Six Golden Rules for Meeting Management

　　If you are asked to chair a meeting， remember the following six golden rules1 for meeting management.

　　1.Always start the meeting on time. If you begin on time， group members who show up late will realize the value of time. Beginning on time reflects skill as an effective time manager and sets a precedent2 for others to follow.

　　2. Assign a note-taker or arrange to have the meeting audiotaped3. You may need to refer back to an issue that was discussed during the meeting at a later date. Good record-keeping is a sign of a good meeting manager as well.

　　3. Learn to listen. So many times we think about what we are going to say and， in the process， block out valid points that other group members may be contributing. Additionally， we often hear only what we want to hear， rather than really listening to other people. Meetings that are characterized by effective listening are successful meetings.

　　4. Keep the discussion on track4. Many times important issues can get sidetracked in a meeting， especially when everyone has a different opinion about the topic. If you anticipate a conflict prior to5 the meeting， discuss the issue with participants in advance. If an unanticipated6 conflict develops once the meeting is in progress， either appoint a subcommittee7 to look into the problem， or ask participants involved in the conflict to meet with you after the meeting. Doing so will help keep the discussion on track and minimize the chances of wasting participants' valuable time.

　　5. Give everyone an opportunity to be heard. Some people tend to monopolize8 meetings， whereas others wait to be asked their opinions. As the leader of the meeting， you need to keep an open mind and make sure everyone feels welcome to contribute and express ideas without criticism.

　　6. End on time. If you said the meeting would last no longer than one hour， make sure the meeting lasts for only an hour. Meeting participants tend to plan the rest of their day around the time allotted9 for the meeting. Running late with a meeting makes members tardy for other appointments， increases the chances that members will mentally leave the meeting， and reduces your credibility10 as an effective meeting manager.

　　如果要求你主持一個會議，記住以下有關(guān)主持會議的六大準(zhǔn)則。

　　1.總要準(zhǔn)時開會。如果你準(zhǔn)時開始，晚到的與會者會意識到時間的價值。準(zhǔn)時開始反映了一位善于掌握時間的人的技巧，也給其他人樹立了榜樣。

　　2.安排一位會議記錄或給會議錄音。日后你可能需要參考會議中商討的某個問題，做好記錄也是優(yōu)秀會議主持人的一個特點。

　　3.學(xué)會傾聽。常見的是，我們想的是我們將要說些什么，因此就妨礙了聽取別的與會者說出的合理論點。再有，我們經(jīng)常只聽我們想要聽的，而不是真正地傾聽他人的意見。能有效傾聽意見的會議是成功的'會議。

　　4.讓討論緊扣主題。往往許多重大問題在會議上容易離題，特別是當(dāng)每位與會者對問題意見不同時。如果會前你已預(yù)料到會有沖突發(fā)生，那就提前與當(dāng)事人交換一下意見。如果會議期間有未曾預(yù)料到的沖突發(fā)生，委派一個小組委員會對出現(xiàn)的問題予以調(diào)查，或者請卷入沖突的人員會后與你再談。這樣能夠讓討論緊扣主題，并盡可能少浪費與會者的寶貴時間。

　　5.給每位與會者說出自己看法的機會。有些人易于滔滔不絕占據(jù)會議的大部分時間，而有些人則等著被別人叫才開口。作為會議主持人，你需要思想開闊，無偏袒之心，確保每位與會者都能感到，表達(dá)自己的想法是受歡迎的，不會受到別人非難。

　　6.準(zhǔn)時結(jié)束會議。如果你說了會議不會超過1小時，那就要保證會議只持續(xù)1小時。與會者的日程安排往往會受到會議時間的左右。會議超時會導(dǎo)致他們遲赴別的約會，增加他們心不在焉的可能性，也會降低你作為一位善于主持會議的人的信譽。

　　注釋：

　　1.golden rule 指導(dǎo)原則

　　2.precedent n.先例，前例

　　3.audiotape vt.用磁帶錄音

　　4.keep the discussion ontrack使討論不離題

　　5.prior to在…以前，先于

　　6.unanticipated adj.未預(yù)料到的

　　7.subcommittee n.小組委員會，專門小組

　　8.monopolize vt.獨占，完全控制

　　9.allot vt.（為特定用途而）撥出，指定給

　　10.credibility n.可靠性，可信（性）