Unit Five

Leadership and
Communication
• Main contents of the unit
– Basics of Effective Communication
– Components of Communication
– Principles of Communication
– Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
– Barriers of Communication
– The Art of Listening
– Conducting Effective Meetings
Specific Objectives
• After completing this unit, you will:
– comprehend the components and principles of
communication
– identify the verbal and non verbal
communications
– describe the different barriers of
communication
– apply the principles of communication while
they communicate every day
– analyze the various barriers of communication
prevalent with them
– design effective ways of communication
strategies in their attempt to influence others
– conduct meetings of any kinds effectively
 1. Basics of
Effective
Communication
• We talk, listen and interact with others
every day.
• Communication is certainly critical in
organizations where people work together.
• Discussions are held
– about the tasks that must be performed,
– about relationships with one another and
– about the situations which demand change.
• Meetings could be held to
– discuss issues relevant to the organization;
• Contacts could be made with the other
organizations and the outside world.
• Communication
– is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or the like,
as by speech, signals or writing.
– is the exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions
by two or more people.
• The objective of communication is
– to create, maintain, and/ or develop a connection
between and among people.
• Leaders, therefore,
– need to develop skills of communication so that
they can lead organizations effectively and
successfully.
– have to be good listeners and speakers which they
are to develop it through time.
• Communication is a powerful tool of leaders
in mobilizing and aligning followers.
• Every management function
involves communication. Therefore,
understanding & proper use of
communication are essential to
successful management.
• Managers at any level should know
– elements of communication,
– methods of communication,
– barriers of communication &
– ways overcoming the barriers
2. Components
of
Communication
process
– Communication is a process of exchanging
verbal and non verbal messages.
– It is a continuous process.
– Pre-requisite of communication is a message.
– This message must be conveyed through some
medium to the recipient.
– It is essential that this message must be
understood by the recipient in same terms as
intended by the sender.
– He must respond within a time frame.
– Thus, communication is a two way process and
is incomplete without a feedback from the
recipient to the sender on how well the message
is understood by him.
The communication process
– To be effective communicator, a manager
should understand the basic framework
of communication process.

Noise

Coded
Receiver or
Source message Decoded
Medium of audiences
message
transmission

Feed back

Basic elements of communication

• Communication
• is the transfer of information from the sender to the
receiver with the information being understood by the
receiver.
• is a process beginning with a sender who encodes the
message and passes it through some channel to the receiver
who decodes the message.
• The seven components of communication are
– source,
– message,
– receiver,
– encoding,
– Channel/Medium,
– decoding, and
– context.
• They operate almost instantaneously/ at ones.
• Source
– The source is the originator of the message.
• is the person or persons who want to communicate a
message to another person or a group of people.
– The source of a message can be
• an individual speaker addressing a group,
• a student asking for a question for clarification,
• an institute director inviting guest lecturer to speak on a
selected topic, or
• a person writing a letter.
• Message
– is the idea, thought, or feeling that the source
wants to communicate.
– This message is encoded or converted into verbal
and nonverbal symbols that will most likely be
understood by the receiver.
• Receiver
– is the recipient of the message.
– can be an individual or a group of people.
– Once the receiver hears the words and receives
the nonverbal cues from the sender, he must
interpret or decode them if communication is
to occur.
• Encoding
– converting the idea, thought, or feeling into
verbal and nonverbal symbols
• Once the source has decided on a message to
communicate, he must encode or convert that idea,
thought, or feeling into verbal and nonverbal
symbols that will be most effectively understood by
the receiver.
• Channel
– is the medium by which the message is
communicated.
– Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit
the message.
– The source can utilize the channels of sight,
sound, touch, smell, and taste.
– For instance, if you want to communicate affection
for another person, you can utilize a variety of
channels or combination of channels.
• You can say, “I like you” (sound).
• You can give a hug (touch).
• You can wink an eye (sight).
• You can send cookies that you baked (taste) or
• you can deliver a dozen roses (smell).
– You should creatively select the channels of
communication to productively communicate your
message.
• Decoding
– is the process of making sense out of the message
received.
– interpreting the language
• The receiver must interpret the language and behaviors sent
by the source so they will have meaning.
– After the receiver decodes the message, he (now the
source) can encode a return message and send it back
to the other person.
• Context
– All communication occurs within a certain context.
– The context is made up of
• the physical surroundings,
• the occasion in which the communication occurs,
• the time,
• the number of people present,
• noise level, and
• many other variables that can influence and affect the
encoding and decoding of messages.
– The context plays an important role in the
communication process.
• Feedback
– Feedback is the main component of
communication process as it permits the
sender to analyze the efficacy of the message.
– It helps the sender in confirming the correct
interpretation of message by the decoder.
– Feedback may be
• verbal (through words) or
• non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.).
– It may take written form also in form of
memos, reports, etc.
3. Principles
of
Communication
• Applying principles of communication
make communication effective.
• There are some principles
considered to be common in
communication.
• They are:
• Communication is a process
• Communication is constant
• Communication is transactional
• Communication is learned
• Communication is creative
• Communication is a process
– Communication is a process like a river. It is
continuous and always changing.
– To understand the process of communication,
we need to consider how our words and
actions influence and affect the recipient of our
message.
• Communication is constant
– Not to communicate is impossible. In other
words, you are always communicating.
– Too often we think that if we are not talking, we
are not communicating.
• You may not be communicating verbally, but your
nonverbal communication is constantly displaying
signs and cues that reflect what you are thinking
and feeling internally.
• Communication is transactional
– Communication can be viewed as a transaction in
which the meanings of messages are negotiated
between people.
