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Article Check - What's on Your Meeting Agenda?
The previous Sangaraja, the Supreme Patriarch of the monastic order (of Thailand), once went on a tour of China, where someone offered him a very beautiful teacup. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He thought, "Oh! The people here have real faith in me, to offer me this beautiful teacup!" And as soon as the teacup was in his hand, immediately he was suffering. Where should I put it? Where is safe to keep it? He couldn't stop worrying it would break.Before he had that teacup, he was fine. Once he had it, he wanted to show it off to the people back home in Thailand. He put it in his bag and kept telling everyone to watch out that the teacup didn't get broken. "Hey! Careful, please!" Everywhere he was watching out for it. He had nothing but suffering. Before, this suffering didn't exist, but now there was the heavine
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
*
To attract clients who pay in full and out of pocket for your services, it's imperative to position yourself as a helpful expert. This is true whether you are a business consultant, a beautician, a psychotherapist, a gardener, a car mechanic, a coach or a massage therapist.It's a simple fact of human behavior: People are more likely to believe that you can help them if they perceive you as an expert, which, in turn, increases the likelihood that they will hire you. For example, you wouldn't choose a car enthusiast to overhaul your engine; you'd choose an experienced mechanic.Newsletters are one of the simplest and most effective ways to establish this expertise. Whereas advertisements, fancy "me-oriented" websites and glossy "ego" brochures are all about selling-tooting your own horn-newsletters are about educat
Use Meeting Notices to Alert Your Attendees
Meeting notices act as an "early warning system" for your participants. You should use them regularly and give recipients plenty of lead time -- for example, at least a week. Avoid surprising people with a last-minute summons that disrupts their entire day. Be sure your meeting notice includes all key information:
1) Meeting date
2) Starting and ending times
3) Purpose and objectives
4) List of participants
5) Location with directions or access instructions, and
6) Proposed agenda
That way, everyone will know exactly what to expect, what to do, what their time commitment is, and what's in it for them!
Do All Meetings Need an Agenda?
You may be wondering whether an agenda is absolutely necessary. The answer is, it depends!
An agenda provides structure; however:
* the fewer the people involved
* the fewer the topics you'll have to discuss
* the longer the time you have available, and
* the lower your expectations are...
...the less you'll need structure to get something done. If, say, you're just going out for a long lunch with a few people to toss around some ideas on a single topic, and you have no real expectations for what you need to accomplish, then you probably don't need an agenda.
Conversely, if you:
* involve more people
* to discuss more subjects
* in a compressed time frame
* with some very specific expectations for the outcome...
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
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Meeting Notice & Agenda
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Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
*
Get to know Address America Address America is the brain child of David Ashley. Its main products are decorative reflective address signs that make homes easy to find. For Ashley, these signs are extremely important for households that may need 911 emergency service and not have quick access to it because their home was difficult to locate. It also makes it easier for deliveries to reach their intended destinations.What an Address America affiliation offers As an affiliate, you will become Address America partner to providing easy to find decorative address signs. Being an affiliate allows you to access their service so you are constantly updated and informed. The company also offers training, support and coaching through phone calls and emails.An added bonus is that the products are fabricated.
1) Meeting date
2) Starting and ending times
3) Purpose and objectives
4) List of participants
5) Location with directions or access instructions, and
6) Proposed agenda
That way, everyone will know exactly what to expect, what to do, what their time commitment is, and what's in it for them!
Do All Meetings Need an Agenda?
You may be wondering whether an agenda is absolutely necessary. The answer is, it depends!
An agenda provides structure; however:
* the fewer the people involved
* the fewer the topics you'll have to discuss
* the longer the time you have available, and
* the lower your expectations are...
...the less you'll need structure to get something done. If, say, you're just going out for a long lunch with a few people to toss around some ideas on a single topic, and you have no real expectations for what you need to accomplish, then you probably don't need an agenda.
Conversely, if you:
* involve more people
* to discuss more subjects
* in a compressed time frame
* with some very specific expectations for the outcome...
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meeting Notice & Agenda
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
*
Beginning an internet business can seem like climbing Mt Everest in tennis shoes to some of us. You have to make a lot of decisions as to what you are going to market, who you are going to market to, how you are going to market your product and/or services, how much you are going to charge, etc. As the old saying goes, “A journey begins with the first step”, so does starting your business begin with your first stepUsually, there are basically two types of people that want to start a business, planners and the action personalities. The planners will create all types of plans forever, but will be hesitant to take the first action step. Why? Usually it is due to a fear of failure of their plans.The action personality wants to start the business today and to heck with the planning, “Let’s just get this business
* the fewer the topics you'll have to discuss
* the longer the time you have available, and
* the lower your expectations are...
