<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[A Life in Libraries]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://cherylbecker.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[cbecker53]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://cherylbecker.wordpress.com/author/cbecker53/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Making the Most of Your&nbsp;Meetings]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>If you work in a library, you know one thing we have a lot of (other than books and other library material), is MEETINGS.  If you don&#8217;t work in one, you may be surprised to learn how many meetings we have!</p>
<p>If your meetings lately have seemed to go on and on and nothing ever gets decided, consider this post from <a title="All Things Workplace" href="http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/" target="_blank">All Things Workplace</a>:  <a title="Decide how to Decide" href="http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2012/09/decide-how-to-decide-good-meetings.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+allthingsworkplace+%28AllThingsWorkplace%29&amp;utm_content=Google+Reader" target="_blank">Decide How to Decide</a>.  Read the full post, but until you have time, here&#8217;s some of the content:</p>
<ul>
<li>Agree on how you&#8217;ll arrive at decisions before the meeting begins.</li>
<li>Ask these two questions when you reach a decision point:
<ul>
<li>How many of you can live with and openly support this decision?</li>
<li>Who cannot&#8211;and why not? (If you don&#8217;t force the &#8220;why not?&#8221; question, you&#8217;re not going to get the discussion that could be all that you need to turn it around). Another way to word the &#8220;why?&#8221; questions is: &#8220;What would it take for you to live with and openly support this decision?&#8221;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>I find this way of thinking helpful, and as is often the case, the answer is so <em>simple</em>.  What do you think?</p>
<div style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034345551@N01/58851431" target="_blank"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="First Meeting" alt="First Meeting" src="https://i0.wp.com/farm1.static.flickr.com/24/58851431_cdf1ed240f_m.jpg" height="180" width="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Meeting (Photo credit: lhl)</p></div>
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