Ministry of Education and Science Russian Federation
Federal agency by education
State educational institution higher professional
education
"Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law"
ABSTRACT
on topic: Business meetings and efficiency
their implementation
Completed by: 2nd year student
Groups BU-62
Zagorui Anna Eduardovna
Head: Zubareva Olga Yurievna
Khabarovsk 2007
1. Organization of a business meeting 3
2. Participation in a business meeting 4
3. What and how to prepare for business meetings 5
4. Types of behavior in negotiations 7
5. List of sources used 9
Business meetings occupy an important place in the schedule of an active person. It is important to be able to control the progress of such meetings, otherwise they can turn from an effective communication tool into a “eater” of your time.
Recently, I often began to participate in such meetings, so I want to talk here about how to get the most out of them and not waste your time in vain.
In general, there are two options for holding such meetings: either you are the initiator of such a meeting, or an invitee. Let's look at both of these options in more detail.
Organization of a business meeting
When you are an organizer, the threads of control are in your hands. In this case, it is important to competently conduct the negotiations without losing sight of the main thing.
· Warn meeting participants in advance about the topic of conversation.
· During the meeting, you should not be distracted by extraneous topics. Always try to strictly adhere to the main line of negotiations.
· If there are several points of discussion, it is important to give each of them due attention (in accordance with priorities).
· Monitor the behavior of your interlocutors. It is important to feel their mood and attitude towards the conversation. They may not be interested in the topic (suggestion, option), they may feel tired or in a hurry to do other things.
· At the end of the meeting, when all important points have been discussed, you should summarize and thank the participants.
Participation in a business meeting
Being invited to business meeting, you most likely will not be able to influence its course. But, all the same, it is better to try to keep the meeting under control.
· First of all, you should prepare for the meeting in advance in order to participate in the negotiations most effectively.
· It is advisable to have several options for the course of events in order to be prepared for “ unexpected turns” conversation.
· Try to write down important points meetings. This will make it easier for you to follow the progress of the conversation, and it will be clear to your interlocutor that you take the issue under discussion seriously.
· If you don’t understand something, be sure to ask again (but don’t interrupt!) and make sure that it becomes clear to you what is being said. Otherwise, you may leave the negotiations “with nothing.”
If you got everything you wanted to get from the meeting, then you can complete the negotiations (without waiting for the organizer to finish them), after summarizing the meeting and asking whether all points of the meeting have been discussed.
What and how to prepare for business meetings?
Business meetings can be divided into conversations and negotiations. Conversations involve only the exchange of views, points of view, and opinions. For example, during the conversation, the parties can agree on cooperation and outline next steps. Negotiations are designed to find a solution to a problem of mutual interest.
As a rule, conversations and negotiations are planned in advance. In the process of preparing negotiations and conversations, it is necessary to avoid two extremes. One extreme is not to prepare for negotiations at all, relying on improvisation, searching for a solution during the negotiation process. The other extreme is to punctually think through all stages of a future meeting, taking into account the smallest details, right down to remarks and pauses. Both extremes are flawed. In the first case, the initiative can completely pass to the partner. Negotiations without preparation may give your partner the idea that you are incompetent on the issue under discussion. Excessive detail can fetter one of the negotiating participants; the slightest deviation from the previously planned scheme will lead to confusion and uncertainty.
It is more expedient to identify the main points of the meeting and determine lines of conduct.
The main purpose of the conversation is to exchange information, which facilitates the preparation process. The topic of future conversations is agreed upon in advance. During the preparation process you must:
· outline the range of issues that you want to discuss;
· prepare documents. that you are going to provide to your partner during conversations, arguments in favor of cooperation with your organization. ;
· formulate questions to ask your partner.
When preparing a conversation, you need to set aside time for your partner’s questions and messages.
Preparing for negotiations is a more complex and responsible process. It includes the following steps:
· identifying areas of mutual interests;
· establishing a working relationship with a partner;
· solving organizational issues (agenda, place and time of meeting)
· formulation of solutions and proposals on the issues under discussion.
The course of negotiations can be influenced by the surrounding color scheme.
J. Sperber describes what reactions certain colors cause. For example, the white walls of an office where negotiations are held reflect color well and can cause irritation, so it is better to give them a little beige shade. The blue color scheme of the room creates an atmosphere of dominance of the owners and does not allow guests to feel at ease. Beige and light brown are fairly neutral tones, but dark brown and gray can be depressing. Red shades tend to excite and are perceived as threatening.
Preferences in color scheme are largely dependent on cultural traditions. Yes, the Japanese prefer pastel colors, while the Chinese are bright and attention-grabbing. Differences in color preferences can be observed even within the same country.
Types of behavior in negotiations
Negotiations are an integral part of business contacts. Besides good knowledge subject of discussion, it is necessary to master negotiation techniques, obtain a certain vocational training. In developed countries, most entrepreneurs are proficient in negotiation techniques, and a wide network of training courses has been created.
Real practice does not exclude meeting with a partner who uses various kinds"dirty tricks" You need to know these techniques and be able to neutralize them.
One of the old rules was the maximum overestimation of the initial level . This technique implies the inclusion of points that can later be painlessly abandoned, passing it off as a concession and expecting similar steps from the negotiating partner. Such behavior causes distrust, and modern methods assessments of the parties' potential leave little room for its use.
Another technique close to the one described is “placing false accents in one’s own position” and one of the options is making proposals that are clearly unacceptable to the partner. This tactic consists in demonstrating, for example, extreme interest in resolving an issue, although in fact this issue is of secondary importance for this negotiator.
Reception extortion is also close to the techniques just described. The difference is when these techniques are used. If the use of the first two is typical at the beginning of negotiations, then extortion is used at the end, when the parties have approached the signing of the agreement.
