Any business meeting should be well-designed to achieve the goals set. It is essential to take into account such areas as time, place, content, materials, audience, and communication channels with the participants (Hall & Hall, 2017). The meeting to be designed aims at informing executives about negative updates. The participants are located in different parts of the country. This paper includes a list of steps to undertake to design the meeting as well as the justification for each step.
As for the schedule, the meeting should be held as soon as possible since bad news should be delivered timely (Bies, 2012). The day and time of the meeting should be convenient for all the participants, so it should be communicated beforehand. The most effective communication channels can be the corporate email as such emails receive the necessary attention (Hall & Hall, 2017). If the participants work in different time zones, it is necessary to choose the optimal time for the meeting. The meeting itself will be held with the help of technology (video conference).
Once the meeting is scheduled, it is important to consider the content. Bies (2012) states that bad news should not come out of the blue. Therefore, it can be effective to send the participants the agenda including some brief data. It is also necessary to stress that the rest of the information will be delivered during the meeting, which will motivate the participants to take part in the discussion. Bies (2012) adds that the enumeration of negative updates can make the meeting rather ineffective. It is important to mention some positive aspects. For example, the negative trend can be temporal or result in insignificant losses. It is crucial to note that the timely discussion of the issues will help the company address them effectively.
Furthermore, although the goal of the meeting is informing, it can be beneficial to provide some justification or explanation concerning the factors that led to such negative trends (Bies, 2012). Although this can require additional time, it can be helpful as the participants will receive as much information as possible and will be able to make sound decisions. Since they will be informed about some negative updates, the participants can also have the data concerning reasons for some issues. Apart from bad news, it is important to mention some solutions. Finally, it is necessary to remember to deliver updates concerning the progress in addressing the issues mentioned. The final step in this process will be the provision of the list of positive updates. To achieve the goals, some materials should be prepared. The participants should receive written lists of the discussed issues. Of course, it is also important to take into account the audience. The executives specialize in different spheres, so it is inappropriate to use some terms and figures only. It is necessary to use plain language with the use of common terms. Visuals should also be used. It is possible to use tables, but it is necessary to back them up with graphs that will be more illustrative. The use of such data will add some precision. Every visual should also be commented on, which will bring in the necessary clarity.
In conclusion, when planning a meeting, it is important to pay attention to time, place, content, audience, communication channels, materials to be used. The meeting devoted to the discussion of negative updates should not be confined to the enumeration of failures. It should be a discussion of issues, reasons for them, as well as solutions. Technology can be used to ensure the participation of the participants who work in different parts of the country.
References
Bies, R. (2012). The 10 commandments for delivering bad news. Forbes. Web.
Hall, K., & Hall, A. (2017). Kill bad meetings: Cut 50% of your meetings to transform your culture, improve collaboration, and accelerate decisions. London, England: Hachette UK.