Meetings. Martin Manser
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MEETINGS SECRETS
Martin Manser
William Collins
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
This eBook first published in Great Britain by William Collins in 2020
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by HarperCollinsPublishers
Published in Canada by HarperCollinsCanada. www.harpercollins.ca
Published in Australia by HarperCollinsAustralia. www.harpercollins.au
Published in India by HarperCollinsPublishersIndia. www.harpercollins.co.in
Copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers 2020
Martin Manser asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Source ISBN: 9780008389895
Ebook Edition © January 2020 ISBN: 9780008133825
Version: 2019-11-18
Contents
Copyright
Introduction
1 Why have meetings?
1.1 Know your purpose
1.2 What can go wrong in meetings?
1.3 Calculate the cost of meetings
1.4 Who makes decisions in meetings?
1.5 Know the different roles
2 Prepare well for meetings
2.1 Make the practical arrangements
2.2 Invite the relevant people
2.3 Plan an agenda
2.4 Prepare for a meeting
2.5 Prepare for negotiations
2.6 On the day of the meeting
3 Chairing a meeting
3.1 Before the meeting
3.2 Guide the meeting skilfully
3.3 Get out of a rut
3.4 Come to a decision firmly
3.5 Have SMART action points
3.6 Manage change well
3.7 Develop your skills as chair
4 Taking minutes
4.1 Before the meeting
4.2 During the meeting
4.3 After the meeting
4.4 Write up the minutes
4.5 Develop your skills as minute-taker
5 Giving a presentation
5.1 Know the aims of your presentation
5.2 Think and plan creatively
5.3 Work on your words
5.4 Plan your beginning, middle and end
5.5 Use PowerPoint wisely
5.6 Present tables and charts skilfully
5.7 Manage your nerves
5.8 Be aware of your body language
5.9 Control your voice
5.10 Deal with questions
6 Taking part in a meeting
6.1 Participate actively
6.2 Remember names
6.3 Think creatively
6.4 Listen well
6.5 Speak persuasively
6.6 Discuss positively
6.7 Conduct your negotiations
6.8 Finalize your negotiations
6.9 A phone call is a meeting
6.10 Video conferencing
6.11 Revive your meeting
7 After the meeting
7.1 Communicate decisions well
7.2 Move forward
7.3 Keep up momentum between meetings
7.4 Check your progress regularly
7.5 Maintain good relationships
7.6 Evaluate your meeting
Footnotes
Jargon buster
Further reading
About the Book
About the Author
About the Publisher
Learn how to run an effective meeting
Meetings! Think how many business meetings you’ve been to. It’s very easy to focus on the negative side of how time has been wasted and colleagues have been discouraged. The aim of this book, however, is to help you move ahead positively and to suggest ways in which you can make meetings even more useful.
I write as someone who has chaired meetings, taken minutes and sat as an active participant in countless meetings in the business world and also in schools and charities over the last four decades. But I also write as one who is not a natural leader, even