A meeting is a mandatory event in which all members of an organization participate, such as an annual meeting of shareholders or general meeting members of the cooperative. The procedure for holding a meeting is regulated by the charter of the relevant organization, the course of the meeting and decisions made are fixed in special document- minutes of the meeting.

Unlike a meeting, a meeting is attended by a certain fixed circle of people, usually representatives of various companies or divisions of the enterprise. Meetings are usually regular and are held in strictly defined

divided time, most often once a week, and are intended to discuss current issues, although there may be unscheduled meetings caused by production needs. Minutes of the meeting are not required, but a decision is usually made at the end of the meeting.

Business meetings are divided into business conversations and negotiations. Business conversations are held in a free form, are intended to discuss any issues that have arisen and do not necessarily end with a decision being made. The negotiations are intended to resolve serious issues of joint activities of enterprises, delimitation of areas of activity, development pricing policy and so on. They end with the adoption of final documents or oral declarations.

Due to the specifics of their work, any businessman quite often has to take part in various meetings, conferences and business meetings, as well as organize these events himself. It is necessary to follow the established procedure for organizing and conducting them, because often the success of all commercial work depends on it.

When preparing a meeting, meeting or negotiations, you must:

1. Select and clearly formulate an agenda. The agenda may have two or three main issues and three or four minor ones. If there are few main issues, then the meeting will proceed leisurely and will take the same amount of time as if there were a sufficient number of them, and if large quantities discussion of issues will become superficial.

2. Determine the composition of participants (for meetings, negotiations). The exception is production meetings, which are held regularly (usually once a week) with a constant composition of participants.

3. Select the day and time of the event. When conducting negotiations, the day and time are agreed upon in advance with all participants.

4. Notify participants about the day and time of the event. When holding a meeting, it is advisable to do this 5-7 days in advance. Only persons invited to it and who are not regular participants in the meeting are notified about the day and time of the production meeting.

5. Set the expected duration of the event and warn participants about it. Experience shows that announcing the end time of a meeting or meeting reduces its duration by 10-15%.

6. Prepare a keynote speech or message and identify required discussion participants. The report must be specific, reflect the essence of the issue under consideration, and the conclusions must be substantiated. Verbosity and vagueness of a report or message causes indifference among listeners.

7. Select and prepare the premises. Care must be taken to ensure that the room is comfortable enough to accommodate all participants. There should not be a shortage of chairs. When organizing negotiations on the tables in front of each participant, it is advisable to place a card indicating the last name, first name, patronymic and the name of the company he represents. There should also be paper and writing utensils on the tables, and refreshments can be provided. It is considered good form to serve tea or coffee with a small amount of baked goods during negotiations.

You need to start work at exactly the appointed time. Delaying the start of a meeting or meeting usually results in the next meeting being held very late. It is customary to strictly observe the start time of negotiations by all parties; being late for negotiations is considered as extreme disrespect for partners and can lead to undesirable consequences.

The situation during the meeting (meeting) or business meeting must be friendly. Personal attacks towards participants and showdowns are unacceptable.

A chairman is elected to conduct the meeting. The main responsibilities of the chairman are:

follow the regulations;

announce the name and position of the speaker, the name of the organization of which he is a representative.

The chairman of the meeting must meet certain requirements, the main of which are: competence, impartiality, ability to express himself clearly and clearly, and tolerance of other people's opinions. The chairman does not have the right to show his preference for one or another opinion or participant in the meeting, or to impose his opinion. He must present his proposals after everyone else.

An important step in any meeting or meeting is making a decision. At such moments, the meeting often becomes helpless, as if it loses energy. This happens because participants are unable to recognize that it is time to make a decision, or they hesitate, hesitating to make a choice. In such cases, it is best to choose one offer and continue to consider it. It is important not to miss the moment when the debate should be closed - this requires the experience and skill of the chairman. Good way- interim voting. It sums up the next stage of the discussion. However, one should not be too hasty with the final vote, because It is possible that a decision will be made that is rejected by the minority. In this case, members of the minority may begin to act to prove the majority wrong, which can lead to the resumption of the discussion and the loss of the results already achieved.

