Читать книгу Effective Meetings in 7 simple steps - Barry Tomalin - Страница 19

As you’d expect, if we spend 60 per cent of our time in meetings, there’s a lot of research into the right time for the meeting. Believe it or not, it varies. Most people will argue 10 or 11 a.m., when people are fresh. Almost everybody agrees that 2 p.m. after lunch is not the ideal time, but many meetings are held at 4 or 5 p.m. and they work quite well as ‘end of day’ team round-ups.

But you have to check availability times. As an example, the contract hours of the British employees in a French company in London were 8 a.m. to 5.45 p.m. The French would arrive at about 9.30, have a decent lunch from 12.45 to 2 p.m. and then leave the office around 7 or 7.30 p.m. As a result, they held their team meetings at 6 p.m.

This was like a French red rag to a British bull. This wasn’t just inconsiderate. It was a plot to make the British stay late at the office or cut them out of the decision-making loop. Office politics at its worst!

In fact, it was just a mistake. The French simply didn’t think. Once they realised the problem, they brought the team meeting forward to 4.30. Harmony reigned once again.

Punctuality is important in UK business. It’s important to be on time for meetings. If you think you might be late, always phone. Say you will be a bit later than you need. It’s much better to call and say, ‘I’ll be 20 minutes late’, and arrive earlier.

There are lots of examples like the French one, especially in companies with employees from different countries. ‘Who’s holding a meeting on my national day?’ ‘Who wants me to work on Sunday?’ (Not uncommon in Middle Eastern companies, where the holy day is Friday.) ‘Who wants me to go to a meeting at six o’clock in Ramadan?’ Sensitivity to issues like these helps employees feel considered and makes them more willing to come to meetings.

Normally, meetings conform to the holiday conventions of the UK. However, in our increasingly multinational working environment, it’s important to acknowledge others’ festivals and celebrations. The Chinese New Year is a good example of this.

Finding out about alternative dates can be a challenge. A good way to organise a meeting is to use a time chart.

Name	Date 6th June Time 11.00 a.m.	Date 7th June Time 11.00 a.m.	Date 17th June Time 11.00 a.m.
John	*	*	*
Hilary
Pia
Barry

The time chart is a table with names of invitees, dates and time. The organiser circulates it to colleagues. Notice there is an asterisk against the three dates. This indicates that the organiser, John, is free. The others do the same and when there is a day where all the slots are filled, then that is the day of the meeting. Simple but effective. Most computers have programs designed to help you arrange meetings and view people’s availability.

What happens if the spaces aren’t filled by everyone? Try again. It may take two or three attempts.