1. Chapter 3 Team Communication and Difficult Conversations

2. Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 3.1: Explain the principles of team communication in high-performing teams. Learning Objective 3.2: Describe and demonstrate approaches to planning, running, and following up on meetings. Learning Objective 3.3: Explain the principles of effective virtual team communication. Learning Objective 3.4: Describe strategies for effective group writing. Learning Objective 3.5: Explain basic principles for handling difficult conversations.
LO3.1 Explain the principles of team communication in high-performing teams.
LO3.2 Describe and demonstrate approaches to planning, running, and following up on meetings.
LO3.3 Explain the principles of effective virtual team communication.
LO3.4 Describe strategies for effective group writing.
LO3.5 Explain basic principles for handling difficult conversations.

3. Chapter Overview Principles of team communication
Approaches to effective meetings
Effective virtual teams
Group writing strategies
Handling difficult conversations
This chapter covers the following topics: principles of team communication; approaches to effective meetings; effective virtual teams; group writing strategies; and handling difficult conversations.

4. Most Common Functions of Teams
Handling special projects Completing the work of particular departments Developing internal systems innovations Creating customer service innovations Developing product innovations Engaging in employee development Reducing time to market for products and services
Teams can take many forms. Some teams are formally and permanently organized and titled (such as the marketing team). Other teams are temporarily formed for completing a project or an activity (i.e., project team, committee). The most common functions of teams are handling special projects, completing the work of particular departments, developing internal systems innovations, creating customer-service innovations, developing product innovations, engaging in employee development, and reducing time to market for products and services.

5. Barriers to Team Effectiveness
Ineffective communication Lack of effective chartering and goal setting Lack of clarity and understanding of roles Low morale Low productivity Lack of trust
In a recent survey, business professionals cited ineffective communication (66 percent) as the biggest barrier to team effectiveness. Other major barriers included lack of effective chartering and goal setting (56 percent), lack of clarity and understanding of roles (47 percent), low morale (44 percent), low productivity (42 percent), and lack of trust (36 percent). All of these factors relate to communication competencies.

6. Frustrating Aspects of Being Part of a Team for Business Professionals
Ineffective use of meeting time Ineffective communication among team members Lack of accountability Individuals who don’t complete assignments Lack of preparation in meetings
Similarly, when ranking the most frustrating aspects of being part of a team, business professionals cite the following: ineffective use of meeting time (54 percent), ineffective communication among team members (50 percent), lack of accountability (47 percent), individuals who don’t complete assignments (44 percent), and lack of preparation in meetings (41 percent). All of these factors in turn relate to communication competencies.

7. Principles of Effective Team Communication (1 of 5)
Teams should focus first and foremost on performance. Teams go through four natural stages to reach high performance. Effective teams build a work culture around values, norms, and goals. Effective teams meet often.
Your teams will perform far better if they follow the basic principles of team communication, all of which depend on a strong listening-centered approach. Work in teams is among the most researched aspects of work performance, and hundreds of studies have supported each of the following principles:
Teams should focus first and foremost on performance.
Teams go through four natural stages to reach high performance.
Effective teams build a work culture around values, norms, and goals.
Effective teams meet often.

8. Principles of Effective Team Communication (2 of 5)
Effective teams embrace differing viewpoints and conflict. Effective teams provide a lot of positive feedback and evaluate their performance often. Effective teams feel a common sense of purpose.
Some additional principles are:
Effective teams embrace differing viewpoints and conflict.
Effective teams provide a lot of positive feedback and evaluate their performance often.
Effective teams feel a common sense of purpose.

9. Figure 3.1 Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams
Nearly all high-performing teams go through four stages before they maximize their performance. In best-case scenarios, work teams take roughly six to seven months to reach this level (see Figure 3.1). Typically, leaders become less directive and more consultative as the team progresses through the stages: forming, storming, norming, and performing.
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10. Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams (1 of 2)
Forming stage
Team members focus on gaining acceptance and avoiding conflict.
Storming stage
Team members open up with their competing ideas about how the team should approach work.
In the forming stage (months 1 and 2), team members focus on gaining acceptance and avoiding conflict. In some ways, this stage is a honeymoon period in which team members get to know one another.
In the storming stage (months 2 and 3), team members open up with their competing ideas about how the team should approach work. This stage is typically the least productive, since team members are attempting to make sense of uncertain roles, goals, and accountabilities.

11. Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams (2 of 2)
Norming stage
The team arrives at a work plan, including roles, goals, and accountabilities.
Performing stage
The team operates efficiently toward accomplishing its goals.
In the norming stage (months 4 and 5), the team arrives at a work plan, including the roles, goals, and accountabilities.
In the performing stage (months 6 and 7), teams operate efficiently toward accomplishing their goals. They have evolved to a level where they can transform disagreement and conflict into consensus for future action.

12. Principles of Effective Team Communication (3 of 5)
Team culture
Refers to a set of shared perceptions and commitment to collective values, norms, roles, responsibilities, and goals
Organizations and teams constantly attempt to foster unity and high performance. Team culture refers to a set of shared perceptions and commitment to collective values, norms, roles, responsibilities, and goals. Typically, teams rapidly develop such shared perceptions and commitment during the norming stage. Only at the performing stage do these shared perceptions and commitments lead to high productivity.

13. Principles of Effective Team Communication (4 of 5)
Team charter
Provides direction to the team in how it functions to meet shared objectives
One way that high-performing teams ensure they develop and live up to shared values, norms, and goals is to create a team charter. The team charter provides direction to the team in how it functions to meet shared objectives. Common elements of team charters include purpose or mission statements, values, goals, team member roles (including leadership), tasks, ground rules, communication protocol, meeting protocol, decision-making rules, conflict resolution, and feedback mechanisms.

14. Principles of Effective Team Communication (5 of 5)
In Figure 3.2, you can see an abbreviated team charter created by the Prestigio marketing team. It contains many features common to team charters.
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15. Embracing Differing Viewpoints (1 of 2)
Inherent diversity
Involves traits such as age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation
Acquired diversity
Involves traits you acquire through experience, such as customer service experience, retail experience, or engineering experience
Diversity comes in two forms: inherent and acquired. Inherent diversity involves traits such as age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Acquired diversity involves traits you acquire through experience, such as customer service experience, retail experience, or engineering experience. Having both types of diversity is called 2-D diversity. Companies with 2-D diversity are about 45 percent more likely to report a growth in market share during the past year and about 70 percent more likely to have captured a new market.

16. Behaviors that Drive Diversity
Making sure everyone is heard
Making it safe to let team members express novel ideas
Giving team members decision-making authority
Sharing credit
Giving useful feedback
Putting feedback into action
The following behaviors help drive acquired diversity: (1) making sure everyone is heard, (2) making it safe to let team members express novel ideas, (3) giving team members decision-making authority, (4) sharing credit, (5) giving useful feedback, and (6) putting feedback into action. In short, these behaviors drive an innovative, “speak-up culture.”

17. Embracing Differing Viewpoints (2 of 2)
Disassociation
Process by which professionals accept critique of their ideas without taking it personally and becoming defensive
Association
Psychological bonding that occurs between people and their ideas
Two principles that team members use to embrace and respond to differing viewpoints are disassociation and association. Disassociation is a process by which professionals accept critique of their ideas without taking it personally and becoming defensive. On the other hand, association is the psychological bonding that occurs between people and their ideas. Because the purpose of most meetings and team communication is to increase agreement about roles, goals, and accountabilities and to increase the group’s sense of purpose, team members should seek association by the end of a meeting or team communication. Generally, high-performing teams go through repeated cycles of disassociation and association. That is, they suspend attachment to ideas in the initial discussion phase and then attach themselves to ideas as they commit to mutually developed goals and related action items (see Figure 3.3).
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18. Developing Quick Trust and Working in Short-Term Teams
Get to know each other. Hold an effective launch meeting. Commit to working together and separately. Set up a deliverable schedule and evaluate performance regularly.
Many teams are created to accomplish projects in short periods of time, often in just a few weeks up to a few months. Short-term teams face unique challenges. To develop quick trust is critical: Get to know each other; hold an effective launch meeting; commit to working together and separately; and set up a deliverable schedule and evaluate performance regularly.