A special type of meeting is the so-called “brainstorming”. Such a meeting is held when it is necessary to solve a complex problem, find a way out of a confusing situation, or make a responsible decision.

To conduct such a meeting, first of all, it is necessary to clearly formulate the task - only one, the most difficult or the most important. It is advisable that no more than 7-12 people take part in the discussion. It is advisable to arrange the chairs in a circle so that there is no “gallery” and “presidium”. It is necessary to strictly determine the time of discussion. Lack of time creates stress, which stimulates brain activity. The optimal time for such a meeting is about 30 minutes. No one should criticize the proposals put forward. Most people cannot work creatively under conditions of moral threat; if one is pulled back, others will only think about how not to seem stupider than everyone else. At the beginning of a discussion, as a rule, banal, empty ideas are put forward. The ban on criticism makes it easier to put forward any ideas, some of which may be very valuable. It is advisable to select best ideas, rather than discarding the worst, what seemed unsuitable now may be useful later. There is no need to establish the authorship of ideas - the best ideas are always the product of collective creativity.

When a way out of a difficult situation seems to have been found, it is advisable to divide into two groups - “supporters” and “opponents” and try to find weak points in the developed solution. The final decision must be clearly formulated and written down.

MINISTRY

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD OF THE SAMARA REGION

GBPOU "SERGIEVSKY PROVINCE TECHNIQUE"

Code, specialty 02/19/08 Technology of meat and meat products

PM.04 Organization of work of a structural unit.

MDK 04.01. Control structural unit organizations.

(4th year, 43rd group)

Lesson #40

Subject: Technology for organizing and conducting meetings, negotiations/

1. Negotiations: concept and their role in business communication…………………..

2. Organization and conduct business negotiations……………………..

3. Business meetings as a form of management………………….

4. Technology for organizing and holding meetings…………………..

There are many definitions of the concept “business”, and one of them says: “Business is an arrangement.” What does it mean to “skillfully conduct business negotiations, conduct business meetings”? How to learn to be both firm and flexible in negotiations? What style of conducting business negotiations and business meetings is most optimal?

Commercial negotiations and meetings are necessary in order to resolve problems, discuss pressing issues, and develop a joint solution.

The art of negotiations and meetings is specially taught all over the world. The majority of Russian entrepreneurs have not only never been trained in the process of conducting negotiations and business meetings, but also have no experience of participating in them. Meanwhile, the transition to the market is unthinkable without these forms of business communication.

Today, more and more business people are being drawn into the commercial negotiation process. As for the profession of manager, which is now fashionable in our country, the ability to conduct commercial negotiations and business meetings is one of the main components of his professional activity.

1. Negotiations: concept and their role in business communication

Negotiations are an integral part of our Everyday life. According to the famous American negotiation specialist J. Nirenberg, “in life you can negotiate on all issues, under any circumstances and at any time.” “After all, in every aspect - in business, in the social sphere, in relationships between people - there is a need for negotiations,” 1 he writes. And success in life is largely determined by how successfully people conduct their negotiations. Therefore, mastering the skills and abilities of the negotiation process becomes an urgent necessity for every business person.

Negotiations are a discussion of something, an exchange of opinions with the aim of agreeing on something. Negotiation accompanies any joint activities. The purpose of negotiations is usually to reach an agreement on the parties' participation in activities, the results of which will be used for mutual benefit; conclusion of an agreement, contract; extension of existing agreements; coordination of joint actions, etc. Business negotiations are conducted within the scope of the participants’ business and have a narrower task - to reach an agreement on the mutually beneficial exchange of resources, joint investment of resources, distribution of profits received from joint activities.

Negotiations are an effective means of resolving conflicts, controversial issues; establishing friendly relations and establishing cooperation.

Key Feature negotiations is that the opinions of the participants partly coincide and partly diverge. If the views of opponents completely coincide, negotiations are not necessary; joint actions are necessary to solve the assigned tasks. If the positions of the parties are diametrically opposed and the participants in communication are this moment nothing unites, it is impossible to sit down at the negotiating table. It takes some time for the opponents’ positions to converge and for the emergence of common ground of mutual interests.

