MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convetion, Exhibition)

Meetings are often considered the number one time waster at work (according to time management surveys). They are often poorly planned, poorly run, and don’t achieve anything. To make it even worse, we have to put up with “the participant from hell”. You know who I’m talking about. You probably sat next to one at your last staff meeting. Check out the following list and see if anyone you know is on it. I’ve included some tactics that might help you handle the “participant from hell” without losing your cool.

Participants from hell

Talkative Tom

This person likes to hear himself talk and uses every meeting as a chance to monopolise the discussion. If you know a TT will be there, try to seat him/her to the extreme left, which will make it easier to avoid their attempts to take the floor. Encourage other members to talk as well. And don’t ever look them in the eye for more than one second at a time – they don’t need much encouragement to keep talking!

Silent Sue

Silent Sue is timid and self-conscious. Don’t embarrass her by asking difficult, direct questions. Try a more low-key approach and thank her for her contribution. Your task is to encourage the SS’s of the world to speak up – they may have just the right answer if only they can get it out.

Neighbourly Nel

Talking sideways can be disruptive and downright rude. You have a number of options here: to ignore the sideways conversation, to stop speaking yourself and wait for quiet, or ask that they speak loud enough for the whole group to hear. Be careful that you don’t lose the goodwill of the group in the attempt to control NN’s rudeness.

Arguing Adam

The arguers require careful handling. Try to find out why this person is against everything and then try to overcome his/her objections. In fact, when skillfully handled, this type can be very useful in a meeting as a devil’s advocate. Try to get the involvement of other group members, to temper AA’s negativity.

Busy Bee

This person is generally late, frenzied, and may be called out of the meeting on “urgent” calls, or leave early. A workable strategy for BB (who is often seeking reassurance of’ his/her importance) is to involve him/her in a task as soon as possible, drawing on his/her expertise.

Expert Eve

This person seems to devote all their energy to challenging the chairperson, and may clarify or contradict what has been said over and over again. A workable strategy to counter EE involves recognising their view point while encouraging others to contribute on the subject. (e.g. “That’s an interesting point of view. What do others think?)

Some tips to help tame the terrors

While there are never truly hard and fast rules for difficult participants, you should always try to apply the following general guidelines:

1. Always handle the problem early.

2. Never put a troublemaker down.

3. Always use tact and diplomacy.

4. Never show annoyance or lose your temper.

And remember that as a meeting participant you have your own responsibilities to help make the meeting a success.

Try to always :

* Think about items on the agenda before the meeting and do any research which would help you make a valuable contribution.

* Arrive on time.

* Keep your contributions relevant to the subject

* Under discussion.

* Be positive in your attitude towards the leader and other members.

* Use only your share of the speaking time.

* Keep your own selfinterests in check.

* Encourage good ideas suggested by others. Develop your listening skills.

* Make your comments clear, succinct and loud enough so that all can hear.

Jo Gibney is an accomplished seminar leader, group facilitator, professional speaker, writer and HR Consultant. She has a broad background in both the private and public sectors and has presented at seminars and other business forums both nationally and internationally. Her commitment to adult learning is a life long passion, and much of Jo’s work focuses on developing not just work skills but also personal competencies and strengths. Jo set up her own training and consulting business in 1995 and has developed many close links with both small and large businesses throughout Australia. In recent years, Jo has concentrated much of her professional expertise on the process of creating confident, courageous and committed individuals and organizations. Jo’s ability to take complex theories and concepts and demystify them into user-friendly processes is a key to her business and personal success. Her strategy of keeping it simple and on the human level works brilliantly in both small and large organizations. Contact her at jo@organisenow.com

In the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE concept car was unveiled. Although the show did not featureMazda MX6 parts, Mazda had stolen the show when they featured the RX-8 rotary engine system that was designed to run on two different fuels, hydrogen and oxygen.

Following the success of the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE in Japan last March, the Mazda Motor Corporation will present the RX-8 Hydrogen RE at the ONS2006 (Offshore Northern Seas 2006). The ONS2006 is an energy exhibition that will be held in Stavanger, Norway from August 22 to 25. The exhibition will feature the international concern on energy conservation and challenges encountered in the energy industry.

Along with the ONS2006, the national HyNor Project will open the first hydrogen filling station in Norway to promote the utilization of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

“The hydrogen station in Stavanger is the first step of a long and exciting journey for hydrogen, and we are very proud to have Mazda present at the opening. Hydrogen has always suffered from the classic chicken-and-egg debate. The car manufacturers wait for a fuel distribution network to be set up, and the fuel suppliers wait for cars to be produced. In the end we decided to take a risk and build the first station and as you can see, the first cars have already arrived,” said Brage W. Johansen, Manager of Hydrogen Group, Statoil ASA and member of the HyNor National Board.

