Better meetings, better teams
core programme plus modules
Our 8 week programme will make a significant difference to how productive, inclusive and engaging your video and hybrid meetings are, for a relatively low time investment and cost. The skills and benefits will also carry over to full in-person meetings. Many people are in meetings for much of their day; when meetings are better, team relationships, productivity and wellbeing improve.
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Benefits
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Improved engagement in meetings – better connection with each other and more enjoyable meetings
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Improved productivity from meetings – enabling you to have shorter meetings or fewer meetings, or just get more done and have better quality discussions
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A positive impact on wellbeing - for all team members and especially team leaders
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Improved team leader skills and confidence in running video and hybrid meetings
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This is a programme for an existing team to complete with the team leader.
We recommend each team completes the core programme first to make a step change in the way meetings work and start using the hand signals and passing techniques. This involves just two 90 minute workshops and some coaching. Further modules can then be added depending on the team's specific needs.
What new skills will we learn?
Your team will become skilled at using Video Meetings Signals (VMS) and Team Chairing and Passing (TCP): two techniques that effectively allow everyone to ‘speak’ at once in a meeting and to show their interest in what others are saying (see stages 1 and 2 of the Meeting Improvement Circle). The team then discuss and agree meeting values and behaviours (VMV) . The first three stages are sufficient for many teams to gain the benefits outlined in the centre of the circle. Some teams move on to further work on aspects 4-6 of our approach as a second phase, as required.
What does the programme involve?
You will work with a coach from Konektis who will help you and your team to learn and practice the research backed techniques described above and agree a set of video meeting values and behaviours which the team commits to for all future meetings. Teams then apply this in their business-as-usual team meetings straight way. The key programme steps are shown in the table below:
Can we tailor the programme to each team’s needs?
At the outset team leaders can add their own specific objectives for the programme to focus on the meeting issues they most want to address. Objectives have included:
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I want more productive meetings
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I want shorter meetings or less meetings - 50-minute meetings not 1 hour; 20% less meetings
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I want everyone to have their videos on and not multitask
I want quieter/more introverted people to contribute more
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Additional modules
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Meeting charter - a further workshop to build a tailored meetings charter for the team. A chance to discuss and agree values and behaviours that will help ensure great meetings.
Facilitation skills - learn the tools and techniques used by great team leaders and facilitators. Includes work on meeting design, managing agendas and handling difficult situations.
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Meeting types - learn about different meeting types (e.g. decision making, problem solving, idea generation) and the specific approaches and techniques for successfully planning and running each.
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Meeting toolkit - explore, test out and introduce a range of tools, techniques, ice-breakers and apps that can bring your meetings to life and increase engagement, interest and creativity.
Options for rolling out the programme and skills across your whole organisation
Better meetings - for your whole organisation
​Implementing better meetings for all of the teams in your organisation as a planned change programme. Similar steps to better meetings for one team, but different delivery options:
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Train the trainer approach, using your trainers/team leaders
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Use of larger webinar or Town Hall events; fewer workshops
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More online learning - Konektis hosted or on your LMS
Outcomes:
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Better online meetings across the whole organisation
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Improved engagement and connection
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Business efficiencies - shorter meetings or fewer meetings
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Improved team leader skills and confidence
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Increased wellbeing and remote worker engagement
Development programmes for team leaders
In-depth programmes for team leaders, seminar leaders and meeting chairs. These programmes are not undertaken with your team but with a peer group of leaders, either as a stand alone intervention or integrated into an existing leadership development programme:
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1 Emerging leaders programme - how to run great meetings
2 Experienced leaders programme - become a master of meeting design and facilitation
3 Lecturers/seminar leaders programme - engaging students, better seminars
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Work in groups with other team leaders to learn new tools and techniques and practice advanced meeting facilitation skills which you can immediately apply to your own meetings. Includes an online meeting facilitation toolkit and 'clinic/coaching' sessions to focus on particular problems participants encounter in their meetings.
Meetings Audit
A review of the current state of meetings in your organisation and recommendations for improvement. A simple report that will give you:
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an overview of how effective your meetings are
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a priority list of improvement areas
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a mechanism for on-going improvement and measurement.
The audit involves:
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an analysis of your meetings data
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sampling of actual meetings
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analysis of any existing meetings data/survey data you have
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additional sample surveys and/or focus groups as required