Effective Meetings Meetings are one of the major

Effective Meetings • Meetings are one of the major forms of communication for projects and in the general business environment • These can be positive and fruitful or a total waste of time • An effective meeting is one that reaches the required outcomes of all participants • Achieving the required outcomes requires planning and preparation • Meetings are a form of ‘Interactive Communication’ and can be conducted in many different ways – both formal and informal • 'Hey, if this person can't manage a meeting, what chance does the project stand? ' BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

How to Conduct Effective Meetings 1. Ensure outcomes are defined prior to the meeting ü Never go to a meeting where the desired outcomes are not clearly understood by all involved. ü This includes the meetings you call and the ones you are required to attend. ü Send an outline of the purpose of the meeting and the required outcomes 2. Plan the meeting in advance ü Think about what you want to say, what information you require or what you need to learn from the meeting. ü Anticipate and prepare for questions and objections, raise them yourself if they are important. ü Prepare agendas formal meetings and distribute in advance BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

How to Conduct Effective Meetings 3. Manage your time and respect the time of others ü Understand the expectations around meeting start and finish times ü Be clear about your expectations – eg. 1. Always start on time and finish on time vs Start 5 minutes late and finish 5 minutes early 2. Reschedule the meeting if key contributors are not present 3. Agree key contributors and minimum attendees 4. Pay attention and actively listen ü If it is important enough to attend then it is important enough to listen carefully. ü Be engaged and present, you never know what you might find out. ü Confirm understanding BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

How to Conduct Effective Meetings 5. Suggest options ü Don't be afraid to challenge what is put in front of you. ü Suggest alternatives if this will achieve the outcome more effectively 6. Summarise ü Recap decisions and actions at the end of the meeting ü Be specific about who is to do what by when ü Clarify that outcomes have been achieved and assess understanding ü Ask for feedback and confirm agreement BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

How to Conduct Effective Meetings 7. Confirm and confirm again ü Always confirm appointments the day before ü Leave nothing to chance ü Be prepared to reschedule immediately if there are issues with the timeslot 8. Document agreed actions and decisions ü Formal meetings should have formal minutes including action items and major decisions ü Informal meetings can be followed up with a brief email outlining outcomes and action items ü Maintain a Decision Register and an Action item Register, review with the group regularly BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Meetings vs Workshops Meetings – Small or large groups – Specific plan of the outcomes – Standing agenda distributed prior to meeting – Room to accommodate additional business – Formal minutes, action items and decision register – Good meeting practices – Active listening BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications Workshops – Small or large groups – Require strong facilitation skills – Very detailed plan for the sessions – Room for flexibility if valuable information being obtained – Specific objectives but less defined outcomes – Good to generate ideas, gain understanding, problem solve

Formal vs Informal Meetings Formal – Small or large groups – Specific plan of the outcomes – Standing agenda distributed prior to meeting – Room to accommodate additional business – Formal minutes, action items and decision register – Good meeting practices – Active listening BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications Informal – One on one or small group – Scheduled in advance or adhoc – High level plan of outcomes – Flexible agenda – Standing agenda or topics agreed at start of meeting – Optional confirmation of agreements, decisions and actions via email – Active listening

Effective Presentations • Very few people enjoy giving presentations • Some are even more afraid of giving presentations that they are of dying! • Speeches are being replaced by Power. Point presentations • Power. Point is only an aid, to be effective attention must be applied to the content as well as the performance aspects of the presentation • Audience expectations are often very high • People demand to be enlightened, informed and entertained • Skilled presenters can transfer information, influence the audience and inspire action Adpated from PMBo. K Guide – Fourth Edition BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Planning Presentations 1. Have a strong introduction ü Plan an engaging introduction eg – provocative question, impressive fact, quotation, recall an anecdote 2. Consider your listener ü Frame the presentation as though you are sitting in the audience ü Understand the specific needs, wants and emotions of your audience 3. Ensure your audience knows what's in it for them ü Be clear about what is in it for the audience – WIIFM – What’s in it for me! ü Tailor your presentations to the needs of the audience 4. Begin with the end in mind ü Let them know what to expect, how they can use the information and the direct benefits to them ü Define the outcome and plan the messages ü Prepare a storyboard and remove unnecessary content BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Planning Presentations 5. Establish credibility ü ü ü Be confident in your movements, speech and what you are saying Mention your background, skills and experience Get the audience emotionally engaged 6. Plan the flow of your argument ü ü Be clear on the outcome and your intentions Lead the listener through Obtain agreement along the way Summarise key points BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Planning Presentations 7. Speak as if to one individual ü Deliver your speech as though each person was the only one in the room ü Make the presentation personal 8. Practise your presentation style ü Include three different styles - audio, visual and kinaesthetic ü Plan how you transition between these elements ü It pays to practise with someone you trust and then to ask for their comments 9. Strong conclusions ü Summarise key points ü Call the audience to action 10. Ask for feedback ü Be open and calm ü Take it on board if appropriate for future presentations BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

AIDA – A Simpler Model • Win the audiences attention • Gain their interest • Create a desire • Stimulate action or agreement BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Tips for Using Power. Point • • Keep it simple Power. Point is an aid not the main attraction Avoid cheesy clip art, animation and fancy backgrounds Use ‘slide master’ for consistent formatting Presentations - 6 points per slide Practice your interaction with the slides and other media Report Format – can be very detailed and small font if designed to be printed out • Lectures can break the rules as they are a combination of presentation and detailed notes BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Steering Committee Meetings • Regular meetings with the Project Sponsor, major client and key senior stakeholders • Hybrid between a presentation and a report Standard Agenda Power. Point Presentation Status Report BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications Decision Log Action Items Minutes

Steering Committee Agenda • Flexible depending on type of project and style of organisation, typically includes – ü Key Messages ü Project Status – Time & Costs ü Summary Performance Metrics ü Scope Management and Change Control ü Risks and Issues ü Decisions Required ü Optional appendices with more detail – – – Project Structure Detailed Performance Metrics Detail to support decisions Change Control Impact Assessments BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications

Steering Committee Outputs • Minutes ü Attendees ü Summary of discussion • Action Items ü Action item progress from last meeting ü New action items assigned at meeting • Decision Log ü All key decisions made at all meetings ü New decisions made at this meeting BSBPMG 507 A Manage Project Communications