Time Management for Effective Meetings

Hello, welcome to another Biz Whiz Blog, I'm Becky McKinstry owner of Open Lines Training. 

Time management is an elusive intangible hard to get a grasp on concept when it comes to managing meetings. I would like to share some ways that will help you grab some of that intangible air so you save time, get more done and create measurable results. If you can incorporate a few good habits when it comes to meetings, you will feel more in control of your time and get more done. If you are running effective meetings, your time management skills impact you and everyone attending the meeting so you want excellent skills in this department. 

So how can you use time wisely when it comes to organizing meetings and helping everyone stay on the same agenda? You can accomplish this by following a few basic rules so you get more done, become great at delegating responsibilities and create timely follow-up steps for those time sensitive projects. You will also make a habit of setting an agenda, holding others accountable to their commitments and cutting down on the number of meetings you need to have.

To run an effective meeting in person or on the phone, set the tone of the meeting by sharing with each participant what their involvement will be ahead of time. Clearly explain what they will need to bring to the meeting, what you would like to accomplish and who else will be involved.  Next discuss how much time the meeting will take, the location or call-in number of the meeting and the follow up steps. A few of these details may change for the follow up but you have taken the time to set the expectation and have built a strong foundation for the meeting and the follow up. 

You can avoid having multiple meetings by taking time to prepare up front. If you spend a lot of your time in meetings, you know how much time can be wasted if people are not prepared. Rather than being frustrated from the lack of results, incorporate these meeting tools to make meetings productive, less time consuming and more fun.

This works with every meeting whether you are in charge or not and will save you hours  every week. You can create an effective meeting that allows you to have a clearly defined goal. If you are being ask to attend a meeting, ask a few questions before committing your time. These questions could sound something like: What will I need to bring with me, what will I be responsible for and what would you like to accomplish by the end of the meeting.

If you take a few minutes to learn more about the reason for the meeting, it gives you the option to opt-out if you find out there is not a real need for you to participate. Someone else may think you need to be there but with a little discussion you may have saved yourself some of that valuable time that has a habit of slipping quietly away. Following a meeting agenda allows you to be more productive, helps you track projects more effectively and you get more done working with people who need to be directly involved. 

Promise yourself you will be a responsible meeting guru and surprise your team with amazing meeting management skills.

For additional business building tools, visit www.openlinestraining.com.

Until next time..... 

Just Pick 3

Are your calendar and to-do lists overflowing to the point of overwhelm?  It's easy to convince ourselves that all the things we think we have to do, we have to do right now.  Although multi-tasking is truly necessary sometimes, in reality the things that have the biggest impact on our goals take some concentrated focus to the exclusion of all other distractions.

What are the tasks that are directly connected to reaching your goals?  Pick 3 a day that have the greatest opportunity to impact your bottom line and focus intently on doing those 3 things first.  Block time, turn off your phone and email, stay away from Facebook until you can cross those items off your list.

Get clear on what your priorities really are.  Is it essential for you to get in front of prospects?  Block time to make appointments.  Are close-in opportunities hanging because you need to follow up with more information?  Do it.

You'll feel more productive and less overwhelmed when you deal with what's essential first.  You might even find that you can eliminate some items off your to-do list all together.

What's Your "Why"?

Have you stopped to think lately why you’re in the business you’re in?  What is the pull about what you do that keeps you going when times are tough?

Having a strong “why” is the very foundation of success in business and in life.  It gives us focus, conviction, strength and courage to overcome objections, take action and go the distance.  The “why” makes the hard things easier and brings a sense of joy and accomplishment to make the victories sweeter.

So, what’s your “why”?  It needs to be more than just earning a paycheck and paying the bills.  What does success look like to you?  How does success enrich your life, and empower you to share with the people you love or the causes close to your heart?   What’s your BIG DREAM?  Write it down.

Being clear on your “why” will simplify goal-setting and priorities.  Shift your focus to the activities that are directly connected to your picture of a successful life!

Community for Treasure Valley Women in Business

Treasure Valley
Women in Business
Growing in Harmony…

Standing for Each Other

Does the idea of connecting with other women business owners to share experiences, compare notes and support one another’s growth appeal to you?

Open Lines Training is excited to offer Treasure Valley Women in Business (TVWIB), an exciting new membership forum for the purpose of helping each other strategize, stay balanced, strengthen our foundations and achieve success on terms that don’t compromise who we are. 

This is not a leads group, but rather a community.

Join us!  Space is limited to the first 20 women who register. 

When:
Monthly on the 3^rd Wednesday
Beginning May 16, 2012
3-5pm

Where:

ICON Credit Union

485 W. Overland Rd., Meridian 83642

Cost:

$49.99 per month
Refreshments Provided

Register today!  Click here.

Strategies for More Productive Networking

Have you ever left a networking event feeling like you’ve been assaulted? It’s an awful feeling to be smothered in schmooze, or dealt flying business cards ala drive-by style, or product dumped-on.  All of this by people you don’t even know!  It’s our civic and professional responsibility to stop the madness before it goes any farther!