• Communication is learned
– The language we acquire, the extent of our
vocabulary, the way we speak, our gestures, eye
contact, our touching, and how we dress are just a
few of the many examples of learned
communication behavior.
• Communication is creative
– You are always creating something in your
communication life.
– It is the creativity expressed in your daily
communication, in the unique and special ways you
communicate.
• Seven C’s of Effective Communication
– Besides to the above mentioned principles,
there are also 7 C’s for effective
communication
• which are applicable to both written as well as oral
communication.
1. Clarity
2. Completeness
3. Correctness
4. Concreteness
5. Conciseness
6. Courtesy and
7. Consideration/ candidness
• Clarity
– Getting the message that the receiver to interpret and
understand the same as the sender.
– clarity of thought and expression - avoid jargons & ambiguity
• Completeness
– Containing all the facts the receiver needs.
• Correctness
– Using the right language, accuracy of figures, facts and
words.
• Concreteness
– Being specific, definite and vivid rather than vague and
general.
• Conciseness
– Saying the fewest possible words.
• Courtesy and
– Be sincere, tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
– Omitting irritating and belittling expression/words.
• Consideration/ candidness
– Preparing every message with the recipient in mind.
 4.
Communication
Methods
• Organizations used different methods
of communications depending on
– the nature & purpose of the message
needed to be communicated
– the characteristics of the receiver
– the nature of the channel, etc
• The most common communication
methods are
– Verbal communication and
– Non-verbal Communication
• Verbal communication
– is all spoken and written
communication.
– Oral communication
• in which the sender's voice is used as a channel
• takes place during conversations, meetings, phone
calls.
• are fast & used full when the sender wants rapid
feed back
– Written communication
• involves written languages
• is slower because of the time involved to encode the
message
• Non-verbal communication
– Actions Speak Louder than Words
– is all communication that is not spoken
or written.
– Communication that doesn't use words.
– is communication of feelings, emotions,
attitudes, and thoughts through body
movements / gestures / eye contact, etc.
– include
• body language (gestures, facial expressions, other
movements & positions of the body), as well as
• other signals such as what people wear, what
objects they use or surround themselves with.
• The components of Non Verbal
Communication are:
– Kinesics
• It is the study of facial expressions, postures &
gestures.
– Oculesics
• It is the study of the role of eye contact in non
verbal communication.
• Did you know that in the first 90 sec - 4 min you
decide that you are interested in someone or not.
• Studies reveal that
– 50% of this first impression comes from non-verbal
communication
– Only 7% of comes from words - that we actually say.
– Haptics
• It is the study of touching.
• Did you know that acceptable level of touching vary from
one culture to another?
– Proxemics
• It is the study of measurable distance between people as
they interact.
• Did you know that the amount of personal space when
having an informal conversation should vary between 18
inches - 4 feet while, the personal distance needed when
speaking to a crowd of people should be around 10-12
feet?
– Chronemics
• It is the study of use of time in non verbal
communication.
• Have you ever observed that
– while an employee will not worry about running a few
minutes late to meet a colleague,
– a manager who has a meeting with the CEO, a late arrival will
be considered as a nonverbal cue that he / she does not give
adequate respect to his superior?
– Paralinguistics
• It is the study of variations in pitch, speed, volume,
and pauses to convey meaning.
• Interestingly, when the speaker is making a
presentation and is looking for a response, he will
pause.
• However, when no response is desired, he will talk
faster with minimal pause.
– Physical Appearance
• Your physical appearance always contributes
towards how people perceive you.
• Neatly combed hair, ironed clothes and a lively
smile will always carry more weight than words.
• Remember,
– “What we say” is less important than
“how we say it” as words are only 7%
of our communication.
– Understand and enjoy non verbal
communication as it helps forming
better first impressions.
– Both forms usually operate together in the
majority of messages you send and
receive.
– Verbal communication and nonverbal
communications help us to communicate
effectively.
5. Importance of
Communication in
an organization
– Effective Communication is significant for
managers in the organizations so as to
perform the basic functions of
management,
• Planning,
• Organizing,
• Staffing,
• Leading and
• Controlling.
– Communication helps managers to
perform their jobs and responsibilities.
– Leaders/ managers must
communicate effectively with their
subordinates so as to achieve the
team goals.
– Managers devote a great part of their time in
communication.
• They generally devote approximately 6 hours per day
in communicating.
• They spend great time on face to face or telephonic
communication with their superiors, subordinates,
colleagues, customers or suppliers.
– Managers also use written communication in
form of letters, reports or memos wherever oral
communication is not feasible.
– Thus, we can say that
• “effective communication is a building block of
successful organizations”.
• In other words, communication acts as
organizational blood.
• The importance of communication in an
organization can be:
1. Communication promotes motivation
• by informing and clarifying the employees about the
task to be done, the manner they are performing the
task, and how to improve their performance if it is not
up to the mark.
2. Communication is a source of information
• to the organizational members for decision-making
process
• it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of
actions.
3. Communication plays a crucial role in altering
individual’s attitudes,
• i.e., a well informed individual will have better attitude
than a less-informed individual.
• Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and
various other forms of oral and written communication
help in molding employee’s attitudes.
4. Communication helps in socializing.
• In todays life the only presence of another
individual fosters communication.
• It is also said that one cannot survive without
communication.
5. Communication assists in controlling process
• It helps controlling organizational member’s
behavior in various ways.
• There are various levels of hierarchy and certain
principles and guidelines that employees must
follow in an organization.
• They must comply with organizational policies,
perform their job role efficiently and communicate
any work problem and grievance to their
superiors.
