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Reprintable Articles on EzineArticles by Shirley Lee

Meeting Management Articles

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• How Can We Get Off This Rabbit Trail?     

  Summary:  Meetings often get off track when attendees go off on unrelated subjects called rabbit trails.  When someone gets on a rabbit trail, they can easily be refocused to the meeting topic using simple meeting management techniques. Click title above to read full article.

• 3 Phases of Value-Added Meetings      

  Summary:  Successful business meetings use an agenda that follows 3 phases of a meeting.  For a meeting to be valuable, it needs to have a defined opening, ending, and step-by-step topics to accomplish its primary purpose. Click title above to read full article.

• Preventing Meeting Participants From Coming Late Or Leaving During Meetings     

  Summary:  Irritation in meetings may be caused by disruptions of members who come late to meetings or miss part of the meeting. Four ideas for preventing the problems that tardiness and leaving during meetings may cause in meetings are presented. Click title above to read full article.

• Staff Meeting Alternatives      

  Summary:  Meetings are important for getting group work done. However, meetings cost the organization time and dollars.  Meeting time that is spent for reporting work progress can be accomplished in other ways in order to reduce costs.  Six alternatives for staff meetings are examined. Click title above to read full article.

• Resolving Absenteeism in Team or Project Meetings      

  Summary:  Irritation and reduced morale can be caused by members who miss meetings. Ideas on ways to prevent different causes of team or project problem related to member non-attendance at meetings are presented.  Click title above to read full article.

• 4 Things a Meeting Facilitator or Leader Needs to Do      

  Summary:  Meeting facilitation skills are important in business.  Leaders and others who are good at facilitating or leading meetings conduct very effective meetings.  To build meeting success, leaders and facilitators need to know four things to do for an effective meeting. Click title above to read full article.

• Bosses Need Gift Of Better Meeting Leadership       

  Summary:  Studies show millions of meetings are held each day in the United States and that thousands of dollars are spent per meeting hour where the meetings include multiple executives as attendees. Are all these meetings a business investment or a waste of time? Sadly many of those same studies indicate the managers attending the meetings felt up to half their time investment was wasted. If meetings are important enough to hold, then why don't the bosses of the organization insist they be better lead?        Click title above to read full article.

• Best Time to Hold Business Meetings is When?      

  Summary:  Is there a best time of day to hold a business meeting?  Which is better – morning, lunch, or afternoon meetings?  Pro’s and cons of typical meeting times and lengths are presented. Click title above to read full article.

• The 3T Rule for Meeting Agendas       

  Summary:  Business meetings can be a greater success if agendas and used.  The 3 T rule of Time, Topic, and Talker for meeting agendas increase group effectiveness. Click title above to read full article.

• When to Say No Thanks to a Meeting Invitation      

  Summary:  With all the meetings people are invited to attend, everyone must understand which ones to personally attend, send a substitute to, or decline as not relevant.  This is done by checking the invitees on the invitation and asking questions of the meeting organizer. Click title above to read full article.

• How to Prevent Repetition from Dominating Meeting Time      

  Summary:  When a person just keeps harping on the same subject in a meeting, there are a few things you can immediately do to get them to quit talking and allow the group to move on.  Click title above to read full article.

• 5 W’s and an H for Meeting Invitations      

  Summary:  To improve meetings, start with pre-planning to make sure the meeting is the best possible. Key to this is inviting the right people in the correct way. The best meeting invitations will provide attendees with the answers to their questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how related to the meeting. Click title above to read full article.

• Turn Meetings into Pep Rallies of Productivity       

  Summary:  Everyone has to attend or lead meetings at some time, but not all meetings are created equal. How many people dread going to any meeting verses a particular meeting? How many people feel the attended meeting was a waste of time? Does anyone think the meetings are really producing the desired results? How can meetings be made more effective and productive? This article will provide information on how to improve a meeting using an approach containing 4 keys to success.  Click title above to read full article.

