MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convetion, Exhibition)

You’re at a meeting with key staff. You want some new ideas to address
the topic. Looking around at this group of creative, ambitious, bright people, you say, “Let’s get some fresh ideas on this. Who’s got something?”

Suddenly,you feel like the high-school teacher who has asked a
question about the homework no one did. People find their notepads
fascinating, others fumble in their briefcases muttering things no one
can hear, still others stare into space seeming lost in thought. No one is looking at you.

What’s going on?

There are many reasons for this unproductive response to your query. In
my many years of working with groups,I’ve found the reason most often
is one of these:

1. People are afraid of looking like idiots in front of bosses and peers.

2. They don’t entirely understand the question or the topic itself.

3. They worry their ideas are not “fresh” enough or “new” enough for you
and offering them will subject them to criticism (and might even show up
on their performance review).

4. They’ve seen others who gave ideas be attacked and embarrassed
and don’t want to join that elite club.

5. They didn’t realize this was to be an interactive discussion and were
thinking about other work and waiting for the meeting to end. They’re
now caught unprepared.

6. Caught off-guard, their minds are blank.

What can you do to change this situation?

If you could re-do the meeting from the start, you might send out an
agenda and indicate on it or the cover note that you’d like people to
bring ideas with them on,for example,topic #2. Thus,you’d give the
group advance notice and they can consider the task ahead of time. Or
at the start of the discussion, when you’re explaining why this topic is
important and how the company got to this point, you could warn the
team that you’ll be asking for ideas after sharing information. Thus,
they’ll gear up their listening and be ready with some ideas when the
time comes.

So,that’s what you’ll do next time. But now, here you are, trying to make
eye contact with your team and wondering what happened to all the
bright-eyed thinkers.

Creativity requires two important things: a safe climate and good
thinking. People may have insightful and innovative ideas but if the
perceived risk of offering them is high, those ideas will never see the
light of day. There is the rare chance that you are simply hiring the
wrong people – but that’s another issue! So let’s examine the first, far
more common, situation.

Why might employees perceive offering ideas to be risky? Look around
your company. Are people rewarded who try new things? Are mistakes
severely punished? When people make suggestions that seem patently
impossible, are they met with groans or rolling eyes? In meetings, like
the one you’re in, do ideas get ignored, met with silence, discounted?
Do status and hierarchy games get played where the lower level people
are not heard? Are ideas stolen and presented later as someone
else’s?

As the start of this meeting, you can manage the climate. Here are seven
things you can do to encourage and elicit ideas:

1. Say something encouraging like, “Let’s get a range of ideas up here
on the flipchart. All ideas are good ideas and I’d like you all to hold off on negative comments or judgments. Later on, we’ll select from the big list.”

2. Give a brief summary of the topic (again, if necessary) not only to
remind them of the situation but also to give them time to think.

3. Welcome each and every idea, even if it seems you’ve heard it many
times before. Your behavior will be closely watched and how you treat
ideas will invite more or shut them off.

4. Either you or someone else write up the ideas (on a flipchart if
possible) in the words of the giver. This gives encouragement and
assurance that their idea is valuable.

5. Notice if ideas are coming from only a few people. Some individuals
find the hurly-burly of a fast-paced meeting to be uncomfortable.
Consider having the group take a minute or two to write down some
ideas. Then, first ask for people to talk who haven’t yet had a chance.
The quieter, more introspective people will appreciate this open
invitation.

6. Rather than evaluate each idea as it is offered, add it to the list for later selection. You’ll have a wide mix of ideas and can then choose
among them for intriguing ones that could benefit from further
development.

7. Be patient. It’s rare that brilliant ideas emerge right away. In fact, many breakthroughs come from the combination of smaller ideas. Remember
that people often give “safe” ideas first and only offer the more creative
ones when they’ve gauged the climate to be open-minded.

So, that’s what you can do this time. And use these ideas for next time,
so you won’t get the “caught in the headlights” look. It’s really simple, if you’re willing to make the effort. Your staff will thank you for it.

Peg Kelley, MBA, has been a professional meeting facilitator for 25
years & is co-author of the booklet “39 Secrets for Effective and
Enjoyable Meetings” available for $6.00 at her Facilitation Plus website
at www.meetingswithmuscle.com. She publishes a free e-newsletter on
Meeting Management Tips. Send your email address to her at
Kelley@facplus.com if you want to receive it.

Tough times mean more meetings. This happens because executives respond to
problems by calling meetings to fix them. And when the meetings fail to produce results, they call more meetings. In some companies, people have even called meetings to figure out why their meetings didn’t work.

Rather than watch your boss trudge off to an endless schedule of meetings, here are
things you can do to help make the most of them.

1) When someone calls to schedule a meeting for your boss, ask for the agenda. If
there is no agenda, check if your boss wants to attend. Lack of an agenda is the
number one cause of bad meetings. Ideally, your boss would insist on having an
agenda because time is money. For example, I doubt that your boss signs blank
checks.

If the caller replies that your boss will receive an agenda at the meeting, state that
your boss wants to see the agenda at least a day before the meeting. This gives your
boss time to prepare and avoids being ambushed by surprises.

2) Ask “What are the goals for this meeting?” or “What results do you want to have
by the end of the meeting?” A meeting without goals will lack direction, which can
be as deadly as no agenda.

3) Ask “What is my boss’s role in the meeting?” or “Why do you want my boss to
attend?” Many junior employees invite executives to their meetings because it
makes them seem important. They also use this as an opportunity to delegate work
upwards, show off, and ask their boss to make decisions. Vague replies (such as,
“Oh, we just want hear what your boss has to say”) suggest lazy planning.

If your boss is being invited to “find out what everyone is doing” check if your boss
would prefer to receive a copy of the minutes instead. It takes much less time to
read minutes than attend a meeting.