Mazda’s research and development of the hydrogen rotary engine was first started in 1991 and the first public road test of the hydrogen rotary engine happened in 2004. The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE features a unique fuel system that consists of a high-pressure hydrogen tank. The rotary engine of the Mazda RX-8 allows the utilization of hydrogen fuel and gasoline. Using hydrogen fuel offers a reliable s

James Muir, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe said: “Mazda means business when it comes to developing alternative fuel vehicles. Proof of this, is that we will be driving into a new Norwegian hydrogen filling station in a car that is not a prototype, but a model that Mazda has begun to lease to regional governmental authorities and companies in Japan. It uses both petrol and hydrogen at the flick of a switch. It’s safe and it’s fun to drive. With several countries in Europe beginning to invest in hydrogen infrastructures, Mazda’s RX-8 Hydrogen RE represents an important step towards eventual mass production.”

Mazda MX6 parts

Margaret Adams is the present manager of the largest auto manufacturing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This 35 year old maiden is a certified car enthusiast.

Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all they really do is
host a party. Or worse, they deliver a monologue. In either case, their meetings
produce little.

Here’s how to hold an effective staff meeting.

1) In general. Keep them short. Most staff meetings should last less than an hour.
You want your staff to spend their time working on things that earn money for your
business, not sitting in meetings. Keep them positive. Negative meetings contain
insults, ridicule, and attacks. These activities create caution and resentment, which
always costs your company money. Keep them interactive. Your staff consists of
intelligent people. Put them to work in your meetings to advance the effectiveness
of your organization.

2) Share news. Give the members of your group one minute to report on progress
made in their area of responsibility. You’ll find that this results in bullet point
reports of essential information. It also prevents people from philosophizing,
explaining, justifying, criticizing, and engaging in other unproductive activities. Plan
a time budget: 8 to 10 minutes.

3) Teach something. Invite a guest expert to give a 10 minute presentation on some
skill or technology that benefits your group. Tell the expert that you want a logical
explanation of practical ideas. You can also ask members of your group to take
turns delivering brief tutorials on topics that benefit the others. Plan a time budget:
10 to 15 minutes.

4) Practice skills. Create team learning activities that sharpen or teach skills needed
in your business. For example, you could role play job skills (especially useful for
sales teams), solve puzzles (useful for high tech groups), or take quizzes (useful for
everyone). Ask group members to take turns bringing an activity that reviews or
teaches a valuable skill. Follow this activity with a brief recap of key ideas. Then ask
the group members to give a fifteen second report on how these ideas can be
applied to improve their work. Plan a time budget: 10 to 20 minutes.

5) Solve problems. Give each group member a minute to describe a challenge that
hinders work on a current project and then let everyone propose solutions.
Suggestions should be brief and free of self aggrandizing explanations or
motivational sermons. This process also requires a positive, supportive environment
to succeed. If this is used to ridicule, insult, or criticize the individual, then people
will be reluctant to reveal issues that need attention. Plan a time budget: 3 to 6
minutes per person.

IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye works with leaders who
want to hold effective meeting. His innovative workshops have informed and
inspired people nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people will
support. Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web site for over 100 pages of valuable
ideas. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com

Students from Indianapolis Schools to Compete in African American History Challenge

Students from three Indianapolis middle schools will compete in the African American History Challenge held June 7-11 in Atlanta, Ga. The team is composed of Kenneth Rush from Crispus Attucks Middle School, Gordon Jackson of Park Tudor and Adrian Wynn of Craig Middle School. The team has trained for the event with Co-Chairs Pat Payne, of the Indianapolis Schools, and Kevin Davenport, 100 Black Men of Indianapolis. The African American History Challenge is an educational, scholastic program designed to encourage the study of African and African American history. The students in the program have been working to recognize the importance of history in the world, to seek truth in the study of history and identify when textbooks do not accurately reflected the contributions of people of African descent. The main source of study used in preparation for the national competition was “Before the Mayflower,” authored by historian Lerone Bennett. The students have been preparing for the competition since early October, meeting every Saturday morning from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Indianapolis School’s Multicultural Center.

Northwest High School Will Offer International Baccalaureate Program

Indianapolis School students will have the opportunity to enroll in the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Starting this fall, the rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum will be introduced at Northwest High School. The Indianapolis School District wide magnet International Baccalaureate program was formally approved on May 15, 2006. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), a non-profit educational group based in Geneva, Switzerland approved the offering of the program at Northwest High School after the school completed a two year application procedure. The application process included training and professional development of all Northwest teachers and school staff, site visits to other schools with programs, before an official application was submitted in June 2005.

An International Baccalaureate site team spent two days last fall visiting the school and interviewing staff, students and teachers. The International Baccalaureate is currently offered in only seven schools in the state of Indiana. The International Baccalaureate follows a very tough curriculum of study. It includes tough pre-college workloads in such traditional areas of study as math, foreign language, history, science and the arts. Students who are eligible for the program will be required to write an extended essay and be expected to participate in 150 hours of community service that has been initiated by the student. All of the International Baccalaureate programs in Indiana are at the high school level. Indianapolis School District’s Center for Inquiry is currently in the certification process to offer an elementary and middle grades International Baccalaureate academic program.

This will give the more urban students in Indianapolis Schools the chance to rise to the challenges of this world-renowned curriculum. The tougher curriculum will result in higher expectations for student achievement and a strong academic focus. The accelerated program is intended to help foster the small schools curriculum design being used at Northwest High School. The high school currently has four small academies organized by academic and career themes all on one campus.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on Indianapolis schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Indiana/Indianapolis/index.html