How to Maximize Your Meetings with Event Management Courses
Behind every major decision are hours banked by company executives in meeting rooms. In fact, you probably attend your fair share of meetings on a weekly basis. But are they as efficient as they could be? You’ve probably noticed that the weekly round-up meetings have been taking too long lately. Or perhaps you’ve seen one too many conference calls go around in circles for hours.
Meetings aren’t supposed to be this exhausting and ineffective! What you need is someone who can astutely lead the meetings. Usually, this is the project lead or even the CEO depending on the scale of the meeting. They’re supposed to keep the conversations on topic—but it’s easier said than done.
You may think taking event management courses is excessive for your purposes. Sorry to say this, but you’re wrong! It’ll take some hard work and study, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Find out how to get the most out of your meetings with event management courses!
Leadership:
To lead a conversation is more than just rattling off the agenda topics. The key word is right there: lead. Some people are born leaders, others aren’t. But guess what? It’s 100% something you can learn! Once you build confidence in your own skills and your own abilities as a leader, it’ll naturally radiate from you. Leading with respect and motivating a team isn’t always intuitive when you’re swamped with a dozen other tasks. Which leads us to the next point…
Organization:
Being organized is a key part of event management. You’ll learn how to prioritize certain tasks over others while keeping your eye on the prize. When you’re working with a team to reach a goal, each person is a different cog in the machine. Some people can only do their jobs once others have already completed theirs. Balancing those tasks with ones that can be done simultaneously takes practice and organization. If you can keep everyone on top of their duties, you’ll always be moving forward, smoothly and efficiently!
Problem-solving:
No matter how much you prepare, problems will arise at one point or another. But problem-solving becomes more difficult the more factors are involved. Sometimes it’s a matter of taking an educated risk. But a good event manager—and meeting manager by extension—considers input from all relevant team members. Each person has their own perspective to share and a different angle from which they approach the final goal!
Conflict resolution:
Every executive sitting in the boardroom has their own team and interests to represent. A good leader will fight for their team, after all. So it’s no surprise that hosting a group of strong leaders can lead to some disagreements.
How can you keep the conversation going instead of coming to a stalemate? Resolving concerns and disagreements during the decision-making process is critical! In your course, you’ll learn how to represent multiple clients (stakeholders) interests while ensuring everyone walks away satisfied. If you’re uncomfortable doing this now, a course should be on your horizon!
Creativity:
One of the best ways to problem solve? By flexing your creative muscles! Say you’re planning a large conference but all the large convention centers are booked up. Why not set your sights on learning spaces at the local university? These spaces are specifically designed with learning, communicating, and collaborating in mind! And if you’re in a bind to find smaller meeting spaces? How about the public library? During your professional training, you’ll learn to intertwine creative thinking with tried-and-true procedures. This way, you’ll always have your wheels turning!
Attention to Detail:
Sometimes the best ideas aren’t ones that bubble to the top as soon as they’re said. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep tabs on them! Being detail-oriented improves the work environment. In event management, the details are what separates you from the herd of other professionals in the field. It’s also what makes clients happy. When you listen and take note of finer details, your meetings will be productive, and your clients will be happier. Combine those details with some creativity and you have a recipe for success!
Social Committees:
Besides formal meeting, social committees hold meetings, too. These committees grow company culture and satisfaction. These teams are some of the most creative and productive. After all, you wouldn’t want a group outing to be lame! Event management courses will teach committee heads how to plan and execute fun events.
But more than that, improving the working environment engages employees. The overall productivity of the company will skyrocket if everyone is more comfortable and happier coming to work. When you trust others on your team, you’re more likely to come forward with your ideas. You never know which ideas are game changers until you voice them!
Take it outside of meetings:
You may have noticed that a lot of these points are soft-skills. Ultimately, when you’re in a meeting, you’re working with others. Interpersonal communication skills are the key to success. After all, how else can you contribute to group projects? Simply speaking is different than being effective when communicating. If everyone is speaking and nobody is engaged or listening, then your meetings are a waste of time. Event management is inherently interpersonal! That back and forth with vendors to achieve a client’s goals? You’ll need to learn how to combine verbal and non-verbal cues to streamline a conversation—and elicit others to contribute, too!
How else can you maximize your meetings? Let us know!
