Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers: More Than 50 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Other Creative Activities That Get Results [Paperback]

Brian Cole Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2008

How effective a meeting will be depends on the tone set in the first few minutes...and it's up to the person running it to set that tone. "Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers" gives readers the tools, activities, and advice they need to create the kind of open, energetic, and relaxed atmosphere that leads to effective meetings and serious results. Designed to take the anxiety out of meetings and encourage creative and practical discussion, the book contains meeting starters that will help managers, team leaders, and facilitators. For anyone charged with the task of running meetings, this book is the answer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…a good, inexpensive tool for any manager or educator who needs some quick and easy ideas to energize group meetings and have some fun at work.”

AORN magazine

"Take the anxiety out of meetings and encourage creative and practical discussion with…this new resource." -- PM Boulevard

“...exceptionally well organized so readers can find what they need…strongly recommend Quick Meeting Openers for team-building scenarios.” --Graziadio Business Report

Book Description

How effective a meeting will be depends on the tone set in the first few minutes...and it’s up to the person running it to set that tone. Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers gives readers the tools, activities, and advice they need to create the kind of open, energetic, and relaxed atmosphere that lead to effective meetings and serious results. Designed to take the anxiety out of meetings and encourage creative and practical discussion, the book contains meeting starters that will help managers, team leaders, and facilitators:

ease introductions for people who don’t know each other • warm up the group before moving them into more difficult territory • generate lively dialogue and sharing of ideas • effectively split attendees up into work groups • expedite brainstorming and promote problem-solving • and more

For anyone charged with the task of running meetings, this book is the answer.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (June 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814409334
• ISBN-13: 978-0814409336
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Business & Investing > Skills > Running Meetings & Presentations

More About the Author

Brian Cole Miller (Dublin, OH) is the principal of Working Solutions, Inc., a management training and consulting firm whose clients include FranklinCovey, Nationwide Insurance, and the UPS Store. He is the author of the best-selling Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers (978-0-8144-7201-9) as well as More Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers (978-0-8144-7378-8), and Keeping Employees Accountable for Results (978-0-8144-7320-7).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Meeting Opener Boook That I Was Looking For!, February 15, 2010

By 

Kris Foxx (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers: More Than 50 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Other Creative Activities That Get Results (Paperback)

This book was an immediate winner with our Managers. I purchased this book and Quick Team Building Activities For Busy Managers by the same author, after reading the reviews they got on Amazon. Both books had wonderful activities that required little or no supplies. The instructions found in this book are clear and easy to understand and facilitate. I was looking for books with new activities and games, that I had not heard of before. These two books hit the mark! We use the team builders and meeting openers with our Departments and Teams before and during meetings. The activities in these two books are fun, lively and can be changed around to compliment any age or type of group. Also, I was so pleased to find that there are meeting openers that DON'T just focus on the "getting to know you" theme, as our teams are inter-office and are already aquainted. Five out of five stars on this book by Brian Cole Miller!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business libraries catering to administrators and managers at all levels will find it a popular acquisition, November 9, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers: More Than 50 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Other Creative Activities That Get Results (Paperback)

Brian Cole Miller's QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS offers tools and suggestions to managers for creating effective, productive meetings. From easing into introductions and warming up the group atmosphere to encouraging open dialogue and idea-sharing, chapters offer activities that work. Business libraries catering to administrators and managers at all levels will find it a popular acquisition.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Twenty-Minute Activities for Groups of People Who Need to Be Introduced to One Another., January 13, 2011

By 

Leo A. Mallette (Rancho Mirage, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers: More Than 50 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Other Creative Activities That Get Results (Paperback)

This book is exceptionally well organized so readers can find what they need. Given the book's apparent simplicity, readers may question paying the suggested retail price of $17.95 for obvious ideas. However, the value of author Brian Cole Miller's writing is that he presents these ideas as if you were thinking them up yourself (but you didn't).
The book's sections discuss grouping the people; breaking the ice; and organizing the activities for small, large, and huge groups. A few of the grouping ideas are repetitive. For example, Miller has several different ideas for groups of two, three, or more people, but for each he suggests to start with a count-off to break into groups. It would have been more valuable if he had given several alternatives, and I found this and other repetitive examples boring. Nevertheless, they are a small part of the book.
I would not call these activities "quick," as the book's title extols. Most activities take about 20 minutes - too long for short meetings. Such activities are only appropriate for half-day or longer meetings when individuals do not know one another, groups are brought together for the first time, or they are part of team-building exercises. A more accurate albeit less catchy title for the book might be: Twenty-Minute Activities for Groups of People Who Need to Be Introduced to One Another.