Chapter seven. Leading Productive Meetings.

Summary:

Meetings are how an organization says, “you are a member.” So if every day go to boring meetings full of the boring people, then that is boring company. To avoid creating a negative atmosphere around meetings in company, have to know that is “The Seven Deadly Sins of Meetings.”

The Seven Deadly Sins of Meetings

1. People don’t take meetings seriously

2. Meetings are too long

3. People wander off the topic

4. Nothing happens once the meeting ends

5. People don’t tell the truth

6. Meetings are always missing around important information, so they postpone critical decisions

7. Meetings never get better

This chapter is going to help to avoid these seven deadly sins and, how make to plan and conduct productive meetings by determining when a meeting is the best forum for achieving required results; establishing objectives, outcomes, and agenda; performing essential planning, clarifying roles and establishing ground rules; using common problems-solving techniques; managing meetings problems; and ensuring follow up occurs.
The chapter has the following objectives:

· Deciding when meetings are the best forum

· Completing essential meeting planning

· Conducting a productive meeting

· Managing meeting problems and conflict

· Ensuring meetings lead to action

Meetings can be small and large, internal or external, frequent or infrequent. This chapter focused primarily on small-group meetings intended to accomplish tasks or move actions forward inside an organization since these are the most prevalent types of professional meetings.

Chapter six. Developing Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Literacy to Strengthen Leadership Communication.

Summary:

Leaders need strong interpersonal skills and an understanding of and appreciation for cultural diversity. Without these skills, leaders cannot communicate with and manage others effectively. Interpersonal skills have gained recent recognition among leaders under the name of “emotional intelligence.” Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand emotions and those of other people. This understanding provides a foundation for understanding and appreciating cultural differences, called cultural literacy here. It means being literate or knowledgeable about fundamental differences across cultures.
For leadership communication, emotional intelligence and cultural literacy are as important as strategy, writing, and speaking skills included in the core of the leadership communication spiral introduced in the first few chapters of this text.
Emotional intelligence and cultural literacy are necessary skills that allow to interact with and lead others effectively, and the key to interacting with others and managing relationships successfully is communication: “The basis of any relationship is communication. Without communication-be it sign language, body language, e-mail, or face-to-face conversation-there is no connection and hence no relationship. The importance of effective communication skills to Emotional intelligence is crucial, and its value in the workplace is incalculable.”
In this chapter, the following objectives:

· Appreciate the value of emotional intelligence

· Take steps to increase your own self-awareness

· Improve your nonverbal skills

· Improve your listening skills

· Mentor others And provide feedback

· Realize the value of cultural literacy

· Use a cultural framework to understand difference
In the end, this chapter devoted specifically to understanding emotional intelligence and developing the ability uncover which means getting below the surface of the words, in many cases, to the meaning beneath. This ability is essential to emotional intelligence. The first sections of this chapter discussed the value of emotional intelligence and how to achieve it; the later sections on nonverbal communications, listening, people development, and cultural literacy dedicated to increase ability to understand the emotional subtext.

Chapter Five. Using Graphics and PowerPoint for a Leadership Edge.

Summary:

Leaders need to know how and when to use graphics. Graphics improve presentations and documents, particularly if the material is primarily quantitative, structural, pictorial, or so complicated that it can be illustrated more efficiently and more effectively with a visual aid then with words alone. Graphics will contribute to the success of oral and written communications. Most people are more visually oriented today than in the past, and they expect and respond graphics in presentations and printed documents. Even though it is a cliché, the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” conveys a powerful truth. People respond to visuals. In fact, research has proven that presentations with visual aids are 43 percent more persuasive.
Leaders use visuals that are integral to the communication of their intended meanings and not ones simply added for show. When selected appropriately and designed carefully, graphics embody and carry the meanings that create your message. With the introduction of PowerPoint, the default presentation graphics program for business presenters, and the improving graphic capabilities of MS Word, adding graphics to communications has become increasingly easier. However, the ease of use has also led to gratuitous and poorly designed graphics and presentations with more flash than content.
Used appropriately, graphics and PowerPoint provide a leadership edge. Knowing how to deliver messages effectively with words and pictures is a powerful combination, and delivering even a basic understanding of the principles of graphic design can provide an advantage.
This chapter focused on when and how to use graphics effectively, provide some basic guidelines for designing effective graphics, deliver some guidance and presenting PowerPoint slides.
In this chapter, the following objectives:

Recognizing when to use graphics

Selecting and designing effective data charts

Creating meaningful and effective text layouts

Employing fundamental graphic content and design principles

Making the most of PowerPoint as a design and presentation tool