Effective Meetings & Time Management

2015
Effective Meetings, Communication,
& Time Management
Tips & Tricks to Scale Effectively

thrivenetmarketing.com 817.642.9686
Agenda
 Introduction to
Critical Thinking
 Time
Management
 Effective
Communications
2
“We cannot solve our
problems with the same
thinking we used when
we created them”
Albert Einstein

Session Objective
 Understand Critical
Thinking and how to use it
to solve problems
 Learn tips on how to
prioritize and manage time
better
 Better use the right tools
to communicate more
effectively
 Understand the keys and
barriers to effective
communication
3
By the end of this session you will be able
to… “Thinking is the
hardest work there
is, which is
probably the
reason why so few
engage in it.”Henry
Ford

Why Are We Talking About This?
4

My Formula For Success
5
+ Practical Application of
Time
Management
Effective
Communication
= Successful Scaling
The ability to
apply critical
thinking your
daily tasks
with practical
application of
time
management
and
communicatio
n skills will
allow you to
scale your
workload and
reduce stress

What is Critical Thinking?
6
Critical Thinking
Is a Self-Directed Process
By Which We Take Deliberate Steps
To Think at the Highest Level of Quality.
Critical Thinking involves asking questions
to come up with potential solutions to
different problems.Productive: Thinking that goes beyond observing
and recalling facts
Critical: Being able to ask questions and gather
information
Weighing & Solving: When you think critically you
weigh evidence, solve problems and make decisions
Creating & Applying: When you think critically you
create new ideas, and turn information into a tool by
applying what you have learned in previous situations
to new situations

Applying Critical Thinking
7
STOP and Think
Recognize Your
Assumptions
Evaluate the Information
Draw Conclusions
Plan of Action

Time Management
8
“Remember
that time is
money”Ben Franklin - 1748
There is a “Time Famine” at Thrive
today.

This is a SEVERE Problem
9
The Average Person Wastes Around TWO Hours Each Day at
Work
Poor Time Management is a KEY CONTRIBUTOR to Stress

Step One: Classify Your Tasks
10
1 2
3 4
More
Importan
t
Not as
Importan
t
Due Soon Not Due
Soon
List our all of your tasks and assign then a value
The Importance Scale
More ImportantLess ImportantNot as Important
JUST
YOU
THE
TEAM
THE
PROJECT
CLIENT’
S
REVENU
E
RELATIONSHI
P WITH THE
CLIENT
THE
COMPANY

Step Two: Planning
11
“He who fails
to plan is
planning to
fail”Winston Churchill
1 Break Large Tasks Down into Smaller
Pieces
2 Plan to Do the Ugliest
Tasks First
3 Plan Each Day, Each
Week, Each Month, &
Each Quarter
You can always change your plan,
but only once you have one!
4
5
Use the Tools Available to You to
Do Your Planning
Communicate Your Plans to Your Team
and Your Boss to Ensure Priority
Alignment

Step Three: Ensure Execution
12
1
2
3
4
5
Schedule Yourself: You don’t FIND
time to do things you MAKE it
Learn to Say No: Because everything
you do has an “opportunity cost”
Avoid Interruptions: Turn off email
notification sound and other
distractions while focused
Cut Things Short: Start with “I only
have five minutes”, have an out and
use it
Set Time Limits & Deadlines: “Work
expands so as to fill the time available
for its completion”
Parkinson’s Law - Cyril Parkinson, 1957

Communicating Effectively
13
“The most important thing
in communication is
hearing what isn’t said”
Peter Drucker
What You HEAR
What You SEE & FEEL
The Actual Words
Tone of voice
Vocal clarity
Verbal expressiveness
Facial expression
Dress and grooming
Posture
Eye contact
Touch
Gesture
Communicati
on is KEY

