We have now reached the final part of this session on having effective meetings. In this section, the facilitator will review the whole session and get them to reflect on their learning with the aim of getting them to think about what they are going to do with what they learned from the session.
REVIEW, REFLECT AND CLOSE
Again, thank them for all their participation and engagement during the session and let them know that you want to review what has been covered during the session.
I have been writing about how to have effective one-to-one meetings and in the previous part of the training session, participants explored actions they can take to have effective one-to-one meetings. In this part of the session, they will get practical by demonstrating some of what they have learned by practising in small groups.
In the previous part of this training session, the participants compared two one-to-one meeting demonstrations that they had observed previously (see it here). In this part of the session, they will read and discuss some information for having effective one-to-one meetings.
ACTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE ONE-TO-ONES
Briefly review what has been covered so far in the session. Tell them that:
I have been writing a training session on having effective one-to-one meetings, and in the previous part of the session (that I wrote) the participants observed a demonstration of a one-to-one meeting (see it here). This is the second demonstration that they observed (you can read the part of the session with the first demonstration here). In this part of the session, they will compare both one-to-one meetings they observed using some criteria. The criteria list actions that can help to have effective one-to-one meetings.
I have been designing a session on having effective one-to-one meetings. In the previous part of the session, participants observed a one-to-one demonstration and gave some feedback about it (see it here). In this part of the session, participants will watch another demonstration and give feedback about it also. In a later part of the session, they will compare both one-to-one meetings to identify some good practices for having effective one-to-one meetings.
ELSA AND JANICE’S ONE-TO-ONE
Tell them that:
We are going to do another demonstration and do exactly what we did before.
I will act as manager, this time Elsa and the person volunteering will act as the team member, Janice.
The rest of you will act as observers and you will observe the demonstration and take down notes.
Then you will go into the same small groups as before to discuss your observations and give feedback afterward.
Direct the volunteer acting as Janice to the part of the workbook titled – ELSA AND JANICE’S ONE-TO-ONE.
Let the observers know that the place for their notes is in the part of their workbooks titled – OBSERVATION NOTES FOR ELSA AND JANICE.
Make sure the volunteer is clear about their role as Janice and the other participants are clear about their role as observers.
Then tell all those acting as observers to put off their cameras. Only the facilitator (you) acting as Elsa and the volunteer acting as Janice should have their cameras on.
Do the demonstration.
After the demonstration, thank the volunteer who acted as Janice and tell everyone to put back their cameras.
Next, tell them you are going to put them into two groups.
One group will summarise what Elsa did well and come up with an overall average score for the one-to-one meeting.
The other group will summarise what Elsa can do differently to make the one-to-one even better and also come up with an overall average score.
Each group must select a spokesperson to present back their summary and score.
Now use the ‘breakout rooms’ feature to put them into two groups for the activity and give them 7-minutes to do it.
After 7-minutes, stop them and bring everyone back to the main room. Then ask the first group (what did Elsa do well?) to present their feedback including their average score?
When they finish ask participants in the other group whether they have anything else they want to add to what the first group’s spokesperson just finished saying. Allow them to talk about anything additional that Aimee did well.
Then repeat what you just did for the other group (what can Elsa do differently).
After that thank them for their feedback. At this stage don’t give any assessments of your own about Elsa and Janice’s one-to-one.
Tell them that they have one more task related to the demonstrations and that is to compare Aimee and Elsa’s one-to-one meetings.
In the next post, participants will compare Aimee and Elsa’s one-to-one meetings to identify some good practices for one-to-one meetings.
I have been developing a course on having effective one-to-one meetings. In the course, I have already explored why 1:1 meetings are important (see here) and why despite their benefits some managers are still reluctant to do them (see here). This part of the section will see the participants observe a demonstration of a one-to-one meeting as part of learning how to do effective one-to-ones.
AIMEE AND ANDY’S ONE-TO-ONE
Tell them that:
Now, we want to start looking at what good 1:1s look like and the actions we need to consider for good 1:1 meetings.
I am going to do a demonstration of a 1:1 meeting for which I will need a volunteer to play the part of team member while I act as the manager.
We will be using a pre-written script for the demonstration, so the volunteer does not need to worry about what to say. They just need to play the role of team member by reading from the script.
I will play the role of Aimee who we met earlier having a conversation about 1:1s with Elsa.
The volunteer will play the role of Andy, one of Aimee’s team leaders.
Ask for a volunteer and once someone volunteers, thank them and direct them to the part of their workbook titled – AIMEE AND ANDY’S ONE-TO-ONE.