–An effective and efficient
communication system requires
managerial proficiency in delivering
and receiving messages.
–Thus, the primary responsibility of a
manager is to develop and maintain
an effective communication system in
the organization.
 Importance of managerial
communication at workplace
–Managerial communication at
workplace is essential for the
managers to communicate amongst
themselves and also with their team
members.
–It is important not only to
communicate but effectively
communicate.
–Effective communication is the key to
success in today’s world.
What is Managerial Communication?
– Managerial communication
• is a function which helps managers communicate
with each other as well as with employees within the
organization.
• helps in the smooth flow of information among
managers working towards a common goal.
• The message has to be clear and well understood in
effective communication.
• Effective managerial communication enables
the information to flow in its desired form
among managers, team leaders and their
respective teams.
• Why is Managerial Communication
important at the Workplace?
1. Communication is necessary for the
exchange of ideas amongst employees
within the organization.
• Healthy discussions must be promoted at
the workplace for better and quicker results.
• A brilliant idea if not shared is of no
use.
• Managers must communicate amongst
themselves to reach to ideas which would
not only benefit their teams but also the
organization on the whole.
2. Managerial communication is essential at
the workplace to achieve targets within
the desired time frame.
• An individual doing things all alone would
definitely need more time as compared to
employees working as a team.
• Managers must communicate effectively
with their team members to make them
understand their key responsibility areas
and what all is expected out of them.
• Effective communication ensures proper
delegation of work amongst team members.
3. Effective communication also reduces
duplicacy of work.
• A manager must know what the other teams are up
to?
• One needs to keep himself abreast of the latest
developments in the organization.
• This is possible only when an employee
communicates effectively with other people in the
organization.
4. Managerial communication also helps
managers set goals and targets for
themselves and organization.
• The objectives of a team cannot be set by a single
employee.
• One needs to interact with all the related employees
to assign targets for team members and also set
goals for the organization.
5. Managers must communicate with their
team members to understand and address
their grievances and problems.
• Queries should be resolved at the initial stages only
to avoid critical problems later on.
• Team members should have the liberty to talk to
their team managers. Communication can be done
either through verbal communication or written
modes of communication.
• Managers can communicate with their subordinates
and vice a versa through emails, notices, circulars
and so on.
• Emails are considered to be one of the most reliable
sources of communication as one can always refer
to previous mails anytime in future.
6. Managerial communication plays a
crucial role at the times of crisis.
• During critical solutions each employee irrespective
of his level in the hierarchy and designation needs
to come on a common platform, communicate with
each other effectively and help the organization
come out of tough times easily.
• Effective communication in simpler words works as
a lifeline during emergency situations and binds the
employees together.
• Employees feel secure and develop a sense of
ownership towards organization as a result of
effective communication.
 6.
Communication
Flows in an
Organization
–In an organization, communication
flows in 5 main directions.
• Downward
• Upward
• Lateral
• Diagonal
• External
• Downward Flow of Communication
– Communication that flows from a higher level in
an organization to a lower level
– communication from superiors to subordinates
in a chain of command.
– is used by the managers for the following
purposes
• Providing feedback on employees performance
• Giving job instructions
• Providing a complete understanding of the
employees job as well as to communicate them how
their job is related to other jobs in the organization.
• Communicating the organizations mission and
vision to the employees.
• Highlighting the areas of attention.
– Examples of downward communication
• Organizational publications,
• circulars,
• letter to employees,
• group meetings etc
– In order to have effective and error-free
downward communication, managers must:
• Specify communication objective
• Ensure that the message is accurate, specific and
unambiguous.
• Utilize the best communication technique to convey
the message to the receiver in right form
• Upward Flow of Communication:
– Communication that flows to a higher
level in an organization.
– provides feedback on how well the
organization is functioning.
– The subordinates use upward
communication
• to convey their problems and performances
to their superiors.
• to tell how well they have understood the
downward communication.
• to share their views and ideas and to
participate in the decision-making process.
– Upward communication
• leads to a more committed and loyal workforce in an
organization because the employees are given a chance
to raise and speak dissatisfaction issues to the higher
levels.
• helps the managers get to know about the employees
feelings towards their jobs, peers, supervisor and
organization in general and can accordingly take actions
for improving things.
– Examples of Upward Communication are
• performance reports made by low level management for
reviewing by higher level management,
• employee attitude surveys,
• letters from employees,
• employee-manager discussions etc.
– Grievance Redressal System, Complaint and
Suggestion Box, Job Satisfaction surveys etc all
help in improving upward communication.
• Lateral / Horizontal Communication:
– Communication that takes place at same levels
of hierarchy in an organization.
– is communication
• between peers, between managers at same levels or
• between any horizontally equivalent organizational
member.
– The advantages of horizontal communication
are:
• It facilitates co-ordination of the task.
• It facilitates co-operation among team members.
• It provides emotional and social assistance to the
organizational members.
• It helps in solving various organizational problems.
• It is a means of information sharing
• It is time saving.
• Diagonal Communication:
– Communication that takes place between a
manager and employees of other workgroups.
– generally does not appear on organizational
chart.
– For instance
• To design a training module a training manager
interacts with an operations personnel to enquire
about the way they perform their task.
• External Communication:
– Communication that takes place between a
manager and external groups such as
• suppliers, vendors, banks, financial institutes etc.
– For instance
• To raise capital the managing director would
interact with the bank manager.
 7. Barriers of
Communication
–Reasons for Communication
Breakdown
• Communication
– is fruitful if and only if the messages
sent by the sender is interpreted with
same meaning by the receiver.
