Craft of Communication’s theatre-based techniques have proved to be popular and highly effective in helping Managers and Executives to develop their Communication Skills. Set up in 2002 by John Abulafia, the international theatre and opera director, we now have over 130 clients in 53 sectors. The disciplines of Performance, and a deep understanding of the psychology of Audiences, Leaders and Teams, provide the bedrock of our training - whether we are working with groups or one-to-one.
Managing Meetings
This is designed for executives who need to lead or facilitate meetings, support others in resolving business problems and/or contribute to meetings run by others.
The training is in six modules. Depending on the size of the group, and the kinds of meeting participants wish to explore, the session can be delivered in a single day.
The training aims to ensure each participant understands:
- How to plan and structure an effective meeting
- The skills required to lead an impactful meeting
- How to control the agenda whilst empowering attendees
- How to run a meeting using the Seven Kinds of Question
- Differences between leading and facilitating a meeting
- How to use body language and voice to both lead and/or facilitate a meeting
- How to encourage active contributions from all members of the group
- How to handle difficult situations, whether related to people, process or content
As with all Craft of Communication courses, learning is through doing. The workshop will include many opportunities to role-play both leader and facilitator of a meeting.
Module One: Defining the role of both Leader & Facilitator
Though a series of games and exercises, participants learn about the differences between these two roles. The exercises explore different kinds of leadership, and their appropriateness for particular situations. Participants learn how, in their different ways, a Leader or a Facilitator can enable a group to achieve their objectives by methods that make full use of their collective abilities and experience.
Module Two: Inhabiting the role of both Leader & Facilitator
Participants will learn an advanced use of Status. They learn how to use Body Language and Tone of Voice to modulate their Status. They learn the appropriate Status for the Leader and Facilitator role. They also learn how to use Status to remain both in control of the meeting but also encourage others to participate actively.
Module Three: The Spheres of Influence Model
This model helps participants to understand the different roles of a Facilitator and Leader who at different times needs to:
- Clarify Content: helping groups be clear about its messages, terminology
- Follow a Structured Process to resolve business issues
- Manage Team Dynamics: handling interactions with individuals and group
Module Four: Making Interventions
Participants learn how to use interventions when they need to
- Help the group realign with the agenda
- Manage people who talk too much/hold side conversations to ensure focus and a balance of contributions
- Handle conflicting agenda’s
- Encourage people to contribute and/or say what they really think
- Encourage buy-in and ownership for actions after the meeting
- Handle interactions with part of the group which are affecting the whole group’s ability to achieve its goals.
Module Five: Dealing with Difficult People & Situations
Participants learn how to deal with the various individuals who can make meetings difficult and unproductive. These are:
- The Side Talker
- The Discussion dominator
- The Know-all
- The Chronic Devil’s Advocate
- The Interrupter and/or Heckler
- The Person asking obvious, redundant or over-detailed questions
- The Person who is difficult to hear or understand
- The Low energy group
Module Six: Practising Meeting Management & Facilitation
In the afternoon session, participants have several opportunities to practice live meeting management and/or facilitation. They will discover how to put a combination of these skills into practice by working through a real life business need.
If required, we can add other, more advanced skills, chief of which are:
Extra Module One: The Creative Problem Solving Process
This is a six stage process which helps groups to resolve a business issue using a structured approach. This framework enables root causes to be explored before solutions are decided and actions implemented.
Extra Module Two: Influencing Skills
Craft of Communication draws on both Theatre based skills such as The Feeling Objective, and the work of Professor Ned Herrman whose Four Thinking Preferences. In their different ways, both help a Leader or Facilitator to influence others at an emotional, subliminal level as well as rationally.