WORKBOOK CONTENT – AIMEE AND ANDY’S ONE-TO-ONE
Let the rest of the participants (apart from the volunteer) know that they will be acting as observers who will watch the demonstration and take down some notes. It is necessary that they take down notes because they will use the notes later.
Direct them to the part of their workbook titled – OBSERVATION NOTES FOR AIMEE AND ANDY.
WORKBOOK CONTENT – OBSERVATION NOTES FOR AIMEE AND ANDY
They will use the space there to record notes from the observation.
Make sure the volunteer is clear about their role as Andy and the other participants are clear about their role as observers.
Then tell all those acting as observers to put off their cameras. Only the facilitator (you) acting as Aimee and the volunteer acting as Andy should have their cameras on.
Do the demonstration.
After the demonstration, thank the volunteer who acted as Andy and tell everyone to put back their cameras.
Next, tell them you are going to put them into two groups.
One group will summarise what Aimee did well and come up with an overall average score for the one-to-one meeting.
The other group will summarise what Aimee can do differently to make the one-to-one even better and also come up with an overall average score.
Each group must select a spokesperson to present back their summary and score.
Now use the ‘breakout rooms’ feature to put them into two groups for the activity and give them 7-minutes to do it.
After 7-minutes, stop them and bring everyone back to the main room. Then ask the first group (what did Aimee do well?) to present their feedback including their average score?
When they finish ask participants in the other group whether they have anything else they want to add to what the first group’s spokesperson just finished saying. Allow them to talk about anything additional that Aimee did well.
Then repeat what you just did for the other group (what can Aimee do differently).
After that thank them for their feedback. At this stage don’t give any assessments of your own about Aimee and Andy’s one-to-one.
Tell them that they are going to watch another demonstration but this time the one-to-one meeting demonstration will be between Elsa and one of her team members called Janice.
In the next post, the participants will observe another one-to-one demonstration and give feedback. They will also compare Aimee and Elsa’s one-to-one meetings using some one-to-one meeting criteria.
The virtual training session I have been designing this week is, “Having effective one-to-one meetings.” In previous posts, I’ve shared the learning objectives for the session (see it here) and the first part of it which looked at what one-to-one meetings are and why they are important (see it here). In this part of the session, we will explore why some managers don’t do 1:1s despite their benefits.
BUT WHY DON’T MANAGERS DO THEM?
Ask them this question:
Despite the benefits of one-to-one meetings, why do you think some managers are still reluctant to do them?
Tell them to write their answers in the chat window.
Give them 3-minutes to answer the question. As they are writing their answers in the chat window, read through them quietly so you don’t distract anyone.
After 3-minutes, stop them. Then read through them so everyone can hear. For example, you can read them like this:
“Thanks Ennie, you wrote that managers don’t do one-to-one meetings because ….. And Ola you wrote that they don’t because of…Thank you.”
When you finish reading through their responses, let them know that you also have some reasons to share with them.
Display the slide titled – REASONS MANAGERS DON’T DO ONE-TO-ONES.
SLIDE – REASONS MANAGERS DON’T DO ONE-TO-ONES
When the slide displays it will be blank with just a title. You will click on the slide six times to display information and talk about the information displayed. The information to do that follows.
Click on the slide once and tell them that:
Some managers actually do see 1:1s as a waste of time which is why they don’t do them. If you see 1:1s as a waste of time then you probably don’t value your team members that much.
Click on the slide again to display more information and say that:
Some managers may also say that they don’t have enough time to do 1:1s because of work pressure. If managers actually make time to do 1:1s they will save time in the long-run because they can use the 1:1s to support and develop their team members to be more effective and they even be able to delegate tasks to them.
Click on the slide for a time and say that:
Some managers believe that because they have lots of catch-up moments with their team members then 1:1s are not necessary. While it is great to have frequent catch-ups, a 1:1 meeting is personal time for the employee where the manager and team member can discuss more personal issues and concerns which can’t be discussed at quick catch-ups.
Click on the slide to display more information and say that:
Another reason some managers may not have 1:1 meetings is because they believe their team members don’t like 1:1 meetings. Maybe the manager has tried having 1:1s before and the reaction of team members is negative in the meeting.
There can be a number of reasons for this. To start with the manager may have run the meeting poorly. Also, the team member may not be used to such meetings and so behave in a skeptical way during the meeting.
It is important that managers prepare properly for 1:1 meetings and also be persistent in having them frequently to make it a habit so that team members come to expect and value them.
Click on the slide again to display more information and tell them that:
This reason is connected to the previous one. The 1:1 meeting may not have worked because the manager did not prepare for it properly or maybe the team member is skeptical because it’s new to them.