The extortion technique is close in nature to another technique - putting a partner in a hopeless situation . In negotiations, putting a partner in a hopeless situation means, first of all, the risk of disrupting them. An agreement obtained in this way is unlikely to be durable. IN best case scenario You can achieve some temporary concessions.
Putting forward increasing demands. Seeing that the partner agrees with the demands being made, more and more new ones are put forward.
One more trick - "salami". It consists in the fact that information about one’s own interests, assessments, etc. given in very small portions, similar to the principle of cutting salami sausage. The point of the technique is to force the partner to be the first to “reveal his cards”, and then act accordingly. The use of this method results in an artificial delay in negotiations, primarily to the detriment of the case.
Giving deliberately false information or bluffing. In general, this technique disappears from the arsenal of means of negotiators, since in modern conditions its use can become easily and quickly obvious, leading to loss of reputation.
Next move - double interpretation . For example, the parties as a result of negotiations developed a certain document. at the same time, one of the parties “incorporated” a double meaning into the wording, which was not noticed by its partner, in order to then interpret the agreement in its own interests.
One of the productive negotiation tactics can be gradual increase in the complexity of the issues discussed . This tactic suggests discussing easier issues first. Their solution has a positive psychological impact on the negotiators and demonstrates the possibility of reaching agreements.
Commendable development and submission of proposals that would contribute to the implementation of mutual interests , i.e. proposals to which the partner could answer in the affirmative. Sometimes, the negotiating partner agrees with the substance of the proposals, but finds the wording itself unacceptable.
It can be useful during negotiations “divide the problem into individual components” rather than trying to solve the problem right away. Having broken down the problem, the participants look at whether it is possible to reach an agreement on each element.
List of sources used
1. Zeldovich B.Z. Business communication: Tutorial/ B.Z. Zeldovich. – M.: Alfa – Press, 2007. – 456 p.
2. Kholopova T.I., Lebedeva M.M. Protocol and etiquette for business people / T.I. Kholopova, M.M. Lebedeva. – M.:INFRA – M, 1995. – 368 p.
3. Sheinov V.P. How to manage others. How to manage yourself: (The art of a manager) / V.P. Sheinov. – 2nd ed., add. – Mn.: Amalthea, 1996. – 368 p.
4. Shelamova G.M. Business culture and psychology of communication / G. M. Shelamova. – 3rd ed.. additional.. – M.: Publishing Center “Academy”, 2004. – 160 p.
5. Business communication. Business etiquette: Textbook. manual for university students / I.N. Kuznetsov. – M.: UNITY – DANA, 2004. – 431 p.
1. Preparation.
An effective meeting consists of 70-80% preparation.
When forming a list of invitees, it is necessary to take into account the purpose of the meeting. You shouldn’t call people with the thought of “just in case.” Only those people who can really bring something to the table should participate in the meeting. Often, the organizer, not knowing exactly who will be needed from another department (let’s say you are starting a project and you want to discuss it with potential participants at an early stage), invites half of the team to a meeting. As a result, half of this half, in fact, does not participate in the meeting. If you, as the organizer, do not know who exactly will be needed at the meeting, invite the head of the department there, and he will either forward the invitation to whoever is needed, or come to the meeting himself, and then appoint the necessary employee.
As we know, meetings come in different formats. This could be brainstorming, presentation, etc. The meeting invitation must specify the format so that participants understand what they should prepare for. You can, for example, write: “Colleagues, let’s brainstorm on such and such a topic.”
The invitation must indicate what will be discussed. An invitation to a meeting that only has a subject is absolutely bad. There should be either a list of questions for discussion, or a background to the task or project, and so on. Here it is necessary to indicate what decisions are planned to be made during the meeting. If you simply indicate - let's discuss such and such a project... let's say we discussed it, but what next? Even if you write that at the meeting it will be necessary to determine further steps, this will not be bad.
The length of the meeting deserves special mention. In my trainings, I often ask the question: “Why do you think 99% of meetings last an hour?” And only once did I hear the correct answer. Everything is extremely simple - any email client by default schedules a meeting lasting an hour. Very rarely does anyone adjust this time, but in vain. Thus, an issue that can be discussed in three minutes (even in 15 minutes) is dragged out for an hour. Here Parkinson's law immediately comes into play - we work exactly as much time as we have allocated for work.
An important point when sending an invitation is to check whether the participants have free time. In any mail client This feature exists and works great. Unfortunately, sometimes you get the feeling that not everyone knows about it. What’s even worse is that the organizer sends a person an invitation to a busy slot, and when the person doesn’t show up, complaints are made against him. This is wrong.
And here we move on to another important part of the organizer’s work. It is the organizer who must always keep track of who accepted the meeting and who did not. It happens that the most important participant in a meeting declines the meeting and does not come. Everyone has gathered, and the organizer begins to look for this person throughout the office. And the man, not suspecting anything, sits at another meeting. The following dialogue occurs:
–Where are you?
- I declined the meeting!
- Why didn’t you warn?
- Well, strictly speaking, I warned you. Should I have sent you some special notice?
The potential participant, of course, does not have to specifically notify anyone. So, responsibility for any such situation always falls on the shoulders of the organizer. Be careful!
2.What should you avoid?
In a separate block, I outlined some points that are best avoided when making an appointment. These are, of course, not strict rules, but if you follow them, your colleagues will only be grateful.
There is no need to make an appointment (unless it is an extremely urgent critical issue) an hour or two from the current moment. Personally, I try not to make appointments even day after day. The man has already come to work, planned his day, decided when and what he will do, and here I am with my invitation.
