This was my first time chairing a meeting. The other members in my team are Joon Wai and Kai Ren. They were pretty supportive even though I made several mistakes during the meeting.
My first mistake was poor time management. I got carried away by the discussion and did not keep track of the time at all! As a result, the meeting had to end rather abruptly at noon as I had to attend a tutorial. During the meeting, I was sitting with my back to the clock. What I could have done was to orientate myself such that I’m facing the clock during the next meeting. Facing the clock would constantly remind me to keep track of the time. Another mistake that I made was that I didn’t really give the others many chances to speak. The fact that I had already pretty much worked out the project in my head, combined with the pressure of looking good on camera, has probably caused me to “bulldoze” my way through objections. I will keep this in mind and will try to avoid this during our next meeting.
All in all, the meeting wasn’t that big of a fiasco as it looked. While it didn’t go perfectly, we still managed to assign tasks, and decide on what to do. Furthermore, we managed to get to know each other a lot better. We had only worked with each other once in class before starting on this project.
Once again, thank you Joon Wai and Kai Ren for your support during the meeting.
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteManagement and organisation is an essential skill to have especially for the leader who plan. This is just a three men team. In the future, when you have a meeting consisting of hundreds of people, it would be a disaster. It would be a good habit to always book a room so that the organisation attitude is in you.
In the future, you might want to consider booking a room in the library discussion room. The link is below. The room is quiet and conducive.
https://aces01.nus.edu.sg/fbs/jsp/index.jsp
I believe for time management, all you need is a wrist watch as I believe in some situation, u might find yourself unable to sit in front of a wall clock. Therefore, a watch with your will be handy and it is even better to set an alarm clock 15 minutes before the end to prompt the group to sum up everything.
About yourself being a "bulldozer", it's a double edge sword. It get things done but beware of the consequences of being a "one man show". We should really avoid that is possible. Calm yourself and give others opportunity to let out their views. Their views might be considerable.
Regards,
Eno
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteI think it would be better if you tell them that you have a tutorial and when it suppose to end before starting a meeting, so that they know when to stop the meeting. Just like me, i told my teammate that i have to go back to Malaysia to celebrate Chinese new year so i ask them to start the meeting earlier, so that they know when will i be unavailable. I think it would be better to start a meeting at some place that is small like in Prince George Park study room or some other public places since there are only 3 people in the meeting.
I think the video tapping is a obstacle for a good meeting, it will make some people feel uncomfortable and react differently. So i don't really blame you for the "one man show" in the meeting. Everyone want to do well in the meeting, right?
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteSince you did not get the chance to mention everything in the post, I would write about a few areas you needed to take care of as the chair of the meeting. You were responsible for setting the agenda of the meeting, and opening and concluding the meeting. The chair also needs to steer the meeting in the correct direction and prevent digression. The chair also often plays the role of timekeeper, who makes sure the meeting does not go on longer than required. As Ferrino suggested, sitting facing a wall clock is not always possible, a watch usually does the trick.
Overall, I like the fact that your post is quite reflective, which is the purpose of this module. I think it is a good thing that i order to write these posts, we get to reflect upon small little things which we usually do not.
Cheers,
Anuj
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteI have never chaired any meeting before but I know that being a chairman of a meeting is not easy at all. It is normal that you had some mistakes during your first time as a chairman but the most important thing and also what you have done well in this post is to reflect on your own performance.
Choosing a suitable place for a meeting is very important. Since there are only 3 members, I think PGPR is a good place. There are many rooms and it is not so difficult to find an unused one. Fortunately, Jeisern and I stays in PGPR and Geetika also stays in campus.
Ferrino’s idea that is to set an alarm clock 15 minutes before the end is a good one. In addition, you can ask your teammate to remind you of the time. But remember that always try to keep track of time can distract you from the meeting.
A good leader must be more active than others. However, you should not dominate the meeting. But I think that may not be your fault for being a “bulldozer”. Maybe the other members were too passive.
Regards,
Dam Long
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the great advice on becoming a better chairperson.
I did initially think of using a wristwatch or my phone to keep track of time during my reflection. However, I felt that constantly glancing at my watch or phone might be a distraction. It might even give the impression that I’m bored of the meeting and couldn’t wait for the meeting to end! That’s why I thought of the wall clock. When it’s situated directly in front of me, I could glance at the clock and be less distracting. I would probably appear to be looking at the person who’s sitting opposite me.
But, I do see your point. It’s not possible to always have a wall clock directly opposite me. Perhaps setting an alarm on my phone to vibrate when 15 minutes is left is the best idea. In this way, there’s no possibility of getting carried away and not ending the meeting on time.
Regards,
Russell
Dear Russell,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that everyone has given very good comment here. There is merely anything to add and, I agree with what everyone says.
Strictly speaking, my team also had a little problem with time management during the meeting. Time is used quite randomly in a meeting when the chairperson does not take proper control of it, because thoughts can be provoked very randomly throughout the discussion. But on the other hand, if the chairperson takes too strict control of the time, good ideas and innovations from team members might be stifled in the cradle. There is always a trade-off between taking strict control and not taking strict control. In this sense, I think maybe our focus can return to the planning. Possibly a better planning with more accurate time anticipation and more flexible time allocation can help solve the problem.
This is just something I suddenly came about after I reading your post, so it seems that your post is quite reflective and thought-provoking.
Regards,
Shiyan