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Tag: management

Five Tips To Help You Perfect The Art Of Thinking On Your Feet

Posted on by Editor

Experienced event planning and meeting professionals know that it is impossible to plan for everything. Even with weeks of preparation, a talented support team, and multiple contingency plans, it is inevitable that something – a last-minute change, a weather event, or an unreasonable request from a client – will derail your carefully laid plans, even if only temporarily.

In a profession that requires planning for the unknown, one of the most valuable skills to have is the ability to perform well under pressure. Here are five tips to help you perfect the art of thinking on your feet:

1. Develop a pre-event ritual.
Putting yourself in the right mindset before a major meeting will help you to keep your cool and power through any challenges that may come your way. Think about actions that are energizing and familiar to you, and build them into an event-morning ritual that will get you ready for a successful day of work. Your ritual might include a workout, your favorite breakfast, or an extra half hour to enjoy your morning coffee.

2. Stay calm and confident.
Remaining calm under pressure will help you project confidence and make effective decisions. Large events are very stressful, but keeping things in perspective can help you keep calm. In most cases, incidents that seem like catastrophes in the moment are really inconveniences that can be easily overcome.

3. Buy yourself time.
When you’re thinking on your feet, you might feel pressure to respond to questions immediately. It is okay to stall and give yourself a moment to collect your thoughts before you speak. Some ways to do this include repeating or paraphrasing what was said to you for clarity, focusing on direct communication, and simply pausing the conversation.

4. Save the blame.
In the event that something does go wrong at your meeting, reserve making judgments or assigning blame. In the rush of an event, communications sometimes break down and it is not always clear what transpired until later. As a leader, you should strive to make your team look good and avoid going on the defensive.

5. Review your own performance after each event.
Whether there was a major mix-up or everything was smooth sailing, take the time to honestly review your performance at each event. Identify your strongest areas, and where you could stand to improve. This exercise will build self-awareness, which leads to confidence.

Hosting your next meeting at a top venue can help make your role as a planner less stressful. Contact us today to learn about AMA Executive Conference Center’s convenient locations in Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco and Washington DC.

Managing Team Members With Bad Attitudes

Posted on by Editor

Working with a team has many benefits: different team members bring new ideas to the table, brainstorming together can lead to creative problem-solving, and work moves forward even if one team member is unavailable. But inevitably you’ll end up on a team with someone who brings a bad attitude to the table.

Maybe your problem team member takes credit for all of the team’s work. They might refuse to listen to others’ ideas, belittle other people on the team, or walk away in a huff every time there’s a disagreement. Whatever kind of bad attitude they have, it can bring down the whole team and drain everyone else’s motivation.

What can you do when one member of a team threatens to get in the way of everyone’s hard work? Here are a few tips on how to manage a team member with a bad attitude:

Empathize

It might seem counterintuitive (you definitely don’t agree with this person!) but expressing some empathy for their point of view might change your problem colleague’s outlook. For example, if they shoot down someone else’s idea, you can say, “You’re really worried that this idea won’t work. What do you suggest instead?” When someone feels like they’re being listened to, they might be more likely to listen to others.

Set Expectations

Rather than single out the one team member with a bad attitude (which can just make them feel hurt and resentful), get the whole team talking about expectations and ideal behavior when working together. Make a list at the beginning of every project; expectations could include things like “we listen to everyone’s ideas” or “we wait until a person is done before talking.”

Find Their Strength

Some people just aren’t cut out for teamwork. You can try to force your colleague into having a better attitude, but at some point, it might make more sense to let them do their own thing. Depending on their specific talents, you could assign them some important research or ask them to draft the team’s final report.

You might have a difficult team member but finding the right venue for your next executive meeting doesn’t have to be difficult. To book meetings, conferences, and other corporate events  contact AMA Conference Centers today.