19. Behavior That Drives Trust in Teams
Self-disclosure
Sharing information about yourself, such as your goals, aspirations, views and values, and experiences
One of the fastest ways to increase trust, particularly among teammates who don’t know one another, is through self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is sharing information about yourself, such as your goals, aspirations, views and values, and experiences. Teammates often bond emotionally and learn about one another’s strengths by opening up or self-disclosing to each other.

20. Planning for Meetings: Essential Questions (1 of 2)
What is the purpose of the meeting? What outcomes do I expect? Who should attend? When should the meeting be scheduled? What roles and responsibilities should people at the meeting have?
Planning for meetings requires strategy, scheduling, and coordination. At a minimum, you should answer the following questions in your preparations:
What is the purpose of the meeting?
Who should attend?
When should the meeting be scheduled?
What roles and responsibilities should people at the meeting have?

21. Planning for Meetings: Essential Questions (2 of 2)
What will be the agenda? What materials should I distribute prior to the meeting? When and how should I invite others? What logistical issues do I need to take care of (reserving rooms, getting equipment, printing materials)?
Other questions that you should answer in preparing for meeting include the following:
What will be the agenda?
What materials should I distribute prior to the meeting?
When and how should I invite others?
What logistical issues do I need to take care of (reserving rooms, getting equipment, printing materials)?

22. Figure 3.6 Least Productive Parts of the Workday
Generally, you should avoid meetings, especially brainstorming meetings, during the least productive times of the day (usually the afternoon). Typically, most employees are at their best performance in the morning (see Figure 3.6).
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23. Types of Meetings Coordination meetings Problem-solving meetings
Primarily focus on discussing roles, goals, and accountabilities
Problem-solving meetings
Typically involve brainstorming about how to address and solve a particular work problem
As you plan, consider the type of meeting you want. Meetings can be broadly categorized as coordination meetings or problem-solving meetings. Coordination meetings primarily focus on discussing roles, goals, and accountabilities. Problem-solving meetings typically involve brainstorming about how to address and solve a particular work problem. In actuality, nearly all meetings involve both coordination and problem solving. However, coordination meetings typically include many agenda items with a reasonable expectation of accomplishing each item in the allocated time. Problem-solving meetings, by contrast, involve more fluid issues that are less easily classified as discrete agenda items and that are less easily given time allotments.

24. Creating and Distributing the Agenda
Agendas provide structure for meetings.
Most agendas should include:
Agenda items
Time frames
Goals/expected outcomes
Roles
Materials needed
Agendas provide structure for meetings. For most meetings, preparing and distributing an agenda ahead of time allows each meeting participant to form expectations and prepare. Most agendas should include items to be covered, time frames, goals and/or expected outcomes, roles, and materials needed. You can foster more effective meetings by getting others involved in the agenda-creation process. For example, at least several days in advance, ask meeting participants for agenda items they want included.

25. Figure 3.6 Creating and Distributing the Agenda
As you develop the agenda, pay attention to the ordering of items so that it flows much like you would expect other written communications to flow from point to point. Also, consider placing those agenda items of most importance near the beginning. This way, if items take longer than expected and you are forced to shelve some items, you have addressed the highest-priority items. See Figure 3.7 for an agenda for the Prestigio marketing team.
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26. Running Effective Meetings (1 of 2)
Create tradition, culture, and variety Set expectations and follow the agenda Encourage participation and expression of ideas Build consensus and a plan of action Closing the meeting Dealing with difficult people
If you’ve planned and prepared well for the meeting, you are in a great position to carry out your meeting objectives. Ideally, you’ve provided clear expectations for meeting participants—what they should have done before the meeting and what they can expect in terms of content and length of the meeting. Once the meeting arrives, you have several options for achieving productive outcomes:
Create tradition, culture, and variety.
Set expectations and follow the agenda.
Encourage participation and expression of ideas.
Build consensus and a plan of action.
Close the meeting.
Deal with difficult people.

