Running a meeting

Read the article and note the key points under the following headings.

PRACTICAL TRAINING

- the problems of working in multicultural groups

- how cultural pre-conceptions affect people’s views and attitudes

- overcoming obstacles to effective teamwork

UNIT 2. Meetings

Формирование навыков речевого общения в рабочем коллективе является одним из самых важных аспектов успешной трудовой деятельности. В данном разделе представлен материал, позволяющий сформировать у студентов навыки коммуникативной и лингвистической, социальной, социолингвистической, дискурсивной, стратегической (компенсаторной), социо-культурной компетенций с учетом специфики делового английского языка, развивать навыки работы в коллективе. Студенты познакомятся с общеупотребительной лексикой делового характера, необходимой для участия в переговорах, деловых беседах, деловых совещаниях, а также с аспектами грамматики, необходимые для осуществления вышеуказанной деятельности

В результате изучения данного раздела студенты освоят принципы подготовки и проведения деловой беседы, собрания, совещания, переговоров, публичного выступления.

TEXT 2.1. How to make meetings productive

Do you dread meetings mare than Monday mornings? Do you find them boring, unproductive and far too long? Meetings are central to most organizations; people need to know what their coleagues are doing and then take decisions based on shared information and opinions. How well you present yourself and your ideas, and how well you work with other people, is crucial to your career.

Only call a meeting if you (and your colleagues) are quite clear about its purpose. Once you are certain of your objective, ask yourself whether it could be better achieved through alternative means, such as a memo. Meetings called on a routine basis tend to lose their point. It's better to wait until a situation or problem requires a meeting. If in doubt, don't waste time having one. If you're sure a meeting is the solution, circulate a memo several days in advance specifying the time and place, objectives, issues to be discussed, other participants and preparation expected. Meetings should be held in the morning, if possible, when people are usually more alert, and should last no more than an hour. Six is the optimum number of participants for a good working meeting. Inviting the whole department (more than 10) increases emotional undercurrents such as, "Will my suggestions be taken seriously?' Larger meetings can be productive as brainstorming sessions for ideas, provided participants can speak freely without feeling they will be judged. A successful meeting always leads to action. Decisions should take up the bulk of the meeting minutes, including the name of the person delegated to each task, and a deadline for its completion. Circulate the minutes after the meeting and again just before the next one.

Draw out quieter members of the group. Encouragement helps create a relaxed and productive atmosphere. Do not single out any individual for personal criticism - they will either silently withdraw, upset and humiliated, or try to come up with excuses rather than focusing on the problems in hand. Save critical comments for a private occasion. If you're talking for more than 50 per cent of the time, you're dominating the meeting.

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