successful project management - Commonwealth of Learning

At every meeting the manager will always find people who could ruin the gathering if
given the opportunity. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to deal with such
people. The difficult characters fall into categories:
• The Perennial latecomer. This is the person who consistently comes late for
meetings. This behaviour should not be justified, and as manager you should
not delay commencement of the meeting until such persons arrive.
• The talkative person. This is the type of person who wants to monopolise
talk even if what he/she says is not necessarily of great value to the meeting.
You will have to find more tactful ways of interrupting this person.
• The ‘Joker’. This is the person who tries to turn everything into a joke,
distracting the other attendees and interfering with the progress of the
meeting. Humour is welcome at any meeting because it relaxes the
atmosphere, but if it is excessive it must be handled with tact.
• ‘The Spoilsport’. This is the type of person who opposes anything new
which is discussed at the meeting. Typically, spoilsports are outspoken and
critical of innovative ideas that may suggest change. As chairperson you
should not ignore that type of person. Instead you may ask that person for
solutions to which other members will respond.
• The Aggressive Person. This is the type of person who will launch personal
attacks on other members in the meeting, causing an unpleasant
atmosphere. Those who are attacked tend to retaliate, and if this is not
controlled it can lead to exchange of abusive language.
Let us reflect on the foregoing by working on this activity.
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