May 2009 Issue

By Nancy Branka

Behavioral experts offer tips to improve planning for -- and participation in -- your next conference.

[Excerpt]

Meetings don’t usually bring out the best in people, but much can be done by a wise leader to prevent power plays and unproductive behavior. With an eye toward prevention, nothing is more important to a meeting than an agenda that is prepared in advance, say corporate psychologists. “The psychological message that gets communicated when you have an agenda is that this meeting has been thought out, there are key points and key objectives. That really calibrates people’s understanding and expectations of the meeting,” says Susan Battley, Ph.D., a corporate and leadership psychologist in East Setauket, N.Y.

To read the entire article online, click here.