Ending the Scourge of Unproductive Meetings

We've all been there: you've just sat through a 3 hour meeting that never seemed to get to a point and leads to no actions or decisions.  It basically wasted everyone's time and didn't accomplish anything useful.  But what about those rare occasions when we're party to an effective meeting?  It's a night and day difference.  We leave energized and fired up, as well as having a sense of direction and accomplishment.  There are a few easy things that you can do as a facilitator that can turn your meeting from the first kind to the good kind.

Good meetings do not just happen because the key players all get together in one place.  They have to be structured to be successful.  During meeting planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up, think about these criteria:

• The meeting should meet an objective
• The meeting should take up a minimum about of time
• The meeting should leave the participants feeling that a sensible process has been used

Be very clear about the objective and have a good idea about what a good outcome would look like before holding the meeting.  Use this sentence as a starting point:

"At the close of the meeting, I want the group to..."

The last part is your objective.  Also really think about who should be in attendance at the meeting.  Identify your key people and eliminate people who don't have a part to play in this particular project.

Everyone's time is very valuable and limited these days.  A productive meeting is one that is streamlined as much as possible.  Have an agenda with clear start and stop times that drive the meeting activities toward your objectives.  Ask all participants to come prepared to discuss their portions of the meeting or with any questions they have about others.

If your participants don't feel that any thought has been put in to a meeting, they are far less likely to be engaged.  This will stall the whole thing and leave people feeling that it was a waste of time.  Show the group that there has been a sensible process utilized by sending them the agenda BEFORE the actual meeting date.  Ask for their feedback on the times and the topics, you might be surprised about what they really want to talk about and accomplish.

During the meeting, there are some things the facilitator needs to handle to ensure that everything keeps moving smoothly.  Make sure no one person is dominating the conversation.  If that happens, make a point of asking others for their input.  At the end of each agenda item, summarize the discussion and ask for confirmation from other participants.  Make note of other items that are off topic but that need further discussion.  Watch the participants' body language for clues on when to take a break.  If you don't take those clues, you will lose their attention and the momentum of your meeting.  Keep the group on topic and make a list of tasks generated with the names of who is assigned to them.  When closing the meeting, summarize the next steps and let the participants know that you will be sending out a written summary.

The written summary is a critical follow-up piece to a successful meeting.  Collect any notes that were taken, and use the agenda as your guide for writing the summary.  The summary should include what was discussed, things that will be discussed at the next meeting, action items, and assignments.  This will also be the road map for your next meeting on the same topic.  You will be able to go directly to the action items and hold the assignees accountable.

Sometimes meetings are not in person affairs, but web based collaborations.  All of the same rules listed above apply, as well as a couple of extra considerations.

• Multi-tasking is a no-no during a web conference - Your attention should be on the meeting just like it would be at an in person session.  Don't take phone calls, check emails, or social media.  If participants are not paying attention the meeting will take longer and be less productive.
• Remind all participants to choose a quite location for the meeting - Sitting through a web meeting at a noisy cafe is a bad idea.  You'll miss important information and others will be able to see (and possibly hear) everything that is being discussed.  Ask participants to use their offices or some other quiet location for logging in and taking part.  You, as the facilitator, should also observe this rule.
• Get to know your platform beforehand - The day of your meeting should not be the first time you log on to the system and try to navigate the tools.  This is a time waster and lowers the confidence your participants have in the meeting.  A few days before, run a test meeting with all of your facilitators.  Figure out any glitches and how to solve those during the test meeting.
• Clearly define the roles of the facilitators - Often during an electronic meeting, there are multiple facilitators: someone presenting, someone running the question board, someone driving the screen, someone taking notes, etc.  Have the responsibilities of the different facilitators clearly defined during your test meeting.  This will give a more professional appearance to the meeting.

Meetings can be tedious and pointless, but they don't have to be.  With a little forethought and attention, they can be a useful time for your business or organization.

Getting the Most Out of Business Cards

Being a small business owner and a member of many networking and community groups, I find myself the recipient of many business cards.  These are full of information for connecting with potential customers and vendors.  Handling those cards (and my own business cards) can help grow my marketing reach and my client roster.

First let's talk about how to use your own business cards to increase your networking effectiveness.  You should keep a handy stash of your cards everywhere; in your purse or wallet, in your car, on your desk, and anywhere you might run in to other people.  Invest in a nice holder for your cards so that they stay wrinkle and crease free.  I bought a nice little metal holder for $3 from my local Target store, but you can find leather holders or even ones that have engraving on them.  The key point is to get something that you will actually carry around with you.

Make sure that your cards are clear and present a clear and professional image.  Have easy to read contact information.  I've included a QR code on my cards that allows smart phone users to simply scan all of my contact information using their camera.  I used a free on-line QR code generator, but there are also apps available that will do the same thing.  If you have team members working for you, get them their own business cards.  They will act as another arm of your marketing plan.

