As a training professional, have you ever wondered why people seem to dread attending meetings?  Got any ideas as to why employees typically groan when they are called into another meeting?  Why do even the most energetic and gung-ho participants have to be practically bribed with free food just to amble reluctantly into a conference room?  Certainly it cannot be because they dislike their coworkers, or have no interest in being part of the success of their project.  In far too many cases, their reticence is a result of painful memories of previous meetings that were largely a waste of time.

Shirley Fine Lee, an experienced consultant in organization and communication development and training, has created an outstanding guide to help both meeting facilitators and members make the most out of their time together.  In her book “R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard's Approach”, she clearly explains how to use roles, agendas, records, and actions, in order to energize all of the meeting participants, help keep everyone on track, avoid losing important decisions and other information in the fog of memory, and ensure that employees understand and can tackle the assignments that they have received.

“R.A!R.A!” is written in a workbook format that will appeal to individuals as a self-improvement tool or to trainers for use as a workbook in a workshop.  The easy-to-follow book aids readers in learning faster and becoming more flexible in the fast-paced business environment because it contains explanatory text and illustrations for quick skill building, which include process flow charts, diagrams, tables, and example forms.   Permission to copy the forms for re-use is provided.  This book is available on www.amazon.com.  Anyone interested in using the forms for workshops or teams may check the author’s website (www.ShirleyFineLee.com) for how to get standard 8.5 X 11 inch forms.  Contact the author if a desire for PowerPoint slides exists as she may offer this as a future enhancement for trainers.

As a self-paced training tool, “R.A!R.A!” helps make meetings more effective by offering basic meeting management principles and the related skills needed through the RA!RA! approach and other tips.  In just a few hours of reading, readers will learn:  the necessary meeting roles, how to get the right people there, how to start and end meetings on time, how to accomplish more in each meeting, how to insure meeting ideas and decisions are captured, how to accomplish needed tasks and follow-up outside the meeting, what may detract from a meeting and how to deal with it, and how to improve future meetings. 

* Note:  Shirley Lee will be leading a discussion at the April 17 Coaches & Consultants SIG. 

Check out what former speakers at

Dallas ASTD chapter programs

have to say about the book R.A!R.A!

* Click on name to see when they spoke at Dallas ASTD.

"Shirley Lee's R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard's Approach helps you perform profitable business magic. This is a must have, must read for effective meeting planning and management. You don't have to be Merlin to utilize the powerful insights shared in this quick no-nonsense read. Awesome stuff, should have come with a wand or at least a highlighter."  - Dean Lindsay, Author of Cracking the Networking CODE: 4 Steps to Priceless Business Relationships

“You can't lead in today's business world if you cannot facilitate a productive discussion that drives action. This book is chockful of helpful hints and techniques to make your meetings as productive as the rest of your day."  -  Dianna Booher, Author of Communicate with Confidence!  and E-Writing  

"Shirley Lee has tapped into the most vital part of communication. She provides tools for clarity and value driven meetings. She understands what it takes to move ideas into action, problems into solutions and a format for new ideas and their implementation. She has produced a book that is a much needed tool in any company that desires clear, concise communication.  Every company and association would profit from her valuable information. When I say profit, I mean dollars.”  - Jane Handly, Author of Getting Unstuck  and Why Women Worry

“Lousy meetings contribute to lousy results.  If your meetings leave something to be desired, follow the steps in this book.”

- Randy Pennington, Author of Results Rule! Build a  Culture that Blows the Competition Away

“All of us struggle with better managing our valuable time so that we invest it in the best ways to achieve our goals.  While many are essential, meetings are one of the biggest killers of our time.  There are so many pitfalls with meetings that gobble up time.  To our rescue is Shirley Lee's book, which even uses a metaphoric wizard icon for conveying not only the need for using many skills but also the near magic needed to manage time invested in meetings.  This is a clever and high-payback read that I highly recommend.”  - Michael J. English, Coauthor of Winning the Knowledge Transfer Race and Benchmarking for Best Practices

“Have you ever been in a meeting that deteriorated into a gripe session, that ran twice as long as it needed to, or that got taken over by a verbal bully? If so, you need this book.  The author offers clear

recommendations on exactly what to say and do to run a productive meeting that is beneficial for all involved."   - Sam Horn, Author of Tongue Fu! and Take the Bully by the Horns

Shirley Lee is a consultant/facilitator who helps organizations increase employee, communications, and system capacity to produce results. Shirley designs and facilitates a variety of team building, problem solving, and productivity improvement events. Her programs include managing time, facilitating meetings, project management simplified, workspace or group organization, the problem solving process, and team-building. More information on Shirley and the option to sign-up for a free productivity newsletter are available on her website.