...the less you'll need structure to get something done. If, say, you're just going out for a long lunch with a few people to toss around some ideas on a single topic, and you have no real expectations for what you need to accomplish, then you probably don't need an agenda.
Conversely, if you:
* involve more people
* to discuss more subjects
* in a compressed time frame
* with some very specific expectations for the outcome...
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meeting Notice & Agenda
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
*
When it comes to electricity, small and medium size enterprises can never assume they are getting a good deal. In fact, it's safe to say that - as the market stands today - businesses should assume the opposite is true, and that they are being taken for a ride by the big six energy providers. One of several smaller providers of business electricity, Electricity4Business has just compiled a free guide to help commercial electricity customers see through the dirty tricks.Despite the bad publicity heaped on industry fat cats, over 20% of customers have never switched electricity providers since deregulation of the market. The reason is that they simply don't have access to the right information. This document not only states the case for switching, it also provides all the necessary information and shows businesses how t
...then an agenda is an indispensable tool to help people focus on achieving the desired results. Agendas not only prepare attendees for what to expect, they also keep the meeting focused, and make the summarizing aspects much easier.
A sample meeting notice and agenda appear below:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meeting Notice & Agenda
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PST (a working lunch will be provided). For remote attendees, start at 11:00 CST, Noon EST, and 5:00 p.m. UTC.
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
*
I picked up a copy of 'The Hangover Handbook - 101 Cures For Humanity's Oldest Malady'... not just in case I have some holiday cheer... but to get some awesome ideas for 2007 marketing promotions.There is a solid chapter of 101 ways to cure that hangover... as well as some hilarious chapters on:Boozer's Eye Chart, Great Drunks of History, I bet you don't know this... The pub survivors guideAnd the chapter that EVERY marketer should have on their book shelf...'The Boozers calendar - 366 amazing, fun, bizarre, offbeat, odd, unusual, weird, staggering, stupendous, delightful, true and invented reasons to have a drink every day of the year'A mouthful to say the least (and yes, pun intended)Think about all the different ways you could build marketing promotions around days like:Marc
Purpose & Objectives: The Human Resources Department requests your participation to explore the personnel development needs of the company's centers of excellence in 2007-08. Based on the findings from this session, we will schedule follow-up events to fine-tune our planning process.
Requested Participants: Representatives from the following centers are asked to attend (or participate remotely via live Web seminar conferencing):
* Marketing/Sales
* Customer Service
* Product Development
* Quality Assurance
* Order Fulfillment
* Publications & Media Design
* Information Technology
* Training & Development
Location: The Cranberry Building, 246 South St., Room B18. Please park in the visitor area behind the building. You will receive parking validations at the meeting. Overnight accommodations and shuttle transportation will be arranged for participants flying in from other locations.
Remote Access Instructions: For those participating via Web seminar, use the standard company Web seminar link and access meeting #123456. You can listen using voice over IP (VoIP), or call the bridge line at +01-555-555-1212 and use access code 54545#. You will see all electronic slide presentations and can interact with the on-site meeting attendees through a Web seminar facilitator.
Proposed Agenda:
1. Overview and agenda review by the VP of Operations (30 min.)
2. Strategic Planning presentation (30 min.)
3. Brainstorming breakout sessions, with facilitators (90 min.)
4. Working lunch and reporting back to the main group (90 min.)
5. Discussion, wrap up, and a review of the next steps (60 min.)
Handouts will be available on the server 48 hours prior to the meeting. The meeting summary and recorded Web seminar will be available 48 hours afterward.
RSVP Requested: Please reply no later than April 19, 2007 with the names and contact information for the representatives from your group who will be attending, either on-site or remotely.
-------------------------------------------------
So, What about the Meeting Summary?
The agenda and summary are the two anchor points for the whole meeting process. They represent the beginning (here's what we aim to do) and the end (here's what we did do).
To create a summary, you simply go down the agenda topics, record the key points, decisions, and action items, and voila! You have a summary. It's really not that hard, but it does take a little time and discipline.
The summary helps ensure that the valuable time people spend in meetings will not be wasted, as the recorded ideas can proceed to drive future actions and decisions.
A sample meeting summary appears below:
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Meeting Summary
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