It's not a good idea to make appointments at lunchtime. Here, I think, there is no need to comment anything. Also, I personally try not to make appointments with people on their payday/advance payment. After all, we know very well that every employee on the day of salary/advance payment, figuratively, becomes an employee of the accounting department, and he has no time for meetings on this day. He needs to pay for everything, transfer it to someone, return it, borrow it, and so on.
And of course, I want to mention meetings at the end of the working day. Even if people work long hours, appointments should only be made within the working day.
3. Direct meeting.
I'll start with punctuality. This very often happens: a meeting is scheduled, say, at 15:00, and at this time people are just starting to get up from their seats and move towards the meeting room. At 15:00 everyone should be seated in the meeting room and the meeting should begin. Many come up with all sorts of sanctions. The fine is 100 rubles per minute of being late, and so on, which is very useful and disciplines.
Another task of the organizer is to moderate the meeting. If something went wrong at the meeting, the discussion went in the other direction... the organizer must control and correct this.
An important part of the meeting is the protocol. There is even a common expression: “there was no protocol, there was no meeting.” The protocol, by default, is maintained by the person from whom the invitation came. Meeting participants have every right not to record anything at all. All agreements, tasks, deadlines, etc. must be recorded by the organizer in the protocol. Following the meeting, this protocol must be sent to all participants, with a request to confirm/comment within a certain time frame.
I would like to end with my favorite topic – the end of the meeting. It closely resonates with the duration of an hour. I am sure that many people have had meetings where the main issue was discussed in 10 minutes, and then the participants begin to come up with new questions for discussion. Believe me, there is nothing wrong with the fact that you discussed the issue quickly = effectively. Sitting through the planned hour is not effective. Therefore, as soon as you have reached the necessary agreements, feel free to end the meeting and leave.
Conduct only effective meetings.
Material provided by Andrey Butov, business coach, consultant.
For training orders or additional questions about preparing and conducting meetings, write there by email.
In order to prepare for a business meeting, you need to:
- formulate the topic of conversation;
- determine the purpose of the meeting;
- prepare relevant information;
- work out formulations, concepts, judgments;
- prepare arguments and counterarguments;
- determine the composition of the participants in the conversation;
- choose the location and time of the meeting, taking into account foreseeable surprises.
During a business meeting, it is important to show qualities such as patience, tact, diplomacy, insight, calm and self-confidence. The main thing at a business meeting is to create a trusting mutual understanding. You must be able to win over your partner or partners without diminishing your self-esteem. To do this, greet your partners with a smile and a glance, by name and patronymic, with a handshake and a slight bend, standing up and reducing the social and physical distance.
After meeting, you need to put the guests' business cards in front of you. It is advisable to understand who owns which business card, and during the meeting to pronounce the names of guests correctly. If your partner’s name is complex, at the very beginning you need to ask him to repeat his name and not distort it during the conversation.
It's better to start a conversation with phrases general. In order to think about the answer, especially if the interlocutor’s opinion is being clarified, you need to give him a sufficient amount of time to think about the answer. In any case, the questions are asked in a friendly and direct manner, the answers are listened to, correctly interpreted and verified. Valuable information is recorded.
Evoking sympathy from your interlocutor is your professional duty. For you, he is an individual, which means he has every right to self-respect, recognition, his opinion, freedom of choice and refusal of your services. His satisfaction arises from a subjective impression, therefore, the more his partner’s needs are satisfied, the higher his satisfaction will be from meeting you. The success of contact with a partner depends on how fully his goals and expectations are satisfied. In a conversation, your partner should see your desire to understand his position.
Try to focus on the end result desired by your partner, which, naturally, is consistent with your intentions. Find out what he wants. Present your arguments and proposals from the perspective of your partner’s interests, reveal their importance and benefit for him. Assume only your partner's good intentions and express your interest in the prospects of your relationship. When expressing your own feelings, consider emotional state interlocutor. If you do not have the opportunity to provide your partner with the goods or services he needs, then in any case you are obliged to satisfy his need for recognition and respect.
By expressing your respect to him, you receive in return his respect, a good image in his eyes, his trust, an orientation towards agreement, a guarantee not to face his aggression, his desire to contact you in the future. You also gain self-satisfaction, self-esteem and a sense of professionalism at work.
If during a conversation you do not want to touch on a certain topic, it is quite appropriate to refer to personal circumstances or inform the interlocutor that the company’s decision on this issue is not yet subject to disclosure. Therefore, you can answer something like this: “At the present time, unfortunately, I do not have the right to discuss this issue. I hope you understand me correctly."
In conversation, try to avoid leading questions, i.e. questions that suggest an answer that you would be very pleased with. Ask one question at a time and keep it neutral. Don't question your partner's trustworthiness. If you don't know how to answer a question, you can say directly: "Unfortunately, I don't know that." However, good manners require that you continue the thought and add that, in all likelihood, you can name the person who will answer this question. In the future, you personally or by telephone connect the interlocutor with the employee who has the information.
There are no conversations about religion and politics during a business conversation. It would be naive to assume that during a meeting you can outwit your interlocutor only with the help of various tricks and tricks, forcing him to make excessive concessions.
As a rule, in any conversation you cannot do without patient and targeted argumentation, so you should not use the time factor during a conversation to put pressure on your interlocutor, for example, force him to wait a long time before the meeting until you are free; You shouldn’t “pressure” your interlocutor with deadlines, i.e. set deliberately unrealistic deadlines for the implementation of agreements, and also achieve advantages for themselves by simulating “misunderstanding”, fooling, and endless demands for evidence.
If your partner is well prepared for the meeting and can logically argue his statements without succumbing to all sorts of tricks, you need to make it a rule to accurately analyze the relationship between your own interests and the interests of your partner. So don't go into a conversation without a carefully thought-out plan.
