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Place Matters
Location's Effect
on Productivity
by Barbara Joyce Frank, Ph.D.
Published in Reston
Chamber of Commerce Business Update,
July
26, 2000
"Where should we hold the
meeting?" is a question often asked and frequently answered with the
easiest logistical solution: the same old conference room down the hall
or at the same old hotel. Under these conditions, it is no wonder
participants show up with the same old attitude.
Although it is not intentional, the subliminal message
is that it is
just another meeting, i.e., business as usual.
The same old conference
room may even trigger
memories of past unsuccessful meetings, hardly the
right setting for positive new and creative thinking. Participants often sensing that another meeting may
place new demands on their already
hectic schedules, approach meetings held in the same old locations with
less than an enthusiastic attitude.
When a meeting is critical for the success of the team
or organization,
taking into account where the meeting
is held is an extremely important
factor. Indeed,
location is an often-neglected strategic variable
that
needs to be given higher priority. Place matters.
If it is essential
that participants focus on a particular
matter, than it is necessary to
have the meeting off-site, where office diversions and conflicting job
demands
are removed. Even hotels have their distractions,
especially
when other groups with different agendas
are sharing common space. Every
effort should be
made to minimize interruptions to guarantee privacy
for
your group. Ideally the meeting site should have
the right ambiance, a
comfortable and yet stimulating environment, which will aid rather than
hinder the
creative thinking process of the meeting participants.
Participants deserve to be pampered when they are
being asked to make a
greater effort or change the way
they have been doing things. Therefore,
their needs
should be taken into account in selecting a site with
the
emphasis on minimum hassle in terms of travel
time, parking and dining.
Taking care of these
basic concerns for your participants will free them
up
to deal with the issue at hand. If it is within the budget, catering
the event has the effect that participants
feel appreciated and become
more cooperative.
In addition, valuable time is saved rather than lost at
a critical time
of the day. If people have trouble getting
to or from their lunch
location, they are often less
agreeable to tackle the important closure
process of
the afternoon. Keeping the participants on-site and
taking
care of their dining needs, often allows
for the possibility of further
dialogue through the
lunch hour and creates a willingness to see the
process through conclusion in the afternoon.
One needs to think strategically about meetings as they
are at the core
of the success of the organization.
Choosing the right location is a
critical factor to
ensure a successful productive meeting and must
be
given full consideration when planning the meeting.
Dr. Barbara Frank is an experienced meeting facilitator
and creator of Meeting Oasis a firm specializing in
meetings and team performance enhancement in metropolitan
Washington.
Published in
Reston
Chamber of Commerce Business Update,
July 26, 2000
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Dr. Frank,
Founder of
Meeting Oasis and
Team Performance Expert,
offers
team
building &
facilitation
upon request |
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Successful
Meetings
Don't Just Happen
by Dr. Barbara Joyce Frank
Published as
"Facilitators:
A meeting facilitator explains how her job is crucial to the meeting
process" in
The Complete Event and Meeting Planner, Fall/Winter 2000/2001.
The
sales team is not performing well; communications between different
departments is far from optimal; a major change at the senior management
level calls for adjustments in mid-management - all good reasons to call a
meeting.
People are gathered and sequestered for a day. Logistical arrangements
for the meeting room, food and audiovisual equipment are handled
flawlessly by planners. Yet, instead of getting the results so urgently
needed, the meeting becomes a griping session and people leave
disgruntled. The meeting is perceived by all to be a waste of time,
money and effort.
What went wrong and what can be done so that future meetings are
productive events?
Read more...
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