A GOOD MEETING BEGINS WITH DISCIPLINE - Chanukya's way

[Guest guest]

A GOOD MEETING BEGINS WITH DISCIPLINE - Radhakrishnan Pillai

 

Bill Gates had said in his book Business at the speed of thought, " The most

effective meetings are the ones when the participants come well-prepared " .

 

This is true, and something already known to Chanakya who had made this rule

long ago in our country. He wanted people to not only come on time, but also to

come well-prepared with their reports.

 

If they turned up without that, they were actually fined or even punished.

 

He said,

 

" For (managers) not coming at the proper time or coming without the

account-books and balances, the fine shall be one-tenth of the amount due "

(2.7.21)

 

Discipline in meetings is very important. Listing various aspects, Chanakya gave

utmost importance to punctuality and a well-prepared meeting. Let us take a

detailed look at these:

 

1. WHY HAVE A MEETING?

 

A meeting is an event where two or more people meet to discuss certain ideas. In

a company, most of the meetings have an agenda for which people meet. For

example, a sales review meeting. This will require the sales team to come and

discuss the sales achieved, upcoming strategies to achieve the next targets and

also the plans for moving ahead.

 

A meeting is also held for an exchange of ideas, an opportunity to network,

understand the working styles of others as well as to share or seek information.

 

2. THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD MEETING...

 

A good meeting is one that has a clear agenda. The timing for such meets is

worked out well in advance and communicated to all. It starts on time and also

ends in time. People feel nice after one such productive meeting rather than

having one meeting flowing into another without any progress.

 

In today's scenario especially, when time is a precious commodity, one should

not hang around without a clear agenda. Every second has to be made productive.

 

3. PREPARING FOR A GOOD MEETING

 

The first thing is to communicate. This is the role of the organiser. Remember,

you have to communicate four things to the relevant participants way before they

gather: WHERE, WHEN, WHO and WHAT.

 

Where is the meeting going to be held (venue). When (the time – both starting

and ending), Who (the chairperson or speaker for the session) and What (the

agenda and the topic for the meeting).

 

In any event, if you are a participant of a meeting, you have to always come

prepared with the relevant reports and required papers.

 

When asked for any particular information, no time should be wasted. A quick and

prompt response will help in the decision-making process.

 

Additionally, try to understand the importance of a meeting. Be a good

organiser, conductor and participant of a meeting. Also, never hesitate to teach

others to have effective meetings.