Start with the most important, fundamental issues, trying to reach agreement on them. After this, you should move on to discussing issues that can be agreed upon relatively easily and without special costs time. Only then is it advisable to dwell on the key issues of the meeting that require detailed discussion. Do not be content with partial successes, use effective arguments, refrain from assurances and empty promises.
During the conversation, interference, difficulties, discord, temporary tension, etc. may arise. If everything is not going as you would like, there is no need to lose composure; If the planned result was not achieved, express your emotions carefully. It must be remembered that relative position business partners, the distance between them, position relative to each other, orientation in space - all this is important when building a business contact.
There are people who constantly penetrate someone else's living space through a touch or a broad gesture. The speaker can pat the interlocutor on the shoulder or back; shake, shake or hold his hand; touch your sleeve or put your hand on your shoulder, etc. Such actions are considered annoying and inappropriate. It is necessary to respect and respect the sovereignty of another person's personal space.
The main sources of information about your interlocutor are not only his words, but also sounds, gestures, postures, communication distance, and facial expressions. Facial expressions are the movement of facial muscles; they reflect the emotional state of a person. It is facial expressions that provide true information about what the communication partner is currently experiencing. Scientists believe that facial movements carry more than 70% of the information, and his eyes and gaze can say more than words, sometimes even replacing them.
So, for example, if the gaze is averted, the face is turned to the side, the head is lowered, the eyelids are closed, or the interlocutor has “shifty eyes,” these signs indicate that the person is experiencing a feeling of shame. If the eyebrows are raised, there are wrinkles on the forehead, the eyes are wide open, and the oval-shaped mouth is slightly open, the interlocutor is surprised. Anger is expressed by lowered eyebrows, curved wrinkles on the forehead, narrowed eyes, closed lips, and clenched teeth. Clenched teeth and tightly compressed lips indicate definite behavior and determination. Glowing eyes and raised corners of the lips indicate joyful feelings.
For a business meeting to be effective, you also need to be able to understand the body language and posture of a business partner. So, a tense posture indicates high degree anxiety. In this case, it is necessary to relax the interlocutor, distract him, talk on neutral topics, relieve tension, and only then move on to the essence of the issue. If the interlocutor sits with his head raised straight, but without tension, this indicates trust. Slouched posture suggests internal installation for self-defense. If a person turns away from the interlocutor and tilts his head down, this means distrust and suspicion. Approaching the interlocutor expresses a desire to accept the offer. If a person moves away or deviates, this indicates a lack of interest in the subject of the conversation.
If the interlocutor avoids the topic that you were going to discuss during the meeting, you may have a desire not to end the conversation immediately, but to significantly shorten it. In this case, you can say that you have a meeting scheduled in a few minutes, therefore, in order to complete the discussion of the topic of conversation, it is proposed to move on to resolving the issue. If the interlocutor is talking in vain and taking up your time, invite him to postpone the conversation until next time, citing being busy, and get up from your chair. Or your secretary may come into your office and say that you must be at your next meeting in a few minutes.
When conducting a business meeting, try to move towards contact relationships. Both of you will spend your time and effort, but in return you will receive some benefits. In a conversation, emphasize the equality of positions, look for unity in interests and opinions, behave confidently, calmly and kindly, without aggression or concessions that are undesirable for you. In addition, it is important to end the meeting skillfully, i.e. summarize the conversation, develop a joint decision, and complete it in a timely and correct manner.
BUSINESS MEETINGS IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Am I clear about my goals in terms of the desired outcome, i.e. what do you want to have at the end of the conversation?
How can this result be assessed, i.e. How will you know whether you have achieved what you want or not?
What are my assumptions about the other person's goals?
What means do I have to achieve my goals?
What position in relation to your partner is optimal to achieve your goal?
How will I convey my position to my partner?
How do I recognize his attitudes, position and beliefs?
What barriers may I encounter?
How to protect yourself and reduce the likelihood of these barriers?
How to resolve contradictions if they arise?
How to adjust yourself to tolerate a person if he is unpleasant, and take into account natural differences in the perception and assessment of future work?
What methods to use to influence your partner?
What kind of argumentation should I use?
How to behave if confrontation, manipulation arises, and dishonest tactics are used on the part of your partner?
How much should you disclose your positions?
How to control the atmosphere of a conversation?
How to manage yourself if your partner causes irritation?
What should never be allowed in a conversation?
What are your partner’s interests and how can you understand them?
Remember that it is more difficult to refuse a pleasant person, so try to please the person receiving you, behave wisely and ethically, do not succumb to the illusion of understanding, clarify and extract the meaning of the speech of the person speaking to you, believe in success. To ensure a successful business meeting, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules.
First, you need to consider that you will have one opportunity to make a first impression. Scientists have proven that 90% of information about a person is formed in the first 90 seconds of communication with him. Sometimes it can be very difficult to change the impression a business communication partner has about himself during the first meeting. A business person, working on his image for the first business meeting, should devote special attention your appearance and emotional state.
The impression of appearance is formed on the basis of such indicators as physical data (face, hair, height, physique, posture); self-presentation (the ability to present oneself, focus the attention of those perceiving on one’s strengths and neutralize shortcomings).
The emotional state is formed under the influence of many factors. Emotions, feelings, experiences can be reflected in a person’s actions. It is known that positive first impressions are made by people who radiate positive emotions: smiling, cheerful, friendly. Closedness, wariness, obvious or hidden anxiety, of course, do not contribute to the establishment of mutual understanding. When you first appear in front of your communication partner, your gait, posture, and posture should demonstrate energy, dynamism, and self-confidence.