When to Use What
14
EMAIL PHONE MEETING ASANA CHAT
INTERNAL
EXTERNAL
When Sending
Summaries
When Sending
Links
When Actions Are
Needed
When Approval is
Needed
When Tracking is
Needed
When You or the
Client is
Frustrated
When Emotion or
Urgency Need
Communicating
After 2 Emails
with No Reply
When relationship
needs
strengthened
When Multiple
People Need on
the Same Page
When Complex
Items Require
Communication
When Visuals are
Required to
Explain
For Milestones
When Sending
General or
Educational
Information
To Ask a Question
When Action is
Needed Urgently
When Something
is Wrong
To Communicate
Goals, Changes,
or Priorities
When Team
Building is
Needed
When You Need
Someone Else to
Do Something For
You
When You Need a
Quote or
Estimation
When You Need
to Provide
Information on an
Existing Task
When You Have a
Question on an
Existing Task or
Project
To Ask a Question
that Does Not
Require Research
or Investigation
(Instant –
YES/NO)
To Check on the
Status of a Task
To See if the
Person is
Available
For Getting to
Know Each Other
and Fun!

Effective Listening
15
“If we were
supposed to talk
more than listen,
we would have
been given two
mouths and one
ear.”Mark
Twain
Be Aware of Body Language:
Maintain eye contact and be
relaxed
Keep an Open Mind: Try to
feel what the speaker is
feeling
Do Not Interrupt: Do not try to
impose your “solutions”
Give Feedback: Summarize back, reflect
feelings, ask questions, or just say “uh huh”
Be Aware of Barriers: Know what the
person, the environment, the topic, or
other items might prevent you from
listening.

Barriers to Successful Communication
16
What Could Prevent Successful Communication?
Knowledge, Skill & Vocabulary
Distance & Time
Cultural Differences/Language
Emotions
Distractions
worry, fear, anger, grief, depression,
excitement, frustration, sadness,
history
environment, workload, emails,
phone calls, kids, pets,
preoccupation, boredom
race, upbringing, religion, accent,
prejudice, individual bias, age,
semantics
time zone, jetlag, time-of-day,
weather, tech breakdown,
tech terms, profession, acumen,

Key to Effective Emails
17
Create an effective
folder structure and
save every email…no
exceptions
(except spam)
If you want someone
to take action, they
should be the only
person on the “TO”
line
Never include your
boss or their boss
unless you are trying
to get them in trouble
Never use your inbox
as a “To-Do” List
If someone doesn’t
reply in 48 Hours they
probably never will
Be courteous of other
people’s inboxes and
only email people who
NEED TO KNOW
You can’t build a relationship over email. If you don’t talk
you don’t have a relationship at all

Key to Effective Meetings
18
• Purpose and goals are set in advance
• Only the appropriate people are attending
• Have an agenda and communicate in advance
• Background information is distributed in advance
• Meeting is actively managed
• Meeting ends with wrap-up, including action items and assignments
• Written minutes are distributed promptly
1
2
3
4
5
The interaction of opinions is necessary
to create an idea, plan or solve a problem
Group dynamics are essential to the
accomplishment of the purpose
Time restrictions limit other options
The subject is sufficiently complex as to
require interaction and explanation
The client requests it

Key to Effective Phone Calls
19
The Phone Call is Going the Way of the Letter… But it’s all We
have
Direct Communication is the key to creating excitement, diffusing
conflict, and building strong relationships with our
clients.
Prepare for the Call:
List out the needs before you
dial
Be Respectful of Time:
Ask if it’s a good time and how much they
have
Use Clear and Concise Vocabulary:
Don’t get technical, explain
everything
Use as Opportunity to Build Relations:
Ask questions, ask for feedback, thank
them

Effective Internal Communications
20
Always Give Thrivers the Benefit of the
Doubt
Remember Every Other Thriver is Just as
Busy or is Busier Than You Are
No Thriver is a Mind Reader… If You Don’t
Explain What or Why They Won’t Know
Use the Right Tools the Right Way
Know Your Strengths and Leverage
Other’s… We Win as a Team, We Fail
Individually
Don’t Work in a Vacuum, Collaborate With
Each Other on Everything You Do
“Coming together is a
beginning, keeping
together is progress,
and working together
is success.”
Henry
Ford
Communication with
our client’s means
nothing if we can’t
communicate with one
another.

Summary
21
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Effective Meetings & Time Management

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