• Is This Meeting Really Necessary?  5 indicators when a meeting should not be held    

  Summary:  Is anything to be gained by holding that regular business or team meeting?   Five indicators are presented to determine when a planned meeting should not be held because it would not be worth the cost.   Click title above to read full article.

• Are Meetings Producing a Loss or a Gain?       

  Summary:  Almost everyday people in organizations have to attend meetings. Has anyone at the organizations looked at those meetings to determine if they are productive? Does anyone in the organization know if the meetings were beneficial enough to be worth the investment? This article will provide information on how to verify the worth a meeting has to the organization.  Click title above to read full article.

• Why use the 3W Rule for Action Items?     

  Summary:  Team and project meetings can be more successful it actions are assigned.  The 3 W rule for action items of what, who, and when can aid success.  Click title above to read full article.

• Common Types of Participative Meetings     

  Summary:  Participative meetings have everyone contributing to the purpose of the meeting.  Definitions, common uses, and tools for different participative meeting types including decision-making, list generation, problem solving, project planning, and strategic planning.   Click title above to read full article.

• Minding Meeting Manners - Do's and Don'ts        

  Summary:  Meetings are the most popular group communication tool in business. Some individuals need tips to know how to best take advantage of this communication forum. Provided are thirteen Do's and Don'ts related to achieving more professional meetings.  Click title above to read full article.

• Planning Corporate Events Using the 5 W’s         

  Summary:  Organizations plan events yearly or for special occasions. These events may be successful or they could flop.  Event success can be determined by appropriate planning and decision making using 5 questions when planning an event.  Click title above to read full article.

• Measuring Meeting Costs with Meeting Miser - Meeting Tool Review         

  Summary:  The free easy-to-use internet-based tool called Meeting Miser helps monitor the time and dollars spent in meetings.  Meeting Miser will calculate the cost of a meeting based on the location of the meeting, the job category of the meeting attendees, and meeting start and end time. Click title above to read full article.

• Planning Meetings with the Meeting Wizard On-line Tool  - Meeting Tool Review         

  Summary:  Planning a meeting on a date where everyone can attend is time-consuming.  It can be a hassle of multiple phone calls or emails back and forth.  An easier way to plan a meeting is available with the on-line tool called Meeting Wizard.  Click title above to read full article.

• 10  Ideas to Encourage Individual Involvement in Interactive Meetings         

  Summary:  Team Leaders find meeting where all team members share ideas while participating in decision making and problem solving yields better results.  10 ideas are presented that a leader may choose from in order to increase individual participation and involvement.  Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Ways to Increase Group Participation in Team Meetings         

  Summary:  Leaders find meetings where team members openly communicate and participate in problem solving get better results than those where people only listen.  In meetings requiring high participation, 10 ways are presented that a leader can choose from in order to increase participation and involvement.  Click title above to read full article.

   

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Time Management and Organization

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• Improved Time Management Includes Setting 3 Priorities  

  Summary:  Organizations and individuals wanting to improve their time management practices can do so by setting priorities that relate to their goals.  No more than 3 priority levels of high, medium, and low are recommended.  Click title above to read full article.

• Planning for Successful Productivity During Your Career?       

  Summary:  Looking for skills to help increase career opportunities or enhance current position? Then consider the importance of time, meeting, and project management skills and how gaining better control in these areas can lead you where you want to go in the business world. It may be easy to see these skills will help in current job, but how can you be sure they will apply to future opportunities?  Click title above to read full article.

• 5 Simple Time Management Tips for To Do Lists   

  Summary:  If looking for ways to accomplish more with your time, keep a list of all the tasks you need to do.  Presented are 5 time management tips for using to do lists to get things done.    Click title above to read full article.

• Everyone Hates Filing - Yet, Everyone Wants An Organized Office, Right?       

  Summary:  Quick tips to help with setting-up a home or business filing system that is easy for anyone to maintain. Tips are provided on: where and how to store files, setting-up a filing system, sharing the system with others, and maintaining the system over time.  Click title above to read full article.

• 3 Excuses For Procrastination and How to Overcome Them

  Summary:  What makes procrastination a problem rather than an excuse is what is done about it.  To prevent excuses from turning into time management problems, consider these suggestions for 3 common excuses people use for procrastinating. Click title above to read full article.