Be generous when it comes to handing out your cards, hand them out at least two at a time.  Don't get cards that are so expensive that you are loathe to give them away.  You should feel comfortable posting them on bulletin boards, using them to introduce yourself at social functions, and using them as scrap paper to give people notes on.  Another good idea is to include a business card with all of your correspondence, even when you're paying bills.

Then there are all of those business cards you collect from others along the way.  Sometimes they may feel overwhelming, and you just push them aside.  How many of you have a stack of rubber banded business cards that has been sitting in your desk for months?  Don't let those opportunities pass you by!

Here are 4 easy steps to getting the most out of a business card that you get:

1. Put it in context - Make notes on the back of the card about the event and details of your conversation.  Also note any follow-up or action items that you promised during the encounter.
2. Store it in a set place during the event - Put the cards collected either in your wallet, purse, or notebook pocket so that you can easily access it later.  Keep these cards separate from your own cards to avoid having to rifle through a stack to hand your's out.
3. Review the card after the event - 24 to 48 hours after the exchange, review the card for context and any action items that need to be completed.  Loading the cards in to your address book is key at this juncture.  You can then either send a follow-up email or even a handwritten note.  Entering the cards and sending notes is a great assignment for your Virtual Administrative Assistant service such as Administrative Business Consulting.
4. Connect to your new contact - Find the new business or person on LinkedIn, facebook, or any other social media platform that they are active on.  Connect to them and ask them to connect to you.  This will grown your marketing reach even further.

Now for the elephant in the room--REFERRALS.  When you hand out your cards, don't be afraid to ask for them.  It can be as simple as saying, "I'd really appreciate it if you would pass my information along to anyone you think might benefit from my services."  This gets the other person thinking about what you do and who they know.  And offer them the same.  Let them know that you will keep their card handy and that you will let others know about their business.  You're more likely to get referrals from someone who feels like you'll give them out.

Now dig that stack of cards out and start connecting!

Ideas for a Dynamic Fall Planning Conference

I'm loathe to admit it, but we're heading in to the fourth quarter of the year.  Now is the time to look back on what your goals were at the beginning of the year and how far you've come towards meeting those goals.  It is also a prime time to start planning for the future and setting yourself and your team up for success in the future.  A good way to do this is to get your team together and hold a fall planning conference.

Getting away from the office and setting the strategy as a team is a powerful tool in helping your business get to the next level.  Planning two half-day sessions with a dinner in between can build your team's relationships and help everyone to get on board with where you want to go.  A sample agenda could be:

• 12:00 PM     Lunch
• 1:00 PM       Recap of the Year
• Struggles
• Successes
• 3:00 PM       Team Building Exercise
• 5:00 PM       Dinner
• Team Recognition/Awards
• 8:00 AM      Breakfast
• 9:00 AM      Goals for Coming Year
• 10:00 AM    Action Plans & Assignments
• 12:00 PM    Close

A fall planning conference away from the office gets your team away from distractions, rewards them for their hard work over the past year, and gets their creative juices flowing.  Some ideas for a location are a local hotel, a restaurant with private rooms, or even someone's house.  The most important thing is to eliminate the interruptions so your team can really be productive.

Including a team building exercise adds some fun and laughs to your meeting.  If you're not familiar with facilitating these exercises, businessballs.com has some great free ideas.  Other ideas, if you're not comfortable with these activities, you could also:

• Assign a top-selling leadership book to be read ahead of time and have everyone discuss their take-aways
• Hire an outside speaker to motivate or train your team
• Any activity that will build report among your people

A dinner where you recognize the accomplishments of your team from the past year is a fun way to recognize the work they've put in for your business.  Try to keep track throughout the year of good work and bring it up during the dinner.  It's even fun to have individual awards such as top sales person, best attitude, etc.  Certificates are easy to format and print from most word processing programs, or you can have small trophies or plaques made at a local vendor.  You'll be surprised at how proud your team members will be to display these items on their desks after the meeting.

The most critical portion of the meeting is the goal setting and action planning phase.  As the leader, you should spend time before this meeting seriously thinking about where you want to be in the next year and how you'll get there.  Present your ideas first, but then ask for your team's feedback.  They might have even loftier goals than you've thought of.  Let them take responsibility for the different action plans that you develop.  Once they have ownership, it's much easier to hold them accountable throughout the year.  Take good notes during this section and compile them to be handed out to the team later.

This whole idea may seem a little overwhelming if you've never done it before.  It takes planning, scheduling, and time to gather materials.  The idea of all that extra work could put you off of the idea entirely.  But you don't have to do it alone.  You can hire Administrative Business Consulting to make all the arrangements and deliver the materials.  They can also research vendors and activities for the meeting.  You would simply give guidance on budget, preferred location, and activities and Administrative Business Consulting can do all the rest.  Compiling the notes and sending out the follow ups can be assigned to Administrative Business Consulting as well.

