Whether we love them or loathe them, meetings are a regular feature of organisational life. How can we be more personally effective in meetings and get more out of them?

Tim is working towards equity partnership in a city law firm, “I struggle to make myself heard in meetings with senior partners. They are dominant and loud. I don’t want to talk for the sake of it yet I am considered to be too quiet. How can I make an impact?”

Anna is in her first management role and keen to do well. She is unused to management meetings and lacks confidence in her new role “I am nervous that I won’t be able to answer questions and will appear out of my depth”.

Chris has spent most of his career in the lab but following a recent promotion is expected to attend an increasing number of meetings, “one of the regular project meetings is attended by two particularly difficult senior people who are combative and aggressive. I can’t avoid the meetings but am worried that I won’t keep my cool”.

Tim, Anna and Chris received one-to-one coaching to develop their skills and achieve their specific performance goals, utilising their own styles and strengths. From each case, some common themes emerge which can be addressed as follows:

Before the meeting

• Be clear as to the purpose of the meeting. What is the agenda? What are your goals, i.e., what should you be contributing to the meeting and what do you want to get from it?
• Be clear as to the structure of the meeting - timings, the running order of agenda items, etc.
• Prepare appropriately: Gather any material, information or data you may need. Think about what you will say and when you will say it. Be sure to allocate sufficient time in your diary for this activity.
• Find out who the other attendees will be.

At the meeting

• It may sound trite but be sure to turn up to the meeting on time (how many meetings do you attend which are delayed because of the poor timekeeping of others?) Rushing to get to a meeting, and arriving late can put you under unnecessary stress. Arriving panting and out of breath does not look professional or leave you feeling confident. It is also inconsiderate to others...
• According to the formality of the meeting there may be a brief period of time before the meeting starts for "small talk" which gets everyone interacting and "warmed up". This can be valuable to you in many ways. If you are anxious about speaking in meetings this provides a good opportunity to use your voice.
• Get seated and take a short time to arrange your papers in front of you and to "use your space" - use your posture and body language to convey confidence and assertiveness (sit straight and slightly relaxed with arms comfortably in front of you, do not shrink into the chair or lounge around).
• Look confidently at the other meeting attendees, making good eye contact with them (but don't stare).
• As you settle into your space, remind yourself of your focus points (i.e., what do I want to contribute and take away from this meeting?) Ideally you will have these goals written down in front of you.
• Listen to what is said, taking notes where appropriate, and follow the direction of the chairperson if there is one. Build constructively on comments and ideas made by others.
• When you wish to make a comment or where it is your "turn" to speak, your prior preparation should ensure that you will be succinct and focused in what you have to say and clear in what you are communicating. If you wish to check that others have understood you, ask them to confirm their understanding or rephrase the point and be explicit in clarifying/agreeing any resulting actions. Be clear about what you are requesting.
• When you find it hard to interject or to make yourself seen or heard in a meeting, a number of tactics can be used ranging from changing your body language (e.g., leaning forward, raising your hand, moving your papers, etc) to making a more forceful vocal interjection. Watching others in meetings to see what they do can be instructive in these situations.
• Try to ensure that your attention is maintained and that you do not get distracted (at best, when you are bored or distracted, ensure that your body language does not give that away).
• If an appropriate place has not been provided in the meeting for you to raise your points, ensure that you raise them during the AOB section at the end.
• If a meeting becomes heated and you find yourself becoming very angry, anxious or otherwise stressed, paying attention to a relaxed posture and slowing your breathing down can help while you gather your thoughts and refocus on your meeting goals. In more 'extreme' situations, removing yourself from the situation for a brief period with a 'comfort break' can be very valuable in calming you down and thinking through your approach.
• Where you feel 'put on the spot' without an answer to a question, don't be tempted to 'wing it' and risk getting it wrong. It is usually far better to state confidently that you don't have that information to hand or that you are seeking clarification on one or two points, and that you will get back to them promptly (state when and be sure to do so). Check that they are happy with that and ensure that you follow up. Where appropriate, make a mental note for next time to enhance your pre-meeting preparation. Be sure to record accurately any actions you have agreed to undertake.

After the meeting

• Ensure that you complete all actions assigned to you fully and on time.
• Reflect on your meeting goals and assess the extent to which you have achieved them. If you have not achieved them all in full, think about why that is, and what you will do to correct the situation.
• Finally, reflect on your behaviour in the meeting. Does it accurately reflect the professional “you” you aspire to be? If it doesn’t, think about what you can do differently next time. Trusted colleagues can be a useful source of feedback, if you have them.

​In short, you must start by being clear about what you want and how you will get it:

• Prepare
• Focus on your goals
• Listen
• Behave courteously and assertively
• Follow up

If you would benefit from help in being more effective in meetings, get in touch to see how we can help.
** All names and identity-related information in this article have been changed to maintain client confidentiality

The annual Ridler report provides invaluable information on current trends in the use of executive coaching in the UK. The 2013 edition reports on findings from in-depth assessment of executive coaching in 145 UK organisations. The full report is freely available and can be downloaded here. For those with limited time here is our summary of the key aspects.

