Introduction
Meetings are common occurrences in business organizations. The role of a leader in a meeting is to maximize the benefits of the meeting; whether a meeting involves a team, a committee, or a group. Structuring a meeting for effectiveness needs preparation and effort. The leader should put into consideration the purpose for which the meeting was organized to manage effective meetings. There are various aspects of effective meeting management. These aspects include effective preparation and effort; facilitate open dialogue; being structured to solicit assistance in clarifications, analyses, and specific problem solving; provides a structure to facilitate a sense of identity; and preparing and dealing with both the task and people involved.
Effective management of meetings requires the leader to consider the purpose of the meeting was organized. Effective meeting management seeks clarity in information dissemination. For instance, a meeting is organized to spread information about what is happening and to provide time for questions and answers. A meeting can also be held to disseminate a directive from top management.
Effective meeting management provides for open dialogue to solicit group opinions and ideas on particular subjects. This aspect is important for meetings held for purpose of opinion seeking. Sought opinions are input strategies and used only for collecting data or testing group responses.
Effective meeting management must be structured to solicit assistance in clarifications, analyses, and offering solutions to problems. This aspect of problem-solving in effective meeting management is more action-oriented. Problem-solving meetings must follow a methodical structure, or else they can easily degenerate into complaint sessions or result in disputed recommendations. Effective management of these meetings calls for strong facilitation skills and knowledge in problem-solving techniques.
In sum, effectively managed meetings provide structures that allow a sense of identity. It is a forum for updating shared knowledge among the team. An effective meeting creates a sense of commitment to group decisions. The meeting leader can facilitate meeting effectiveness by preparing and dealing with both the task and people involved. The leader needs to listen carefully, process interactions, control the flow, and manage the meeting towards achieving the objectives. The ideal size of the meeting attendants must also be established for effective management. Meeting members must be carefully selected for best input.
How to Write Effective Persuasive Reports
Before commencement of report writing, there must be a clear reason for writing it. An effective report should be written with a clearly defined objective. There are four main reasons as to why reports are written. However, each report, type notwithstanding, will have its own specific objective. If the specific objective is not clear to the writer then there is little if any chance of the report being effective. The four main reasons for writing reports include: persuasive, that is, to achieve an agreement to a course of action; explanatory, to explain events that are specific; discursive, as a basis for discussion; informative, to inform. This paper is interested in discussing how to effective persuasive reports.
Clearly, the aim of persuasive reports is to persuade the reader to embrace a certain viewpoint. Persuasion is never a simple process. It is absolutely necessary to write legibly and concisely and to present arguments in such a way the recipient understands fully the writer’s thoughts and the processes leading to the recommendations. One cannot report all the data and information he/she has gathered as a result of the work they’ve done. One must therefore be able to summarize the information in a manner that allows for a full appreciation of the subject matter. To get an agreement, a report must be written in a particular way that persuades the reader to agree with the recommendations. This needs a special approach and structure which assists in achieving this.
A well-written effective persuasive report must outline the opportunity, review the implications, and draw conclusions with suggestions on whether or not to go ahead. The writer must ensure the report flows naturally from one step to the next so that the reader follows his thinking. It is insufficient to merely present facts, they need to be linked so that they gradually unfold the writer’s report and carry it to an understandable conclusion. A writer must always be clear in his mind about where he is taking his readers.
Parts of an Effective Presentation
Effective report presentation must structure information so that it is easy to understand the first time it is read or heard. Undoubtedly, organized or patterned material makes it easier for the recipients to comprehend and retain. Even when the writer presents a lot of detail, it would be easier to follow if the overall procedure of organization is clear and precise. Every effective report presentation has an introduction, body and conclusion. A well-planned report presentation enables the recipients to effectively follow the writer’s ideas easily.
A good introduction of a report presentation must fulfill three uses: it must gain the attention of the reader; must show how the topic is relevant to the reader; and must provide a preview of the main points covered in the report. The first obligation of the writer is to get readers interested in the subject with attention-grabbing statements which may include; reference to an occasion or event, writing a brief story that may make readers visualize the main ideas the writer will be discussing, using a quotation by a recognized authority on the subject, thought-provoking questions that require recipients to be involved, reference to the topic or subject, or a writers personal story. Recipients respond readily to things they are familiar with, such as problems faced by their organizations, events in their regions, individuals they know, and others. They also respond to new, unusual or exotic ideas. Their attention may be captured on a promise of new information or a description of something beyond their experience. The introduction must indicate how the topic is relevant to the recipients. It also provides a preview of major points explored in the report.
The body of a presentation must capture one thing: the attention of the reader or listener is limited. For instance, when you analyze your own span of attention, be aware of your own tendency to let your mind wander. When you listen to a speaker or read a book for a moment, perhaps you will think of something else, such as some problem. Incorporate various techniques available to develop the body of the presentation. These include the use of statistics, citation of quotations, employ real or hypothetical examples, reference to personal experiences, and use of comparisons, contrasts or analogies to the recipient’s experience.
Presentations may have excellent introductions and bodies but still lack effectiveness. Good writers or speakers must leave favorable impressions in the minds of recipients. Normally, good conclusions should fulfill two purposes: the recipient must know what is expected of him/her; they should be in a proper frame of mind to carry it out. To realize these goals, the conclusion should have two main parts; a brief summary of the main points, and a final appeal that creates an appropriate ending. New information must not be introduced in your conclusion lest you appear unfinished. The conclusion should make a final effort at pushing the main agenda. It must leave the recipients with a sense of closure that lets them see what you have covered and what you would like to occur.
Steps in the Interview Process
A good interview should be able to bring out information about the interviewee’s experience, judgment, character and maturity. After one has prepared adequately for the interview, it will then be the opportunity to face the interviewee. A successful interview has four distinct parts: first, the procedure to welcome the interviewee. Commence with making interviewees comfortable for effective conversation. Present a prepared genuine welcome statement, which can be as simple as making a comment like thanking the candidate for attending the interview. It is necessary to keep the welcome brief and not let consume the interview time. Conduct the interview in an environment that is free from interruptions.
Secondly, after you have developed a rapport with the interviewee, turn the conversation to determine the candidate’s abilities. Take the opportunity to ask questions you are prepared to abide by the interview guidelines. Inform the interviewee that you may ask additional questions at other points in the interview, which you will do if you realize the need for clarification.
Thirdly, offer the interviewee the opportunity to ask questions when you’ve asked all the questions that you feel were necessary. An interviewee, for instance, a candidate for a management position must have questions. Those who fail to have questions obviously have not prepared and may lack the requisite business acumen to qualify for the position. Respond to the questions appropriately, if an answer to the question posed can be determined from another source, inform the candidate that you will get the information and follow up later. The interviewee should interview with a basic understanding of say, the organization or position. Never dominate a conversation.
Lastly, provide an elaborate conclusion to the interview. A proper ending to an interview is just as important as an appropriate opening. It presents the opportunity to ask any extra questions or seek clarifications. Explain clearly the next steps in the interview process. This may include finding the interviewee’s availability for further interviews, or merely stating that the results of the interview will be reviewed and the interviewee should wait for feedback.
Work Cited
Bentley, Trevor. Report Writing in Business.