MCOM SmartBook Chapter 7

What should you include in the meeting minutes?

Action items The date and time of the meeting The people who attended the meeting

What skill is foundational to the principles for handling difficult conversations in the workplace?

Active listening

What indicates that consensus has been reached?

All people are in agreement.

Nina wants to increase the accuracy of her online meeting minutes and create a greater sense of joint ownership over the action items. What should she do?

Allow attendees to edit the minutes in real time during the meeting.

Chang runs a consumer appliance manufacturing plant in China and wants to demo new products for a client in England. He doesn't have time to ship the products or travel to England. Which of the following would be most useful to him?

An online videoconference

How should managers view conflict?

As a sign that people are expressing their true feelings

Mayuree is running a meeting that is supposed to start at 11:15 a.m. It's 11:15, but no one has shown up yet. When should she start the meeting?

As soon as one person shows up

Gus has noticed that during online meetings, attendees seem attentive but don't say much. What is a good way for Gus to encourage their participation?

Ask a contentious question at the start of the meeting

What should a good facilitator do during meetings?

Ask for input from people who have been silent. Summarize conclusions before moving on to the next item. Paraphrase unclear statements to check for understanding.

What is a way managers can show that they assume the best in others during a workplace conflict?

Ask for more context about the situation.

Natasha is the facilitator of a meeting. She notices that there are only five minutes left before the scheduled end of the meeting. What should she do?

Assign action items to the appropriate people. Summarize the main accomplishments of the meeting. Identify action items on which agreement has been reached.

A marketing manager of a beauty products manufacturer wants to start her weekly meetings in a way that reinforces her firm's culture. What is the best way for her to do this each week?

Assign someone to share a success story.

When should an agenda be distributed to attendees?

At least a day in advance

Why is it important to maintain neutrality when facilitating?

Attendees will otherwise be more likely to say only what they think the facilitator wants to hear.

What material should you always send to attendees in advance of a meeting?

The agenda

Participants in an online meeting are better able to ______ when everyone's webcams are on.

read nonverbal cues

A story that combines everyone's experiences, perspectives, and goals into a single approach is known as a(n) story.

shared

Meetings that focus on brainstorming about how to address a particular work problem are known as problem- meetings.

solving

What are some of the recommended principles for handling difficult conversations in the workplace?

Find common ground. Adopt a learning stance.

According to the "Take 5" strategy, what should happen during the first five minutes of a meeting?

Friendly chatting

In what order should items on an agenda appear?

From highest to lowest priority

What is the primary focus of coordination meetings?

Goals and tasks

Sandeep is a new employee. What is an example of a "difficult conversation" he might face during his first few weeks on the job?

Having his ideas rejected during a meeting

What should you do if a conversational partner starts to express anger during a conversation?

Help him or her channel it appropriately.

What are characteristics of difficult conversations, as defined by the Harvard Negotiation Project?

Important but uncertain outcomes Deep caring Threats to self-esteem

What is the best way to initiate a difficult conversation?

"I know this has been a problem and I think we can come up with a good solution for everyone."

What is an example of disagreeing diplomatically?

"I think my experience has been different, which is why I see it differently."

A group of new hires will be attending an online meeting you are running next week. What advice should you give to people who may not be familiar with using online meeting software?

"Log in a few minutes early to familiarize yourself with the meeting space."

What is an example of an either/or approach?

"Well, we can't both be right about this."

In the context of a workplace dispute, what is the best definition of a story?

A person's version of an event or interaction

Destiny finds it difficult to set an agenda for a meeting because the topic is so broad, she's not even sure of the main issues to address. What type of meeting(s) should she set?

A series of problem-solving meetings to explore the issues at hand until they can be defined

What is a benefit of using the "Take 5" strategy?

Building a social foundation for consensus

How should managers reinforce company culture in meetings?

By starting meetings with a tradition that reflects core values

What is the main difference between the documentation generated in face-to-face meetings and that of online meetings?

Complexity

Jennifer manages a team split between offices in New York City and Houston, Texas. What is the best way to handle team meetings?

Conduct them online with the whole team.

How should video be used during an online meeting?

Consistently; all participants should have their webcams on to improve their engagement in the meeting.

Into which category do most meetings fall?

Coordination and problem-solving

Because of downsizing, the workload of Lara's team has doubled. Lara is considering implementing daily status meetings with her team members because she is worried they won't meet their deadlines. Why might this be a bad idea?

Daily status meetings will take up a lot of the time that should be spent working.

What aspect of meetings do online software platforms make more difficult?

Developing trust

What questions should you ask yourself after a meeting?

Did I help lead decision-making or did I just follow everyone else? Did I speak my mind even if I knew my ideas wouldn't be popular?

What is the best way to create buy-in to a solution, even if it's not the solution that everyone wants?

Encourage everyone to share their ideas.

What are good ways to start a meeting?

Establish ground rules for conduct. Describe the meeting's purpose and goals. Assign roles such as timer or note-taker.

What is required in order to build a shared story?

Everyone must listen to each other's personal stories.

True or false: Finding common ground is often easier when emotions are running high.

False

True or false: Minimizing the number of stories shared encourages people to buy into the solution that the group chooses.

False

True or false: Validating someone else means agreeing with him or her.

