Discussion Board Response #2

- Does it demonstrate that you have done appropriate reading on the topic?

What are your views as to why work meetings are often dreaded?

Work meetings are often dreaded because people feel they are a waste of their time. Work meetings have a poor reputation because they often seem unorganized. As Rue stated in his article given above, “the answer is almost universal, “I hate meetings that waste my time!” Meeting leaders (those who convene the meeting) rarely intend to waste the time of their associates. Yet, the perception is all too common that most meetings are ineffective and a waste” (Rue, p. 1). Work meetings are an important aspect of keeping the organization well informed and unified. Meetings are typically held to discuss relevant issues/topics which are extremely important for all workers. In the meeting, it is important to stay focused, stick to an agenda outline and pull in participation from those in the gathering. The complaint that meetings are a waste of time often occurs when the meeting conversations drift off topic or digress and this may be due to meetings being unorganized and not well structured or where attendant participation is slim. 

What do you think is the most common reason for ineffective meetings? 

I think the most common reasons for ineffective meetings is poor organization and lack of proper preparation. The agenda for the meeting should already be set in place. According to Hynes & Veltsos, successful meetings attack the W’s, who, what, why and when, right from the get go (Hynes & Veltsos, 2019). In order for meetings to be effective, structured and organized, attacking the w’s and putting together an appropriate, sound agenda will be able to lead their organization down the right path.

What experience do you have with ineffective meetings?  Provide examples. 

Luckily, I haven’t had tons of experience with ineffective meetings but, I definitely have had my fair share with a handful of them. The ineffective meetings I have dealt with in the past have had absolutely zero prior organization, no agenda. During these ineffective meetings the vibe all employees in attendance perceived was the moderator is “winging it.” Unfortunately if “winging it” is the vibe, the employees in attendance are not going to take the meeting seriously just like the employees in my past experience at meetings.

At first the meeting would begin with a lecture from the moderator/manager discussing a current issue. Questions would be asked in regard to the issue but,unfortunately they would typically end with no conclusions, next steps, or solutions and more often than not, confusion regarding the purpose of the meeting. 

Do you think post-meeting evaluations, as described in the assigned reading, would be beneficial? 

Post-meeting evaluations, as described in the assigned reading, would definitely be beneficial. In fact, according to Hynes, Veltsos (2019) and Rue, evaluations are extremely important. Managers should want to analyze the thoughts of their fellow employees. Collecting and analyzing the feelings and ideas of their employees about the meeting will only allow them to get a better understanding of how effective the meeting really was and where to go from here. Post-meeting evaluations allow for self-growth and development. 

Under what circumstances do you think they would be beneficial?  Explain

The circumstances where post-meeting evaluations are most useful are when they occur directly following the conclusion of the meeting. It is most beneficial for post-meetings to be conducted as close to the meeting as possible so the participants’ feelings and thoughts are fresh. It is important that all participants are able to participate in the post-meetings so they can develop an understanding of how effective the meeting was and define steps moving forward based on unbiased data.

References:

Hynes, E. Geraldine, Veltos, R. Jennifer (2019).  Managerial Communication Strategies and Applications. (Seventh Edition).  SAGE Publications, Inc.

Rue, B. Evaluate Your Meetings Effectiveness. Myers Rue Training and Consulting. Retrieved from, http://www.myersrue.com/pdf/evaluate.pdf