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10.4 Document for Analysis: Poor Persuasive Memo Flowing Upward–
Miserable Meetings
To: Charlotte Cohen <ccohen@mitenterprise>
From: Clint Johnson <cjohnson@mitenterprise>
Subject: Improving Productivity and Morale With Better Meetings
Cc:
Attached:
Good morning, Ms. Cohen,
This past week I attended five in-house meetings and participated in three conference call
meetings. Some were well-run and necessary; others were poorly run and wasted my time. Some
meetings were actually socializing classified as work, and others merely rehashed decisions that
were already made. One meeting was called to announce information that could have been sent
in an e-mail. I noticed that many participants were as frustrated as I was.
Although most of our managers have business training, some are unaware of how expensive
meetings are in terms of our time and lost productivity. Many simply don't know how to run
meetings efficiently.
I suggest that our division develop a meeting policy that outlines effective meeting procedures.
Here are a few examples:
Meetings should be called only if decisions need to be made, and only key people should
be invited.
Each meeting should have a purpose and an agenda.
Leaders should start on time and state what is to be accomplished.
Participants should be encouraged to come prepared and be willing to cooperate.
Leaders must keep the group on topic and know how to move the meeting along
efficiently.
Meetings should be concluded with a summary of what was accomplished and action
assignments.
These are just a few ideas for improving our division meetings. Clearly, our division could
improve productivity by eliminating or reducing drawn-out meetings. With your approval,
I would be happy to work with a committee to develop a meeting policy with tips for running
meetings efficiently.
Could we schedule a time within a week to discuss this matter further? This is an opportunity to
not only improve efficiency but also boost employee morale.
Clint Johnson, Manager
Product Development
[Full contact information]
Instructor Note: See the Chapter 10 Lecture Notes for a list of weaknesses in this Document
for Analysis.
Solutions and discussion material for most activities in Chapters 11-14 are found in the
Lecture Notes for each chapter.
