Effective Team Meetings: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on May 14, 2024 in Philosophy and ethics

A Session

A session is a meeting between members of a team to exchange information, reach consensus on decisions, and plan certain actions. It is a technique to activate, develop, and work as a group to achieve your objectives. Meetings facilitate relationships between people, allowing objectives to be reached more easily. For this purpose, any meeting should be well-meaning and planned in advance.

Types of Meetings

Briefings: The goal is to disseminate information to subordinates (downward information), superiors (upward information), or persons who are neither superior nor subordinate (horizontal information).
Problem-Solving Meetings: The goal is to generate ideas and find alternatives to a problem situation.
Follow-Up Meetings: The aim is to monitor the progress of work carried out, comparing partial achievements with the planning done. Each member may transfer the remaining difficulties and require collaboration.
Review Meetings: The team reflects on the degree of achievement of the goals, the final result, and the path taken to reach it.
Idea-Generating Meetings: The goal is to leverage individual creativity and group influences.
Negotiation Meetings: Held for two or more opposing parties with conflicting interests to present their arguments and try to reach an agreement that benefits both.
Spontaneous Meetings: These arise from time to time, without being planned, for current needs.
Planned Meetings: These follow a planned order of the group work.

Stages

Preparation Phase

If it is determined that the meeting is necessary, you will have to consider a series of points:

Define the issue to be addressed: Set the goal to be achieved. Why and for what is the meeting being held? Then it will be easier to evaluate.
Choose the right time to convene the meeting.
Choose an appropriate time of day: Do not call the meeting too early or late in the day.
Set the duration of the meeting: It is necessary to establish a start time and the time the meeting should conclude.
Prepare media for the meeting: Photocopies, projectors, videos, the panel, and any other instrument to be used must be prepared in advance.
Choose the right place: Often, the influence of size, environment, and furniture is neglected.
Convene only people required: Meetings with too many workers have drawbacks because they last too long. Although participants make small contributions, the meeting may be extended too much.
Communicate the convening of the meeting properly: The media depends upon the type of meeting and participants: a formal invitation document is sober.
Prepare the documentation carefully: Gather information on the subject.

Development Phase

Present the topic and participants: Welcome them and show them their site; attendees will learn well. If people are inhibited, give them confidence and encourage them to express their ideas.
Be assertive: It is necessary both to rebuke someone and to encourage a shy person to attend.
Avoid confrontations: If a very sharp contrast of views is possible, the moderator should make it clear that all opinions are useful.
Sort interventions: Be renewed at the issue in question, or if the parties enter different wanderings.
Control time points: You will watch and modify the pace of the session.
Attempt to reach the goal: Lead the reunion without wasting time in a climate of collaboration and participation.

Closure Phase

The end of the reunion should arrive at the time previsto before.
Summarize the points discussed and decisions taken, making sure each member knows their mission.
The secretary will prepare a record for points treaties, agreements, and commitments.

Evaluation Phase

This is not always present, which is a mistake. The moderator is giving the conclusions, and some participants may already be preparing to leave, leaving a fundamental part of any group work in the inkwell. If achievements do not compare with what was planned, it is not better. Filling out a questionnaire on the development of the reunion would be sufficient.

Positive Roles

Head-Formal: Officially designated by the organization.
Head-Informal: Influences others, regardless of being designated by the organization or not; people will follow their charisma and personality.
Coordinator: Tends to order interventions and remember to bring the debate to others for the purpose of the reunion.
Researcher: Finds useful information for the development of the task.
Expert: Knows the subject better than others, either through training or experience.
Animator: Has a positive attitude to work and tries to spread their enthusiasm and motivation.
Speaker: Collects and records the arguments and decisions; is the voice of the group.
Observer: Follows the development and evolution of the reunion, tries to detect all those affected: the environment, stress, motivation.

Negative Roles

Dominator: Bashes the others.
Resistant: Opposes everything for the system; a barrier.
Joystick: Leads the team favorably to their interests.
Compliant: Bows to the will of others without defending their ideas without fear.
Prosecutor: Does not collaborate with others, merely criticizes everything.
Withdrawn: Passive, indifferent, does not attack head-on; tries to get affection from the group.
Funny: Stops work with jokes, breaking the concentration.