Just because the meeting did not work once or twice does not mean a manager should stop having them.
The goal should be to become better at having 1:1 meetings and help the team member see their value.
Click on the slide for a final time and say that:
Some managers genuinely don’t know how to conduct 1:1 meetings either because they have no experience of doing them or they’ve not been trained.
That is why training sessions like the one we are having are important to equip all managers with the knowledge and tools to have good 1:1 meetings with their team members.
After you finish, ask them for any comments or questions. Listen to any they have and respond appropriately. Also, let them know that there is a section in their workbooks with the information you just presented to them.
Next, move on to start looking at how to have good 1:1 meetings.
In the next part of the session, the participants will observe a one-to-one demonstration and analyse whether it is a good one-to-one or not.
This week I am writing a virtual training session on, having effective one-to-one meetings. In the previous part of the session, I shared the learning objectives. This part of the session will focus on what 1:1 meetings are and why they are important. Below is a link to the previous part of the session.
Direct the participants to the part of their workbooks titled – AIMEE AND ELSA’S CHAT.
WORKBOOK CONTENT – AIMEE AND ELSA’S CHAT
Tell them to read the information there for 3-minutes and after that you are going to put them in groups to discuss and answer some questions related to what they read.
After 3-minutes, stop them and get everyone’s attention. Direct them to the section in their workbooks titled – ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS: WHAT AND WHY?
WORKBOOK CONTENT – ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS: WHAT AND WHY?
Let them know you are going to put them into small groups and in each group they should discuss and answer the questions in that section of their workbooks (ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS: WHAT AND WHY?).
Use the ‘breakout rooms’ feature to put them into small groups (no group should have more than four people).
Give them 10-minutes to do the group activity.
After 10-minutes stop them and bring everyone back to the main room.
Thank them for doing the activity and allow each group’s spokesperson to feedback their group’s answers. Listen to their feedback without making any comments or asking questions.
When they finish presenting their feedback, appreciate them again for doing the activity and then direct them to the part of their workbooks titled – WHYWE NEED ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS.
WORKBOOK CONTENT – WHY WE NEED ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
It should take about 5-minutes to read the information.
After they have finished reading, ask if they have any questions or comments about what they just read.
Listen to them and if they have any questions respond to them appropriately.
Next, you want to briefly discuss why managers may be reluctant to have 1:1 meetings despite all their benefits.
In the next post, the participants will explore reasons why managers don’t do one-to-ones despite their benefits.
Introduce the session by sharing the learning objectives with them. Display the slide titled – LEARNING OBJECTIVES.
SLIDE – LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After displaying the slide, tell them that:
One-to-one meetings are one of the effective tools managers have for supporting their team members and managing performance.
During this session, we are going to explore what is required to have great one-to-one meetings and how to put those principles into practice.
We will be using conversations, demonstrations, and practice sessions to help understand what 1:1 meetings are, why they are important and how to do them, so they have a positive impact.
After telling them that, move on to the next part of the session where the participants will read a conversation to identify what one-to-one meetings are, why they are so important and why some managers don’t do them.
In the next part of the training session, the participants will discuss what 1:1 meetings are and why they are important.
My training design challenge this week is to write a session on having effective one-to-one meetings. My challenge for last week was to write a face-to-face session on setting employee expectations. The challenge this week will be to design a virtual training session. The session this week titled, Having effective one-to-one meetings, will explore how managers can have effective one-to-one meetings with their teams by discussing areas such as what one-to-one meetings are, why they are beneficial, why managers may not be having them and the actions we can take to have one-to-one meetings that work. Below is an introduction to the session.
INTRODUCTION
One-to-ones (or 1:1s) are regularly scheduled meetings that managers have with their team members. A 1:1 meeting is time set aside for both the manager and team member to have conversations where the manager checks in to find out how team members are doing, give feedback, have coaching conversations, and be generally supportive to the team member. Most importantly it gives the team member the opportunity to talk to their manager and the manager to listen intently. In this session, participants will explore how to have effective 1:1 meetings with their team members.
DELIVERY MODE
Virtual Instructor-Led Session
DURATION (ESTIMATED)
2.5 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After going through this session, participants will be able to:
Describe what one-to-one meetings are and why they are important.
Demonstrate how to have effective one-to-one meetings.
WORKBOOK
Yes
PREPARATION
Send participants the workbook at least three days before the session
Read through all the session resources (facilitation guide, workbook and presentation) to see how they all work together to deliver the session.
PREREQUISITES
None
The next post will open and introduce the training session to the participants.
LearnaBytes 