Call Center Industry News and Tips
Effective Online Meetings: 3 Steps to Ensure Productive Meetings
By James Hamby
Online meetings are a staple in today’s high tech business world. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to take steps to ensure the efficacy and productivity of your meetings. [Read more...]
7 Steps to Running a Successful Team Meeting
By Gail Gibson
Staff meetings, you either love them or hate them. Why, because many management and team meetings lack any real organisation. Time runs away, points get laboured on, often with no resolution in sight. Sound familiar?
Effective Meetings and Conversations – Top 7 Keys to Being Present
By Caroline L Smith
Have you ever been in a meeting or conversation with someone and you could tell that they weren't really focused on you? How did it make you feel? How did it affect your opinion of this person as a leader?
Being in the present moment, or "being present", is a skill that is critical for effective communication and should be in the toolbox of all effective leaders. If you need to improve your ability to be present in conversations, try out these top 7 keys to being present with other people:
7 Tips of Effective Meetings
By Keith Morgan
We spend hours in meetings. Some of them are really good. Unfortunately far too many of them feel like a waste of time, something we all have far too little of. The following 7 tips will help to insure your meetings are valuable and productive.
A Cure For Unproductive Meetings?By Kimberly Kniveton
I often receive calls from organizations asking if I can come in and do some training to help them have more effective meetings. I hear it all the time:
"Our meetings are such a waste of time"
"Nothing ever gets done."
"I spend so much time in meetings I never get my real work finished."
I think it's a national epidemic – just do a quick internet search and you can find website after website, YouTube video after YouTube video on the steps you should take to hold effective meetings. The advice?
Meetings Can Make Or Break Your Career
Oh, how much time do we all spend in meetings?! Some are effective; some aren't. They take time away from our abilities to do other things. Some times they're boring and wasteful. Sometimes they're not.
But one thing they all have: opportunities for you to showcase your abilities.
With all the time I've spent in meetings over the years, I've wondered how many people have considered this side of their participation in meetings. Some people sure haven't acted that way.
Here are some things to consider:
If You're Thinking of Checking That Blackberry in a Meeting, Don't!
We've all done it. The meeting is going on and on. Your boss is rambling. You "get" the gist of the concept. You're bored. Your mind drifts. Hmmm. Wonder what newfound treasure has appeared in my PDA? Who will notice if you sneak a peek?
Your boss will. Others in the meeting will. Don't do it. You could be committing career suicide.
Robert Half & Associates recently conducted a study of 150 senior executives, which showed that 31 percent of them found it inappropriate for employees to check PDAs during meetings. Despite this finding, 86 percent of the senior executives polled had witnessed people engaging in this behavior.
Break the Ice to Get Your Meeting Going!
A Cure For Unproductive Meetings? 
I often receive calls from organizations asking if I can come in and do some training to help them have more effective meetings. I hear it all the time:
“Our meetings are such a waste of time”
“Nothing ever gets done.”
“I spend so much time in meetings I never get my real work finished.”
I think it’s a national epidemic – just do a quick internet search and you can find website after website, YouTube video after YouTube video on the steps you should take to hold effective meetings. The advice?
Know the purpose of the meeting: For example, is the meeting about sharing information or about making a decision.