– Effective communication is a building
block of successful organizations.
– Communication acts as organizational
blood.
– If any kind of disturbance blocks any step of
communication, the message will be destroyed.
• Due to them, managers in an organization face
severe problems.
• managers must locate such barriers and take steps
to get rid of them.
– There are several barriers that affects the flow
of communication in an organization.
• barriers interrupt the flow of communication from
the sender to the receiver,
• They make communication ineffective.
– It is essential for managers to overcome
these barriers.
The main communication barriers
are:
1. Perceptual and language differences:
– Perception is how each individual interprets the
world around him.
• All generally want to receive messages which are
significant to them.
• But any message which is against their values is
not accepted.
• The same event may be taken differently by
different individuals.
–The linguistic differences also
lead to communication breakdown.
• Same word may mean different to
different individuals.
• For example: consider a word “value”.
–What is the value of this Laptop?
–I value our relation?
–What is the value of learning technical
skills?
–Communication breakdown occurs if
there is wrong perception by the
receiver.
2. Information overload
– Managers are surrounded with a pool of
information.
– It is essential to control this information flow else
the information is likely to be misinterpreted or
forgotten or overlooked.
– As a result communication is less effective.
3. Inattention
– At times we just not listen, but only hear.
– For example
• a traveler may pay attention to one “NO PARKING” sign,
but if such sign is put all over the city, he no longer
listens to it.
• Thus, repetitive messages should be ignored for effective
communication.
• Similarly if a superior is engrossed in his paper work
and his subordinate explains him his problem, the
superior may not get what he is saying and it leads to
disappointment of subordinate.
4. Time Pressures
– Often in organizations, the targets have to
be achieved within a specified time
period, the failure of which has adverse
consequences.
– In a haste to meet deadlines, the formal
channels of communication are
shortened, or messages are partially
given, i.e., not completely transferred.
– Thus sufficient time should be given for
effective communication.
5. Distraction/ Noise
– Communication is also affected a lot by
noise or distractions.
– Physical distractions are also there
such as,
• poor lightning,
• uncomfortable sitting,
• unhygienic room also affects communication
in a meeting.
• Similarly use of loud speakers interferes with
communication.
6. Emotions/ feelings
–Emotional state at a particular point
of time also affects communication.
• If the receiver feels that communicator
is angry he interprets that the
information being sent is very bad.
• While he takes it differently if the
communicator is happy and jovial (in
that case the message is interpreted to
be good and interesting).
• There are actually two ways in which your
feelings can influence your communication
with another person.
– The first, the way that you feel on a given day;
• if you feel well, you will communicate in one way
and
• if you feel ill, you will communicate in another.
• Since your well being fluctuates, it makes sense that
the way you communicate will change somewhat
with how well you are feeling.
– The second, refers to how you feel about a
specific person.
• When you genuinely like someone, the way you
communicate is going to show it.
7. Complexity in organizational
Structure
– Greater the hierarchy in an organization
(i.e. more the number of managerial
levels), more is the chances of
communication getting destroyed.
– Only the people at the top level can see
the overall picture while the people at
low level just have knowledge about
their own area and a little knowledge
about other areas.
8. Poor retention
– Human memory cannot function beyond a
limit.
– One can’t always retain what is being
told specially if he is not interested or not
attentive.
– This leads to communication breakdown.
9. Past experience
– Usually, one tempts to bring outside
information because he has learnt in
the past that comparing situation can
be helpful in decision making.
10. Prejudice
– We all have prejudices/ unfairness.
– occur when we take our past experience with a
person and assume that the same type of
examples will happen with all people who are
similar to the first.
– are partly due to culture and partly due to
personal preferences or experiences.
– Not all prejudices involve negative
characteristics either; for example, you could
consider all of one team to be smart.
11. Environment
– All of us communicate differently in different
environments.
– This is simple enough to observe in everyday
life.
• Do you speak to strangers with more or less
formality than people you know well?
• Do you speak to your colleagues the same way that
you do to your friends?
• Do you talk to your subordinates the same way
when your boss is there and not there?
• Generally, these are reckoned to impede
communication most of the time.
• Think of other barriers you have
experienced in your life.
8. Overcoming
Communication
Barriers
– There are a lot of communication barriers
faced these days by all.
– The message intended by the sender is
not understood by the receiver in the
same terms and sense and thus
communication breakdown occurs.
– It is essential to deal and cope up with
these communication barriers so as to
ensure smooth and effective
communication.
– Let’s talk about how to overcome these
barriers of communication.
– Eliminating differences in perception
• The organization should ensure that it is recruiting
right individuals on the job.
• It’s the responsibility of the interviewer to ensure
that the interviewee has command over the written
and spoken language.
• There should be proper Induction program so that
the policies of the company are clear to all the
employees.
• There should be proper trainings conducted for
required employees (for e.g.: Voice and Accent
training).
– Use of simple Language
• Use of simple and clear words should be
emphasized.
• Use of ambiguous words and jargons should be
avoided.
– Reduction and elimination of noise levels
• Noise is the main communication barrier which
must be overcome on priority basis.
• It is essential to identify the source of noise and
then eliminate that source.
– Active listening
• Listen attentively and carefully.
• There is a difference between “listening” and
“hearing”.
• Active listening means hearing with proper
understanding of the message that is heard.
• By asking questions the speaker can ensure
whether his/her message is understood or not by
the receiver in the same terms as intended by the
speaker.
– Emotional state
• During communication one should make effective
use of body language.
• He/she should not show their emotions while
communication as the receiver might misinterpret
the message being delivered.
