Reflections on Meeting

Albeit the meeting only consisted of three people, the experience is meaningful and we certainly have a lot to away from this exposure. For the first time, I was given a chance to be the leader of the meeting and even though the meeting went on smoothly, I felt that we certainly have a lot to improve on in terms of making the meeting more effective and purposeful.

My first observation is that there were frequent occurrences of random pauses during the discussion. Sometimes, all of us will be keeping quiet, thinking of how to carry on with the discussion. This was partially a fault of mine as I felt that I could have put in more control to direct the flow of the discussions; instead of waiting for replies from the rest. Preparing a more detailed agenda regarding the points to be discussed can be helpful in this case.

Secondly, I observe that we can be too informal and comfortable at times. While we did not stray away from the main points, sometimes our tone can get informal and casual. While a tinge of humour can have a positive effect of keeping the mind fresh, people tend to slack off if they get too relaxed with the situation. Setting down some house rules to govern the manner in which the meeting will be run could be useful. The leader of the meeting could also start with an appropriate tone to kick start the meeting at the correct note.

Also, I felt that there were also considerable merits for our meeting. Firstly, we were ahead of the scheduled timing and were left with an ample amount of time towards the end. Secondly, we kept ourselves focused on the task at hand and hence were able to make quick decisions for our project. All in all, everybody was sure of their task and aware of what they were supposed to do and hence meant that the meeting has fulfilled its purpose adequately.

Conflicts and Solutions

No matter how good we are in handling relationships, conflicts are bound to occur sometime in our interpersonal relationships, be it in a group or with another person. Take for a simple example of a team of three wanting to accomplish a task on time. Person A is the leader and he dedicates tasks for person B and C. Some changes then occurred and A wants B to contact C about the changes. However C fails to receive the full changes that happened as we are fully aware of how communications can get distorted at times. This in turn led to C carrying out his tasks in the wrong manner. In the end, the task could not be completed on time, everybody becomes frustrated and the blaming game begins.

Is it the fault of A as he should have ensured that C received the exact message? For all one knows he could have been more assertive and choose to convey the message himself instead of getting someone else to pass it on. Or is B at fault as he failed to pass on the information as accurately and detailed as possible? Perhaps, since he should know the importance of the changes and it would be disastrous if C perceive the changes differently. And can we blame C for the mistake as he failed to check back with A to see what he has received from B is correct? Maybe, since C should know that conveyed messages are usually inaccurate and as a responsible teammate, he should always check back with his leader. But one thing is for sure, we know that the team is unable to complete their task in a timely fashion and has thus, failed.

The gist of the problem that lies within the team is that important house rules for the team are not properly laid down. In this context, proper communication channels should have been decided before the start of the task, since all of us are very much enlightened by how important communication is. House rules are very much important in ensuring that the team works in a cooperative manner. With this in mind, what other house rules are important within a team and how should they be decided?