Let’s get back to basics, shall we?  What’s the point of networking anyway?  Networking is about making meaningful connections with like-minded people.  It should not be viewed as isolated events, but rather a process of building relationships. 

If you get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about attending networking events, you need to connect with yourself first.  People typically behave in unusual ways when they’re uncomfortable or afraid of their environment…a.k.a. “assaulters”.  It definitely takes a respectable level of courage to walk into a room full of people you’ve never seen before and get involved.  I believe things go wrong when we go in with a preconceived notion of how we’re supposed to act instead of being who we are.   We’ve all heard it at one time or another…”just be yourself – everything will be fine.”  So – BE YOURSELF.  Understand how you best communicate and how you get your bearings in unfamiliar territory.  If you like to observe a situation before you jump in, then do that.  If you are more comfortable being introduced around a room, make arrangements in advance to have that happen.   Look for someone you’ve met before and break the ice with that person.  Your comfort level will rise as you acclimate to the situation.

Next, make sure you’re clear about your expectations.  Don’t put undue pressure on yourself or set unrealistic expectations for the outcome.  You’re setting yourself up for disaster and disappointment if you think you’re going to walk away from a networking event with new clients.   Networking is simply the venue, the forum, the opportunity to meet people and begin to build a relationship with them.  It’s up to us to decide which forums suit us and our situations the best, and to discern which relationships we are most interested in building.  This takes time, focus, a sincere interest in and curiosity about others, and a true appreciation for what it takes to earn another’s trust. 

Take some time to set your strategy for networking and devote time consistently to deepening relationships with people you’re connecting with.  You are creating an environment to foster referral business, which grows in value over time!

Showing Up

Did you ever consider how you’re showing up in your life and your business?  They’re connected, you know. 

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the ABC’s of Great Leadership.  How about the ABC’s of Having a Great Life and Business?  Authenticity, belief system and compassion are key components of living a fulfilled life and doing great work. 

Our lives begin in complete authenticity and freedom.  As children we make choices totally based on our own fulfillment.  And then the world happens to us, and we get conditioned to live based on other people’s choices for us.  It’s natural and has to happen to some degree to protect us and so that we can function in society.  At some point, though, we all have to reconnect with ourselves… rediscover ourselves… get back to the core of who we are and choose the beliefs that support the highest and best of ourselves.

I work with small business owners all the time who talk about potential – the business has potential, their staff has potential, this new idea has potential.  Reading between the lines of what isn’t being said, what I hear is “we could be successful if only…..”  I would be rich if only I could win the lottery Saturday night.  Does that kind of thinking help us confidently spring into action, or does it cause us to resist doing anything because we think we aren’t enough, don’t have enough and don’t believe enough to get it done? 

To be authentic and to show up that way, we need only to focus on now and recognize that we have everything we need at this moment to do what we can do today.  Then do it.  We are free to choose a belief system based our growing capacity instead of an “if only” potential mindset.  Show yourself some compassion – accept and love who you are.  You are the only person in the world who can do what you do in the way that you do it. 

When you can show up in your life and your business as the best YOU that you can be, the world will happen for you.

The ABC’s of Great Leadership

"Example is leadership." ~~ Albert Schweitzer

Take a look around our community and, like many other communities, you will see effects of the past few years’ economic conditions.  The question I’d like to pose to you today is how, under the financial stress of recent times, have some companies managed to not only stay alive, but to thrive?  Leadership is the key to what makes or breaks a company.

Having so recently lost one of our own great leaders, Steve Appleton, it’s natural to look at his example.  Micron has certainly not been exempt from hardship.  It’s how Mr. Appleton responded to hardship that made him a great leader.    How many business leaders do you know who have forfeited their own salaries for the good of the company?  That’s just one of a string of examples you could draw from in a discussion of Steve Appleton’s mettle as a leader.

What are the core qualities that separate great leaders from mediocre leaders?  Let’s call these the ABC’s of Great Leadership.

Authenticity:  Great leaders are real people first.  They are secure enough in who they are to surround themselves with talented people who are strong in areas they are weak in.  They lead by example and not a “do as I say, not as I do” mentality.  Great leaders roll up their sleeves and don’t expect their people do things they are not willing to do themselves.

Belief System:  Great leaders operate from a belief system based on integrity.  They know the right thing to do and they do it, even when it’s hard to do.  Great leaders engage in positive reinforcement and encouragement when times are tough.

Compassion:  Great leaders know that the strength of their organizations relies on the strength of their people.  They recognize that we are all people first, workers second.  Great leaders treat people with respect, compassion, courtesy and humanity in all situations.

Great leaders don’t profess to know everything, but they recognize that they have the capacity to learn the right things and assemble the right teams to get the job done.  Every challenge increases their capacity for greatness. 

Are you a great leader?  Do you have the capacity to be one?  Get clear on who you are, what you stand for and how you impact the other people in your organization.  Be the example you want your people to follow.