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M O D U L E 5. NEGOTIATIONS.
Unit 12. Know what you want. Types of negotiation. Negotiation strategies. Preparing for a negotiation: negotiating scenario and negotiating styles. Making an opening statement.
Unit 13. Getting what you want. Key principles of negotiating. Probing, proposals and counter-proposals, trade-offs. Bidding, bargaining and making concessions. Types of negotiator.
Unit 14. Not getting what you don?t want. Dealing with difficulties ? confrontations. Confrontational negotiating tactics. Conflicts. Negotiating with powerful people. Negotiation and Diplomacy. Reaching agreement. Ending the negotiation.
M O D U L E 4. MEETINGS.
Unit 9. Organizing a meeting The role of meeting Types of meeting The language of meetings Agenda, setting an agenda, types of an agenda Apologies and minutes Memos
Unit 10. Making meetings effective Reasons not to have a meeting Characteristics of a successful meeting Setting objectives for meetings. Opening the meeting
Unit 11. A typical meeting cycle The role of the chairperson Difficult situations at the meeting Discussion techniques Ending the meeting
Practice File
Skills Checklist
UNIT 9. ORGANIZING A MEETING
?THERE ARE THREE THINGS YOU CAN PREDICT IN LIFE: TAX, DEATH AND MORE MEETINGS?. Michael Moore, American film-maker and social critic
Meeting (n) ? 1. an occasion when people gather to discuss things and make decisions to attend a meeting to hold a meeting to be in/at a meeting 2. the meeting (formal) all the people who attend a meeting 3. an occasion when two people meet unexpectedly or as planned 4. a competition between two teams or players 5. a meeting of minds- a situation in which people have the same opinions or ideas. Why a meeting? What is the function of a meeting? If all else fails, we can always have a meeting. Meetings have become the standard default means of exchanging information and sharing ideas at work, and often we do not consider the alternatives that could save us time and allow us to achieve more. You may view meetings as a delight, a place where decisions are made, or try to avoid them like the plague because they take up too of your time. Whatever your view, meetings are here to stay, as they perform a valuable role as a forum for discussing useful information and making informed decisions. In business, meetings are for moving the company forward, a process or framework on which the business relies to enable future growth. Meetings can be described as being forward thinking in that while they may discuss the background or history to an event, the reason for this is to influence the future and aid in developing a solution. Business needs meetings, whether large board meetings or informal one-to-ones. Meetings can take up a huge amount of our time but have we ever really considered whether we make the most of their potential? Many people see them as a necessary evil rather than considering the positive properties they bring. Perhaps that is because we not using them in the right way and therefore not benefitting from them as we should.
Discussing the reading. Talk about your answers to these questions: a) Why do we still have meetings? b) What are the aims of having a meeting? c) Are meetings important in business? Why? Why not? Unit 9
d) What two types of meetings in business are mentioned in the text above? e) What do most people dislike about meetings?
Part 1. TYPES OF MEETING
1. Meetings come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of them:
1. chat (informal discussion) with colleagues at the coffee machine; 2. brainstorming among colleagues: where as many ideas as possible are produced quickly, to be evaluated later; 3. project meeting/team meeting of employees involved in a particular activity; 4. department/departmental meeting; 5. meting with suppliers, for example to negotiate prices for an order; 6. meeting with a customer, for example to discuss a contract; 7. board meeting: an official, formal meeting of a company?s directors; 8. AGM: annual general meeting (BrE); annual meeting (AmE) where shareholders discuss the company?s annual report; 9. EDM: extraordinary general meeting ? a shareholders? meeting to discuss important issues such as a proposed merger. 2. Meetings are still the mainstay of business and in this case they can take the form of: a) an information point ? where many people can hear the same information in the same way and everyone feels included (e.g. a team group meeting); b) a discussion group ? where information may be discussed or aired, and many people can contribute to the input (e.g. a group coming together to discuss a childcare plan); c) a problem-solving session ?where many people gather to solve key business problems (e.g. a meeting to discuss the best way to generate additional income from current sales); d) a decision-making forum ? where decisions of any scale are formally taken (e.g. a meeting with contractors to agree the terms of a new contract). Therefore, a meeting does more than get people together, it can be the launch pad new ideas( the idea of the Post-it note was generated during a meeting), a short cut to gaining clarification over issues, and a way of agreeing decisions. In essence, it should save time because, if everyone is present, the information/decision only has to happen once. Speed is also generated by the Chair of the meeting, keeping it on track and ensuring that the agenda is followed. Of course, not all meetings keep to time or structure. Meetings can be regular or a one-off situation. They might be light-hearted in their tone- as in a meeting to arrange a social calendar ? or they could be serious ? such as Unit 9
a meeting to discuss an office move. They may involve everyone you know, as in a team meeting, or you may be faced with complete strangers. They can be short or long. Whatever form and tone the meeting takes, it is important that it presents itself in the right way and that all these aspects are considered. Meetings are not just static event or time wasters; they are a useful conduit towards actions. People come together to consider and debate issues that should resolve in some outcome or action.
Discussing the reading. Talk about your answers to these questions: a) What does ?Post-it note? mean? b) What are the purposes of a meeting besides decision-making? c) How often does a company hold meetings? d) Who usually attends the meeting? e) How long can a meeting last?
3. There are different types of meetings to suit all manner of different situations. Every organization will have its own character and you will need to work within what is appropriate for your business. We have already looked at a number of different types of meeting and now we need to examine these more carefully since this has a bearing on a number of considerations such as: ? how the meeting is perceived ? who is invited ? the level of confidentiality ? whether you need to incorporate roles into the meeting
A) Meetings can be either formal or informal, and this can be dictated by the subject or even the person, or the company holding the meeting. For example, a meeting to decide the right family to foster a child would be formal as there are legal implications ? here the formality is determined by the subject. However, if you are calling a meeting to debate who should be the lead in a number of different projects, you may yourself decide the level of formality the meeting should have. Some managers might decide that it should be formal in case there are any future arguments over who was assigned which project, but some other managers might consider an informal meeting best as they like to maintain an informal atmosphere in their team. Formal meetings are identified through: a) a dedicated minute taker being present b) a strong Chair c) a fixed agenda Informal meetings are identified through: a) an attendee taking the minutes Unit 9
b) more of a ?discussion?-type atmosphere c) a more flexible agenda Date: 2016-06-12; view: 379
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