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Sincerely, 

To most employees, meetings are a dreaded part of corporate life. They usually drag on longer than necessary, and are generally perceived as a waste of important time. However, in this article from workopolis.com it is proposed that with proper preparation, wrap-up and follow-up, meetings can efficiently advance the work of any assignment. 

Preparation includes knowing the objectives for the meeting and including elements involving creativity, problem solving and decision-making, as well as producing action plans. 

Effective wrap-up means not letting the meeting go on past the point of usefulness, or agreeing with attendees to extend the meeting for a specific period of time. 

The best form of follow-up includes a one-pager, summarizing key discussion points, any decisions taken and action steps agreed to. These minutes should be sent to all participants within a day or so of the meeting, including all those who weren't present, or those who might need to know this information.

Meeting adjourned! Read the full article by clicking on the link below. 

Doing your homework...

SEVEN SECRETS TO GOOD BRAINSTORMING

"Innovate or die" is a harsh reality of the modern fast-forward economy. However, the effective brainstorming sessions that create these innovative ideas require more than just luck. In this article from Fast Company.com one company's secrets for sparking good ideas are outlined. 

These ideas include:

• Sharpen the focus.
• Write playful rules.
• Number your ideas.
• Build and jump - meaning the facilitator of the session nurtures the conversation in the early stages and then gets out of the way as the ideas begin to flow.
• Make the 'space' remember - the facilitator should write ideas down on an accessible area.
• Stretch your mental muscles - begin all brainstorming sessions with smaller "warm up exercises".
• Get physical - bring examples of competitors' products, objects that relate to the problem, or elegant solutions from other fields that will operate as springboards for ideas. 

So put on your "thinking cap" and read the full article by clicking this link below.

http://www.fastcompany.com/change/change_feature/kelley.html  

LEARNING TO PLAY BALL - How to cope with team players that don't carry their load

Although it's a great feeling to accomplish your goals as a member of a team, there will always be people who make reaching that goal more difficult. How to deal with these non-team players is the focus of this article from careerbuilder.com. 

The article profiles two main types of non-team players. The first type are those individuals who seem to intentionally sabotage a group project through being constantly late, criticizing ideas and people, and not being able to handle even constructive criticism on their own ideas.

The other type of non-team player is quiet and removed, may seem apathetic, and distracted, and generally ends up not contributing much to the group. 

To deal with these two types of people, keep in mind some key "don'ts":

• Don't make excuses for them.
• Don't talk about them behind their backs.
• Don't let meetings focus on or become stalled because of their negative comments.
• Don't forget about the positive things they have accomplished.
• Don't assume silence means they're not doing anything.
• Don't assume what's important to you is important to them.

If you're in a managerial position also keep these thoughts in mind:

• Take action if the person's behaviour may be due to an interoffice spat.
• Don't ignore a conflict between an employee and yourself.
• Don't let employees be silent.
• Try not to make anyone angry.
• Don't deal with employees publicly.
• Don't fire people without extremely good - and documented - cause and warnings.

To start being the best team player you can be and read the full article, click on the link below. 

http://www.careerbuilder.com/wl_work_9808_team.html  


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