• For example, if the conveyer of the message is in a
bad mood then the receiver might think that the
information being delivered is not good.
– Simple organizational structure
• The organizational structure should not be complex.
• The number of hierarchical levels should be
optimum.
• There should be a ideal span of control within the
organization.
• Simpler the organizational structure, more
effective will be the communication.
– Avoid information overload
• The managers should know how to prioritize their
work.
• They should not overload themselves with the work.
• They should spend quality time with their
subordinates and should listen to their problems
and feedbacks actively.
– Give constructive feedback
• Avoid giving negative feedback.
• The contents of the feedback might be negative, but
it should be delivered constructively.
• Constructive feedback will lead to effective
communication between the superior and
subordinate.
– Proper media selection
• The managers should properly select the medium of
communication.
• Simple messages should be conveyed orally, like:
face to face interaction or meetings.
• Use of written means of communication should
be encouraged for delivering complex messages.
• For significant messages reminders can be given by
using written means of communication such as :
Memos, Notices etc.
– Flexibility in meeting the targets
• For effective communication in an organization the
managers should ensure that the individuals are
meeting their targets timely without skipping the
formal channels of communication.
• There should not be much pressure on employees to
meet their targets.
9. The art of
Listening
• What is the distinction between
listening and hearing?
– Listening and hearing are not the same things.
• Hearing is a natural process,
• whereas listening is a learned set of skills.
– Listening and hearing are not one and the
same.
• Sometimes we hear noise, words, and music around
us,
• but we are not truly listening.
– Hearing is a natural process where information
comes in through our sense of hearing.
• Listening
– is a learned set of skills; it is the act of
processing what is heard.
– is the process of receiving, attending,
understanding, responding, and
remembering.
• is a skill that leaders are supposed to be
good enough in addition to speaking and
the other communication skills.
• is a process that requires your active
participation.
– As leaders, we cannot be successful
without developing this skill.
– Studies show that we spend
• 45 % of our communication time in daily life
listening, and
• 30 % speaking,
• 16 % reading, and
• 9 % writing.
– Studies also suggest that
• we remember only 25 % of what we hear
after two days.
– Listening is important and yet we don’t
do it very well, (Fujishin, 2009).
• Step in the listening process
• The first step is receiving or hearing sounds from your
environment.
– Hearing is limited to the physiological process of receiving and
processing the sounds.
• The second step is attending,
– which is paying attention to some of the sounds you receive
and disregarding or filtering out the others.
• The third step involves comprehending/ understanding
the message.
• the fourth step is responding,
– includes asking questions or giving feedback to the speaker.
• The final step is remembering what was said.
10. Conducting
Effective Meetings

(Meeting Management)
• Discussion questions
–Purpose:
• To familiarize participants with
basic concept of meeting.
–Time: 5 minutes
• What is a meeting?
• Why we need meeting?
• What is your experience in
meetings?
1. Introduction
–Meetings are the commonest ways
in which people communicate at
work.
–Leading an effective meeting is one
of the most important functional
skills of any leader.
–The higher we climb the managerial
ladder, the more meetings we
attend.
–At workplaces, meetings are held
to
• discuss issues relevant to the
organization;
• contacts could be made with the
other organizations and the outside
world.
–Many specific skills and behaviors go
needed in meetings to be
• productive,
• organized, and
• even enjoyable.
• Meeting management tends to be a set
of skills often overlooked by leaders
and managers.
• The process used in a meeting
depends on the kind of meeting you
plan to have, e.g.,
– staff meeting,
– planning meeting,
– problem solving meeting, etc.
2. Meetings: Definition
• Meetings are formal or informal deliberative
assembly of individuals
– to debate certain issues and problems, and
– to take decisions.
• Formal meetings
– are held at definite times and place, and usually for
definite duration on a certain agenda.
• In a corporate setting, they are divided into
two main groups:
– Organizational meeting and
– Operational meeting
• Other two main types of meetings are
– General meetings and
– Special or Extraordinary meetings
• Organizational meeting
– is normally a regular meeting involving
stockholders (shareholders) and management,
such as
• a board meeting and
• annual general meeting
• Operational meeting
– is regular or ad hoc meeting involving
management and employees, such as
• a planning meeting, and
• sales meeting.
• A meeting is
– typically headed by a chairperson, and
– its deliberations are recorded in a written form
called minutes.
• Meetings
– must have a minimum number of members,
called quorum, present to make the legally
operative.
– Decisions, called resolutions, are made on the
basis of number of votes
• the assenting and dissenting parties can muster/
gather together.
• Under the doctrine of collective
responsibility, decisions taken at these
meetings bind all members whether present
or not.
3. Why Meetings?
• Most meetings are held with one of four
objectives in mind:
– to discuss,
– to decide,
– to decree or/and
– to demolish
• When you ask most people why they are
holding a meeting, and the immediate
answer is probably:
– ‘To discuss the issues.’ But why are we
discussing them?
– ‘We discuss in order to make decisions’, they
might reply.
• Meetings are often called to present
information:
– either by senior management, who use a
‘briefing’ to announce their latest decrees; or
– by lesser managers being ‘put through their
paces’ in the familiar ritual of making a
presentation.
• Most of it will be forgotten unless it’s
supported in writing.
• If it’s on paper, there is no need to
reproduce it at length in a meeting.
• Communicating in a meeting is an
essential part of effective communication.
4. How to conduct a Meeting ?
• Some meetings are not conducted in an efficient
manner due to which they fail in accomplishing the
sole objective of the meeting.
– They do not involve participation of all, or
– They may be too long, or
– They may be unsystematic, or
– They may lack a clear agenda, or
– They may not begin on the planned time, or
– They may end without any conclusion.