Be punctual. Be on time for the meeting. Being late is unacceptable, as it indicates irresponsibility, because you are forcing your business partner to wait and waste your personal time. If due to circumstances you had to be delayed, call the person who is waiting for you.
Think about your costume in advance. A business image, neatness and neatness are very important in order to present yourself with best side. If you go into a meeting with a business partner wearing sloppy or inappropriate clothing, your business competence may be questioned. Before entering the reception area, double-check that your tie is in place, your jacket is buttoned, your shoes are polished, your hair is well combed, etc. Considered to be careless appearance speaks of disrespect for the interlocutor.
Upon arrival at the meeting, give your name to the secretary or other employee responsible for receiving visitors and inform them of the time of the appointed meeting. Hand your business card, if available, to the secretary to take to your manager. If the secretary hasn't asked you to undress, ask her where you can hang your coat.
If the wait for an appointment is prolonged, you can agree to reschedule the appointment for another day. Regardless of how upset you are by your boss's behavior, you must behave politely with your secretary. When you are allowed to enter the office of someone with whom you have an appointment, the first thing to do is introduce yourself, if you did not know each other before. Establish contact through gaze and smile.
If you already know each other, exchange greetings and shake hands. A glance, a smile, a handshake communicate to your communication partner about your friendliness and willingness to cooperate. You say the greeting and the first phrases. Friendly, respectful intonation and other features of the sound of your voice are important here. The voice is a kind of calling card of the individual. In business communication, a loud voice is inappropriate: it is not customary to speak loudly in public places. Loud speech is usually emotional, but well-mannered people do not give free rein to their emotions in a business setting. A voice that is too quiet is also inappropriate in business communication. The owner of a quiet voice is usually considered a timid, insecure person. Constant questioning builds up irritation. A speech rate that is too fast indicates that the person is excited. It requires effort to follow the content of the statement, it quickly tires. When a person speaks haltingly, he is perceived as a nervous, hasty person. A speech rate that is too slow indicates that the speaker has difficulty finding words or for some reason does not want to talk. It must be remembered that the voice reveals many psychological characteristics of a person. That's why business man, in order to maintain his positive image, must learn to listen to himself both from the point of view of the spoken words and from the point of view of their sound.
During a business meeting, it is better to exclude some postures and gestures so as not to send negative signals to your partner, for example, gestures and postures of suspicion and secrecy, which are expressed in folded arms, a leaning back body, crossed legs, a tilted head forward and a sideways glance. Gestures of nervousness include coughing, clearing the throat, and frequent smoking. Gestures of uncertainty include interlocking fingers with the thumbs moving nervously, or pinching the palm, or scratching the side of the neck.
The fact that the interlocutor is experiencing boredom is indicated by such gestures as mechanically drawing on paper, tapping on the table with his hand or on the floor with his foot. Drooping eyelids, scratching the ear, removing glasses and demonstratively putting them aside are gestures that indicate an unwillingness to listen. The fact that the interlocutor is telling a lie may be indicated by such gestures as scratching the neck, pulling the shirt collar, rubbing the eyelid, touching the nose, covering the mouth with the hand, and coughing.
Getting to the point, tell your host directly and clearly what brought you to him. When you finish, give him the opportunity to express what he thinks is necessary, and listen carefully to him. Try not to interrupt your interlocutor. Express what you think is necessary when the employee receiving you outlines his vision of the problem. If you need to convince or convince your interlocutor of something, do it in a timely and tactful manner. Conduct yourself with confidence and dignity. What prevents you from being confident are fears and worries about the consequences, the expectation of hostility and negative reactions from your communication partner, as well as underestimating yourself when you do not feel the right to take a firm position and demand a correct and honest attitude towards yourself.
When looking for a solution, do not stop at the first acceptable option. If you are asked a lot of questions, then you know the rules of answers very well. The more the questioner is overwhelmed with emotions, the calmer, more cool-blooded you should be. The “cooler” the question asked to you, the shorter your answer should be. If the questioner uses negative, incorrect words or assumptions in his question, there is no need to repeat them in the answer.
To informational questions about your opinion, position, you give your answer in essence. You answer complex problematic questions if there is a thoughtful solution to the problem. There is no need to improvise here, as it is easy to get into trouble. You do not answer questions of a provocative nature, or you direct the conversation to the questioner, or to the nature of the question, or you answer with a joke.
Feeling that the time of the meeting is nearing the end, stand up, thank for the conversation, for the time they spent on you, say goodbye and, leaving the office, say goodbye to the secretary.
COMPLIANCE WITH ETIQUETTE IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT APPEAL
If in an organization relations between colleagues are friendly or friendly, then addressing each other as “you” is the norm. And “you” arises in tense or formal relationships. If a manager addresses some subordinates as "you" and others as "you", then the impression arises that he has close associates among his subordinates. Or a leader with his “you” shows the lesser importance for him of some subordinates, while with a respectful “you” he emphasizes to others their greater importance for the business. In both cases, the consequences of such attitude towards employees are negative. However, if from the very beginning you address all subordinates as “you”, then this indicates your disregard for official etiquette and leads to familiarity.
Addressing “you” not only shows the culture of communication, but also serves as a tool for maintaining official distance and labor discipline. Some organizations have employees who are called by their first name, while others are addressed only by their last name. Newly hired employees should pay close attention to the communication style of their colleagues and follow their example.
Providing assistance and assistance. Sometimes asking colleagues for help can be very difficult, because no one likes lazy people and slackers, who at every step say that they love to work, but in fact cannot complete a single task and constantly bother others with their questions . However, if you can help one of the employees with an urgent job, you can be sure that when you are in trouble, they will come to your aid. Be sure to thank the person who helped you difficult moment, even if the service provided was insignificant.
