1. Effective Meetings
Meetings are one of the major forms of communication for projects and in the general business environment
These can be positive and fruitful or a total waste of time
An effective meeting is one that reaches the required outcomes of all participants
Achieving the required outcomes requires planning and preparation
Meetings are a form of ‘Interactive Communication’ and can be conducted in many different ways – both formal and informal
'Hey, if this person can't manage a meeting, what chance does the project stand?'

2. How to Conduct Effective Meetings
Ensure outcomes are defined prior to the meeting
Never go to a meeting where the desired outcomes are not clearly understood by all involved.
This includes the meetings you call and the ones you are required to attend.
Send an outline of the purpose of the meeting and the required outcomes
Plan the meeting in advance
Think about what you want to say, what information you require or what you need to learn from the meeting.
Anticipate and prepare for questions and objections, raise them yourself if they are important.
Prepare agendas for formal meetings and distribute in advance

3. How to Conduct Effective Meetings
3. Manage your time and respect the time of others
Understand the expectations around meeting start and finish times
Be clear about your expectations – eg.
Always start on time and finish on time vs Start 5 minutes late and finish 5 minutes early
Reschedule the meeting if key contributors are not present
Agree key contributors and minimum attendees
4. Pay attention and actively listen
If it is important enough to attend then it is important enough to listen carefully.
Be engaged and present, you never know what you might find out.
Confirm understanding

4. How to Conduct Effective Meetings
5. Suggest options
Don't be afraid to challenge what is put in front of you.
Suggest alternatives if this will achieve the outcome more effectively
6. Summarise
Recap decisions and actions at the end of the meeting
Be specific about who is to do what by when
Clarify that outcomes have been achieved and assess understanding
Ask for feedback and confirm agreement

5. How to Conduct Effective Meetings
7. Confirm and confirm again
Always confirm appointments the day before
Leave nothing to chance
Be prepared to reschedule immediately if there are issues with the timeslot
8. Document agreed actions and decisions
Formal meetings should have formal minutes including action items and major decisions
Informal meetings can be followed up with a brief outlining outcomes and action items
Maintain a Decision Register and an Action item Register, review with the group regularly

6. Meetings vs Workshops Meetings Workshops Small or large groups
Specific plan of the outcomes
Standing agenda distributed prior to meeting
Room to accommodate additional business
Formal minutes, action items and decision register
Good meeting practices
Active listening
Small or large groups
Require strong facilitation skills
Very detailed plan for the sessions
Room for flexibility if valuable information being obtained
Specific objectives but less defined outcomes
Good to generate ideas, gain understanding, problem solve

7. Formal vs Informal Meetings
Small or large groups
Specific plan of the outcomes
Standing agenda distributed prior to meeting
Room to accommodate additional business
Formal minutes, action items and decision register
Good meeting practices
Active listening
One on one or small group
Scheduled in advance or ad-hoc
High level plan of outcomes
Flexible agenda
Standing agenda or topics agreed at start of meeting
Optional confirmation of agreements, decisions and actions via
Active listening

8. Effective Presentations
Very few people enjoy giving presentations
Some are even more afraid of giving presentations that they are of dying!
Speeches are being replaced by PowerPoint presentations
PowerPoint is only an aid, to be effective attention must be applied to the content as well as the performance aspects of the presentation
Audience expectations are often very high
People demand to be enlightened, informed and entertained
Skilled presenters can transfer information, influence the audience and inspire action
Adpated from PMBoK Guide – Fourth Edition

9. Planning Presentations
1. Have a strong introduction
Plan an engaging introduction eg – provocative question, impressive fact, quotation, recall an anecdote
2. Consider your listener
Frame the presentation as though you are sitting in the audience
Understand the specific needs, wants and emotions of your audience
3. Ensure your audience knows what's in it for them
Be clear about what is in it for the audience – WIIFM – What’s in it for me!
Tailor your presentations to the needs of the audience
4. Begin with the end in mind
Let them know what to expect, how they can use the information and the direct benefits to them
Define the outcome and plan the messages
Prepare a storyboard and remove unnecessary content

10. Planning Presentations
5. Establish credibility
Be confident in your movements, speech and what you are saying
Mention your background, skills and experience
Get the audience emotionally engaged
6. Plan the flow of your argument
Be clear on the outcome and your intentions
Lead the listener through
Obtain agreement along the way
Summarise key points

11. Planning Presentations
7. Speak as if to one individual
Deliver your speech as though each person was the only one in the room
Make the presentation personal
8. Practise your presentation style
Include three different styles - audio, visual and kinaesthetic
Plan how you transition between these elements
It pays to practise with someone you trust and then to ask for their comments
9. Strong conclusions
Summarise key points
Call the audience to action
10. Ask for feedback
Be open and calm
Take it on board if appropriate for future presentations

12. Win the audiences attention Gain their interest Create a desire
AIDA – A Simpler Model
Win the audiences attention
Gain their interest
Create a desire
Stimulate action or agreement

13. Tips for Using PowerPoint
Keep it simple
PowerPoint is an aid not the main attraction
Avoid cheesy clip art, animation and fancy backgrounds
Use ‘slide master’ for consistent formatting
Presentations - 6 points per slide
Practice your interaction with the slides and other media
Report Format – can be very detailed and small font if designed to be printed out
Lectures can break the rules as they are a combination of presentation and detailed notes

14. Steering Committee Meetings
Regular meetings with the Project Sponsor, major client and key senior stakeholders
Hybrid between a presentation and a report
Decision Log
Standard
Agenda
PowerPoint
Presentation
Action Items
Minutes
Status Report

15. Steering Committee Agenda
Flexible depending on type of project and style of organisation, typically includes –
Key Messages
Project Status – Time & Costs
Summary Performance Metrics
Scope Management and Change Control
Risks and Issues
Decisions Required
Optional appendices with more detail –
Project Structure
Detailed Performance Metrics
Detail to support decisions
Change Control Impact Assessments

16. Steering Committee Outputs
Minutes
Attendees
Summary of discussion
Action Items
Action item progress from last meeting
New action items assigned at meeting
Decision Log
All key decisions made at all meetings
New decisions made at this meeting