Researchers pay attention to another very important aspect conducting negotiations. They believe that in negotiations the main thing is not to analyze the opponents’ position, although this is undoubtedly important and necessary, but to take into account the interests of the parties, i.e. “The search for a balance of interests, their correlation comes to the fore,” the main question is “how to resolve conflicting interests and realize their coincidence to the fullest extent” 1 .

The art of business negotiations is to show your opponent the way to solve his problem by taking actions that are beneficial to the other party. This requires deep knowledge in the field of communication, competence in using business communication techniques, and the ability to manage one’s emotional state.

Organization and conduct of business negotiations

The key to successful negotiations is good preparation for them. The preparatory stage includes working out how organizational issues, and the substantive side of the negotiations.

In the process of organizing negotiations, it is necessary to decide who will take part in the negotiations, who will lead the delegation, and how to distribute responsibilities between members of the delegation. It is necessary to determine the place and time of the meeting, draw up a program of negotiations, clarify work regulations, prepare the premises, equip workplaces, give instructions to the employees serving the negotiations, etc.

The more carefully all the details of the upcoming event are thought out, the more effective it will be. And, conversely, untimely and poor-quality resolution of organizational issues can create an atmosphere of tension, which will negatively affect the course of negotiations, or even lead to their breakdown.

Important point negotiations - where they are held - in your own office or on the territory of your opponents. Both situations have positive aspects. Here is what J. Nirenberg writes about this: “If the meeting is held at your site, you will have the following advantages: 1) you are given the opportunity to get approval from your management on issues that you had not previously foreseen; 2) it does not give the other party the opportunity to prematurely end the negotiations and leave, which they could do if they were in their own office; 3) you can do other things and have your own means of production at hand; 4) it gives you a psychological advantage due to the fact that the other party has come to you; 5) it saves time and money on travel.

Moving negotiations to the opponent’s territory also has its benefits: 1) you can devote all your time to negotiations, without distractions and interruptions that may arise in your office; 2) you can “withhold” information by stating that you do not have it at the moment; 3) you will have the opportunity to visit someone from the opposing party’s management; 4) the burden of preparing business affairs will fall on the opponent and the opponent will not be free from his other responsibilities” 1.

If none of these alternatives suits the parties, then they can meet on neutral territory.

At the preparatory stage, you need to pay special attention to the content of the upcoming meeting, i.e. analyze the problem, thoroughly study the state of affairs, clearly formulate the goals and objectives of the negotiations, develop general position teams, determine your own view on the subject of discussion, select convincing arguments, find possible solutions, prepare proposals, draw up Required documents etc.

The task of collecting the necessary information on the topic comes to the fore. To do this, the negotiators will have to make considerable efforts (study relevant literature, documents, work in the library, consult with specialists, etc.). The more information they have, the more confident they feel. Information is the most effective tool, the most valuable asset in any negotiations. Therefore, it is recommended to start negotiations only when you are confident that you know more about this issue than your opponent. For successful negotiations It is also very important to study the opponent himself.

The reluctance to collect information about the people with whom you are to conduct a dialogue is the most common mistake that many make at the stage of preparation for negotiations.

The authors of one foreign manual on negotiations write: “Not a single boxer or wrestler would ever think of a fight until he has studied the strengths and weak sides future opponent, his favorite techniques and style features. Such athletes carefully study videos and reports of fights conducted by their alleged opponent. They then have practice fights with sparring partners who copy the style of their future opponent. If you have important negotiations coming up, you should give yourself the same advantage. Study your opponent" 1.

It is necessary to find out what is essential for the negotiating partner, what are his values, life goals, what benefits he can and wants to derive from the upcoming meeting, etc. When collecting information, it is advisable to inquire about your opponent’s past, get acquainted with the results of his current activities, make inquiries about his previous successes and failures, personal tastes and weaknesses, relationships with superiors, colleagues, etc.