• As a result, such meetings lead to agitation and
sheer wastage of time.
• In order to ensure effectiveness of a meeting, it
must be
– planned,
– systematic and
– rational.
• A successful and effective meeting is
– The one which is well planned.
• It should be planned well in advance
– Who would be the participants in meeting,
– the time,
– venue, and
– agenda of meeting.
– The agenda of the meeting should be clear to all.
– Do not try to make a fish market in meeting.
• Respect everyone’s views.
• Respect the leader.
• Try and co-operate.
• It has to be ensured that the decisions that are reached
through a meeting should be implemented.
• All participants must get minutes at the end of meeting.
• While conducting meetings, certain things have
to be taken care of.
– Decisions should be based on facts and on
circumstances, they shouldn’t be based on
presumptions.
– The participants should be optimum in number, not
too much.
– Don’t go off track or don’t forget the agenda of the
meeting.
– Avoid distractions during meetings, such as
• looking here and there,
• talking on phone,
• fiddling, etc.
– Decision-making should be unambiguous.
– Don’t waste time waiting for latecomers.
– Start discussion on time.
5. Process/ Phases of effective meeting
• The process of running an effective
meeting includes the following steps:
1. Plan the meeting
• Plan the meeting in advance.
• With the plan clear in mind, the objective of the
meeting can be well accomplished.
• Planning includes
– Outline the objective of the meeting/ Determine the
objective(s).
– Decide the attendees/participants of the meeting.
– Plan an agenda for the meeting,
– Plan the starting time of the meeting,
– plan for the breaks, and also
– plan the approximate time by which the meeting should
end.
2. Announce/ declare the meeting
– Scheduling the meeting and inviting
attendees
– After planning the meeting and before
actually beginning the meeting, the
participants should be
• delivered a message/memorandum to
make them aware and ready for the topics
to be discussed in the meeting.
– The decision about who is to attend
depends on what you want to accomplish in
the meeting.
– Give each participant responsibility for the
agenda item.
– Issue the agenda.
3. Conduct the meeting
– Be punctual.
• Try and arrive before time for the meeting.
• The meeting should begin on time.
• Always start on time; this respects those who showed up
on time and reminds late-comers that the scheduling is
serious.
– When beginning the meeting welcome attendees
and thank them for their time.
– State the objective of the meeting in the very
beginning so that all are clear with the purpose of
the meeting.
– Give a brief introduction of the
members/participants so that all are familiar.
– Circulate notes and handouts.
– Involve all attendees during the discussion.
– Encourage new ideas from the participants.
– Respect their ideas.
– Ask for a feedback.
– Make sure that there are no distractions
during the meeting (such as ringing cell
phones, or participants fiddling with pen, or
gossiping, etc.).
– Give a quick review of the issues discussed in
the meeting.
– Make sure that all the issues are discussed
within the time frame.
– If time does not permit discussion of all issues,
ask the participants if they are comfortable in
discussing those issues in next meeting.
– Fix and decide upon the time for the next
meeting.
• Lay the Ground Rules
– Some possible ground rules are things like we
will:
• Start every meeting on time
• End every meeting on time
• Agree to come to the meeting prepared
• All participate
• Have a break after 90 minutes or when ever works best
for you
• Stick to the agenda
• Arrange a time to discuss issues that arise that are not
on the agenda
• Disagree respectfully
– You can make a list of these ground rules ahead of
time that you propose to the group at the first
meeting, or you can allow the group to come up
with their own rules.
Tips useful during the Meeting
• Here are some tips for helping the meeting to be as
effective as possible:
– Watch for people who are dominating the conversation.
If you feel that someone is indeed dominating the
topic, ask other people in the room for their opinions
– Keep a list of tasks that arise during the meeting, as
well as who will be responsible for the item(s)and by
when
– Keep a list of questions that arise but that can’t be
answered by the group in the meeting
– Briefly summarize the decision made at the end of
discussion for each item. This gives you the chance to
correct misunderstandings
– Write down the decision as well as voting information (if
that is required)
– Watch the body language of the people in the meeting.
• Are they losing focus, dozing off, or getting overly agitated?
• You might want to make the decision to take a break earlier
than you had planned if it is in the best interest of the
meeting.
• Meeting Closing/ close the meeting
– Always end meetings on time and attempt to
end on a positive note.
– At the end of a meeting, review actions and
assignments, and set the time for the next
meeting and ask each person if they can make
it or not (to get their commitment)
– Clarify that meeting minutes and/or actions
will be reported back to members in at most a
week (this helps to keep momentum going) and
finally thank everyone for their participation.
4. Evaluate the meeting
– Assess the meeting after it is conducted.
– Distribute an evaluation form to all
participants which provides you a feedback on
the effectiveness of the meeting.
– To get credible and honest feedback, do not give
a space for name of the attendee on the form.
– Ask questions such as
• whether the objectives of the meetings were well
met,
• did it involve participation of all,
• which part of the meeting did the attendee found
most constructive and
• which part of meeting was not significant.
• There are two important ways to evaluate
the success of a meeting.
– The first is to review the “what.”
• What were the results of the meeting?
• Did the group accomplish the meeting’s purpose?
• What did you get done?
– The second way is the “how.”
• How was this meeting worthwhile?
• How were the decisions made?
• How did people get along and work to accomplish the
meeting’s purpose?
• How do people feel about the time spent working together?
• How were people encouraged to be involved and innovative?
• How long did it take to meet the meeting’s objectives?
• How worthwhile was the time?
• What contributed to the success of the meeting?
