Better Meetings for Everyone

Volume 15, Issue 4

Publisher: Jana M. Kemp

• Today’s Agenda: Down in the Conference Room there Arose such a Clatter
• Seen Elsewhere
• Meeting Quotes
• Tools & Tips – New Book, Great resources
• Meetings@Work

Down in the Conference Room there Arose such a Clatter
Adapted by Jana Kemp from Clement C Moore’s The Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the week before holiday vacations,

when all through the office

all creatures were fretting, fussing,

and sometimes even cussing.

 

The candy bowls near empty

at the reception desk and in the meeting room

reminding us of holiday weight gain

that we’ll all dread soon.

 

The children’s wish lists

echo in our heads

while we’re in the midsts

of accomplishing the to-do lists we dread.

 

All workers wish for a long winter’s nap

and a settling of brains

to keep from showing holiday strains.

 

When down toward the conference room

there arose such a clatter,

we sprang from our desks

to see what was the matter.

 

Away down the hall

we trotted in a flash

threw open the conference room doors

and ran to the windows in a dash.

 

The can-lights on the whiteboard

gave the room a glow,

eerie and wonderful,

like the room had filled with snow,

when what to our wondering eyes

should appear

but a heavily logo-adorned sleigh

and eight tiny reindeer with logo-adorned sashes,

with our CEO as the driver,

so flush and so quick,

we believed for a moment

we’d seen St. Nick.

“He who upsets a thing should know how to re-arrange it.” – poster in a school

“China’s planning cycle is 100 years. Nez Perce tribal planning takes into consideration seven generations – or about 400 years.” – what is your organization’s planning cycle and thought-pattern for the future?

“Another Meeting? Good. Another Chance To Hear Myself Talk” was the headline on a March 2008 Cubicle Culture column by Jared Sandberg for The Wall Street Journal.

If your meetings are talking-head meetings, opt out. Get the meeting minutes and spend your hours more wisely.

Authentic Conversations by Jamie and Maren Showkeir is a good read! Their commitment: “Our work centers on harmonizing the demand for business results with creating a culture where individuals can find meaning and purpose at work.” To learn more about their work, visit www.authenticconversations.com or www.henning-showkeir.com

Ready-Made Training Modules are available at partner www.Training-Modules.com

And ongoing, from Jana Kemp:

MOVING MEETINGS – available electronically at Amazon.com in January 2009

Back in Print ! McGraw Hill will soon have my first book available electronically. You will be able to print your own copy(ies) and learn to improve your meeting leadership skills thereby getting more done in meetings and spending less time doing it. Written by Jana Kemp, this book was her first to be published (1994) and first to be translated (Italian).

Prepared Not Paranoid – a book for safeguarding yourself and your family !

by Jana Kemp and Doug Graves. NOW AVAILABLE
Ready to learn how to be prepared for great living every day rather than being paranoid? This book combines Jana Kemp’s 2002 police academy experience with veteran officer and police trainer Doug Graves’ and produces a readable book for keeping yourself and loved ones safe every day. www.amazon.com

Moving Out of the Box

Tools for Team Decision Making by Jana Kemp
Commanding Collaborators in Chief – are in demand! They master both coming to consensus and command-and-control decision making approaches because these decision tools are equal. Learn why in this new book (Praeger/Greenwood) that also introduces a tool for reaching consensus when a team or group is so stuck that chaos or indecision are the most likely results. To Buy, visit: www.greenwood.com or www.Amazon.com

Building Community in Buildings



By Jana M. Kemp and Ken Baker
If your organization is building or remodeling office space, this book provides the HRD2 Model for creating productive and creative workspaces that encourage employees to shine. Released in late 2006, this book includes models, surveys, good-example photos of buildings and resources to help human resource and training professionals positively impact the architecting and design of built spaces. To Buy – visit: www.greenwood.com or www.Amazon.com

 
Looking for a meeting facilitator, a conference speaker or a workshop presenter on the subjects of meetings, time management or decision-making? Then, visit www.JanaKemp.com for information on these services and conference presentations.