27. Running Effective Meetings (2 of 2)
Each meeting should have a facilitator. A facilitator acts from a neutral position to get each person to participate in the conversation and ensure that each agenda item is properly discussed.
Each meeting should have a facilitator. The facilitator acts from a neutral position to get each person to participate in the conversation and ensure that each agenda item is properly discussed. Facilitators should acknowledge, check for understanding, paraphrase and summarize, not judge, ask for elaboration, and get everyone involved. Sometimes, this may require using explicit phrases such as “I’d like each person to take two minutes to . . .” For routine meetings, the facilitator is often the organizer.

28. Closing the Meeting
How much information, analysis, and interpretation did I provide? Did I communicate my ideas even if they conflicted with someone else’s? Did I participate in the implementation of the timeline? Did I meet deadlines? Did I facilitate the decision-making process? Or did I just go with the flow?
One priority should be to end the meeting on time. Before ending the meeting, summarize what you have accomplished. In just a few minutes, you can recap action items that the team has agreed on. After a meeting ends (even for those you do not lead), you should mentally evaluate your performance. Consider these questions:
How much information, analysis, and interpretation did I provide?
Did I communicate my ideas even if they conflicted with someone else’s?
Did I participate in the implementation of the timeline? Did I meet deadlines?
Did I facilitate the decision-making process? Or did I just go with the flow?

29. Following Up After Meetings
Follow up by distributing the minutes of the meeting.
Meeting follow-up/minutes components include the following:
Date and time
Team members present
Meeting roles
Key decisions
Key discussion points (optional)
Open issues (optional)
Action items and deadlines
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30. Figure 3.7 Following Up After Meetings
Follow up by distributing the minutes of the meeting. Minutes of the meeting should include the date and time, team members present, decisions, key discussion points, open issues, and action items and related deadlines. You can also include names of people who were invited but were absent and the assigned roles (i.e., note-taker). The minutes serve as a record of what your team accomplished. Figure 3.8 provides an example of meeting minutes.
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31. Working in Virtual Teams (1 of 2)
Generally consist of team members located at various offices (including home offices) and rely almost entirely on virtual technologies to work with one another
Organizations increasingly rely on virtual teams to complete projects, initiatives, and a variety of other tasks. These virtual teams generally consist of team members located at various offices (including home offices) and rely almost entirely on virtual technologies to work with one another. One recent survey showed that about 80 percent of professionals in multinational companies report working on a team that is located in different locations. In fact, 64 percent of these professionals work with team members located in other countries.

32. Working in Virtual Teams (2 of 2)
Focus on building trust at each stage of your virtual team. Meet in person if possible. Get to know one another. Use collaborative technologies. Choose an active team leader.
In addition to the principles for working effectively in traditional teams, consider the following tips when working in virtual teams:
Focus on building trust at each stage of your virtual team.
Meet in person if possible.
Get to know one another.
Use collaborative technologies.
Choose an active team leader.

33. Table 3.1 Maintaining Trust over the Life of a Virtual Team Project (1 of 2)
Stage of Project
Elements of Trust
Key Actions to Foster Trust
Forming
Competence
Asking and responding to questions about one another’s professional accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses
Caring
Showing interest in teammates
Expressing a desire to work with teammates
Character
Making commitments to high team performance
Discussing shared values for a team charter
Norming
Demonstrating strong performance in early deliverables
Preparing well for initial meetings
Sharing information, offering to help teammates, and staying accessible to teammates
Responding promptly to the requests of teammates
Living up to commitments in the team charter
Professionals in virtual teams rank the following characteristics as most important among virtual teammates: willingly sharing information, being proactively engaged, and collaborating. Typically, you can take actions across the entire life cycle of a virtual team that bolster your credibility and help establish trust within your virtual team with a focus on competence, caring, and character. In Table 3.1, you can see various strategies for displaying competence, caring, and character at each stage of virtual teamwork to build and maintain trust within the team.

