Session Builders Series 100: 60 Exercises for Management and Supervisory Training

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118 – Making the Meeting Meaningful

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Purpose/Objectives: This exercise demonstrates how a supervisor or manager

can “open up” a problem-solving session by promoting

an atmosphere of open thinking, sharing ideas, and an

in-depth analysis of those ideas. A task force consisting

of five to seven participants is assigned to select what

day to use for a ninth floating holiday in their company.

A leader is chosen, and the emphasis of the exercise is

on how well he/she carried out this assignment. The

leader and the remaining class participants receive

guidelines on how to conduct the meeting. If the leader

fails to follow the guidelines, the observers note the

action. Changing leaders several times throughout the

meeting gives others a chance to try out their skills.

Leaders can learn when their meeting does not “stay on

track,” and the rest of the participants can compare

different styles of leadership.

Type: Simulation

Time Required: 70 to 90 minutes

Group Size: Unlimited but works best with groups of 15 or fewer

Use this Session Builder as:

• A reinforcement exercise to build on key points in

the session.

• An introductory exercise to stimulate thinking and

lead to discussion.

Session

Builders

SB 118-1

Preparation

• Make copies of the guidelines for each participant.

• Provide pencils and plain paper for task force members.

• Have a whiteboard or flipchart and markers available to use during the exercise

and discussion.

• Arrange for a table and five to seven chairs for task force members. The

arrangement should be flexible to allow easy viewing of the task force and

recorded information.

Process

• Tell the group you’re going to give them a problem-solving exercise. Read or

paraphrase the following:

The XYZ Company has assigned five (or the number in your task force) of its

employees to form a task force to review the company holidays. There are now

eight existing holidays that are recognized by the company. They are New

Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day,

Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

The company president has decided to offer a ninth floating holiday that can

occur anytime within the calendar year, January through December. Your

assignment is to select which day to consider for the floating holiday, support

your choice with rationale for the selection, and report your decision back to

the president within the next 10 working days.

• Explain that it is up to the task force to meet and reach alternative solutions to

the problem. Point out that in the exercise, the emphasis will be on the leader

and how effectively he/she accomplishes this task.

• Ask for five to seven volunteers to serve on this task force. Make your own

personal selection if you do not receive enough volunteers.

• Tell the task force to choose a leader. If they cannot agree, encourage one

member to act as the leader.

• Explain that the leader will not remain in that role throughout the entire

meeting. The leader may step down at any time, and periodically a new leader

will be selected from the observers. This allows someone experiencing difficulty

to get out of the “hot spot” and gives others a chance to experience leading the

meeting.