Organisations' top priority for coaches is credibilityand gravitas
Buyers of executive coaching are becoming more discerning in differentiating between coaching providers’ offerings. ‘Personal chemistry’ is a significant requirement and within this characteristic, 99% of sponsor organisations look for credibility and gravitas in executive coaches before putting them in front of a potential coachee. 97% seek evidence that the coach listens well. Knowledge of the sponsor’s sector was the least important of the criteria (68% considered this to be important) but “empathy with the complexity of the client organisation’s sector is critical.”

Executive coaching seen as sign of evidence of individual's value
Executive coaching is now seen by coachees as evidence of the organisation’s investment in them. 83% of coachees consider that coaching signifies that the organisation highly values them. Only 10% perceive that coaching implies general under-performance.

Organisations want awareness raising and challenging feedback
Once in the organisation, the most common requirement from sponsor organisations (83%) is for coaches to workinsightfully to raise coachee’s awareness of the ingrained, psychological patterns of behaviour. 82% of organisations consider it important that the coach delivers challenging feedback to the coachee.

Face to face coaching preferredThere are still some concerns over the usefulness of remote coaching. 80% disagree that “remote coaching works well as a stand-alone coaching medium”. 84% consider that remote coaching is more productive if the coaching relationship has been established first on a face-to-face basis.

Executive coaching more highly rated than business school programmes
Executive coaching is more highly rated as a form of senior leadership development than business school programmes on all criteria tested and by a significant margin. 92% consider it 'slightly better or much better' than business school programmes at focusing on the most important issues of the individual and 87% for increasing the individual’s readiness for change. 70% consider that it results in sustained behaviour change 'slightly or much better' than business school programmes.

Organisations require higher levels of training from external coaches
Sponsors require higher levels of training and accreditation from external than their internal coaches supporting the perception that externals have higher levels of expertise and experience than internals. External coaching is still more prevalent than internal coaching except in cases of lateral moves within the organisation. Internal coaches are least likely to be working at senior level. Among senior management, 85% prefer external to internal coachees and few at this level use internal coaches.

Coachee rearranging/cancelling sessions biggest risk to success
94% of organisations questioned agreed that the most significant development which would indicate a risk to the success of an executive coaching assignment is the coachee rearranging/cancelling sessions frequently. Surprisingly, only 30% consider a risk to success exists if the coach spends social time with the coachee. [A professional view asserts that social contact is undesirable as it erodes the professional distance between the coach and the coachee].

Independent executive coaches are the most commonly used
47% of organisations questioned use independent executive coaches . The proportion of executive coaching commissioned from specialist coaching providers is expected to grow in the next two years. These are considered to be particularly useful for matching coaches to coachees and being able to access specialist skills.
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We'll be providing more detailed information on aspects of the 2013 Ridler Report over the coming months.

Job interviews are a common source of anxiety for many of us. Much of this seems to stem from a concern that we will be “thrown” by a difficult question. In response, many job seekers attempt to memorise answers to possible questions in the hope that one or more of them will be asked. Why is this not a great thing to do? The range and nature of questions you may be asked at interview is vast and it is therefore neither practicable nor desirable to “swot up” on questions in preparation. A far better alternative, and one which involves much less stress and anxiety, is to have assessed what you have to offer an employer and what your career needs are, and to be very clear about both. In this way you will be fully and confidently prepared and able to give natural, authentic responses at interview. The assessment activities in our career coaching programmes are designed explicitly to help you do just that.

Once you are clear about the value you can offer an employer, here are some typical interview questions you might be asked. These should give you an idea of typical questions and an opportunity to check your preparedness. You might try randomly selecting a few questions and answering them.

You may find it helpful to ask a friend or family member to assist you:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is it about this role that appeals to you?
3. Tell me why we should offer this job to you?
4. Where do you hope/intend to be in the next three years?
5. How would your ex-boss/ex-colleagues describe you?
6. What would you say were your main strengths?
7. What is your biggest weakness?
8. Give me an example of your problem solving skills.
9. Tell me about an occasion where your communication skills made a difference to the situation.
10. Describe a time when you had to persuade a reluctant person to take a particular course of action.
11. Describe a situation when you had to deal with an angry customer.
12. What type of responsibilities do you delegate? Give examples of projects where you made best use of delegation.
13. What would you describe as your greatest achievement?
14. What leadership qualities do you possess?
15. How would you describe your management style?
16. How do you keep up with technical developments in your field?
17. Describe a time when you were faced with unrealistic/unfeasible goals? How did you handle the situation?
18.If we offer you this job what area(s) would you feel most unconfident about?
19. If we offered you this job what would be your first priority on joining?
20. Are you considering other jobs at this time? How does this opportunity compare?
21. What salary are you seeking?
22. How do you motivate your team?
23. Give me an example of when your work has been criticised. How did you respond?
24. Why did you stay so long in your last role?
25. Would you be prepared to relocate?
26. Can you give me an example of your team work and leadership?
27. Do you prefer working on your own or in a team?
28. What do you do when you’re not working?
29. What do you know about us?
30. Do you have any questions for me?

​There are no “right” answers to these questions. What is important is that you can answer relevant questions confidently, honestly and in a way which positively promotes your abilities, experience and skills. Good luck!