34. Table 3.1 Maintaining Trust over the Life of a Virtual Team Project (2 of 2)
Stage of Project
Elements of Trust
Key Actions to Foster Trust
Performing
Competence
Completing all tasks with excellence
Caring
Encouraging and supporting teammates to compete tasks near final deadlines when the pressure is highest
Character
Ensuring all team outcomes are fair to team members and stakeholders
In Table 3.1, you can see various strategies for displaying competence, caring, and character at each stage of virtual teamwork to build and maintain trust within the team.

35. Run Effective Virtual Meetings
Start the meeting with social chat. Start with a contentious question. Ask “what do you think about” questions. Make sure each team member is involved. Articulate views precisely. Take minutes in real time. Focus on your teammates and avoid multitasking. Use video when possible.
Consider the following tips to make your virtual meetings more productive:
Start the meeting with social chat.
Start with a contentious question.
Ask “what do you think about” questions.
Make sure each team member is involved.
Articulate views precisely.
Take minutes in real time.
Focus on your teammates and avoid multitasking.
Use video when possible.

36. Group Writing
Start right away. Work together at the planning stage. Make sure your roles and contributions are fair. Stay flexible and open. Meet in real time consistently and ensure the writing reflects the views of the group. Discuss how you will edit the document together. Consider a single group member to polish the final version and ensure a consistent voice.
Creating a strong, precise, and coherent document with many writers is challenging. As you write with teams or other groups, consider applying the following tips:
Start right away.
Work together at the planning stage.
Make sure your role and contributions are fair.
Stay flexible and open.
Meet in real time consistently and ensure the writing reflects the views of the group.
Discuss how you will the document together.
Consider a single group member to polish the final version and ensure a consistent voice.

37. Managing Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations often center on disagreements, conflict, and bad news. Many people prefer to avoid difficult conversations because they want to avoid hurting the feelings of others or want to avoid conflict.
Business professionals routinely—often on a daily basis—encounter difficult conversations, especially when working in teams and collaborating with others. Difficult conversations are approached with apprehension, nervousness, anxiety, and even fear. Difficult conversations often center on disagreements, conflict, and bad news. Many people prefer to avoid difficult conversations because they want to avoid hurting the feelings of others, want to avoid conflict, or for other reasons.

38. Principles of Difficult Conversations
Embrace difficult conversations. Assume the best in others. Adopt a learning stance. Stay calm/overcome noise. Find common ground. Disagree diplomatically. Avoid exaggeration and either/or approaches.
Most people back away from uncomfortable or unpleasant conversations. This is particularly the case when we feel we have a lot to gain but risk heavy losses if it doesn’t go right. For these reasons, difficult conversations are often emotionally challenging. Successful people in the workplace do not evade difficult conversations. Those who regularly tackle them with skill and tact improve work performance for themselves and others. These basic, tried-and-true principles for handling difficult conversations in the workplace rely on active listening with a learner mind-set:
Embrace difficult conversations.
Assume the best in others.
Adopt a learning stance.
Stay calm/overcome noise.
Find common ground.
Disagree diplomatically.
Avoid exaggeration and either/or approaches.

39. Components of Difficult Conversations
Start well/declare your intent.
Listen to their story.
Tell your story.
Create a shared story.
The following steps will help guide you through difficult conversations:
1. Start well/declare your intent.
2. Listen to their story.
3. Tell your story.
4. Create a shared story.

40. How To Disagree Diplomatically
Typically, you can disagree diplomatically by validating the views and feelings of others and using I-statements. Validating others means that you recognize their perspectives and feelings as credible or legitimate. It does not necessarily mean that you agree. I-statements begin with phrases such as I think, I feel, or I believe. During disagreements or difficult conversations, I- statements soften comments to sound more conciliatory and flexible and less blaming and accusatory
You can disagree diplomatically by validating the views and feelings of others and using I-statements. Validating others means that you recognize their perspectives and feelings as credible or legitimate. It does not necessarily mean that you agree. I-statements begin with phrases such as I think, I feel, or I believe. They soften comments to sound more conciliatory and flexible and less blaming and accusatory.