Reliable and objective information and the competence of negotiators will help achieve the desired results. Therefore, you should not waste time preparing for negotiations; you need to carefully think through all the subtleties and details of the upcoming discussion, select possible arguments to substantiate your position, and outline how best to use certain methods of influencing your opponent.

After preparatory stage The most important stage begins - the actual negotiations, the real meeting of all participants.

Practice and experience in conducting a wide variety of negotiations, both in our country and abroad, made it possible to develop an optimal model for the negotiation process. Let's name its main structural elements:

1. Greeting the participants, introducing the parties to each other.

2. Statement of problems and goals of negotiations.

3. Dialogue between participants, including clarification, discussion and coordination of positions, clarification of mutual interests.

4. Summing up and making decisions.

5. Completion of negotiations.

During the negotiations, it may be possible to develop Various types joint decisions:

Compromise, or “middle solution”;

Asymmetrical solution, relative compromise;

A fundamentally new solution, “removing” the main contradictions.

A compromise is an agreement based on mutual concessions. A compromise solution is possible only when the parties are ready to meet each other halfway and satisfy at least part of their mutual interests. It must be borne in mind that the demands of the parties must be legal in nature and the concessions must be of equal value. A compromise solution is the most typical in various negotiations.

The essence of an asymmetric solution is that the concessions of one side significantly exceed the concessions of the other, but the opponent is forced to agree with this, otherwise he will lose even more. In fact, such decisions secure through negotiations the partial defeat of one side.

An effective remedy“removing” existing contradictions means finding a fundamentally new solution, a non-standard approach to considering the problem. Sometimes it seems that negotiations have reached a dead end. But no matter how hopeless they may seem at first, you can always find a way out if you approach the matter creatively. According to American experts R. Fisher and W. Urey, the so-called breakthrough strategy 1 can help in such negotiations. It is based on respect for the opponent. It is important not to force him to make a decision, but to give him the opportunity to make his own choice. To do this, you need to change the situation accordingly, look at the situation with different eyes, transform the problem, turn the enemy into a partner in constructive negotiations.

Care. This technique is associated with closing a position. For example, an opponent asks to postpone consideration of the issue or move it to another meeting. Withdrawal can be direct (it is openly proposed to postpone the question) or indirect (the answer sounds vague; the opponent’s question is not noticed, etc.).

Waiting. Participants try to listen to the opponent’s opinion, and then formulate their own position.

Expression of consent. The opponent seeks to emphasize agreement with the partner’s already expressed opinion.

Expression of disagreement. The opponent distances himself from the partner’s statement.

Objection to partner. Indication of the weaknesses of the opponent’s position: lack of authority; nervousness, excited state; contradictory statements and demands; lack of alternative options, etc.

Optimistic ending. At the end of the negotiations, questions are posed in such a way that the partner must answer “yes”. This creates the impression of a favorable ending to the negotiations.

If the progress of the negotiations was positive, then at their final stage it is necessary to summarize, briefly repeat the main points that were touched upon during the negotiations, and, most importantly, the characteristics of those positive points on which the parties agreed. This will make it possible to achieve confidence that all participants in the negotiations clearly understand the essence of the main provisions of the future agreement, and everyone is convinced that certain progress has been achieved during the negotiations. It is also advisable, based on the positive results of the negotiations, to discuss the prospect of new meetings.

If the outcome of negotiations is negative, it is necessary to maintain subjective contact with the negotiating partner. In this case, attention is focused not on the subject of negotiations, but on personal aspects that allow maintaining business contacts in the future. That is, we should abandon summing up the results of those sections where no positive results were achieved. It is advisable to find a topic that will be of interest to both parties, will defuse the situation and help create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere of farewell.

After the negotiations are completed, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of them. It is recommended to assess the following questions:

Result achieved;

Reasons for the success/failure of the team;

Difficulties encountered during negotiations;

Level of preparation for negotiations;

Behavior of negotiators (ourselves and others);

Lessons learned and conclusions.

In general, certain rules must be followed to ensure effective negotiations.

