MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS with Sarita Johan presenting (Build your Core)

Sarita Johan presenting Build your Core  

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Introduction
I am a bit excited about today's topic which is having meaningful conversations with a focus on meetings. Let me ask you a question….. Do you love going to meetings? If yes, what do you like the most? If not, why not? 

Meetings are an essential part of doing business and when done well and effectively it is a great opportunity to communicate, collaborate, gain commitment and build confidence in your business. Let’s face it, it is inevitable. Unfortunately most people feel that it is a complete waste of time. 

In today's episode I will be sharing some statistics and core issues together with some suggestions on what you can do to run an effective meeting that people see as a great source of value. We will also touch on how to address conflict and the importance of running a strong meeting and staying on track. 

Why is this so? I don’t believe there is just one reason, I think it is a mixture of, but one of the top reasons people are not clear on the reason combined with the lack of preparation. 

A meeting requires time and resources. Depending on the size of the business if these meetings are not adding value the perception of your team members can be such that now they have not only attended an unproductive meeting, but they have also been interrupted in completing their tasks. 

In a previous episode I spoke about the cost of running a meeting and I spoke to one of my former client’s examples where the average cost of the business per hour was huge, and their meetings were run poorly. When this was brought to their attention they were shocked and were ready for change. What you don’t know you don’t know and if your team is simply following but not sharing feedback this expense can be a real handbrake in your business. My personal philosophy here is do not conduct meetings just because you feel that is what’s done. Prepare and set clear expectations with time limits and stick to it. 
 

What are some of the key issues organisations face 

1. Time spend 
2.  Loss of productivity 
3. Sense of frustration 
4.  Lack of understanding why
5. Lack of follow up
6. Things that are left unsaid including conflict

What you need to know
1.   the preparation before a meeting,
2.   ensure objectives have been set. 
3.   Create an agenda 
4.   Stick to the process 
5.   How to handle conflict and items not relevant to the meeting

What you need to do

1.    Prepare
1.    Set agenda
2.    Be clear on objectives
2.    Start and finish on time
3.    Watch the people in the room, look for signs of engagement or disengagement, eg. Body language
4.    Assign different people to different roles in the meeting, time keeper, note taker, summarizer, this will increase the level of responsibility and it becomes a team effort rather then a telling show
5.    Summarize at each point what is required and the outcome and who will be responsible
6.    Be clear on the action points, taking notes I personally find least effective but this will highly depend on your current way of doing things and what type of workforce you have if you are in a legal services field this might be a non-negotiable.
7.    Jazz it up, make your meetings not only valuable but have different ways of delivery, walking, drawing even singing make it memorable
8.    At the end of each meeting go around the room and ask what they took away from the meeting 
9.    Help your team members being heard
10. Then recap next steps and expectations, ensure everybody is as clear as possible
11. Once meeting is completed send (if this was agreed) people the action points, you can do this in written format or if you are in a virtual meeting you could summarize it at the end and record the action points so people can watch it back, again this is very dependant on the attendees you have in the room 
 
In summary be prepared, watch your people in the room, provide clear next steps and acknowledge conflict should it arise. 

About the show host 
“Sarita Johan brings more than 30 years of Business experience. After spending her career climbing the corporate ladder, running her own businesses and juggling family and relationships – she doesn’t just talk the talk she’s walked the walk.SJ Coaching was born out of the desire to be more. A snapped femur, financial hardship, and a broken marriage led Sarita to completely redesign her life. 

Sarita walked away from her high-profile career, invested in self-development and became a NLP Master Practitioner and ADVanced Innermetrix consultant which has allowed her to deeply understand how people think and make decisions. Because of that Sarita is able to deliver a holistic solution for those in business, teaching people to become more conscious of that we are not our business and the need to consider all areas of life. Her unique blend of business and mindset coaching empowers her clients to identify their business blind spots and success blocks so they can prosper in both business and life”.

If you’d like to understand more about how you can improve your culture in your Dynamic Partnerships you can schedule in a time for a 20 minute power chat. Book your time here. 

Sarita specialises in coaching for People in Business with:

• Dynamic duos in Business and Life
• Partnerships
• SME's with teams
• Executives

If you have any questions or would like more info on how to Play your A-Game from the Inside Out? then see below links where you can find me. 

Website Email Linkedin  Instagram

Written by Sarita Johan

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