41. Chapter Takeaways Principles of team communication
Approaches to effective meetings
Effective virtual teams
Group writing strategies
Handling difficult conversations
After studying this chapter, you should understand the following topics: principles of team communication; approaches to effectives meetings; effective virtual teams; group writing strategies; and handling difficult conversations.

42. Image Descriptions Appendix

43. Figure 3.1 Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams Appendix
A line graph is shown. Its vertical axis, team performance level, is labeled high at the top, medium in the middle, and low at the bottom. Its horizontal axis, months together as a team in best-case scenario, lists the numbers 0 through 7. The area of the graph is divided into four columns: forming, storming, norming, and performing. A line represents the team’s performance level over the course of the 7 months. The line begins at a medium performance level in the forming stage. It drops to medium-low by 1.5 months, transitioning into the storming stage. Storming shows the team’s performance dipping down to its lowest point just before month 3. After that, performance begins to increase. By month 3.75, the line transitions into the norming stage. The team performance line increases sharply and steadily upward here, arching toward the highest level as it transitions from the norming stage to the performing stage a little after month 6. The performing stage sees the highest level of team performance at month 7.
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44. Principles of Effective Team Communication (5 of 5) Appendix
Mission Statement: We provide marketing for Prestigio that matches its mission of outstanding guest service, superior financial results, and sustainability. Values: Excellence in all work, creativity, honesty, sharing and collaboration, professional growth. Goals: (a) To become the premier resort destination for sustainable conferences in this region; (b) to increase revenue annually by 12 percent; and (c) to maintain 95 percent guest satisfaction among business travelers and reach 85 percent guest satisfaction among conference attendees.
Team Member Roles/Responsibilities are (from left to right):
Andrea Garcia, general manager, oversee all marketing initiatives.
Nancy Jeffreys, director of marketing, lead marketing efforts for non-convention guests.
Barbara Brookshire, director of conventions, lead marketing efforts for convention guests.
Kip Yamada, marketing associate, develop campaigns for business travelers.
Jeff Anderton, marketing assistant, conduct market research and analytics.
Kailey Change, marketing assistant, create concepts and graphics for campaigns.
Communication Protocol
We will post project updates, recommendations, and relevant experiences to our team blog. Team members should post roughly twice per week.
We will respond to direct messages from each other ( s, phone calls) within four hours.
We recognize the value of each team member’s ideas. We will discuss differences of opinion with one another immediately, directly, and respectfully.
Meetings
We will hold meetings on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at 10:00 a.m.
We will rotate facilitators for each meeting. The facilitator will ensure agenda items are covered with the input of all team members.
The facilitator should create the agenda. By the Monday preceding each meeting, the facilitator should make a call for agenda items. The facilitator should distribute the final agenda as a blog post by Tuesday at noon on the day before each meeting.
We will rotate note-takers for each meeting.
The note-taker should post minutes to the team blog by the end of the day on Tuesday.
The note-taker will create calendar entries for all action items.
Decision Making
We aim for consensus. If we do not achieve consensus, decisions will be based on a majority vote of the general manager, the director of marketing, and the director of conventions.
Feedback
After each major marketing initiative, we will evaluate each team member’s performance.
In June and December each year, we will evaluate team performance and communication.
We are dedicated to professional growth. We will constantly help one another reach our professional goals.
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45. Embracing Differing Viewpoints (2 of 2) Appendix
This image depicts the cycle of dissociation and association in team communication. A solid horizontal line with a defined starting point and end point is presented. On the left side, it’s labeled “start of meeting or team communication.” On the right side, it’s labeled “end of meeting or team communication.” Surrounding the line is a clock-wise-moving dotted line. The dotted line points to the word “disassociation” over “start of meeting or team communication.” The dotted line proceeds and points to the word “association” over “end of meeting or team communication.”
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46. Figure 3.6 Least Productive Parts of the Workday Appendix