6. Effective Meeting Management
• Effective meeting management
– requires good planning to ensure that the
hidden costs are minimized as much as
possible and to ensure an effective outcome.
• Here are a few tips for making meetings
more effective.
– Be Prepared
• As managers, give your participants or whom you
call for the meeting enough time to prepare and
become fruitful in the meeting.
– Limit Attendance
• The more people in a meeting the longer it tends to take.
• So, invitation should only be made to those that need to
attend.
• However it will also be unhelpful if the right people are
not present in the meeting.
– Send out an Agenda
• If people are to prepare for a meeting, they need to know
what it is about.
• Let people know why they are called for a meeting.
• In this case it is preferable if the agenda is
communicated beforehand.
– Only meet if you must
• If you can accomplish your goal without a meeting don't
have one.
• Therefore the first question to hold a meeting must be
“do we really need meetings?”
– Arrive on Time
• Meetings take up valuable time of multiple people.
• Showing up on time is not only the courteous thing
to do, but it is also necessary to maximize the time
investment of the participants.
– Start on Time
• A nine O'clock start means a nine O'clock start.
• Facilitators don't start a minute later. If you start
on time habitually, people will get the message that
they must be punctual as well.
• Don't repeat things for those that arrive late. No need
to penalize the many for the tardiness of an
attendee or two.
• Latecomers can pick up what they missed from
someone after the meeting, or from the meeting
minutes.
– Keep to Topic
• Facilitation is improved with practice.
• The facilitator must learn to tactfully cut off the
ramblers and remain on task.
• When ideas which are not the focus of the meeting
are raised the facilitator shall stop it by saying
"That's a very good point Bereket. Can we take that
up later or schedule another meeting to discuss it?
We really need to get through a couple more items."
• People invest their valuable time in meetings. The
facilitator must ensure that he/she accomplishes
what was set out to be accomplished in order to
justify the time investment.
– Be present
• Give your undivided attention to the meeting.
• Shut off the cell phone or make it silent.
• The fewer interruptions and the more attention
paid, the quicker you can accomplish the meeting
objectives.
• This is also the courteous thing to do.
• You wouldn't want someone reading books during
one of your meetings, would you?
– Keep it short
• Keep the meeting to an hour or less if at all possible.
• People just don't have the attention span to go
much longer.
– If it's worth having, it's worth recording
• Take minutes. They don't have to be excessive. Keep
it simple.
• While it is best to have an experienced minute taker
at each meeting, it is typically a luxury, so more
often than not, the responsibility falls on the
facilitator.
• It's not easy for the facilitator to be effective in both
roles, but it can be done.
• Rotating meeting minute responsibilities among
attendees for regularly scheduled meetings can ease
the burden on the facilitator.
– No grandstanding please!
• Some use meetings to show that they are on top of
things.
• They feel absolutely obligated to pipe up to show
that they are the boss. There is really no need to do
this.
• These attempts to impress typically backfire and
actually demonstrate a lack of knowledge.
• Others use valuable meeting time to try to impress
the boss.
• The meeting is about getting things done, not about
making impressions on the boss.
• Offer up your opinions when you think they will
truly help accomplish something. Spend the rest of
the time listening.
• Some more tips/suggestions for leading an
effective meeting
– Determine Whether to Meet
– Prepare and Send the Agenda before the Meeting
– Limit and Prioritize Agenda Items
– Arrive Early to the Meeting
– Mingle with Members as They Arrive
– Begin the Meeting on Time
– Make Announcements Quickly
– State Objectives and Time Limits
– Don’t Stop the Meeting for Latecomers
– Restate the Objectives and Time Limits Periodically
– Remain Impartial
– Guide the Group Seek
– Participation from Everyone
– Summarize Often
– Compliment Members Often
– Keep the Meeting Moving
– End the Meeting on Time
• Determine whether to meet
– When you assume the leadership of a big
organization, a department or even a small
team/group, you will need to have the
employees or team members meet.
– Most of the time, the meeting times and dates
could be determined for you. But if they’re not,
you will need to contact some employees or
group members and negotiate meeting times
and dates.
– Once the scheduled meetings begin, you may
occasionally determine that certain future
meetings do not require the members’ physical
presence,
• can be conducted by phone, e-mail, memo, or fax.
• Prepare and send the Agenda before
the Meeting
– An agenda is the list of items that will be
covered and the order in which they will be
addressed.
– Agenda formats range from a simple listing of
items to a more detailed listing of items.
– Prepare and send the meeting agenda (and any
other additional materials) to each group
member one week before the meeting.
– This gives group members ample time to read,
consider, and even research appropriate
material before you meet.
• Limit and Prioritize Agenda items
– Limit the number of agenda items to four to six for
both new and old business.
– You create a much more effective meeting if you
don’t overload the group with too many items.
• Arrive early to the Meeting
– Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early to the meeting.
– Arrange chairs in a circle so everyone can see one
another, check the lighting, open windows if it’s
stuffy, and plug in the coffee maker.
– Create some space between the time you arrive and
the time you begin. That slice of time can make a
big difference in how calm and centered you are
during the meeting.
• Mingle with members as they arrive
– Mingle, join in, and make group members feel
welcomed as they arrive to the meeting.
– Thank people for coming early.
– Listen to them and be really present in mind
and body
• Begin the Meeting on Time
– Announce to the group that you’ll be starting in
a few minutes, right before the scheduled
meeting time.
– Invite them to get another cup of coffee and
then move to your seat. After they see you
seated, they will follow. Begin the meeting on
time!
• Make Announcements Quickly
– Once everyone is seated, get any announcements
that weren’t included in the agenda out of the way
as quickly as possible.