Team Focus

Essential Concepts

Group Work

A group of people doing the same kind of tasks in an autonomous way.
Their components tend to be close physically, but their communication is very poor.
They have a very rigid hierarchical structure, where the official leadership is exercised by the manager.
The achievement was obtained as a result of individual contributions.
It is inhibited in the conflict, which must be solved by management.

Team

Group created specifically for the management of the company.
Its success lies in its synergy, i.e., in the coordinated effort of its components.
There is a rigid hierarchical structure. The boss works with their partners.
Conflicts are assumed and solved by the team in a constructive manner.

Characteristics of Effective Teams

Reduced number of members.
Designed specifically for the company to manage projects.
Common goals, known and shared by all its members.
Defined and complementary tasks, where each has a function.
Coordination of its members in carrying out the necessary tasks.
Good interpersonal climate of respect and trust.

Communication Skills

Have a good concept of oneself.
Promote active listening, ask questions to coordinate.
Be flexible to change, develop a proactive and positive attitude.
Encourage assertive behavior.
Learn to make and accept criticism.

Attitude of Partners

Passivity: People unable to openly express their feelings, misrepresenting their views and needs, and providing superior value to others.
Assertiveness: Ability to express directly feelings and beliefs of their own, taking the consequences, intermediate attitude between passivity and aggression, which is based on respect towards others and towards oneself.
Aggression: Opposed to passivity, characterized by the defense of personal rights, violating the rights of others, causes anger and resentment.

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to relate to oneself and others.

Major Components

Emotional Self-Knowledge: The knowledge of one’s emotions.
Emotional Self-Control: Check the impulse not to act in an irresponsible manner.
Self-Motivation: Emotions and the attention of people focus on goals.
Empathy: The recognition of others’ emotions.
Social Skills: Having a good relationship with others is very important to succeed.

Benefits of Teams

Flat hierarchical structure, head coordinates tasks, increases productivity.
Provides guidelines required to successfully perform complicated tasks.
Improved climate of work and relationships.
Integrates different ways of thinking and doing.
Increased accountability and trust.
Allows team members to solve problems collectively.
Promotes active communication.

Cons of Teams

Work is slower and requires more time meeting.
Working in a coordinated way is more complicated.
There are individual differences.
Communication problems can arise, rumors.
The tasks or processes can be operative and effective but unclear.
The work of each person depends, in most cases, on what other team members do.
Risk of overworking.

Efficient Equipment

They have human and technical resources.
Incorporate people with personalities.
There are targets.
Seek common short-term results.
Effective participation by members.
They divide tasks into coordinated sub-groups.
From the differences and discrepancies arise most creative proposals and solutions.
Practice open communication to express ideas.
Achieve a warm environment.
Led by a company management.
Performance standards.
Work with well-defined dynamics for contacting people.

Ineffective Equipment

They have clear goals, ineffective leadership, relationship difficulties, individualism.
Foster lack of global vision – converting interesting work into a routine.
Complex projects may be disenchanting.
Failure of computer support organization.
Lack of recognition in an economic and professional manner.

Exercises

Implantaren is going to the company: c. Down information.
The sindicatoX: a. of negotiation.
The team: d. to generate ideas.
It has been confirmed visit: b. spontaneous.

One of the objectives of one: V.
Spontaneous meetings: f.
In addition to the result: V.
Creativity: F.
In an evaluation meeting: V.

Ernesto has compiled: c. Expert.
Navy is unable to: a. Submissive.
Luisa tries to convince: d. Manipulator.
Arturo is all: e. Coordinator.
John puts paste: b. Resistant.

Question 4

Indicates which of the following are meeting preparation steps: Prepare documentation, choose the location for the meeting, and conditioning.

Test

The default: a. Multiply.
The technique in which: a. Roundtable.
The technique which is: b. group technique.
At a seminar: b. Several people gather.
In a group: c. a requirement.
In a reunion: c. manipulator.
Large groups: a. Generate a barrage.
During development: b. Controlling the time.
The synergy: c. The multiplication of value.
From following: c. the victims.

Test Fol

When we say that: b. A working group.
Which of the following: b. Common goal.
The stage where: c. 2.
How is called: d. Play with knowledge.
Ruth made: a. Coordinator.
Ana has been: c. Brainstorm.