The basic rule is that both parties come to the belief that they have gained something as a result of the negotiations.

The most important thing in negotiations is your partner. He needs to be convinced to accept the offer. The entire course of negotiations, all argumentation must be oriented towards it.

Negotiation is collaboration. Any cooperation must have a common base, so it is important to find a common denominator “for the different interests of the partners.”

Rarely do negotiations go without problems, so the tendency to compromise is important.

Any negotiations should be a dialogue, so it is important to be able to ask the right question and be able to listen to your partner.

Positive results of negotiations should be considered as their natural conclusion, therefore, in conclusion, it is necessary to dwell on the content of the agreement, which reflects all the interests of the partners.

Negotiations are considered completed if their results have been subjected to thorough analysis, on the basis of which appropriate conclusions have been drawn.

Business meeting is a form of business communication for the purpose of discussing and solving production issues and problems that require collective efforts.

Reasons for the meeting:

The need to make a collective decision;

Resolving an issue affecting the interests of several structural divisions simultaneously;

To resolve the issue, it is necessary to take advantage of the opinions of various groups of workers.

Preparing the meeting

At this stage, a decision is made to hold a meeting, the agenda, timing, regulations, etc. are determined.

Agenda recorded in a written document, which is sent in advance to all meeting participants. The agenda states:

Topic and purpose of the meeting;

A list of issues to be discussed, in the order of priority for their consideration and with the identification of speakers (their names, positions) on these issues.

Time and place of the meeting.

Composition of meeting participants.

Those who are truly necessary are invited to participate in the meeting. The optimal number of participants is 6-7 people. Increasing the number of invitees reduces the participation rate (or impact) and lengthens the meeting. If necessary, the number of participants can be increased to 15 people.

Organization of the spatial environment. At the meeting preparation stage, it is necessary to consider the issue of accommodating its participants. They need to be seated so that they can see each other’s face, eyes, facial expressions, and gestures, which gives them the opportunity to use a greater number of means of obtaining information and ensures its better perception.

It is advisable to hold business meetings on a certain day of the week (with the exception of unscheduled, emergency ones), preferably at the beginning or end of the working day, or in the second half after the lunch break.

Conducting a meeting

Organizing and conducting discussions.

To make a meeting more effective, participants must clearly fulfill their roles.

Supervisor During the meeting must perform the following tasks:

Start the meeting on time;

Formulate the problem of the meeting and direct the participants towards its positive solution;

Clarify the agenda, inform about the work regulations, warn about the need to speak on the merits;

Monitor the discussion and guide it in a constructive direction;

Use a variety of techniques to activate the attention of meeting participants;

Stop inappropriate behavior of meeting participants and mitigate tense situations;

Summarize presentations and clearly formulate conclusions.

Requirements for meeting participants:

Introduce yourself;

Do not avoid responsibility, say “I” instead of “we”;

Be specific, state your point of view clearly, be active, defend your point of view, be tolerant of other people's opinions;

Ask the speakers questions that clarify and promote understanding, and explain their purpose; do not use provocative questions that cause a conflict reaction and lead away from solving the problem;

Try, as much as possible, not to interpret other people's thoughts and ideas; express your attitude to the opinions and proposals of other meeting participants in the form of “I-statements”, speaking about your perception of their positions;

Offer new ideas and search for the most acceptable solution to the issue under discussion.

Completion and preparation of the protocol.

Summarizing the discussion, the leader should:

Develop a solution and determine ways to implement it;

Document the results of the meeting and share them with the meeting participants;

Create a certain action plan for implementing the decisions made, distribute responsibilities, appoint those responsible for implementing decisions, determine the forms of control and the people exercising it.

The progress of the meeting should be recorded. The date of signing the protocol and, therefore, the beginning of the implementation of the decisions of the meeting is the day it is held.

After the meeting, the manager must:

Analyze the progress of the meeting and its results;

Distribute the minutes to those responsible for implementing the meeting decisions;

Monitor the implementation of its decisions: control is the main tool for executing decisions made as a result of the meeting;

Create conditions for the implementation of planned actions.