Start as you mean to go on
What follows here in this brief posting are what I consider some of the crucial factors which if ignored undermine the authority of the chairperson. Conversely, get most if not all of them right then your authority is most unlikely to be questioned. What follows here is illustrative rather than exhaustive.
As always though, it’s essential that at the very least you get your tone of voice appropriate for the occasion. Moreover your inner state should be assertive rather than aggressive. Elsewhere on this site I offer guidance in the proper and appropriate application of voice skills.
Useful, practical and relevant additional commentary on what I’m about to reveal can be found at http://venturelink.co.uk/its-all-in-the-pitch/
The wreckers
Always be on the lookout for the wreckers. By this I mean those who set out to destabilise the proceedings. This is especially prevalent in sales meetings.
It’s very important to set the ground rules of interruption, by which I mean participants should avoid interrupting others – except when absolutely necessary. You’d think, wouldn’t you, that there’d be no need to point this out. After all, we all expect to find civilised behavior – right? Well . . . expectations can be a consequence of misplaced optimism.
The point being that as chairperson you make the rules and you enforce the rules. These are your entitlements. Don’t squander them!
There’s nothing wrong with courtesy!
It’s important to be courteous and finish with an informal discussion to invite people to express how they feel the meeting went.
If you don’t ask, then you don’t get
Through questioning, test that everyone knows what needs to be done, e.g. what dates, times, places, and so on are expected from each of the participants.
There’s a time and place for fear motivation but . . .
A business meeting is neither the time nor the place. If you’re sharp, or indeed hoping to become so then always be on the lookout for participants who were forced there through fear and subterfuge. Winkling out these particular unfortunates is one of the bravest and most enlightened aspect of modern meeting strategy.
And what do we have here, hmm?
Look for people doodling on their notepads. More often than not it is a sign of boredom created through frustration.
Beware. One or more participants might be more switched on than you are!
Some of the participants, might have a cursory understanding of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) which means that if you lie, they may well recognise this! Here’s where to get up to speed with what NLP means > http://bit.ly/1ahFzj
It’s up to you if you want to acquire the skill. Meanwhile some of the participants might already have.
There’s no need to shout. Okay?
Always remember it is the person with the calm and slow verbal delivery that invariably gets listened to – and this applies as much to attendees as it does to you the chairperson.
I’m happy to personally answer questions on the above best-practice techniques if you phone me at 07870 192618.