The vertical axis lists the percentage of employees indicating a time frame is the least productive part of the day. The horizontal axis lists workday time segments by increments of two hours: 8 to 10 am, 10 am to noon, noon to 2 pm, 2 pm to 4 pm, and 4 pm to 6 pm. Ten percent of employees say 8 to 10 am is the least productive part of the day. This falls to less than 5 percent during 10 am to noon. From there, the lack of productivity in a certain time frame climbs steadily through the rest of the day, reaching a high of almost 40 percent in the 4 pm to 6 pm slot. According to the graph, the best times for meetings are in the 10 am to noon segment.
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47. Figure 3.7 Creating and Distributing the Agenda Appendix
Date: November 9, Start Time: 10 a.m., and End Time: 11 a.m. Purposes: 1. Discuss plans to conduct market research about (a) Internet pricing for groups and (b) customer satisfaction levels relative to our local competitors. 2. Discuss progress on our Staff & Service Initiative started in January. 3. Examine ways to improve participation on our marketing team blogs and wikis. 4. Finalize plans for the Valentine’s Day marketing campaign. Desired outcome: Create action items to complete within the next month (by December 15). At our December 15 meeting, we will develop our annual marketing plan, which will include priorities for improving guest satisfaction and pricing. Agenda Item 1: Internet Pricing for Groups (20 minutes). Summary of findings from Internet pricing survey for groups (Jeff), 5 minutes. Industry standards for Internet pricing for conference groups (Barbara) ,5 minutes. Group discussion of findings and options, 10 minutes. Develop action items, 5 minutes. Agenda Item 2: Improving Customer Satisfaction (20 minutes). Summary of findings from customer satisfaction research on external websites (Jeff), 5 minutes. Group discussion of findings and options ,10 minutes. Develop action items, 5 minutes. Agenda Item 3: Enterprise Social Software. Discuss goals for increased use of wikis and discussion forums (Andrea), 5 minutes. Agenda Item 4: New Promotions. Valentine’s Day hotel promotions (Nancy), 5 minutes. Summarize Action Items: 3 minutes. Participants: Andrea Garcia, Nancy Jeffreys, Barbara Brookshire, Kip Yamada (note-taker), Jeff Anderton.
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48. Following Up After Meetings Appendix
Meeting follow-up/minutes components:
Date and time
Team members present
Meeting roles
Key decisions
Key discussion points (optional)
Open issues (optional)
Action items and deadlines
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49. Figure 3.8 Following Up After Meetings Appendix
Date: November 9 Start Time: 10 a.m. and End Time: 11 a.m. Agenda Item 1: Internet Pricing for Groups Discussion: Jeff presented survey findings about conference attendees’ purchases of Internet service while here. The group agreed that Internet-service purchases are far too low and that less use for lower-income groups suggests high price sensitivity. Action Items: Develop and conduct survey that identifies price points at which conference guests are willing to purchase Internet service. Responsibility: Barbara and Jeff; Completion time: December 15. Develop price sensitivity estimates and related revenue impacts. Responsibility: Barbara; Completion Time: December 15. Agenda Item 2: Improving Customer Satisfaction Discussion: Jeff presented customer satisfaction ratings of Prestigio and three local competitors. The group agreed that our customer satisfaction ratings have improved, particularly in relation to competitors. We are most concerned about the areas of cleanliness, business center, and meeting rooms. Action Items: Develop plans to improve the equipment and furnishings of the business center. Responsibility: Andrea; Completion Date: December 15. Develop plans for improving cleanliness and meeting rooms. Responsibility: Nancy, Andrea; Completion date: January 15. Agenda Item 3: Enterprise Social Software Discussion: Andrea encouraged the group to log on to the new enterprise social platform throughout the day, share documents, use wikis, and stay aware of progress on shared projects. Action Item: Use a wiki to collaborate on a joint project with another member of the marketing team. Responsibility: All members of marketing team; Completion Time: December 15. Agenda Item 4: New Promotions Discussion: Nancy introduced her plans for Valentine’s promotions, including a price special and advertising campaign designed to cater to local-area couples. Action Item: Negotiate TV and print ad campaign details with ad agency. Responsibility: Nancy, Kip; Completion Time: December 1. The participants are listed at the bottom of the meeting minutes: Andrea Garcia, Nancy Jeffreys, Barbara Brookshire, Kip Yamada (note-taker), Jeff Anderton.
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50. Business Communication Chapter 3
The End