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Phone Etiquette in a Meeting
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter, emails, text messages, phone calls. Need I say more? It’s safe to say that our lives are consumed by information that arrives to our devices by the second and we’re helpless against its power.
At one point in time, this information could very well wait until we were done completing simple tasks like driving, eating and trying to fall asleep at night. Meetings are no exception to the rule.
The typical boardroom table 15 years ago would have consisted of a few coffee cups, pads of paper with pens scattered everywhere, whiteboard markers and people eager to hear what one another had to say about a particular topic.
Oh, how things have changed.
The typical boardroom table in 2018 consists of a Starbucks coffee at every seat, accompanied by; you guessed it, a cell phone. Pads of paper and one’s favourite pen are now a thing of the past.
Note taking is done digitally and sneaking in a text or two is the norm.
Although environmentalists will praise this new trend, it does come at a cost to business owners.
Where managers, directors and presidents used to have the full attention of their employees, they are now competing with the likes of a device, similar to mind control technology from your favourite 1960’s sci-fi movie.
So what can we do about it? Ban cell phones from meetings? Have everyone put their phones in the middle of the table? Create phone breaks?
Truthfully, I don’t think there will be a simple fix.
One can only hope that society will begin to control their phone usage habits and recognize the right time and place to compose their next 140 characters.
Have you seen our Reservation Portal?
Here at the Rostie Group, we’re always looking to improve your experience. To that end, we have been working on something that is a long time coming.
A major updated to our reservation portal has made it better than ever before!
We have focused on eliminating the tiresome negotiation process of booking meeting rooms and streamlining the process to be as smooth as possible for our users.
As you can see below, the Rostie Group’s booking portal lets you see all of our available rooms as you book them.
If you’ve booked with us before, you can easily rebook meetings with a single click! This allows your layout, catering and other requests to remain the same as the last time you booked.
Whether you are using desktop, tablet or your phone we wanted you to have the best experience, so we redesigned the layout to be mobile ready no matter what screen you’re on.
If you are a new user, you’ll see how easy it is to view the catering menu and choose an option suited to your needs. Depending on the room size, you will also be able to view the meeting rooms various custom layouts and choose one that best fits your meeting requirements.
We understand that getting used to any new piece of software can be challenging. Not to worry, we will soon have an online tutorial added to our website to guide you through it and show just how easy it is!
Don’t forget- we don’t just offer Meeting Rooms! Check out our diversified Virtual Offices Packages and start your plan today.
What are you waiting for? Click here to go see the new Portal right now!
Why do you need a Conference room in Toronto?
Do you host workshops, classes, or present plans to your accounts? If so, you definitely need a conference room in Toronto. Space in today’s Toronto real estate market is incredibly costly to maintain, and having a large space that you can hold conferences in is prohibitively costly, at least for most businesses.
When you visit a new city, you probably stay at a hotel, right? You don’t buy a new house, because you wouldn’t use it, and it’s quite frankly, a ridiculous idea. So why would you pay monthly rent for a space that gets used five or six days a month? It doesn’t make sense – that’s why you’d book a conference room with Toronto Meetings. We worry about all of the incidentals – internet, A/V, coffee, lunch – so you don’t have to.
We’ve been hosting conferences in Toronto since 1991 – we know what we’re doing, and all of our conference rooms are infinitely configurable; we can change layouts, A/V options, catering to however you want it set up. We provide the conference room in Toronto, yes, but it’s still your meeting, and we guarantee that your conference will proceed exactly as you need it to.
It makes fiscal sense, and because we’ve been doing this for so long, we’ve seen every special request imaginable, and we’ve managed to work with all of them. We know just how well your meeting can go, and we want to help your do it. It’s quite literally our job, so you’re in safe hands when you book your conference room in Toronto with us.
Like I mentioned earlier, you wouldn’t pay for a house you wouldn’t use, so why would you ever pay for internal conference room space? Trust the experts at Toronto meetings, and book with your Toronto Conference room with us today.
The Training Room Difference
Despite being largely made of the same space, there is a distinct difference between a meeting room, and a training room.
A meeting room can be fully equipped with all the tech necessary to run your meeting, (and our rooms here at Toronto Meetings certainly do) but to meet with your staff, you need the space, the seating and the table. Those are the essential ingredients.
For a training room, however, not only does that tech have to be there, but it also has to be state-of-the-art. Most commonly a training session will occur in a larger room, with several attendees. It may be difficult to broadcast your voice all the way to the end of the room, or they may have to see something on a larger screen that they are unable to on their smaller laptop, or mobile screens.
Additionally, being in a training room is more of an experience, rather than a service. A meeting may last only a few hours, but a training session can run all day, maybe even multiple days. The room has to be prepared for that. Your attendees have to be able to start the session and end it, potentially several days later, in comfort. Uncomfortable spaces will lead to poor knowledge retention. Definitely not the result you’re looking for.
When choosing a room for your next training session, make sure to pick a space that can accommodate all the attendees. You’ll also want to pick a layout that fits the room, and allows everyone a clear and unobstructed view of the head of the session. As well as of any screens and other visual aids used.
All of these details make for the training room “difference”. Not every gathering is the same, nor should it be treated the same. Which is why here at Toronto Meetings, we are flexible enough to provide rooms that match your needs.
So take a look at our available rooms, and book your training room today!
How To Make An Effective Presentation In The Meeting Room
Whatever your philosophy is on making presentations in the Meeting Room there are some basic tenets that prevail. Here are Five critical points to observe when preparing a presentation.
