As I teach on planning I address two basic questions. One is ‘Why plan?’ The other may not be openly expressed but is often close to the surface: ‘Is planning just adopting the world’s methods?’
1. Why plan?
In my introductory blog I shared on this topic and will enlarge on it further in subsequent postings. Put [...]
Continue reading about Planning and Implementation - pt 2 - some basic questions
This will be my last blog for the summer. I realise that there are other things on peoples minds such as holidays – in the UK at least. So I am joining them!
The importance of debriefing
For my final blog before we break let me share with you how we debriefed from the Together on a [...]
We met with God
Over 3000 Leaders and Twenties have now returned to about 40 nations and are separated by many thousands of miles having spent last week together with a common sense of vision and purpose at the annual Newfrontiers Conference ‘Together on a Mission‘ hosted by Terry Virgo.
There seems to have been a general [...]
Continue reading about Conference Administration - Behind the scenes at TOAM 2010
A literary masterpiece?
Minutes are recorded to serve those present and to ensure that the decisions taken are followed through. Failing to take minutes, or making them ‘inaccessible’ through poor presentation, may represent a loss of benefit from the original meeting. Minutes should not seek to have the accolade of a literary masterpiece! They are functional. [...]
Continue reading about Effective meetings pt 8 – Formatting Minutes and Handling Actions
The Importance of Minutes
The lack of adequate minutes can lead to frustration and inefficiency. ‘Minutes’ may seem a bit formal but notes of some sort are not negotiable - a ‘must’ from every meeting if the full benefit of the meeting is to be realised.
The detail included in these notes can vary – there is [...]
Continue reading about Effective Meetings pt 7 – Taking minutes
Skill
Chairing meetings is a skill; effective chairing is measured both by the outcomes of a meeting and the fulfilment of those attending. What I shall share here is for the more formal type of meeting and will need to be interpreted appropriately into different settings.
Who should chair a meeting?
Often the ‘senior’ person assumes he or [...]
Continue reading about Effective Meetings pt 6 – The importance of good Chairing
International eNews
Before continuing this series on Effective Meetings, and looking at Agendas, I want to commend the International eNews of Newfrontiers. Through this you can receive a monthly update of news around the world (see extract from the current one below) and have food for prayer for yourself or the church. To subscribe Click here>>
Agendas
To [...]
Continue reading about Effective Meetings pt 5 – Agendas. A practical example
Meeting with purpose
Meetings should be purposeful and all attending must be clear about the purposes. To assist with this an agenda is essential. This may sound a bit formal for some meetings but even if it is constructed on arrival due to the meeting’s spontaneity it helps focus the minds of those attending on what [...]
Continue reading about Effective Meetings pt 4 – making an Agenda work for you
In the last blog we looked at some of the core characteristics that are common to all meetings. Now we shall look at the different types of meeting.
Types of meeting
The types of meeting I attend fall into three categories:
1. Informal and often spontaneous
2. One in a defined series towards a particular goal
3. On-going for the purpose of [...]
Continue reading about Effective Meetings pt 3 – Types of meeting
The future of Time Management
I still have one more Time Management posting to make about PDAs but am not yet ready to do so. In the meantime I want to begin a new series on meetings. I hope you will find it helpful.
Meetings in abundance
Do you ever feel that the Lord got it wrong?! When [...]
