One of Business Excellence Workshops Delivered to Sipchem professionals in 2009/2010

1. GOLDEN RULES For Conducting EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MEETINGS How to get the best out of business meetings and stop wasting time! Business Excellence Series Designed and conducted by: Yousef Abugosh, PMP – Section Head / Sipchem

2. OUTLNE Clarifying your meeting's purpose. Planning your meeting well. Important actions you must take before your meeting! Important actions you must take during your meeting! Important actions you must take after your meeting! Summary of main points & important tips.

3. A g e n d a 16 14 Survey Question:In your opinion, what are the top two reasons why meetings are unproductive? 12 P l a n n i n g 10 8 C o m m i t m e n t 6 T i m e 4 P e o p l e F o c u s 2

4. SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS: HOW TO PLAN, PREPARE, AND EXECUTE TOP-NOTCH BUSINESS MEETINGS More than 70% of executives feel that most of the meetings they attend are a waste of time; and 67% said they attended more meetings this year than last year (Success Magazine) Executives spend 75% of their time in meetings (How to Win the Meeting – by Frank Snell) The higher paid people in companies spend most of their time in meetings  a colossal waste of money if meetings are not effective. At Xerox, Senior executives spend at least 5 hours a day in meetings. Meetings are responsible for $37 billion in productivity losses every year (www.webiq.net). Book 80/20 rule  where is our success leverage area?

5. MEETING PURPOSE Clarify your meeting purpose will help you determine whether you meeting is necessary to have! 12

6. MEETING PURPOSE Exercise 1 Effective meeting purpose statement

7. MEETING PURPOSE

8. MEETING PURPOSE What are the pros and cons of having regularly scheduled meetings? Exercise 2 Optimizing recurring meetings

9. MEETING PURPOSE TWO GOOD TIPS THAT HELP AVOID UNNECESSARY MEETINGS Will a telephone call, conference call, voice mail, email, or a casual talk over lunch work? If you need a decision, can you secure it without a formal meeting; can one person help (as opposed to a group?)

11. So what! Solutions/Ideas/ Proposals

12. Organized input (brainstorming/discussions, etc.)

13. Decisions

14. Summary / final thoughtsExercise 3 Drafting a clear agenda

15. MEETING PLANNING Keep the meeting small (5 to 8 people)  Invite only those who can make a contribution. Be prepared  Do your homework before arriving. Do not go to meetings that you know will either waste your time or to which you would not add value. Propose alternate time if meeting time is inconvenient to you, Confirm meeting is still on for last minute cancellation / remind key people of meeting! Print the meeting invite and make a list of items you need to take with you to the meeting! Distribute meeting-related information to attendees before the meeting date! Do not accept impromptu meetings if disrupting to work schedule  Some suggested actions: Request a planned meeting Verify the urgency Request a background briefing Postpone til later (if possible)

16. CONDUCTING THE MEETING Start and Stop on time & stick to the agenda If minutes are required, assign someone other than you. Use visual aids as supporting evidence to make your point. Never allow interruptions (nor ever interrupt)  use the 100 km rule! Learn to tactfully: Minimize small talks and side-conversations Stop people from jumping ahead or backward Engage disinterested people back into meeting Discussion technique: State the proposition 2. Produce the evidence 3. Discuss the evidence 4. Reach a conclusion 5. Decide on the action Summarize all decisions and conclusions Exercise 4 Summarize decisions

17. CONDUCTING THE MEETING IMPORTANT ACTIONS DURING THE MEETING

18. CONDUCTING THE MEETING Essential soft-skills building-blocks Watch out for meetings’ dominators Eliminate intimidation and fear Encourage seeking meaning and truth, not presenting own opinion at any cost Spread smiles and use professional humor Be vulnerable - If you do not know, say so, apologize for mistakes, etc.! Thank participants for good ideas (ex.: thanks Ahmed for such brilliant thought) Exercise 5 Stopping dominators tactfully

19. AFTER THE MEETING Prepare a follow-up action plan. Note what must be done, who will do it, when it is due. Give a copy to everyone after the meeting. Make sure people know what actions they are responsible for after the meeting ends and when the assignments are due. If minutes are necessary, distribute them within 24 hours after the meeting. Be sure to check the progress of the action assignments. Don’t risk finding out at the next meeting that nothing has happened.

20. The Best and the Worst of Meetings

21. Thank you!!!