Chapter 3

How to Coordinate a Meeting

 

Many meetings have a coordinator or chairperson who has responsibilities different from those of a leader. (For a discussion of the leader's role, see chapter 5.) For example, the role of the coordinator may be to plan the meeting and introduce a speaker or conference leader.

Following are some of the details needed to carry out the duties and responsibilities.

Before the Meeting

Good planning and preparation are necessary to have a productive meeting. Chapter 4 provides some of the detailed preparations that must be made. In addition, some special planning is necessary to select and orient the speaker or conference leader. Because the speaker is the single most important ingredient of a productive meeting, great care must be taken to select the right person and properly orient that person to the group and the objectives.

Selecting the Speaker

Determine what qualifications are most important. Typical ones are

  knowledge of the subject

  ability to communicate effectively with the participants

  availability

  fee and expenses within budgetary limitations.

It is easy to determine the availability and fee and expense requirements by simply asking the person. Before doing this, however, the coordinator should be sure that the other qualifications are met by the speaker. Knowledge of the subject is usually readily available because of the reputation of the individual. Also, the coordinator can ask the potential speaker if he or she is knowledgeable in the subject. The answer is usually reliable.

The most difficult and most critical factor to determine is the speaker's ability to communicate effectively with the participants. Many coordinators have used unreliable methods such as seeing the name on someone else's programs or, even worse, knowing that the person has written a book or article. A better method is to talk or write to the potential speaker and get details on previous meetings, including subject and nature of group. Then check with someone who has personally heard the speaker to get first-hand reactions. Ask specific questions related to the subject, participants, objectives, and reactions. Describe your situation and ask how well the speaker would perform under your circumstances.

These approaches are only substitutes for the best way to select a speaker, which is to hear the person speak. This should be done whenever practical. And the more you have at stake (for example, top executives, a lengthy program, critical participants), the more important it becomes to screen the speaker by firsthand reaction.

Orienting the Speaker

Almost equal in importance to the selection is the orientation of the speaker to your own situation. A personal visit is the best way to accomplish this. Next best is a telephone call. If neither of these is practical, written communication can also do the job. The items covered in orienting a speaker should

  Clarify the objectives of the overall meeting or program and the specific objectives to be accomplished by the speaker.

  Clarify what comes before and after the speaker.

  Describe the participants, including their positions in the organization, their levels of knowledge and experience related to the subject being presented, their attitudes toward the subject, and any special circumstances or problems they have that are related to the subject.

  Define the place of the meeting.

  Determine the exact amount of time that the speaker is responsible for— starting and quitting time.

  Suggest an approach for the speaker to take. For example, you might suggest a 30-minute talk to be followed by 15 minutes of questions. Or you might suggest the presentation of a case study or a film to be followed by group discussion. Your suggested approach should be discussed with the speaker to see if the speaker agrees or has an approach that will work better. (When I've been asked to talk to a professional group, I'm typically told to speak for 45 minutes and allow 15 minutes for questions and answers. I suggest—and usually follow—an entirely different format and still stay within the 60-minute time period. My approach includes discussion or involvement throughout the talk.)

  Offer to help with handout materials, audiovisual aids, special room setup, hotel reservations, or any other special requests from the speaker.

I recently had a rare opportunity to be oriented effectively by the coordinator of a program. I was asked by Howard Frankel, coordinator of employee development for Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company, to conduct a workshop for 140 supervisors and managers on the effective implementation of change. The afternoon prior to my workshop, some dramatic changes were going to be announced by top management. The changes concerned reorganization, diversification, possible acquisitions, new projects, and possible joint ventures with a foreign country. The most dramatic change was in the reorganization, which became more centralized. A number of people's jobs and locations would be affected. Howard and the top management people decided that proper orientation was to have me attend the meeting in which the changes were announced and listen to the question-and-answer period that followed dinner that evening. As a result, I became thoroughly familiar with the attendees' issues, jargon, and feelings. It helped me relate more effectively with those who were most affected by the changes. This first-hand orientation was invaluable to my conducting an effective session on the following day.

During the Meeting

There are two important functions to be performed by the coordinator that have not been discussed in other parts of this manual:

1. introducing a speaker or conference leader

2. controlling a meeting when someone else (speaker or conference leader) is leading the meeting.

Introducing a Speaker

Despite all that's been spoken and written on how to introduce a speaker, most introductions are mediocre at best. They do not accomplish what an introduction should do, namely, convince the audience that this is the right person to serve as speaker or conference leader. And a poor introduction can create a negative attitude on the part of the speaker or the audience.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTION

Every introduction should include two factors:

1. The introducer is enthused. The audience will readily pick up the enthusiasm—or lack of it—exhibited by the introducer.

