetings with its cleaning staff to abort issues regarding the correct use of chemicals, machinery and how to perform the tasks to avoid accidents. 

Usually, the meetings take place in the last week of each month and consist of a manager, two supervisor and members of operative cleaners staff with a duration of 30 to 60 minutes. 

Since the meeting on 20 December, 2018 new employees underwent training in the use of chemicals and machinery acquired by the ISS Facility in the Shire. 

The supervisor read the minutes of the last meeting. He talked about the positives and negatives results and also how to improve the management and team. He said about the new equipment and training that they introduced made each task a lot better and decreased the wear and tear on the employees. Complete security of staff, customers, equipment and tangible assets of the company were also protected.

He instructed to follow the internal regulations of the company, while performing their duties. In case of doubt, he suggests to report to the team leader and only to execute when directed by him. 

As he continued, talking about the importance of group work and professional development as the company encourages talent exchange. It also opens up new opportunities for career growth among its employees.  

The significance of this activity is shown the strengths and weaknesses. The Open College in class content presented this. 

The meeting began and ended at the pre-arranged time; without wasting time on unnecessary matters: When the supervisor puts an appropriate length of time for a meeting, employees feel more motivated, and they know that during the conference there will be no time wasted on trivial matters. 

Walsh (2008) suggests that the meeting starts on time. Inform late-comers what topic is under discussion, but do not restart and do not apologize. Respect the time of those who are punctual. The best meeting agendas include the expected outcome or decisions. This alerts you that they are not meeting to discuss, but are expected to deliver a result. 

Reflect on the correct use of language, content preparation and the use of appropriate tools were the second point that worked during the meeting since everyone was attentive to the speaker and the material used. 

Tracy (2013) suggests that prepare an agenda for every meeting, and always follow a written schedule. Prioritize the items on the list and deal with the most important ones first, in case you run out of time. As the meeting leader, your job is to keep the discussion on track and push for closure on each item before moving on.  

The Open College Business Administration (2013) describes a meeting that can be smoothly run without the Chairperson announcing, "We are going to follow Roberts Rules of Order." Most members will not know what this means. Instead, the Chairperson can announce some simple rules for running the meeting. 

- One person will speak at a time. No vulgarities or name calling is allowed. 

- If you want to talk, please raise your hand, and I will call you. 

- Do not repeat speakers until everyone has had a chance to speak. 

- Speakers must stick to the subject. If you want to talk about something different, please wait until the first issue is dealt with. 

- If the members have to make a decision, then there will be a vote on that issue. Once the vote is taken, we will move on to the next point. 

This helped me to recognize that the language used, was easy to understand for all without disrespect to the participants with vulgar use of words, or use of complicated words, since the group of employees of the company is formed by people of other nationalities and level educational level. 

In my point of view where the meeting took place, it was not suitable. There was no place for everyone to be seated and the use of text and image was restricted to a small laptop. 

This could be more effective if the pre-meeting were observed with the preparation of the content, communicating the participants, reserving the room and the equipment needed for a presentation. Avoid wasting time on unnecessary matters to the proposed theme of the meeting. If new issues arise, they may be set for future meetings without losing the focus of what was initially intended. 

Certo (2012, p.7) suggests that the four fundamental management functions-activities that make up the process are necessary to have a favourable outcome in the process. The steps of follow-ups are Planning, Organizing, Influencing, and Controlling. 

Andersson and Au-Yeung (2015) confirm that combining the three phases, pre-meeting, meeting, and post-meeting, the encounter becomes one process. A meeting leader, who is responsible for the whole meeting process, manages each phase. As a result, the outcome and success of the meeting heavily depend on how well the meeting leader managed each step. However, there always exists events which cannot be controlled, but with proper planning, these difficulties become easier to overcome. Pre-meeting is the first phase and consists of planning, making an agenda, sending out material, as well as inviting participants. 

No chairperson should not waste time and money on unnecessary meetings. For a favourable outcome to occur, that is why it is necessary to plan all the stages of the meeting, but always bordering on the issue. You should be concerned with the before, during, and post-meeting so you can reap productive results.  

The Chairperson of the meeting should go with the prepared subjects and expose the facts to his audience. It must be objective. Begin on time, with the issue already defined. And whenever possible follow up to see if it is being fulfilled. 

Reflect on the importance of following a schedule it is necessary for the favourable progress of the meeting. For the person conducting the meeting, following a prospectus, has a chance to be more assertive, talk about what it is and not waste time with unnecessary matters and with this can open the opportunity for others to speak after exposing the facts. Respect and correct use of speech is necessary to avoid unnecessary offence and debate. 

The significance of this activity was to be able to compare with the different points of view of each author the correct use of time, speech, and content organization. Meetings are limited during its duration. There must be an earlier preparation so that everything can happen right at the time of the meeting, and never forget the pre-meeting where it will be checked whether the aborted subject at the conference is being followed or if it is consistent with what was proposed. 

When the administrator correctly plans a pre-meeting, it provides everyone with a win. There will be no loss of time, money and will be more assertive in what was initially proposed. 

Bibliography 

Certo, Samuel Certo and S. Trevis Certo. (2012). Modern management: concepts and skills.12th ed. ISBN 978-0-13-217631-6, pp.7-9.  

Mattias Andersson and Ginsun Au-Yeung. (2015).  How can Lean contribute to create effective meetings? A case study at Ericsson in Borås. UPPSALA Universitet. pp 13-21. 

Tracy, Brian. (2013). Time Management. American Management Association. ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-3343-0. Conduct Effective Meetings pp. 85-88. 

Walsh, Richard. (2008). Time Management. Second Edition. Avon, Massachusetts. ISBN 10: 1-59869-765-X , ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-765-0 (paperback), ISBN 13: 978-1-44050-113-5 (EPUB). Chapter 10, pp. 93-97. 

Sheahan, Henry. (2014).  Business Administration QQI Level 5. 5N1610. Dublin: The Open College.