It can be quite simple to provide assistance in case of physical or financial difficulties. It is much more difficult to provide psychological assistance. Even quite good advice not always possible to do. Friendly support is very important: sympathy, empathy, especially when a person loses faith in himself. However, it is even more important to help a person believe in himself, cope with his problems, do right choice, i.e. help tactfully. People often refuse help for fear of losing self-respect. own eyes or in the eyes of others.
When offering your help, it would be correct if you say: “I know and believe that you can cope with the problem. No one can help you with this better than yourself. The test before you is truly great, but you can become stronger if you want. I want to help you, but only so that you can help yourself better. Who knows, maybe someday you and I will switch roles and I will need the same help from you.”
DIRECTOR'S INSTRUCTIONS
In practice, managers give instructions to their subordinates mainly in two forms: orders and requests. However, these forms are not always used according to the situation. Where an order is needed, a pleading tone is sometimes heard, and where a polite request can be done, an order is heard.
In everyday conditions, an order form is necessary in extreme conditions, for example, when there is a threat of failure to complete an important task, violation of safety rules, etc. However, rigid forms of instructions should not be turned into the main method of management. Over time, subordinates stop responding to the threatening tone, and the effectiveness of orders decreases.
An order is necessary when giving instructions that are within the direct responsibilities of a subordinate. The tone of an order should always be polite. Of course, in tense situations, they say, it is difficult to refrain from being rude. But experience confirms that in any conditions it is possible to maintain the businesslike tone of official relations without compromising production. If instructions are not part of the subordinate's duties, then they should be given in the form of a request. This form of instructions is perceived by subordinates with desire, and they are carried out more willingly, therefore one of the rules of office etiquette says that when giving instructions to subordinates, in any situation it is necessary to maintain composure and be polite.
INCENTIVES AND PUNISHMENTS
Rewards and punishments are the most important tools for stimulating work. Internal rewards are provided by the work itself, where appropriate goal setting and the creation of appropriate conditions are necessary. Work brings a sense of achievement, content, significance of the tasks performed, self-esteem, friendship, communication with colleagues, etc. The enterprise provides extrinsic rewards: promotions, salary, symbols of personal status and prestige, praise, additional leave, payment of expenses, personal car, etc.
In terms of their purpose, rewards and punishments are not comparable, but experience shows that rewards have a greater impact on people’s work activity than punishments. A manager of any rank must use incentive measures more often and more skillfully. Punishment measures are also not rejected, but elementary standards of ethics and official etiquette must be observed. It is unreasonable to treat employees with the same standard of punishment of different ages, gender and temperament for similar actions. For example, it is better for a woman or an experienced person to make a comment in a polite manner. A frivolous young man or a phlegmatic person may be punished more severely.
FORMATION OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION STYLE IN AN ORGANIZATION
The rules of etiquette for official relations say that a manager must know his subordinates and treat them with care and attention, notice their every success in their work and reward them for it. If there is a need to punish for official omissions, you need to be tactful and fair. When choosing the form of expression and punishment, it is necessary to take into account the employee’s temperament, gender and age.
By applying the rules of business etiquette, a people-oriented leader of any rank increases productivity by improving interpersonal relationships, emphasizes mutual assistance, involves staff in decision making, eliminates petty supervision and establishes high labor productivity, takes into account the needs of employees, promotes their professional growth and helps in solving their problems. He knows how to value the time of his subordinates; strict and demanding, but not picky and cruel, knows how to criticize and accept criticism, punish and encourage, knows how to speak, converse and listen; shows sincere interest in people; he is smiling, starts a conversation about what interests the interlocutor, and not himself.
Building effective relationships in an organization is never easy. Knowing the rules of office etiquette removes many barriers. For example, one of the best ways influencing a person is the ability to talk to him about what he wants and try to help him achieve what he wants. Instead of blaming, you need to try to understand the person, which is much more useful than criticism, since it develops in a person the ability to treat you with tolerance, empathy and kindness.
It is always necessary to take into account the point of view of other people, their aspirations and plans, and, if necessary, be able to change a person’s opinion without causing his indignation or resentment. To achieve what you want, you should not tell a person directly to his face about his mistakes; before criticizing, it is better to talk about your own shortcomings; Instead of orders, it is better to ask questions; It is better to start a conversation with praise and admiration for the interlocutor, but only sincerely and for a cause with which he himself is pleased.
In official relationships - and business etiquette emphasizes this - it is important to develop and maintain a sense of personal dignity for everyone; it is necessary to always give a person the opportunity to maintain his reputation. The principle of unity of command and autocracy in some organizations creates the preconditions for both official abuses, humiliating habits, and servility.
The rules of etiquette in official relations recommend valuing independent people, avoiding intrusive services, not humiliating people’s dignity with rude critical fault-finding, and not allowing criticism to escalate into a simple quarrel; do not persecute for constructive criticism - all this will help strengthen the psychological microclimate among the company’s personnel.
Often people feel embarrassed because they are not entirely clear about how best to behave in a work environment, for example, should a man open the door and let a woman pass first, etc. In the West, women can react very painfully to any sign of attention that emphasizes their femininity.
Pre-invited visitors must be met at the appointed time in the lobby of the institution by a secretary or assistant official, who leads them into the office. It would be quite impolite if the invitees had to find the right office themselves. At the entrance to the institution, the director greets only very honored guests.
In a business environment, a woman and a man should not behave the same way as in a non-work environment. A business meeting is not a date, and a woman should not wait for a man to pull out a chair for her to help her sit down, and a man should not feel obligated to do so. In this case, the woman can take care of herself, just like her companion. Both man and woman shake hands; There are no rules in the service that dictate who should give their hand first. Both men and women must rise from their chairs to greet a customer or visitor, regardless of gender.