• Organize Personal Web Browsing for Better Time Usage 

  Summary:  What can be done to save time on the web?  Having a choice of options to help save time running internet searches and finding website addresses may help to save time in the future.  Click title above to read full article.

• 6 Easy Ways to Help the Office Become Paperless 

  Summary:  Offices and office workers looking for paperless business options will find 6 ideas, with various tips within 3 categories, which they can review and easily implement.  Click title above to read full article.

• Be Remembered With Gift of Improvement       

  Summary:   When looking for that business gift for employees or customers, is finding the right gift that can be useful for each person easy?  If it is difficult for you as a leader to find a gift, then consider the easiest solution for a diverse group of people is often a team or self improvement book with a business application.  Finding the right gift book may increase employee productivity and customer’s appreciation of your services.  Click title above to read full article.

• 5 Time Saving Tips using the Computer for Information Management  

  Summary:  Computer spreadsheets, word processing applications, databases, and email tools can be used effectively to save time.  Article gives 5 tips for using the computer to reduce repetitive tasks and information searches. Click title above to read full article.

• Dancing with Time: Cha-Cha-Cha!       

  Summary:  Have you ever found yourself trying to run faster than time because you have so much to do? Wouldn't you rather be dancing in tune with time instead of racing with it? Think of time management as little steps you need to take with each project and you will find that not only do you get more done, you actually feel better doing it. This article highlights four key steps to managing your time in a way that makes you feel good about doing it.  Click title above to read full article.

• 5 Basic Time Management Tips for the To Do List 

  Summary:  Managing time is not that hard.  Presenting 5 simple tips and ideas are presented for planning a day in order to achieve better time management and get important items done.  Click title above to read full article.

• Tips for Saving Time and Space with Files

  Summary:  Simple tips to decide what to file and what to keep in order to save time in the filing task and required space for files. Click title above to read full article.

• Set Goal for Exercise Time       

  Summary:  If you want to exercise but you find you do not have time to do it, then consider one individual's journey using short exercise spurts working her way up to larger segments of time. A few tips for managing time and starting an exercise program that may help you feel in-shape and energetic are offered by the now exercising individual.  Click title above to read full article.

• 5 Time Management Tips for Planning Your Day 

  Summary:  Managing time is not that hard.  Presenting 5 simple tips and ideas are presented for planning a day in order to achieve better time management and get important items done.  Click title above to read full article.

• Are you at your peak?       

  Summary:  Do you know if you are an early bird or a night owl, or perhaps something in between? This article provides a simple test to help you determine which you are in order to find your peak performance time. It is important to know what time of day you are typically at your most alert and therefore at your best for doing important activities.   Click title above to read full article.

• 11 Time Management Things to Do Or Not

  Summary:  People often misunderstand time management. They think it is a way to do everything they want to get done. Time management is really about doing the right things at the right time . Presented are 11 things to consider when managing time. Click title above to read full article.

• A Dozen Time Management Do’s & Don’ts  

  Summary:  Increase time management discipline with knowledge of six time management don’ts along with their six corresponding do's in order to become better at managing time. Click title above to read full article.

• A Little More Than the Average User Knows About MS Office Toolbars  

  Summary:  Microsoft Office application users can benefit from knowing more that how to use a toolbar icon.  Understanding how toolbars work can make using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint much easier.  Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Outlook Features to Save Time, Reduce Stress, or Promote Peace of Mind

  Summary:   Looking for ways to save time so more goals can be reached the time?  Is trying to do more in the same amount of time causing stress or worry?  For Outlook users, this stress and worry can be reduced by understanding and using organization features.   Click title above to read full article.

• See also Meeting articles, Whatever Happened to Weekly Progress Reports?, and Organize Email System for Better Time Management

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Team Building and Project Management

These articles are available for FREE reprint - see guidelines at

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• 11 Responsibilities of Great Team Leaders and Sponsoring Managers 

  Summary:  Organizations looking to build teams that are effective and provide the desired results need guidelines.  Providing 11 leadership responsibilities management should consider when implementing teams. Click title above to read full article.

