No More Pointless Meetings

Wasting time in pointless meetings....It's the bane of work life-and the one thing that never seems to change. But meetings can be highly effective, says Martin Murphy, who has helped a "Who's Who" of corporate clients transform timesapping meetings into "breakthrough sessions" that are truly productive. His strategy is not simply to speed them up or make them more palatable with flashier facilitation. Rather, the key is to upend the entire concept of meetings. That means throwing out traditional protocols and using one of four new collaboration models to get more done, faster than ever before. These sessions address: Issues management: identify, rank, and resolve issues-promoting critical concerns to Action Plan status * Problem solving: thirty-minute sessions for solving complex problems * Innovation: discover the billion-dollar idea that lurks in every organization * Strategic planning: stripped-down protocols for the kind of ongoing, realtime planning required in today's fast-paced economy In an era when innovation and speed-to-market rule, No More Pointless Meetings leverages the creativity and knowledge of an organization's people-a potent resource that conventional meetings ignore.

We have millions of meetings every day and most are considered ineffective even wasteful. The challenge for leaders and managers is "how do I create a meeting that is engaging, inclusive, and productive? It isn't easy, but this book has over 100 ideas and strategies to use with your ongoing team and group meetings and make them great. As a meeting leader/facilitator you will learn how to: 1) create participant connections;2)Improve group problem-solving skills;3) make sure everyone participates, even the introverts and shy people; 4)create meetings that make a difference. This book is battled tested in the real world of business , government, and the non-profit sector because the author has designed and facilitated over 1,000 meetings . The book's ideas work, most are easy to learn and produce meaningful outcomes. Enjoy the journey!

Where were you tonight? How did that meeting go? Are you seeing someone else? What qualifies you for this job? These are just a few of the usual questions we might answer in a day. A typical answer to the last question would include a series of "whats": what experience you have, what you studied in school, and what you do well. In Control the Conversation, the authors guide you in crafting a response to a question, not just an answer. A response should be multi-dimensional and include relevant and compelling information that goes beyond a mere answer. The authors help you build and apply this skill set. You will learn how to manage the four areas of disclosure--people, places, things, and events in time. You will also develop competence in techniques that will help you take control and get your message across in any kind of interview. You will discover how to: Master answer enhancers, such as keywords and body language Analyze a question and understand the motivation behind it Use questions artfully as part of your response With these skills as part of your repertoire, you'll also learn apply them in specific applications such as: Job interviews Sales Common exchanges Meetings and media Dating and family situations No matter the question, Control the Conversation will show you how to steer every exchange in your favor.

One of today's pre-eminent financial journalists, and the Bartleby columnist for the Economist, reveals strategies and tips for surviving—and making the most out of—the work week. We spend a lot of our time at work and would be depressed with nothing to do. But when it gets to Monday, many of us are already longing for the weekend and the prospect of escape. How did work become so tedious and stressful? And is there anything we can do to make it better? Based on his popular Economist Bartleby column, Philip Coggan rewrites the rules of work to help us survive the daily grind. Ranging widely, he encourages us to cut through mindless jargon, pointless bureaucracy and endless meetings to find a new, more creative—and less frustrating—ways to get by and get things done at work. Incisive, original, and endlessly droll, this is the guide for beleaguered underlings and harried higher-ups alike. As Rousseau might have said: "Man was born free, but is everywhere stuck in a meeting." If you've ever thought there must be a better way, this is the book for you.

Maximillian Stobolski aka Max Starballs is a lonely shell of a man. After the death of his wife and unborn child, he joins the never ending mission, led by captain Myopia. The purpose of the mission is to discover something or other. After a series of unexpected events, Max becomes Captain. In the process, he falls madly in love with Alice Mauser aka Mouse. Together with an assortment of characters they try to establish a new society after the unforeseen destruction of Surface Earth.

From the series that has sold more than half a million copies! * Available in October 2009 * Everything you need to set up a home-based business, create a demand for services, and make money Have you ever dreamed of starting your own home-based business? Of being your own boss? Have you been hesitant to put your business plans into action? With How to Start a Home-Based Business, you have what it takes to do so like a pro, step by step, even in tough economic times. Here are all the necessary tools and success strategies you need to launch and grow a business, whatever your specialty. The authors share their experience on how to: *Define your specialty *Develop a business plan *Estimate start-up costs *Create a fee structure *Build a client base *Find trusted subcontractors and specialists *Stay profitable *Become a sought-after expert *Bid competitively *Establish a daily schedule *Organize your business *Get paid *And more!

Preface -- Setting the meeting stage -- So many meetings and so much frustration -- Get rid of meetings? no, solve meetings through science -- Evidence-based strategies for leaders -- The image in the mirror is likely wrong -- Meet for 48 minutes -- Agendas are a hollow crutch -- The bigger, the badder -- Don't get too comfortable in that chair -- Deflate negative energy from the start -- No more talking! -- The folly of the remote call-in meeting -- Putting it all together -- Epilogue: trying to get ahead of the science' using science -- Tool: meeting quality self-assessment -- Tool: sample engagement survey and 360 feedback questions on meetings -- Tool: good meeting facilitation checklist -- Tool: huddle implementation checklist -- Tool: agenda template -- Tool: guide to taking good meeting minutes/notes -- Tool: expectations assessment -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Index