- Research – Conduct the necessary research so that your presentation ideas are well adapted to your audience’s technical level and needs. Connect your presentation objective/message/idea to the interests of your audience. If possible, when preparing your presentation, gather info on the needs, age, educational background, language, and culture of the target audience. Even on the day of the presentation the audience’s body language will give cues that may require the you to adapt your presentation style.
- Compact – A good presentation should be focused and in iterative. There should be a preview, an ‘in-view’ (the actual presentation) and a review so that ‘the BIG idea’ of the presentation is communicated effectively.
- Engage – Use eye contact with your audience, face them squarely and smile. Your facial expression and posture will affect your tone of voice and the tone of the presentation. Avoid letting your voice trail off as you transition from slide to slide or segment to segment of your presentation.
- Rehearse – Practice the presentation to make sure it flows and to ensure you have allocated time for introductions, questions and answers. This is a good time to make sure that all tools and equipments are working well.
- Have Fun – Doable? Yes. Present in a way that communicates your passion for the topic. Energy and enthusiasm is contagious!! See?
The May Scoop is Out!
Enjoy this month’s Scoop and learn about exciting events happening around Toronto’s Waterfront. If you would like to advertise in our growing newsletter we are always happy to showcase local companies and community partners. For more information on advertising, email marketing@rostiegroup.com
And you can download a PDF version here
The Moving Parts of the Staff Meeting
The staff meeting:
The secret to a growing company is ‘intellectual capital’. Seeking out, hiring and retaining the best in the breed. These are your employees. One person can come up with an innovative idea, patent it on your behalf and game on – let the salad days begin for your company.
If you don’t have a written and distributed agenda for the attendees, don’t have a meeting. If no action items come out of a meeting, you have wasted an hour (or more) of your valuable workday. Staff meetings are a wonderful and neutral environment to discuss items of mutual benefit for the attendees.
Finding the optimal work equilibrium for the employee is found in the 6 T model. Time, Training, Talent, Task, Tools and Technology. Think of the 6 T’s as a hexagon, each of the 6 sides proportional. If proportional the employee is most likely a key contributor to the company’s success. If one, or more, of the 6 T’s is either missing or excessive, the shape of the hexagon gets skewed.
This provides ‘a great disturbance in the Force.’
This is not a problem but merely an opportunity to expose gaps. Once identified, management should create a plan to provide solutions to these same gaps and bring the employees’ skills into equilibrium. It will also reduce the anxiety an employee might feel, particularly for those who want to out-perform, yet feel they are missing key criteria to succeed. Finding people, giving them an environment to thrive, the right tools to succeed and appropriate motivation and rewards. Studies have shown everyone has a different and unique reward system. Be it trophies or dinners or public recognition or time off or monetary gain. The list is beyond the scope of this article but it is long and varied. Don’t forget, everybody needs a personal win now and then.
Always set aside some time for greenfield brainstorming. An open and hopefully energetic session to introduce new ideas and maybe even new problems. Don’t forget, in the sales world a problem is in truth an opportunity. Remember, a wonderful nugget can be gleaned from the unlikeliest of sources, or a simple comment can inspire others to add more. This is compound interest at its finest. A common ground where title and position on the organizational chart must have no importance. For managers, the art of listening, and not talking, is an acquired and vital skill. Some of the best speeches in the history of mankind were cleverly interrupted by the speaker with planned periods of silence. Your receptionists, for example, are probably the most customer-facing individuals in your employ. They have the best seat in the house to observe positive and negative words and expressions of your customers. They have the unique position to make and take immediate action to quell any discontent, or hopefully broadcast good news.
A happy customer tells 2 to 3 people of their experience. An unhappy customer tells 10 people. Let the ideas continue.
Fall is the perfect time for your next important meeting!
Summer has come to an end, Fall is here and The Rostie Group is looking forward to providing you with all your office meeting needs.
It’s time to switch from shorts to sweaters, from mojitos to hot cocoa. It’s also time to capitalize on Toronto’s number one destination for premium meeting space.
Looking to book a board meeting? Hosting a conference for a large group? Teach or attend an out of town class from the comfort of your own city? Perhaps you’re looking to find the right candidate by holding interviews?
Whether you’re one person or a group of one hundred, The Rostie Group will ensure that your event goes flawlessly. From home business to big business and everything in between, we provide the perfect venue and leading staff accommodations to fulfill your needs.
Our team members are professionals— hosting meetings is what we do, and we do it well. No matter what type of event you have planned, chances are we’ve done it before and done it successfully.
The Rostie Group provides a wide range of flexible meeting room spaces that cater to any size of function. With 26 years of hosting meetings under our belt, we know what our clients need to have a successful meeting and we’ve seen enough down the line to be sure that we’re able to handle any and all requests.
All the meetings we host are infinitely customizable— we have rooms available 24/7, an easy-to-use online booking system and we accommodate any and all room configurations. Also offered are state-of-the-art video conferencing solutions and extensive catering options.
Located at 20 Bay Street, Waterpark Place, Toronto on the 11th Floor we have direct access to the PATH, Union Station and are in the heart of Toronto’s booming South Core; right on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Whether it’s a last minute engagement or a booking well in advance, meetings can be planned accordingly as we offer hourly, daily and weekly requests.
To book your next meeting please visit www.torontomeetings.com or contact meetings@rostiegroup.com or 416-214-1840.
