TRANSFORMING MEETINGS
How often do you feel that your views are not listened to?
How often to you feel the meeting has been ineffective and not moved anything forward?
How often do you switch off, or feel like or actually fall asleep in meetings?
If you want to increase the performance of your team members and enjoy the benefits of effective meetings where you accomplish more in less time, this programme is for YOU and your TEAM members.
The challenges we experience today are that often we don’t give people the opportunity to think, really think. We interrupt and jump in with our own ideas. We get distracted sometimes with our thoughts or what else is going on around us. We may not be aware of our own prejudice and become less than open minded. We don’t ask questions to engage in more thinking, we ask questions to validate our own thoughts. We simply don’t listen. All of this is not intentional and nor is it very productive. Consequently new ideas remain unborn, fresh thinking remains stagnant and people get overlooked. This can be even more noticed in teams and groups.
In my experience, these are the most common experiences in meetings and too often people behave in meetings that prevent good quality thinking. I propose that all meetings can be improved so that everyone contributes with their clearest thinking and the best results are achieved in the shortest time.
The solution is to create a way of being in meetings and a process that will foster these results and it is the Thinking Environment®– a sustainable, practical and dependable system for personal growth and understanding developed by Nancy Kline and Time to Think[1]
The Thinking Environment is based upon one observation and one question. The observation that everything we do in life depends upon the quality of the thinking we do first. The question, so how do we help others think well for themselves? The Thinking Environment acknowledges the key to that quality of our thinking depends upon the way we are being treated by the people around us while we are thinking. So far, we have discovered 10 behaviours or components to be the most powerful in facilitating high quality independent thinking.
These are elements of behaviour that some people already use every day. Becoming aware of them and of the power they have to generate new thinking in others is a real revelation. These are elements like attention, ease and equality, developed in a specific and careful way that respects everyone’s ability to think and to be part of a thinking environment.
These are some of the ten components of the Thinking Environment. Introducing even a few of these components into groups and meetings will have a huge effect. Arranging all interactions as Thinking Environments is transformational.
Research[2], conducted by Emily Havers concluded that adopting a thinking environment in meetings generated multiple benefits for individuals, groups and organisations alike. An interviewee from the research comments:
‘The process enables far richer decisions to be made. So and in a literal sense, I do think you think better because you’re not under pressure to say what you need to say as quickly as possible so you get heard. So the concept of having rounds and giving people time to talk allows people to listen more and I think then people think better, particularly with multiple perspectives.’
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Discover the 10 components of the Thinking Environment
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Become familiar with 5 applications of Thinking Environment
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Practise the applications and ways of being a thinking environment
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Have a process for conducing effective meetings to apply immediately
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Experience running one of your own meetings in a Thinking Environment
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Leave with new awareness, skills and a process to implement immediately leading to improved engagement and productivity for all those concerned.
- Discover a structure around conversations with an emphasis on listening to others giving them space and appreciating other’s views.
- Enjoy the impact of this programme in providing a better use of your time and productivity together with in an improvement in your business performance.
- Gain an open and respectful interaction amongst the team itself.
- Learn great tips on how to get the most out of meetings, how structure can impact the efficiency of meetings and the power of allowing people to think for themselves
- People feel valued, respected, and heard by colleagues, especially their seniors, leading to improved morale and motivation amongst team members in the business.
- A template for conducting meetings in a more productive, inclusive and respectful way.
Dates
To be agreed upon application
- A free copy of Jane’s book, Are you listening or just waiting to speak – the secret to propelling your business relationships.
- A workbook of everything covered in the Transforming Meetings training.
- An infographic of the 10 components of the Thinking Environment.
Venue
This programme is available both as a VIRTUAL Class and IN PERSON at your organisation or off-site in Essex or Central London.
Delegates will work with relevant content to forward their thinking on business issues of their choice. The programme will run with a minimum of 6 delegates and maximum of 12. Please apply below and mutually convenient dates will be confirmed.
What others have said…
“I learned the importance of preparation and developed the confidence to perform in a group knowing that my opinions are valuable.”
“Transforming Meetings was a brilliant day and was so enjoyed by all even the initial doubters! I really feel you have made a significant difference to the way we will all behave in the future. I personally loved the day and I am left feeling more empowered.
“I have significantly improved the relationships with other participants.”
“I have a new way to manage my team, certainly with more respect for their opinion.”
“A stimulating thought about the impact of behaviour in meetings and how to change it for the better.”
“The impact is that people in the team will be more eager to have input into the agenda and will feel more accustomed to produce actions.”
“Remembering that everyone matters when chairing team meetings with my team and also applying to my interactions with friends and family – they are transferable skills”
“People feel valued, respected and heard by colleagues, especially their seniors. This will improve morale and motivation amongst employees in the business.”
“Better listening made people speak and gather better/more information.”
“I learned more about my colleagues and now have a template for conducting meetings in a more productive way back in my team.”
“I learned more about my colleagues and now have a template for conducting meetings in a more productive way back in my team.”
‘I valued the study and discipline to allow for thinking.”
“Great tips on generally how to get the most out of meetings, how structure can impact the efficiency of meetings and the power of allowing people to think”.
“I valued making space as a leadership team to plan the way we work and having the time to reflect and adjust.”
“As a result of the Transforming Meetings programme, the results in our business are:
- Faster and better decision making. Ownership of decisions across the business.
- Huge increase in productivity. Reduced frustrations.
- Shorter, higher quality, more effective, better clearer outcomes.
- Focus on what matters. Leave with actions.
- Better results, clearer priorities, common thinking in alignment, role model for others.
- More actions, more decisions, more progress.
- Better use of time, better culture, more effective.
- Better communication and output.”
“The impact of this programme has lead to increased positivity, calm, concise and structured meetings.”
“Discovering a structure around conversations with an emphasis on listening to others giving them space and appreciating other’s views was most valuable.”
“The impact of holding meetings in this way has developed a shared understanding and brought coherence to the team.”
“I learned that it IS possible to contribute to ANY conversation when the opportunity is there.”
“I discovered the ability to input concisely and to focus on the topic in hand.”
“The impact of this programme has provided a better use of our time and productivity together with in an improvement in our business performance. In addition the open and respectful interaction amongst the team itself.”