– Announcements are not open to debate or
discussion.
– Briefly answer any questions about the
announcements.
• State Objectives and Time Limits
– Having thanked group members for attending, state
the objective or objectives of the meeting.
– Provide a tentative time limit for each objective or
agenda item, and state the ending time for the
meeting.
– Group members appreciate a leader who
announces the time limits for agenda items and
the ending time of the meeting.
– It gets things out in the open and provides a
framework for discussion.
• Don’t Stop the Meeting for Latecomers
– Sometimes a group member will arrive late to the
meeting.
– Do not recap what has already been covered and don’t
acknowledge or listen to excuses for being late.
– Simply continue the discussion without paying
attention to the latecomer.
– Don’t give the latecomer any attention or power.
• Restate the Objectives and Time Limits
Periodically
– Every ten or fifteen minutes, restate the current
objective and how many minutes are left in the meeting.
– If possible, avoid holding any meeting for more
than sixty minutes. People get tired and bored after
an hour.
– If you must go beyond sixty minutes, take a five-
minute stretching or restroom break and then resume
your meeting.
– Your group will appreciate the time to stretch and get
a change of scenery.
• Remain Impartial
– Remember, as the leader, your primary
goal is to ensure the smooth functioning
of the task and social dimensions of the
group.
– Let all group members voice their opinions
on a particular issue before you voice
yours.
– Your duty is to solicit and guide the
group’s discussion so it stays on track
and on time.
– Your job is to serve the group, to guide the
group to its goal.
• Guide the Group
– ground rule
– Use the specific task and social guiding
behaviors or norms to guide the group.
– To this effect, keep note card summary of these
guiding behaviors in front of you during each
meeting as a reminder.
• Seek Participation from Everyone
– Occasionally ask for the opinions of those
members who have not contributed and
summarize the longer contributions of those
who talk too much.
– Your group needs to see that you are
attempting to seek participation from
everyone.
• Summarize Often
– Summarize to focus discussion, quiet high verbals
(talkative people), and keep the group on time.
– Look for opportune moments to summarize the
group’s progress, especially when discussion has
generated three or four good ideas.
• Compliment Members Often
– Be aware of the positive contributions from
members and compliment them during the meeting.
– Don not worry about who ultimately gets credit for
anything the group does.
– Give credit and compliments liberally to group
members.
– You will not only boost their self-confidence, you
will create an atmosphere that encourages
participation and member loyalty to you.
• Keep the Meeting Moving
– Try not to get bogged down on any one item or issue for
too long.
– You need to table items to the next meeting if
additional information is required or if the tension in
the group is getting too great.
– In your attempts to keep the meeting moving, you will
have to prohibit lateral talk, long-winded speakers, and
inappropriate discussions.
• End the Meeting on Time
– By ending the meeting on time, you establish one of the
most powerful norms of group work.
– Group members will like you for ending the meeting on
time.
– Each one of them has a life outside the group. So end
on time and let them get on with their lives.
– During the last minute or so of each meeting,
summarize the objective or objectives the group has
accomplished and remind members of the next meeting
time and date.
7. Why do meetings fail?
– Many of us have an experience where we
just could not wait until the end of a
meeting.
– We might also have plenty of experience
where meetings have ended with no real
result and it just happened to be a waste
of time and other resources.
• Some reasons for hindrance of effective
meetings are the following:
– The objective is not clear
• When meeting members have no idea why the
meeting is called or the purpose of their gathering, it
calls for a recipe for disaster.
• In this case there is no agenda and/or no supporting
documents; and even if there is an agenda it is
unclear and vague to the meeting members.
• Participants can not prepare their thoughts and
decisions taken in these situations can be widely
inappropriate.
– The wrong people are invited
• There are occasions where nobody present has the
authority to make the required decisions in
particular meetings.
• Or the right people are absent: substitutes are sent
at the last minute, which are poorly briefed and
unable to take responsibility.
• This kind of meeting is a waste of time.
– Chairperson’s lack of proper control
• There are occasions where the procedure of the
meeting is unclear; timekeeping is bad; discussion
rambles from point to point; hidden agendas hijack
the proceedings; and conflict, when it occurs, is
poorly managed.
• Blame for any or all of these problems are usually
laid at a weak Chair-person but a dictatorial Chair,
who represses discussion rather than controlling it,
can be just as damaging.
– Unsuitable environment
• A meeting is deemed to fail if
– the venue is inappropriate or uncomfortable; facilities are
poor; disruptions destroy concentration.
– the air conditioning, the heat of the room and the overall
environment should be seen beforehand which otherwise
might turn out to be very costly.
– Poor timing of meeting
• The timing of the meeting could be the wrong time of
day/week/month/year; the meeting fails to start or
end on time; people arrive late or leave early.
• The duration of the meeting is also very crucial and
in longer meetings it is advisable if a break is taken
every 90 minutes or so.
– The meeting was held for the wrong reasons
• Managers often call meetings merely to wield power over
others, or to pursue some private agenda.
• They use the meeting to rubberstamp decisions – or as a
steamroller.
• Many meetings happen as a matter of habit: a habit
which nobody dares challenge.
• Or they are primarily social occasions: a chance to ‘get
away from the desk’.
– Meeting was not necessary
• Meetings are not the only alternative to get things done.
• The job could be done more simply or cheaply.
• Maybe it is routine and doesn’t need to be discussed, or
you can exchange information on paper or electronically.
• Perhaps only one or two people need to be involved, or
the problem needs the attention of a single expert.
• Or perhaps there is nothing to be done at all!