False

What should you do in the first few moments of a meeting?

Indicate any issues that are confidential.

What online meeting tool would a facilitator most likely use to determine if the group has reached consensus?

Instant poll

In the context of a workplace dispute, what is the best definition of noise?

Internal discordance caused by emotions running high

Why is starting a meeting with a lively question especially important in online meetings?

It is easy for attendees to disengage or become bored in an online meeting.

Why should an organization encourage people to openly express their feelings during meetings?

It leads to higher-quality ideas.

What are the benefits of finding common ground during an emotionally charged moment?

It reduces distance and encourages bonding. It helps reveal solutions that may be mutually acceptable.

Which of these best describes the role of facilitator?

Neutral

During a performance review, Anastasia adopts the message-delivery stance. What is she likely doing?

Not listening to the other person

When you exaggerate you run the risk of doing what?

Oversimplifying the situation

What are some of the disadvantages of using online platforms to hold meetings?

Participants being distracted by things around them Lack of visual cues that help develop trust and rapport Possible technology failure

Teresa often assumes that most workplace conflicts are honest misunderstandings. What is the likely result of this belief?

People in her workplace tend to trust and respect her.

What is the best way to overcome noise associated with difficult conversations?

Prepare ahead of time for difficult emotions

What should team leaders do after the end of a meeting?

Pursue any issues that were not resolved. Follow up on the progress on action items.

What are examples of "difficult conversations" that business managers often face?

Resolution of disagreements between coworkers Poor performance reviews

An either/or approach is related most closely to what dynamic?

Right versus wrong

What is a way to embrace difficult conversations?

See problems as an opportunity to create solutions.

Tara is creating an agenda for a meeting. When should she ask attendees for their input?

Several days in advance

Omar and Sasha are having a conflict at work. Omar invites Sasha to tell him her story, and he now feels he understands her. What should he do next?

Share his own story and hope to create a shared approach.

What are example of software platforms for online meetings?

Skype Google Hangouts WebEx

When facilitating an online meeting, what assumption should you make?

Some participants may not be experienced with online meeting software and may need extra help.

Who is responsible for following up on the progress the team makes on action items after a meeting?

Team leader

Usually, which material should you send to participants in advance of a meeting?

The meeting agenda

In general, who should be the facilitator of a meeting?

The person who called the meeting

When sharing stories during a difficult conversation, who should share a story first?

The person who did NOT initiate the conversation

How do side conversations benefit an online meeting?

They allow the main meeting to continue uninterrupted.

How do ineffective meetings affect the workplace?

They create conflict and disagreement. They make participants less productive. They make participants feel frustrated.

What effect do online meeting tools have on the incidence of multitasking?

They encourage multitasking by giving attendees several ways to communicate.

What is the main drawback of meetings?

They take up a lot of time.

Sasha is facilitating a meeting about a highly contentious issue. Her task is to ensure that all participants in the meeting feel that their voices have been heard. What is the most important thing for her to remember?

To maintain neutrality, regardless of her personal feelings

Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of meetings in the workplace?

To share information and generate new ideas

What is the primary focus of problem-solving meetings?

Troublesome issues

True or false: After a meeting ends, you should evaluate your own performance even if you were not the facilitator.

True

True or false: How you initiate a difficult conversation can determine its success or failure.

True

True or false: Summarizing your conversation partner's feelings is a good way to help defuse strong emotions.

True

What are components of disagreeing diplomatically?

Validating others' feelings Using I-statements

How common is multitasking during meetings?

Very common

When identifying the purpose of a meeting, what is an important question to ask?

What outcomes do I expect?

Caroline often uses the text chat function during online meetings to talk privately with other meeting attendees. When should she discontinue using chat?

When she realizes she is not engaging with most of the other attendees When it distracts her from listening to the main meeting

In general, when should the facilitator end a meeting?

When the meeting is scheduled to end

Under what circumstance is it acceptable to begin a meeting late?

When you are in a polychronic culture

What are essential questions to ask when planning a meeting?

Who should attend? What information should I send to participants in advance? When will all of the participants be available?

In which situations is an online meeting appropriate?

With very large groups For international meetings For routine meetings

Among the recommended principles for handling difficult conversations, sharing stories is an element of ______.

adopting a learning stance

In general, openly expressing dissent in meetings tends to be ______.

beneficial

When a group reaches a plan of action that all or most members of the group support, they have reached

consensus or concensus

Meetings that primarily focus on discussing tasks, roles, goals, and accountabilities are known as meetings.

coordination

Meetings about issues that are deeply emotional, threatening to self-esteem, or highly significant but uncertain are known as conversations.

difficult

Oversimplifying by using superlatives such as always, never, most, or worst is a clue that you might be

exaggerating or exaggeration

A person whose role is to encourage discussion according to the agenda is known as a(n)

facilitator

Farshad wants to create a well-organized agenda. His priority should be ensuring that it ______.

flows logically

A demeanor that implies you have nothing to learn from the other person during a difficult conversation is known as a -delivery stance.

message

The record of what your team accomplished during a meeting is known as the

minutes

Recognizing others' perspectives and feelings as credible or legitimate is known as others.

validating or validation of

An online meeting might be the best choice when ______.

you feel unusually emotional or nervous