If your boss has an important role in a minor part of a meeting, ask if your boss can
attend only that part of the meeting. Suggest that they schedule your boss’
participation at the beginning so your boss can be on time for this part and then
leave after contributing.

4) Ask “How should my boss prepare for the meeting?” This helps your boss do well
and avoids being surprised. If the preparation requires extensive work, check with
your boss if the schedule makes sense. Also, check if others will be prepared.
Unprepared participants always waste time. If necessary, revise the scope of the
meeting or schedule it for a later date to allow adequate preparation.

5) Ask “What should my boss bring?” You want to make sure that your boss has
whatever is needed for effective participation. You also want to know what is needed
because you may have to help obtain it. If the resources are unavailable, suggest
alternatives.

6) Ask who else will be there. This will help your boss anticipate what might happen.
And in some cases you may find it useful to call some of the other participants to
survey their expectations, concerns, and support for the issues on the agenda.

7) Finally, make sure that you collect details such as the starting time, duration, and
location. Obtain a map and directions when needed.

As an administrative assistant you work as an important partner with your boss.
Thus, you may want to share this article and use it as the basis for how you can
work together, making sure that your boss attends the right meetings for the right
reasons with the right preparation.

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold meetings that produce results – fast and with everyone’s
participation. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His
facilitation and workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details.

Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.

A good credit reward card can contribute to your retirement account, offer gas rebates, score theme-park or vacation tickets or take thousands off the
price of your next auto purchase. Rewards at hotels, airlines, and retailers bring more to the possibilities but, adds to the confusion. Here are some tips to find the best reward programs for you to increase your buying power.

Who should apply for reward cards?

It used to be that if you pay off your balance each month, reward cards
are definitely worth considering. But now, many have come out with very
competitive interest rates below 10 percent, so if your credit is good
enough to qualify, you need not necessarily discount a rewards card, unless
it hinders you from paying down your balance in any way.

Invest some time to maximize payoff

Anyone who wants to get the best deal must patiently compare offers,
then manage them consistently afterwards. Scrutinize spending to give maximum
rebate value for the dollar.

Calculate your spending to make the rewards worthwhile

If you charge $3,000 a year on a card that costs $45 annually, for
example, it will take over 6 years to earn a free airline ticket with most
cards. In that time, you will have paid $270 in fees — enough to buy a
discounted air ticket on your own.

Flyer miles

Frequent-flier miles were the first comers of the rebate credit
cards. They typically value at 1% to 2% rebate or one mile per dollar spent,
so choose the ones that offer the highest return.

Some airline cards have a “use it or lose it” policy, as do many travel or hotel rewards. If it will take you a long time
to earn your reward, you will want to make sure it will be there for you.
American Express, for example, has programs that never expire and provides
miles that, can be used on a number of different airlines. If you travel
different airlines but need a Visa or MasterCard (accepted by more merchants),
you can choose a bank-issued “travel awards” card.

About auto rewards

Car rewards tend to be the most generous in terms of what percentage
rebate you earn but has its limitations. For example, if you earn 5% toward
the purchase of a vehicle, but only on select vehicles. You can always exchange to another card rebate program after you have reached
the maximum reward to keep the discounts and continue to charge more.

Gas rewards

With ever increasing gas prices, you can augment earnings by also applying
for gas reward cards. Cardholders can earn higher rates on all gasoline
purchases.

Entertain yourself

Many theme-parks and attractions; such as, Disney and Universal, have
credit cards that give you points toward tickets, movies and other great
stuff.

Get cold hard cash

The easiest way to accumulate true savings is by taking advantage of
no-fee cash-back cards. To get the most benefit, choose a card that gives
you at least a full 1% back on all purchases. Also choose a card that comes
with retail card benefits where rates increase 5% to 10% when spending
at participating merchants and retailers.

For a complete comparison list of the tremendous amount incentive
reward card offers to choose from, visit SpyFind’s
Credit Rewards Center to find the ones right for you.

James Banks serves as valuable team contributor to the SpyFind Information Network. Areas of expertise include both credit and financial advice. To view more related material, vist SpyFind’s Credit Center,

http://www.spyfind.com/credit.html

I don’t encourage managers to wear funny hats, appear in self-deprecating skits, or otherwise emulate Saturday Night Live in an attempt to manufacture an image as, “Look, folks! I’m just one a’ the guys!” If clients insist, I do what I can to help. I want the money. But it’s not usually such a hot idea.

I know it’s done. Frequently. And I read reports of the exhilarating effects created by executives who deliver call-to-action keynotes dressed as a gunfighter or sumo wrestler. I notice, also, that these reports are usually written by those who work for the speaker, or by meeting producers retained by the speaker’s company.

A field sales force may see their management only once or twice a year; usually at the annual sales meeting. They need to know that those running the store have a clear vision of where the company’s going, and what it will take to get it there. And giving them Bozo the clown doesn’t do a hell of a lot to convince a sales force their future is in good hands.

Conventional wisdom tells us the confident and secure executive isn’t compromised by a little benign buffoonery. Well, maybe. In my experience, however, confident managers are secure enough to bypass situations that often succeed in converting respect to ridicule. It’s usually the uncertain manager who clutches at these moments in an attempt to create a public charisma that personal performance has never provided.

The bottom line for the executive comic? Don’t get beaten by your own shtick!

http://www.thewritingworks.com

John Mackenzie has been creating award-winning corporate communication elements for 30 years. He’s also co-founder of The Writers Roundtable, a group of self-employed business communication writers who met (occasionally) at the Writers Guild of America in New York City. During 15 years of operation, The Roundtable maintained a standing door prize for any writer who had a client that paid in 30-days. The prize was never collected.