Formation of style business communication in an organization depends on each employee. It is impossible to provide recipes for all occasions. Choose optimal solution in one situation or another, this is a task that everyone solves for themselves, and each time anew. He makes decisions based on knowledge, skill, his own personal potential, guided by the requirements of etiquette.
RECEPTION OF BUSINESS GUESTS
Typically, the duties of a secretary include preparing for the manager, his guests, meeting participants, etc. drinks and sandwiches. Depending on the available equipment (electric kettle, coffee maker, toaster, microwave oven, etc.), the list of dishes and methods of preparing them may vary. You cannot use electrical equipment without familiarizing yourself with the rules of its operation.
RECIPES FOR PREPARING SOME DRINKS AND SANDWICHES
Tea is dried leaves of the tea tree, from which, using various technological operations manufacture different varieties ready-made black or green tea. Unlike black, green tea produced without additional heat treatment, so it retains its natural color and a large amount of vitamins.
Tannins and protein substances contained in tea, essential oils, vitamins determine the color, taste, aroma of tea, its bactericidal and other properties. The quality of tea depends primarily on the raw materials from which it is made. To obtain the highest grades, the youngest and most tender shoots of the tea tree are used, which are collected by hand at a specific time of year for each area in the early morning hours.
The taste of tea is greatly influenced by the technology of its processing at the tea factory, as well as the period and correctness of storage after production. Tea retains its beneficial qualities for no more than two years. After this period, its astringency turns into bitterness, the aroma dulls, and the infusion, instead of a beautiful, bright one, becomes dark. When buying tea, you should not pay attention to the labels on the packages, as they often do not correspond to the contents.
When tea is made from whole leaves, the tea leaves are large; when made from cut leaves, the tea leaves are small. Fine tea brews faster and more completely, produces a stronger and darker infusion, but is less aromatic. Tea should be stored in a hermetically sealed porcelain, glass or metal utensils, since tea easily absorbs moisture and odors. The aroma of tea can be spoiled if fish, onions, and garlic are nearby.
To brew tea, you need a faience or porcelain teapot and boiling water. Water is boiled only once. You should not boil water for a long time or heat it when it has already cooled down. The teapot must be heated or rinsed with boiling water. Pour tea leaves into a hot, dry teapot at the rate of 1 teaspoon per glass of water, pour boiling water over no more than 3/4 of the teapot and let it brew for about five minutes. Tea should be poured into cups without diluting with boiling water. If the tea is made for a large number of people, then boiling water is gradually added to the teapot. Separately, you can brew St. John's wort, mint, raspberry and currant leaves. Tea in bags is also prepared (one bag for one or two cups), and there are no tea leaves left in the tea. For those who find the brewed tea too strong, you can serve a small cup hot water. Tea can be served with cold milk, jam, honey, or a slice of lemon.
Iced tea with lemon. In order to prepare iced tea with lemon, you need to brew 50 g of tea in 1 liter of boiling water, add 3/4 cup sugar, the zest of 1/2 lemon, cover and let stand for 10 minutes, then immediately drain. Cool slightly, Pour into tall glasses, put a lemon slice in each without zest and grains, put in the refrigerator, serve very cold.
Coffee is a tonic drink made from coffee beans containing caffeine. There are many types of coffee, differing in infusion strength and aroma. Coffee is sold in raw or roasted beans, ground natural or with chicory, as well as instant. Raw grains are not suitable for preparing the drink; they are pre-roasted. Coffee is stored in a hermetically sealed tin or glass container, so it is very susceptible to foreign odors. Ground coffee quickly fizzles out and loses its taste and aroma, so it is recommended to grind the beans immediately before preparing coffee.
When preparing coffee, the following rules should be observed. Use a preheated coffee pot and boiling water, but not boiled water or re-boiled water. You need to take one and a half times more water than ready-made coffee, since the water evaporates and, in addition, a lot of water remains in the coffee grounds.
If you use an electric coffee maker, you must handle it strictly according to the instructions and take coffee only in the specified proportions. You need to prepare coffee in such a way that by the time it is ready, it can be immediately poured into cups. Long-term steeping causes coffee to become bitter. Cooled coffee is not reheated.
To brew single-strength black coffee, you need to take 1 teaspoon of ground coffee beans per glass of water; To brew double strength coffee, take 2-3 teaspoons of coffee per glass. To prepare single-strength coffee, pour coffee into a heated coffee pot, pour boiling water over it, bring to a boil, but do not boil, and let it sit for 5 minutes. stand up. Double strength coffee is brought to a boil twice. First, single-strength coffee is prepared, and when it has settled, pour in a second portion of coffee, bring to a boil, remove, let it settle, and only then serve.
Turkish coffee is prepared in a special copper vessel with a long handle, wide bottom and tapering at the top. Such dishes are called “Turk”. First, water and sugar are boiled in a Turk, then coffee is poured into the boiling water. When the coffee begins to rise, the Turk is removed from the heat, after settling, it is heated again until the foam rises and immediately removed. When the grounds have settled, the coffee is poured into cups. To speed up the cooking process, you can add 1 spoon of cold boiled water. To prepare one coffee cup(50 g) coffee requires 1 teaspoon of ground coffee and 2-3 pieces of sugar.
Sandwiches. Successful varied and tasty snacks for meeting guests or for instant cooking food are sandwiches. They do not need to be cooked and will satisfy the most sophisticated tastes. Sandwiches can be open or closed. Open ones are those that are prepared from one slice of bread, and closed ones are those where the product with which the sandwich is made is placed between two slices of bread. Artistically decorated sandwiches or sandwiches with a product that can be smeared on the sides under the weight of the second slice of bread should only be prepared open-faced.
