So while we're still sitting in the boardroom, it's a good time to look at meetings, meetings, meetings, meetings. It seems we're always in meetings. Yes. And it does. meetings take up so much of our time because they're the way we make our decisions, plan our actions and the work we're doing along. But, yes, but that's a big word isn't it?

Certainly is. How many of us hate meetings, we all have memories of meetings that seem to last forever, and no decisions ever get made. Someone keeps interrupting or moving everyone off agenda, or the chair might have too many opinions of our own. A meeting often runs over his time. And by the time it's finished, everyone goes home tired and unsatisfied. Well, there's no magic wand to make every meeting more effective.

But that word again, meetings can really help in decision making and planning. They don't have to be painful, that can even be fun. And just like everything you've learned on our course, you can learn how to make your meetings both useful and enjoyable for everyone. They're effective meetings help your group, which is cool. So let's see how we can make the more effective. Now, you might be chairing a meeting or you might be a participant in a meeting chaired by someone else, whichever it is, remember your public speaking skills, meetings are speaking in public.

So our principles apply here just as much as in giving speeches. So if you're chairing a meeting, all of the parts that go to make up the meeting are important, and are similar to writing and delivering a speech. If you think about what guy has just said, you'll realize that what you've learned about public speaking can go a long way to help you when you plan and run a meeting. The principles are very much the same. chairing a meeting is much more than just moving through the agenda, running a meeting. It's a skill, not something you Knowing how to do, just as with any skill, you will get better with practice and get more confident, just like public speaking.

In fact, just to remind you, chairing a meeting is another form of speaking in public. Just like a good speech. A good effective meeting happens when you pay attention to your four stages. Planning, including considering your goals. Remember intention for module two, which leads on to the meeting agenda. rather like your outline of your speech, setting up the meeting the logistics you have to take into account and then of course, you have to run the meeting.

If you can do that, you should avoid wasting everybody's time and avoid boring meetings that go nowhere. So first of all, decide the goal of your meeting. Just why you decided the attention and outcome of your speech. Again, just like your speeches, do your homework. Meetings often need to be researched as well. Consult with colleagues if You need to their input can be valuable in helping to plan the meeting.

Just as with planning for good structuring your speech, this should lead to a well constructed agenda. Just like signposting your speeches, make sure that participants know what's going on. list the amount of time you plan for each item. If someone that that then you is presenting some part of the agenda, list that too and send it out at least a week ahead of time. Members of any group should know what they're coming to do. As we said in an earlier module, if the meeting, not a mystery novel, like your speaking notes, your agenda is your roadmap.

Stick to it. Treat the participants as your audience and consider them to do your best to start on time and end on time. plan the room layout and make sure everyone is comfortable. Is that water? Is there writing materials. It's your job to consider these things.

If you're the chairman Meeting, then you need to prepare for the various tasks you have to do in the meeting room and consider how you're going to do them. First of all, introduce everyone, including yourself and any special speakers. And if you think it's necessary, really short icebreaker session, deliver a good engaging start the meeting and signpost the agenda, just as you would in a speech. Keep the discussion on track. Don't allow anyone to deviate from the agenda or hold the floor for too long, be fair, but firm. Summarize conclusions after each agenda item is finished and summarize the whole meeting or the end.

Chair fairly. Your position gives you a lot of power. So watch what you say how you say it, and how much you say. Don't take sides. Be fair to everyone. In fact, it's best to stay in role.

Can you chair the meeting family and also be an advocate for a particular position? Are you able to walk a structure resources and ideas, but not direct opinions. A good tip, as with any audience is to use eye contact and body language while you're chairing. You can speak volumes by making eye contact by smiling or not smiling over the change in your seating position. Now you have the tools to planning and getting through effective meetings in your organization. A good meeting is well prepared, focused and conducted efficiently, while one that is poorly planned or run will cause a lot of difficulties for you and your group.

So the planning and the conduct of meetings is really about speaking in public. And the speaking skills you've learned on this course will help you immensely when you come to chair your meetings. But of course, you might not be chairing the meeting. You might be a participant whether you were chairing the meeting or your participants, the principles of public speaking were mcli try to be as prepared as you can with briefing notes for agenda items where you might be speaking, when you do speak, remember to make what you say easy to follow, so that you have good structure, beginning, middle and end. And a clear signpost. As far as you are able, when you deliver content have a good beginning, a well structured, middle, and and arousing close.

And of course, if you need to speak during the discussion of an item, that's an impromptu speech, and you know how to do those now. So, whether you were preparing a meeting or being a participant, you are a public speaker, and the principles you learn on this course still apply. Well, this is the last of our training modules, but our sponsor will talk to you in the next module. He'll summarize the course and give some final thoughts on speaking in public. Together with some details about how we can comment on your speeches. We hope that you found the course practical and inspiring Don't forget that you can revisit any of the modules that anytime you can even run the whole set again.

So, goodbye from all of us. Goodbye. Goodbye.