Chapter 1: Introduction

THE OBJECTIVE OF MEETINGS IS TO HAVE ALL PROJECT PARTICIPANTS TAKE PART IN DECISION-MAKING.

Why is it important to make decisions with the help of meetings? As we have seen in Volume One of this training module, PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION is the cornerstone of sound decision-making, and meetings are the easiest way of achieving participatory communication.

Task 1

As a group, discuss why meetings are the easiest way of achieving participatory communication.
Write four reasons in the space below.

a._________________________________________________________________________
b. _________________________________________________________________________
c. _________________________________________________________________________
d. _________________________________________________________________________

Although the decisions made in meetings are not always the best or the most efficient ones from the project staff's point of view, it should be borne in mind that it is usually better to have a less-than-optimal decision carried out well than to have an optimal solution rejected by people who were not consulted on the matter.

Although they accept the importance of meetings, and use them frequently, many public officials, project staff and community leaders know little about the art of conducting a good meeting. Thus many meetings are run poorly, waste everyone's time and leave people dissatisfied and frustrated. As a result, most people do not enjoy meetings and feel a sense of relief when one is cancelled.

The purpose of this training module is to show how meetings can be made useful and effective. Three aspects of meetings will be discussed:

- their purposes,
- how to conduct them, and
- how to organize them.