Powerful Meetings

How to stop rude behavior

By Ann Macfarlane / November 20, 2015 /
picture of woman saying stop

Don’t you hate it when you’re interrupted? How about when somebody else says something that feels like a personal attack? Being disrespected feels awful for any normal person. And the good news is that you don’t have to put up with it! Rude behavior is absolutely forbidden under Robert’s Rules. When you are a member…

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Cheat sheet for the chair

By Ann Macfarlane / May 8, 2015 /

My new folding business card includes a “cheat sheet for the chair.” It’s our summary of what the person running a meeting really needs to know (see below). I gave one to a senior elected official this week. He read the first line and said, half-joking, “the servant of the group, not the boss?! That…

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Defusing the fear factor in meetings

By Ann Macfarlane / April 17, 2015 / Comments Off on Defusing the fear factor in meetings

The role of emotion in the business world is slowly being acknowledged in our culture, but it is still a challenge to address feelings and emotions appropriately in meetings. We need to take them into account without getting overly personal, intrusive, or condescending. A leader who understands how emotions affect people’s mental processes will be…

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