PETER BLOCK A CUIDE TO GETTINC YOUR EXPERTISE USED & & A & m NYTIME YOU PRESENT a clear and simple picture of the current situation and make your recommendations, you do it in hopes of triggering action. The action could be a decision, further discovery, or learning. It is the moment of truth and high anxiety for the client and the consultant. It is also exciting and fun. Next to that moment at the beginning of the project when the client says yes, this is the part of consulting that I enjoy most. The excitement of the meeting for action is that it holds the promise of some movement. It holds some hope that the energy the client and I have invested in this process will pay off. This is the major agenda-the commitment to action. Even if most of the meeting is spent in understanding the problem or the possibility, the heart of the meeting is the discussion of what to do. This is the way to approach the meeting-as an opportunity to get action, not just an opportunity to present data. In this sense, the meeting is not an ending. It is the beginning of the implementation phase that will solve a problem or change the status quo. This chapter is about how to structure and manage any meeting designed to be the beginning of some action, To flawlessly manage this meeting,yottneed to attend to the business of this phase: L. Keep the picture in focus. Keep it simple and straightforward. Use everyday language that is accurate, specific, and nonpunishing. 2. in your summary information on how the situation is being managed. J. Manage the meeting. Maintain control of Present personal and organizational data.Include it moving towards what if and structure it. Keep will be done about the problem or possibility. 4. 5. ahead and fall in love with your data-but don't tell everyone about it. Keep your presentation short and simple. The longer and more complex you make it, the more you are open for endless questions on methodology and interpretation. To structure the presentation, there are only four general categories of data: Analysis of the technical or business problem Focus on the here and nozo of the meeting. To have maximum leverage and get your expertise used, you need to watch the process of the meeting and deal directly with the resistance and the movement as it occurs. If you don't deal with the resistance in the meeting, you may never get another chance. If you do not acknowledge movement, it may evaporate. Don't take it personally. A special reminder here, because this is the phase of consulting where you are tikely to get the most resistance. Remember the rule: after 6:00 p.M., you can take anything personally, but during the day, no matter how many guns are aimed at you, your task is to stay focused on the client's internal struggle to confront the reality that is being resisted. The other half of consulting flawlessly in this phase is to behave authentically-to state to the client what you are experiencing as the meeting progresses. A picture of what is working and what the possibilities are Analysis of how the situation is being managed Recommendations In deciding how to present data, remember: . The purpose of discovery is to focus awareness on a manageable number of dimensions. Most feedback overloads the organization. Keep the feedback down to under ten, or even fewer, issues. . What we want is action. We are not doing research, even if it is called research. The report does not have to have all the answers and does not have to be complete. It is often useful to devise a format that offers a role whereby the manager or group can participate in the analysis. The end result with a group, as with an individual, is to have it take responsibility for its own situation. The picture you present should focus on a few central aspects of the problem or possibility. The mistake with most presentations is that they are too long and too intricate. when we have spent all that time analyzing data, we fall in love with all of the facts and figures. we find interesting discrepancies that defy explanntirxr; we notice historical trends and comparisons; we discover curves nncl grophs witlr shapes, heights, and textures that are each worth nn lrour's cliscussion. co The purpose of every meeting is more than the presentation of your data. You want to get the client's reaction to the data and recommen' dations, and you want to get the client to do something as a result of your Btudy, Here is how to get what you want from the meeting. -.*{F j'--T \\..S i *ry fn"ru. "q W$ the x:i:'::Ii?',.tllo|u*c,f to You are in the best position do rh ;T,fl".}'r; ?::l,t#":""*'1,i1 &\\-r".;ffi ffJu"w*)b* pretty dependent (SS mlNt Here is a detailed breakdor,vn for the steps. The right-hand columns sug_ gesthow to allocate time to each sequence of steps. Begiffring and endin! times for each sequence in a sixty-minute meeting position during the meering, it serves meetings like this. ,, ,."o"irlX1l":il1: il",::lr;"# The agenda should fofow the sequenceshown in Figure 11. Keep steps in that ordeq, and don,t skip any of them. t0ffi*trw* Flgure ll. Steps in Managing the Meeting for Action I Restate the Original Contract 2 State the Agenda,/Structure of the Meeting are ,ior,*. The percent_ age of meeting time that should be devoted to each step or group of steps is also listed. That way if you have pranned a four-hour meeting you know to ask the client how the meeting is going (step 6) at the end of two hours. Steps and 2: Restate the originar contract; State the Agenda/Structure of the Meeting 1 Steps Percent 1. Restate the original contract Total Meeting 5 percent 2. State the agenda/structure meeting 3 Present Clear prcture 5 Ask Client for Reactions Throush rhe Meetins: Ask1?lt*j, ^9 the Ctienrs lf They Are Getting What They Want 7 Decision to proceed B Test for Client Concerns ., AOout Control and Commitment 9 Ask Yourself lf you Got All That you Wanted iO Give Support lawless Consulting of the of Time for a 60-Minute Meeting Begin: The beginning End:3rd minute In restating the original contrac! state what the client wanted from you and what you promised to deliver-for exampre, ,,you asked us tcr investigate why the Brogan plant reactor broke ao* . we agreed to do that and come back with recommendations. we did not look into the auxiliary equipment that supports the reactor.,, This restates the presenting problem and reminds the crient of the essentials of the contract, sometimes consultants like to give a rittle history of the project. I do rrot, I devote only 5 percent of the meeting for steps I and 2. After restating the contract, then state the purpose of the meeting antr how you want the meeting structured. Remember that you want to control the flow of the meeting. you don't have to urrror.." that yotr are in charge; you just have to act that way. one way to act that way is to announce right at the beginning, "Here is how I would rike to structure this meeting. I would rike to present the results of the discovery process and spend most of the time on what action might grow out of that. To achieve this, I would like you client] to rJactio both our [the picture,f lr.w things are and to our recommencraticlns. About halfway througlr tht' rnr:eting, I would rike .n st