To make sandwiches, bread is cut into slices of the required shape. Most often, sandwiches are made in a rectangular shape, 8 cm long, 5 wide and 1-2 cm thick. Sandwiches are served on a flat dish or tray covered with a napkin. They are prepared no later than an hour before serving and stored in a cool place.
Those who believe that we need to meet more often are right. Rene Shimada Siegel, a well-known marketing consultant in the USA and Europe, founder and president of High Tech Connect (San Francisco), says that even if you work in the IT field, where virtual communication is perceived naturally, you will only become successful if You won’t ignore personal meetings.
We invited several independent consultants to the office and communicated with several more on Skype,” she says in her blog. - The topic was the same - a business project in which the companies of these people were supposed to participate. In the first case, we were much better oriented in possible problems. Gestures and facial expressions told about all the subtleties. In a personal conversation, emotions are involved, we see fear, trust, friendliness and sincerity hidden by distance. We “read” our partners. This is a huge advantage.
In a personal conversation, we “read” our partners. This is a huge advantage
Don't hide your goals
We have already talked about meetings as an effective management tool within a company here. A business meeting in the context of this article is contact with external partners: clients, counterparties, contractors. It is therefore different from meetings, although general principles its preparation and implementation are the same:
- target;
- plan;
- summary (protocol).
The nuances are due to the fact that the participants in the meeting are people whom we cannot oblige and cannot order. We can only interest, charm, and convince. Or vice versa - push away or scare.
We won’t talk much about the need to set a goal - and it’s clear that a reasonable person wouldn’t drag himself through traffic jams to the other end of the city without understanding why. Let us only note that the goal must not only be defined, but also communicated to those people with whom you want to meet.
To avoid any misunderstandings in the interpretation, it must be written down. But without the different ones there are “required”, “there is a need” and so on. This is what you need and is long overdue, but for your partner, your problem may not even exist in nature. Therefore, be tactful, put yourself on an equal footing with your partner, even if in reality you are head and shoulders above him.
Looking for a woman
We set a goal - we draw a plan. That is, on the same piece of paper where we tactfully formulated the goal, we write down the questions that we want to discuss. Then, during business negotiations, you will not miss anything important, and your partners will know what to prepare for. Be sure to indicate that they can complement or adjust your plan. Just ask to notify you of changes made.
Next, you need to think about who on your side will take part in the meeting. Carriers of exclusive information, negotiation specialists, employees who can quickly offer non-standard solutions in a changing situation. Attractive woman being part of a group will also be a plus. The number of meeting participants on both sides should be the same. The best option— two people: one leading, the other supplementing and recording information.
Discuss goals with participants in advance and desired results meetings. Everyone must understand what their role is and what is expected of them. Gently remind your colleagues that initiative in your company, of course, is not punishable, but its inappropriate manifestation is not welcomed.
If you are not the top person in the company and cannot imagine a planned meeting without the participation of the manager, take the trouble to explain to him why he will be needed. The boss will no doubt appreciate your professionalism if you present your arguments in a couple of minutes.
Having received consent, provide the boss in writing with maximum information about the other party, the subject of the meeting and the expected results of his participation.
Keeping in mind that it is better to see once than to cut it seven times, prepare visual materials: presentations, booklets, brochures, business cards.
Angles are not conducive to trust
The meeting place is selected taking into account its goals, objectives, status of participants and the realities of the situation. There are three options: on your territory, at a partner’s office and in “neutral waters”.
By inviting someone to your place, you take on the role of a hospitable host and show your property from the inside. At home, of course, even the walls help, but they must make the impression you want on your guests.
According to Australian writer and psychologist Allan Pease, even the shape of the table affects the mood of the meeting participants. Square or rectangular table, he says, does not inspire trust and creates an atmosphere of competition. Negotiations for round table give the meeting an informal character and indicate the possibility of a free exchange of opinions. Small coffee table conducive to friendly conversation.
By accepting a partner's invitation to come to his office, you show respect, which will be especially appreciated if your status in the business environment is higher. You, in turn, will be able to better understand what and how the company with which you are going to cooperate lives.
Neutral territory puts participants in equal conditions, therefore it is best suited for discussing controversial situations and finding a way out of conflicts.
It would be nice if you thought about how to sit at the table. Sitting opposite each other will add formality. If you sit next to each other, it means you are offering a friendly dialogue.
Football to help business
The duration of the meeting is agreed upon in advance. You can delay the rendezvous only if there are compelling reasons.
It is believed that the least productive meetings are scheduled for Monday (a hard day) and the second half of Friday (the bathhouse and barbecue are already on your mind).
You should not schedule a meeting before lunch, when the brain is dominated by signals from an empty stomach, or immediately after it, when you want to sit quietly and not discuss business issues.
But combining lunch with business negotiations is quite acceptable if there is good will on both sides.
During the conversation, show your openness, willingness to seek compromises, and focus on a result that suits everyone. Pay attention not only to words, but also to tone, facial expressions, and gestures. Nonverbal information is no less valuable than verbal information.
It is acceptable to dilute the business part with informal communication, for example, exchange impressions from yesterday's football match. This will allow you to establish relationships that are close to friendly.
Based on the results of the meeting, a summary should be prepared in which the agreements reached should be stated. Both sides compose it, honing the wording through joint efforts. The initiator of the meeting sends the finished text to the other party and to all participants on his side.
New contacts received at the meeting are entered into the company’s unified database.
Do you have any questions? Write in the comments.
Also you can
© "Center for Business Initiatives", when copying material in full or in part, a link to the original source is required.
