RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT (HM 432)

CHAPTER 5

Planning and Conducting Effective Meetings

One activity that has come to dominate today’s business

world is meetings. According to the National Statistics

Council, 37% of employee time is spent in meetings.

Meetings are a way managers can keep channels of

communication open with their staff Meetings can also

serve other purposes such as finding solutions to

operational issues or brainstorming new ideas.

The structure that a manager ultimately selects for

meetings depends on a number of factors, including the

particular culture of the organization.

This chapter will look at reasons why people do not like to

attend meetings and then suggest a number of ways to make

your meetings effective.

This chapter will also examine the meeting process from

planning a meeting through conducting and evaluating its

effectiveness.

Basic elements that are common to meetings will be reviewed.

Suggestions on how to format meeting agendas will also be

described.

The flow of running a meeting is presented along with

requirements for following up after the meeting.

Many participants do not take meetings seriously and

are not prepared.

Just too many meetings.

Meetings are too long.

People are not focused at meetings.

Some people dominate the meeting.

The information presented at meetings is confusing.

Many people do not speak their mind in meetings.

Meetings never seem to improve.

Given the negative image that meetings have in the business

world, how does a manager conduct meetings without

perpetuating this image? The better prepared a manager is

for conducting a meeting, the better chance everyone will find

the meeting to be effective.

To be prepared, the manager needs to understand how to

plan a meeting. Planning involves formulating the details of a

meeting beforehand so you and the participants know what

should occur during it. Planning also involves applying a

standard methodology to the meeting process to ensure

outcomes are achieved.

Types of MeetingsTypes of Meetings

A meeting is an assembly of people for the purpose of

discussing or making decisions about some topics.

Knowing what type of meeting you want to plan and

conduct is an important step. Most meetings can be

sorted into four categories:

1. Information meetings2. Problem-solving meetings3. Brainstorming meetings4. Action meetings

Meeting Objectives Meeting Objectives

As part of the planning process, managers should

identify any business objectives that need to be

accomplished at the meeting and determine the

appropriate type of meeting to accomplish those

objectives.

An effective manager will also get feedback from the

management team and employees who will be involved

in the meeting in order to craft objectives helps

everyone attending the meeting understand its specific

purpose and reason.

Meeting Meeting Attendees Attendees

As you plan the meeting, you should determine

who needs to attend the meeting, which is

related to the type of meeting you are

conducting and its purpose.

It is important to invite and include only those

people who are essential to the purpose of the

meeting.

Meeting Frequency Meeting Frequency

For a meeting to be effective, it needs to

follow a useful and comfortable process with

established guidelines as seen in the

following Exhibit ;

Meeting Frequency Meeting Frequency

The type of meeting can dictate how often it is

held.

It is important for a manager to try not to mix

too many types of meetings together. It is more

effective to have shorter meetings that are

focused on similar issues and objectives than

to combine a number of items into one longer

meeting.

Developing the AgendaDeveloping the Agenda

The next step is to develop the meeting agenda

based on the objectives. An agenda is simply a list

of topics that will be reviewed or dealt with at a

meeting.

Agendas are created based on the objectives,

purpose, and any feedback you have gathered from

participants. The agenda becomes the roadmap for

conducting the meeting. A sample meeting agenda

is shown in the following Exhibit.

Parts of an Agenda Parts of an Agenda Name or type of meeting. Date, time, and location People attending Materials to bring Meeting purpose/objectives Agenda topics. Topic type.. If there are any presenters, associate them with the topic they will

be presenting or facilitating. Time frame for each agenda item. Next steps. Conclusion. Evaluation.

Warm-up Activities Warm-up Activities A warm-up activity is a quick, interactive activity that

prepares people to focus on the meeting and its objectives.

A wide assortment of warm-up activities can be planned and designed into a meeting, including:

1. Introduction activities

2. Rev-up activities

3. Appreciative activities

4. Competitive activities

5. Team-building activities

6. Training activities

Premeeting Activities and Assignments Premeeting Activities and Assignments

These activities can range from reading materials

that will be discussed at the meeting to completing

some type of task and reporting their findings.

If the manager determines that some type of

premeeting assignment does need to be completed

by participants so they are prepared to participate

productively, the manager should answer the

following questions:

Premeeting Activities and Assignments Premeeting Activities and Assignments

What pre-activity or assignment needs to be completed?

Does the activity need to be completed before the

meeting, or can it be done during the meeting?

Does this activity support one of the objectives and This

manager uses humor to engage his staff in a preshift

meeting. purpose of the meeting?

Will all participants need to complete the assignment? If

not, who will be designated to complete the activity?

Premeeting Activities and Assignments Premeeting Activities and Assignments

How much time will it take to complete the pre-

assignment?

What materials do you need to put together for the pre-

assignment?

What instructions do you need to write to accompany

the pre-assignment?

Do you need to include a cover letter when you

distribute the agenda and pre-assignment?

Have you included the pre-assignment in the agenda?

Scheduling the Meeting Scheduling the Meeting

Once you have determined the objectives and set

the meeting agenda, you need to schedule the

meeting time and date.

A meeting facilitator is someone who assists in

making the meeting run easier. Whether you as the

manager, act as a facilitator, or you decide to ask

someone to play that role, a facilitator’s major

responsibility is to keep the meeting focused and

moving.

Other responsibilities for a meeting facilitator are: 1.Determining whether any issues need to be tabled

and reviewed later or in another meeting. 2.Telling the group that time has expired on an

agenda item. 3.Intervening and refocusing the group if the

discussion breaks into several different but related conversations.

4.Managing the discussion of sensitive topics in a neutral manner.

5.Preventing anyone from dominating the meeting or being ignored.

6.Bringing closure to agenda points.

A few key objectives a manager can carry out to ensure a successful meeting include:

Arriving early Having a sign-in sheet Starting on time Using and following an agenda Understanding the purpose and objectives of the

meeting Identifying action items and assignments

consistently Ending on time Using evaluation information for improvement

Establishing Ground Rules Establishing Ground Rules

Ground rules are the norms regarding how meetings are run,

how participants should interact, and what behavior is

acceptable. Ground rules may cover any of these behaviors: Promptness Conversational courtesies Breaks Interruptions Rotation or routine tasks—such as recorder or flipchart

recorder Other norms the group wants to enforce Question and answer periods

During the Meeting During the Meeting

Throughout the course of the meeting, each

agenda item should be presented.

Closing the Meeting Closing the Meeting

Once you have gone through all the agenda items,

you need to bring closure to the meeting.