Collecting information Information gathered can be of two types: primary and secondary. Primary is information you collected and recorded yourself. Secondary is collected and recorded by others; it’s secondhand. ᭿ Task 9 Put the sources of information into the appropriate column. Primary information Secondary information Warning Both types of information should be used with caution because: Primary information could be inaccurate or biased. Secondary information could be inaccurate, biased, and out-of-date. Analyse the information The purpose of analysing the information is to make sense, objecively, out of the information you have collected. You must first ensure that the information is free from any personal bias. Information is then compared and contrasted in order to find new ideas or the best ideas. Separate facts and figures need to be interpreted by explaining what they mean and what significance they have. Determine the solution First make sure that a solution is requested. This may not always be the case. The purpose of the report may be to present the facts for someone else to determine the best solution. If you have been asked to provide a solution, you should be able to do so based on an anlysis of the information. Reports 65 questionnaires, pamphlets, experiments, journals, surveys, newsapers, books, Internet, observations, reports, raw data, magazines. Organising the report You’re now at the last step of creating a report which was identified in Task 7. Before actually writing the report, work on an outline plan. In order to do this, note down the major ideas, supporting ideas, and details. Then eliminate the irrelevant material you’ve collected. You’ll then have a basic structure for the report. ᭿ Task 10 Imagine you have been asked to write a report by the Head of Training. He would like you to find out training needs and available courses. Make notes in the skeleton outline below. To: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Subject: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purpose of the report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Supporting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing a rough draft Don’t be too worried about editing and proofreading at this stage. What’s important is to start writing. If possible write the report in a logical order. You may, however, prefer to start with the main body of the report but if you do this, be careful not to lose sight of the purpose of the report. Make sure your headings are useful signposts for the reader. Final report Check that your report is: ᭤ accurate – both in facts and language ᭤ objective ᭤ clear ᭤ concise ᭤ readable – i.e., it is easy to read because of the points above 66 Proposals and reports 7 Meetings How often do you hear people complaining about the number of meetings they have to attend and what a waste of time the majority are? And how often do you go to a meeting with no clear idea of what the meeting is hoping to achieve? In fact, many managers who participate regularly in meetings say that most are ineffective. A recent survey by The American Society for Training and Development found that 75% of managers were clearly bothered by the ineffectiveness of typical meetings they attend. Some of their reasons are summarised below. Ineffective meetings ᭿ Task 1 Which, in your own experience, are the major characteristics of ineffectiveness? Circle the number which corresponds to the degree to which they bother you. Characteristic problems at meetings Not a problem < ––––––––––––––––––– > serious Deviating from the main subject Poor preparation Questionable effectiveness Lack of listening Some participants talk too much Length Lack of participation ________________________ (?) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 ᭿ Task 2 In your opinion, what causes these characteristics of ineffectiveness? How to make meetings more effective A lot of meetings are called and run on the basis that everyone knows what the goal of a meeting is – don’t assume that this is always the case or that all participants share a common purpose. However, there are things you can do to make meetings more effective: ᭤ have a clear agenda ᭤ elect a focused chairperson ᭤ ask someone to write the minutes The agenda All agendas should list the following: ᭤ title of meeting ᭤ date ᭤ start time ᭤ end time ᭤ location ᭤ topics to be discussed and should be accompanied by the relevant background information. ᭿ Task 3 You are based in London. Your company has grown in size over the last few years and is, therefore, opening a second office not too far away from the present one. The Sales & Marketing Departments will be relocated to the new office. You are the PA to the CEO and have been asked to chair a meeting for all support staff to inform them of the move and to answer any questions. The meeting will last for 2 hours and will take place in Meeting Room 1. Write the agenda. Chairing a Meeting ᭿ Task 4 Find words in the text which mean: 1. general agreement by a group 2. a person who assists in the birth of a baby 3. stepping in 4. range 5. assigned 6. express something in a different way to make it easier to understand 7. accept as a compromise A facilitator/chairperson is someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and plan to achieve them without personally taking any side of the argument. The facilitator will try to assist the group in achieving consensus. The role 68 Meetings has been compared with that of a midwife who assists in the process of creation but is not the producer of the end result. The basic skills of a facilitator are about following good meeting practices: timekeeping, following an agreed-upon agenda, and keeping a clear record. The higher-order skills involve watching the group, its individuals, and their process, and knowing the art of intervening in a way that adds to the group’s creativity rather than taking away from it. Some of the things facilitators do to assist a meeting: ᭤ clarify the purpose, scope, and deliverables of the meeting or workshop ᭤ keep the group on track to achieve its goals in the time allotted ᭤ either provide the group or help the group decide what ground rules it should follow and remind them of these when they are not followed ᭤ guide the group through processes designed to help them listen to each other and create solutions together ᭤ ask open-ended questions that stimulate thinking ᭤ paraphrase and summarize contributions to confirm understanding and ensure they are heard by the whole group ᭤ ensure the group doesn’t settle for the first thing that they can agree on because they find it painful to go on disagreeing with each other ᭤ offer opportunities for quieter members to participate ᭤ ensure that actions and next steps are agreed on by the group (adapted from Wikipedia) ᭿ Task 5 What should a facilitator not do? For example: ᭤ dominate the meeting ᭤ ᭤ ᭤ Chairing a Meeting 69 . biased. Secondary information could be inaccurate, biased, and out-of-date. Analyse the information The purpose of analysing the information is to make sense, objecively, out of the information you. the sources of information into the appropriate column. Primary information Secondary information Warning Both types of information should be used with caution because: Primary information could. Collecting information Information gathered can be of two types: primary and secondary. Primary is information you collected and recorded yourself. Secondary