• Evaluate Team Performance and Determine Training Needs 

  Summary:  Organizations struggle with ways to measure their teams and whether training may be required.  A periodic team evaluation can measure success and show what training is needed.  Click title above to read full article.

• 8 Considerations for 3 Types of Teams 

  Summary:  There are three common types of business teams used in high performance organizations:  work, project, and cross-functional.  Presented are eight things to consider if deciding which of these types of team to implement to meet a particular business need.  Click title above to read full article.

• Difference between Self-managed and Self-directed Teams  

  Summary:  Companies use teams to help improve quality, work processes, or customer service.  Leaders need to understand what sort of team they want to use, self-managed or self-directed.  Characteristics are offered to consider when selecting which team to implement.  Click title above to read full article.

• 5 Characteristics of a Great Team 

  Summary:  Teams are popular in many business organizations.  The best teams will display 5 characteristics that have to do with their roles, attitudes, behaviors, and both group and individual work processes.  Knowing the 5 characteristics may help teams and organization measure success. Click title above to read full article.

• Project Celebrations and Team Recognition are Important  

  Summary:  Project leaders and business managers need to understand the importance of project celebrations and team member recognition in motivation for making a project successful. Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Ideas to Reward Teams and Members

  Summary:  Where businesses are using teams, rewards may be needed to motivate them.  Ten simple and easy to implement ideas are presented for rewards which recognize and motivate team members in their team-building and work contribution.    Click title above to read full article.

• 3 Ideas for Team Recognition Gifts or Gift Baskets

  Summary:  Desire to find an appropriate gift idea to say thanks to employee, vendor, or customer team members from the business organization?  Determine how to proceed before shopping by deciding if the gift should be practical, unique, or fun.     Click title above to read full article.

• Give Your Teams the Gift of Productivity     

  Summary:  Does finding the right gift to say thank you to team members have to be hard?  Individuals who need help finding the right gift to say thank you to employee, vendor, or customer team members will find the easiest solution for a diverse group of people is often a business book.  Finding the right gift book may increase team and individual productivity.  Click title above to read full article.

• 6 Requirements of Effective Team Membership 

  Summary:  Organizations building effective teams must understand requirements for membership.  Provided are 6 member requirements management and selected individuals should know when choosing team membership.  Click title above to read full article.

• Project Manager Considerations When Building a Project Team 

  Summary:  Project Managers and Leadership need to consider what requirements they should expect in team members, how membership affects planning, how to convey project team responsibilities, and develop team members.   Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Ways Leadership Can Motivate Team Building and Performance       

  Summary: Offers 10 low-budget ways to motivate teams to have better attitudes and be more productive.  The most effective methods encourage increased recognition and open communication on the part of the team leadership. Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Ways Teams Can Motivate Team Building and Performance       

  Summary: Offers 10 ways to motivate team members to have better attitudes and be more productive.  The most effective methods encourage increased recognition and open communication on the part of the team members.  Click title above to read full article.

• Whatever Happened to Weekly Progress Reports?      

  Summary: Review the pros and cons of reporting individual progress in weekly meetings instead of writing progress reports, followed by the best things to include in a progress report.  Click title above to read full article.

• The 5 Stages of Team Development      

  Summary: Experts in team development agree that teams will go through five different stages.  Evidence of the 5 stages is presented along with leadership responsibilities during each stage.  Click title above to read full article.

• The 5 P’s of Team Design and Development for Managers     

  Summary: Teams are a good tool for business improvement and managers recognize the benefits teams may bring.  When designing teams and determining development, managers will consider what it takes to make a functional team using the 5 P’s of purpose, participation, placement, process, and plan. Click title above to read full article.

• Power Totes for Team Roles and Rotation      

  Summary: Team power totes are an idea for developing a plan for how to transition members who are switching roles within the team and a simple process for doing so. Click title above to read full article.