Once you implement this as a regular feature of your year, you'll find that your team looks forward to it.  A fall planning conference can become the highlight of your year and can get you off to a great start come January.

Being More Effective on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the number one professional networking site on the web.  There are currently over 160 million users worldwide, with an average age of 45 and an average income of over $91,000.  It is a potential gold mine of referrals for your business.

LinkedIn is intended to be a place where you present your professional image, as opposed to your personal image that you use on facebook.  There are are several ways that you can use this vast network of professionals to do this:

• Maintaining business contacts
• Getting introductions
• Posting recommendations for contacts
• Getting referrals for your business
• Checking references on potential employees or associates
• Receiving industry news
• Finding, posting, and forwarding jobs

The main tool to connect with people on LinkedIn is your profile page.  It is important to make it BEEFY!  What I mean is that it needs to be rich in content and engaging to get noticed.  Tell your story with details including all of your accomplishments and milestones.  Include any references to your business in print and on-line media, any awards you or your business has received, and any certificates or credentials that show you are an authority in your industry.  Every word in your profile is keyword searchable, so be sure and include your top terms somewhere in the profile.

When potential customers look at your profile, they will be comparing it to the profile of your competitors.  You need to be current and engaging to keep yourself on the top of the list.  Use a photo that is a true representation of yourself.  The most effective profile pictures will be professional head shots done recently.  You can also add videos to your profile using the Google Presentation or Slideshare apps within LinkedIn.  This adds extra pop and sets you above the competition.  Also, take a minute to personally welcome and acknowledge your new connections.  It develops the relationships you're trying to cultivate through LinkedIn and gives you an edge on your competition.

Joining professional and interest groups on LinkedIn lets you share in professional conversations about your industry or those that you're looking to get in to.  Taking part in groups will also grow your sphere of connections to include people you might not have had a chance to talk to previously.  When you do join, participate in the conversations to help get you and your brand notice.  These are also a good place to share info on events you might be putting on or blogs that you write.

This may seem like a lot of extra work to add to your already full plate.  But if you set aside a little time each week to work on it, you will reap great rewards.  You can also hire a virtual assistant service, such as Administrative Business Consulting, to help you set up a manage your LinkedIn profile.  That set up would let you have the best of all worlds.

Making the Most Out of Working From Home

In today's technologically advanced world, more and more people are taking the opportunity to work from home.  It could be a telecommuting situation or actually running a home-based business.  While working this way removes stresses, it can also add them to your daily work life.  Here are some simple tips for making the most of your home/work arrangement.

Having a routine is an essential first step in establishing your home office environment.  When I first began working from a home office, I really struggled with this.  I was getting up at different times, randomly tackling tasks, and basically finding myself stressed at the end of the day with not a lot to show for it and maybe not even showered.  Getting up at the same time every day, eating breakfast, exercising, and getting dressed for work set me up to be more productive and successful in my home office.  You should pick a routine that works for you and stick to it.

Set up a space in your home dedicated to your work.  This could be a separate office in a spare room, a section of your own room, or even the garage for that matter.  It is wherever you feel comfortable and productive.  Make sure you have adequate lighting, a fairly quiet environment, and access to the equipment you need.  Define this area as your work space, and make that clear to your family or housemates.

Staying organized can be one of the biggest challenges of working from home.  When I left a traditional office to the home office, I went from being extremely organized to letting things go a little bit.  My papers were beginning to just be in piles all over and I was losing focus on what I wanted to accomplish each day.  Setting up my calendar on Google so that I only had to enter appointments in one location (phone or PC) was a huge help.  Now my phone and my computer say the same thing.  Using a task list program, such as Outlook, keeps me focused on what the priority actions are for the day and the week.  I also bought a label maker to get my file folders neat and organized.  A disorganized work area can add to your stress and make it difficult for you to be productive.

Clearly defining your work hours to yourself as well as to your clients, family, and friends is helpful in creating a good home working environment.  I often find myself continually looking at my email well in to the night instead of spending that time winding down.  This is frustrating to those around you and makes you feel more pressure.  On the flip side, don't let distractions available at home deter you from accomplishing your work tasks.  Be clear with your clients that you will be available during specific times, and stick to it.  Scheduling yourself breaks during the day, such as lunch, is part of defining your work hours.

Working at home can sometimes feel like being alone in the world.  If most of your interaction during the day is electronic, you can start to feel isolated and less satisfied with the home office situation.  I belong to both Toastmasters and Business Network International.  These two memberships serve a dual purpose: they each get me out of my home office once a week to interact with other people and they give me an opportunity to network with other professionals.

Lastly, double check your homeowners insurance coverages when setting up your home office.  If you will have clients or coworkers come to your home for business purposes, you might need to add some specialty riders depending on your policy.  The time to do this is now and not after someone slips on your front walk.

Working at home is a privilege that many of us have been lucky enough to have.  If you set yourself up for success by thinking ahead and doing some planning, you will love it as much as I have.