2. The introducer explains why this speaker on this subject. If the speaker has been properly selected, this part is easy. The introducer should be able to tell the following facts concerning the speaker:

•  knowledge of subject

Illustrations: education, experience, books read, and publications

•  ability to communicate effectively

Illustrations: previous talks, future talks scheduled, and personal testimonies of the introducer if the introducer has heard the speaker

•  knowledge of audience

Illustrations: speaker's experience that is similar to that of the audience, talks to similar groups, knows members of audience personally, or introducer has told speaker about the audience

•  other information that would be of interest to the audience

Illustrations: recent travel (Europe, Japan, etc.), hobbies (bowled a 300 game), family situation (10 children), or special honors (president of a professional society).

THE RIGHT LENGTH FOR AN INTRODUCTION

I've often been introduced by a person who says, “I don't want to take any of the speaker's time by giving a long introduction, so I'll just turn the meeting right over to Don Kirkpatrick.”

This is usually another way of saying, “I haven't prepared an introduction, so I'll get off the hook by cleverly turning the meeting over immediately.”

In terms of the length of the introduction, it shouldn't be too long; likewise, it shouldn't be too short. It's difficult to indicate the minimum or maximum number of minutes. Rather, it should be judged by two criteria:

1. Does it tell the audience why you have selected this speaker on this subject?

2. Does it maintain the audience's attention while doing it?

This of course adds the dimension of manner of introduction with the content. Some introducers can create boredom and impatience on the part of the audience in a 15-second introduction; other introducers can maintain a high degree of interest for five minutes by using the right information and entering a note of humor and enthusiasm.

THE MANNER OF INTRODUCTION

Enthusiasm is the key to the manner in which an introduction should be made. Another characteristic is good eye contact with the audience. There is no excuse for reading an introduction. Some notes are all right, but the introducer should be properly prepared so that eye contact can be maintained. If the speaker has written a book, the introducer should have the book in hand to show it to the audience. The final words of the introduction should be the subject of the talk and the name of the speaker. When this is done, the introducer should turn the meeting over to the speaker and leave the stage. Preferably, the introducer should head to the back of the meeting room where he or she can properly observe and, if necessary, help control the meeting.

Controlling the Meeting

Chapter 9 discusses the methods and techniques for controlling a meeting. The approach was based on the presumption that the person in charge of the meeting was the speaker or conference leader.

The role of the coordinator becomes quite different and probably more difficult when a speaker is leading the meeting. For example, the speaker may be very pleased with the meeting and feels it is completely under control. But the coordinator, sitting in the back of the room, may think that it is completely out of control. When this type of problem arises, what becomes the role of the coordinator?

 

These situations indicate some difficult control problems that have been encountered by coordinators. Usually, there is a reluctance to interrupt or otherwise assume control for fear of embarrassing and even alienating the speaker and perhaps some participants. However, to have a productive meeting, the coordinator must take action, even at the risk of making the speaker unhappy.

Concluding the Meeting

Chapter 9 details principles and approaches for concluding a meeting. Here are some additional points to stress when the coordinator is not the leader.

The coordinator should be constantly aware of the importance of concluding the meeting on time. The problem of the speaker's running overtime is a very common one and must be delicately handled by the coordinator. If this situation was foreseen, the coordinator should have made some prearranged agreement with the speaker to provide a warning. A large card that says “5 MINUTES” could be held up in the back of the room to alert the speaker. Perhaps a “2 MINUTES” card is also needed or possibly one that says “10 MINUTES.”

The coordinator should always conclude the meeting instead of having the speaker do it. In the conclusion, the coordinator should thank the speaker. This thanks should be as specific as possible in terms of the contribution that was made. It should also be honest.

 

 

In concluding the meeting the coordinator should also

  Restate the objective of the meeting

  Summarize the accomplishments

  Thank participants for coming

  Thank the group for their participation/contribution

  Give assignments

  Announce the next meeting

  Have the group complete evaluation sheets.

After the Meeting

Chapter 12 provides detailed suggestions on how to evaluate a meeting. The coordinator or chairperson may well be the trained observer who evaluates the meeting. This evaluation should be communicated to the leader as candidly and specifically as possible. If there are critical comments, tact is essential to avoid resentment on the part of the leader or speaker. To supplement this trained observer's evaluation, reactions should also be obtained from participants. These reactions and comments should also be communicated to the leader.

In addition to evaluating the speaker, participants may need to be refreshed on the purpose of the meeting. Sending minutes of the meeting or a summary is generally a good idea. It helps to clarify and remind participants of what was accomplished. It can also communicate to those who did not attend the meeting.