• The 4 C’s of Team Goal Setting     

  Summary: Clear goals with measurable standards are a great way to improve team performance.  A simple way to help determine what team goals should be is to utilize the 4 C’s of goal setting. Click title above to read full article.

• Planning Self-Managed Team Member Rotation     

  Summary: Team members will take more responsibility for their different roles as they move from a developing team to a self-managed work team.  Options for rotating roles within a team using a rotation gird or a sequential list are presented. Click title above to read full article.

• The 3 R's in Forming Teams     

  Summary:  Before forming any type of work team, organizations should consider what the team will need to be successful.  Consider the three R’s of team rules and the member roles and responsibilities for each team before forming them.  Click title above to read full article.

• The 3 P’s of Reward and Recognition      

  Summary: Motivation of business team members may be tied to the type of rewards and recognition given.  Rewards should be personal, proportional, and pleasurable.  Recognition should be precise, principled, and prompt.   Click title above to read full article.

• The Power of Positive Reinforcement      

  Summary: As a business manager, how can one apply and monitor positive reinforcement?  Understand that everyone enjoys being acknowledged when they do good work as a typical human response.  Consider the positives rather than only mentioning when employee may be performing badly. Click title above to read full article.

• See also Meeting or Strategy articles and Planning for Successful Productivity During Your Career?   

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Communications and Presentations

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• 10 Points on Poor Podium Use by Presenters

  Summary:  Understanding the benefits and pitfalls of using a podium when presenting can be helpful to improve a presenter’s capabilities.  10 points for presenters to consider before their next presentation are enhanced with tips and alternatives.  Click title above to read full article.

• Dressing for Success in Business Interviews

  Summary:  Is dress still important to companies and why should an interviewee consider it key as well?  A few suggestions on how the interviewee can look serious and professional during the interview process are offered so they may be considered above others who might dress inappropriately. Click title above to read full article.

• Building Rapport with Co-workers

  Summary:  Since relationships are important in the business world, start with rapport among co-workers.   Rapport is built with open communication, positive attitude, and exploration.  Suggestions for relationships include personal and professional.   Click title above to read full article.

• 3 Steps to Becoming a Better Listener

  Summary:  Good communication is.  Listening skills are vital to communication, which is important both personally and professionally.  Three steps to active listening and detailed how-to are presented.   Click title above to read full article.

• Creating Presentations

  Summary: The four P’s of presentation steps can help with creating and delivering presentations.  The four P’s are:  Plan, Prepare, Practice, and Perform.  Plan and Prepare are the presentation creation steps.  Click title above to read full article.

• Delivering Presentations   

  Summary:  The four P’s of presentation steps can help with creating and delivering presentations.  The four P’s are:  Plan, Prepare, Practice, and Perform.  Practice and Perform are the presentation delivery steps.  Click title above to read full article.

• The 3 V's Of Communication Plus One

  Summary: Making sure the message is received in any communication is vital. To insure the message is received, use of the three V's of communication (visual, verbal, vocal) is emphasized along with the Value of the message to audience. Click title above to read full article.

• Professional PowerPoint Presentations with the Rules of Six and More

   Summary: PowerPoint is used e in business and other presentation venues, so rules need to be understood for slide design.  The Rules of Six for design and presentation time are standards.  Suggested tips for animation, graphics, and presentation are offered. Click title above to read full article.

• Will Your Business Benefit From a Blog?        

  Summary:  Blogging has evolved to a communication tool used by business to share information with employees or customers replacing newsletters.  Does your business need a blog?  Article contains questions to ask.  Click title above to read full article.

• Reduce Popular Business Communication Tool Use?       

  Summary:  Managers are looking for ways to reduce both meetings and emails in their companies. Is reduction the answer? Review data on communication tools of email and meetings to determine if tips are needed to better utilize the tools properly for business.  Click title above to read full article.

• Encouraging Email Etiquette - Do's and Don'ts        

  Summary:  Email communications are popular and people need tips to know how to best utilize the tool. Provided are thirteen Do's and Don'ts related to achieving more professional emails.  Click title above to read full article.

