For many years, my company had very clear lines of authority, position, and title. Your title determined everything from the type of phone you had, to the size of your office, to the color of your walls. Although the culture of the organization has since changed, I believe this instilled a fear in many lower-level employees of talking in meetings that included higher-level executives. These executives want everyone in the meeting to feel comfortable voicing their opinions, but have trouble getting full participation. Therefore, my facilitation box focuses primarily on ways to improve participation, though many of the items can be used for other creative purposes as well.
Like Professor Schlake did on the first day of class, I will begin my meetings by passing out the squishy balls and iso flex stress reliever toys to the meeting attendees. In an organization like ours, this will immediately change the tone of the meeting and allow all participants to let down their guard. As we saw in the first class, people will throw the toys to each other and laugh at their silliness. Thes...
Engagement is also an important part for the employees. The company provides information of the board meetings to all employees. This enhances the employees’ feelings of being well-informed and engaged. The employees even can challenge the current unit wage for manufactured parts. This is an open discussion, so we can see that employees are treated as if they were partners.
The Meeting is a play written by Jeff Stetson that portrays the theoretical meeting of Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The play’s opening scene shows both men on opposite sides of the stage with spotlights on them. They take turns speaking to make it seem as if these interactions are happening at separate locations and at different points in time. We can assume they’re being interviewed because we hear a voice offstage asking the men questions. However, in these interviews, neither man is known by the public for accomplishing anything, almost as if the revolution they created had never happened. Directly following, Malcom wakes up from his nightmare, which is what the audience just witnessed. Based on
...evision. I feel there are several simple things could be done that would make the meeting more accessible to not only first time attendees but also citizens in general. First of all by giving a very brief introduction to who the Council members are and why they are on the Council, as well as the who the people on the side bars are and what their purpose for being there. Just a brief background, five minutes at the tops, would give a background enough for newcomers to have a basic understanding of what is going on. Another thing that could be done to make it more accessible would be to explain the purpose of the meeting or to give out an agenda at the beginning. By attending this public meeting, I was able to see that the grandeur that is portrayed on television is very fake, but the importance is vastly downplayed.
The session began with a brief introduction of everyone in the room which was followed by an ice breaker activity. During a previous classroom demonstration, markers were used as an ice breaker with a young family (D. Baker, personal communication, March 18, 2014). It was a simple action that created a connection so I adopted the practice. According to Patterson, ...
Rogelberg, S. G., Allen, J. A., Shanock, L., Scott, C., & Shuffler, M. (2010). Employee satisfaction with meetings: A contemporary facet of job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 49(2), 149-172.
My leadership style is primarily participative. Consultation contributes to more effective decisions leveraging the collective wisdom of the group, and, by soliciting their input, a greater degree of personal interest and satisfaction from participants (Yukl, 2013, p. 107). No one has all the answers, but together, in an open and trusting environment, all of us can collaborate toward a solution (Bennis, 2009, p. 133). Consultation and delegation within a shared philosophical framework serves to build support, personal investment, and leadership capacity amongst participants (Yukl, 2013, p. 384).
I chose to represent the major in the “Island Cruise”-role play. Taking part at that play made me realize that there are several aspects that you should keep in mind before attending a meeting, e.g. and amongst others “be prepared”, “listen”, “share common goals” and “keep your emotions out”.
...m feeling disregarded or left out, time wasted when conflicts and misunderstandings arise, and capital resources allocated on legal fees and settlements. Fortunately, today’s business organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of a more inclusive and equitable work environment as their bottom line.
As an employee, I now understand that the person who talks all day in the cubicle next to me is an extrovert who is as revitalized by being around others as I am by being secluded. I also know that just because someone is not speaking up in a meeting does not mean that they necessarily agree with the ideas that are being presented, as they may just be uncomfortable sharing their views. Well put
Effective business communication is central to the success of an individual’s career and consequently to that of the overall business entity. It would be imaginable therefore that there is some form of correlation between effective communication skills and such success. To put this into context, University of Kent (2011) has placed Verbal Communication at the top of the ten skills that employers most commonly look for. On the same note, anything that hinders effective communication is bound to have a negative effect not only on the specific message delivery, but also on the overall success of a career. In this paper, some of the barriers to effective business communication are discussed, with a few examples of how they affect the process.
In order to demonstrate sensitivity, I need to pause and reflect on what I want to say prior to speaking. Furthermore, my moderate human skill level demonstrates a need for greater improvement in the ability to be sensitive to the needs and motivations of others. One of my leadership experiences includes facilitating a casual, weekly discussion with international students about cultural themes as a Peer Helper in the Office of Intercultural Affairs. Since some students are shy or more reserved, I often need to guide the conversation. However, I need to be wary of my overenthusiastic and outgoing personality dominating the conversation and understand that others need time and space to voice their
First, let’s discuss tools I obtained during the Facilitative Leadership class which I will utilize when I return to the unit. One important aspect I will implement is the delegation of duties during a meeting to keep the group involved. According the “Performance Improvement Guide” an effect meeting group should be comprised of a Timekeeper, Scribe, Recorder, Co-Facilitator,
Hurley, Thomas and Juanita Brown. “Conversational Thinking: Thinking together for a Change.” Oxford Leadership Journal 1.2 (2010). http://www.oxfordleadership.com/journal/vol1_issue2/olj_vol1issue2.pdf
Jennings, M. Leading Effective Meetings, teams, and work groups in districts and schools. ASCD. 2007
Oprah Winfrey has been quoted saying “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”. First of all, what is luck? Luck has been defined as when something happens by chance. Some say luck can be seen in two ways, good luck or bad luck. What I believe Oprah Winfrey is saying, is that luck is luck, you have the ability to make it good or bad.