• Organize Email System for Better Time Management         

  Summary:  Understanding a few organization and time management tips and shortcuts can save some valuable time when working with email  Click title above to read full article.

• Get Emails Out Faster Using Group Names as Addresses         

  Summary:  Ever wished to send a single email to multiple people without having to enter all those email addresses?  Speed up the email sending process using group names in your email tool. Click title above to read full article.

• See also Social Networking/Media articles

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Leadership & Strategy

• Leadership Style in a Coffee Cup       

  Summary: There are many models and studies on leadership style.  Three possible styles using gourmet coffee variations to portray leadership traits and levels of control are presented.  Many leaders will adapt to work situations by taping into different styles.  Click title above to read full article.

• Leading from a Different Cup        

  Summary: Knowing leadership styles is necessary to adapt to different business situations.  Styles used in different situations are presented using caffeine levels to compare to energy levels of leaders and their employees.  Hot and cold leaders are shown with the times when each style is best used.  Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Ways to Offer Better Customer Service  

  Summary:  During the goal and objective setting process, use the acronym SMART to develop a working plan.  SMART goals are a way to decide what to do and how to do it in a way that can easily be tracked.   Click title above to read full article.

• Designing a Process for Customer Service Issue Escalation  

  Summary:  Most companies offer customer service. The good companies have a process for escalating customer issues to help retain customers and they train their customer service staff in that process. Documenting a multi-level customer service escalation process is necessary to keeping business. Click title above to read full article.

• 12 Steps of Goal Setting as an Annual Business Strategic Process   

  Summary:  Goal setting provides a strategic direction and works as a guideline for performance.   Use the 12 steps of goal setting annually to plan a future for business.  Click title above to read full article.

• What are SMART goals?  

  Summary:  During the goal and objective setting process, use the acronym SMART to develop a working plan.  SMART goals are a way to decide what to do and how to do it in a way that can easily be tracked.   Click title above to read full article.

• Questions to Ask When Goal Setting  

  Summary:  Goal setting is a worthwhile business process when leaders work with their teams to agree upon goals that are achievable and challenging.  Presented are questions to use at the start of goal setting and to establish a plan for accomplishment.  Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Book Options to Use For Business Gifts   

  Summary:  Looking for the business gift that keeps giving? Consider a good book - presented are 10 possible titles. Click title above to read full article.

• Giving a Business Client a Gift Basket From the Company   

  Summary:  Finding a great gift idea for a client in appreciation of their business that is also unique is not always easy.   Consider gift baskets that can be purchased or designing a custom basket for holiday giving or just to say thanks.  Click title above to read full article.

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Social Networks and Media

• 4 Ways to Use Twitter

  Summary:  Having heard of Twitter, people are wondering how it can be beneficial. Four ways that Twitter may be used are for research, targeting a message to groups of people, as a social network, or for business promotion. Click title above to read full article.

• Popular Shorten URL Tools to Utilize in Social Network Updates or Tweets

  Summary:  Short URLs are helpful for updates on social network sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter because the users are given a small number of characters in which to provide these updates.  Explores five popular shorten URL tools that are available free on the internet. Click title above to read full article.

• 6 Basics of Tweet Etiquette on Twitter

  Summary:  Six tweet basics related to appreciation, grammar, and sharing of information to when recognizing others or communicating with followers on Twitter.  Topics covered include: RT and expressing gratitude, not being rude, 2 grammar rules, sharing quotes/links/other stuff, not sending spam, and processing DMs. Click title above to read full article.

• 10 Directories to Help With Following on Twitter and to Get Followers

  Summary:  Find people on Twitter if their name or account is known or if their Twitter profile which includes a title to look for.  For a more targeted approach to finding people on Twitter is directories that insure getting the best information from experts or the right potential audience.  Provided are 10 directory options.  Click title above to read full article.

• Badges, Buttons, and Widgets - Oh My! Methods to Link Twitter and Website

  Summary:  Short URLs are helpful for updates on social network sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter because the users are given a small number of characters in which to provide these updates.  Explores five popular shorten URL tools that are available free on the internet.  Click title above to read full article.

   

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