Persuasive E-mail

To: All Management Personnel

From: Roger Johnson,
CEO DARPRO Industries

Subject: Improving Meeting Effectiveness


As many of you know, we recently contracted with Universal Consultants to evaluate DARPRO Industries and advise on improvements that could be made to increase its productivity, efficiency and profitability. Some of you assisted in this research by providing invaluable input that helped Universal’s representatives gain important insights into what makes DARPRO the organization that it is. In turn, Universal Consultants provided us with a strong, comprehensive overview of our organization’s strengths and weaknesses, and made clear recommendations for improvement. They have provided a clear plan of action, one upon which we plan to act upon wholeheartedly.

One important evaluation that Universal Consultants made was that the current process for carrying out meetings of all kinds, and at all levels, is clearly failing in effectiveness. Therefore, I have decided to act upon their recommendation that a more in-depth study be made of how meetings are carried out here at DARPRO; and to discover the best ways in which we can get optimum results from time and energies invested in them.

Additionally, I have chosen to decline Universal’s offer to conduct this research, and decided instead that it will be performed internally. To this end, I have assigned Daniel O’Leary, our Vice President in charge of Administrative Management, to spearhead this research and submit a comprehensive report.

I am sure that you are all aware of the drop in sales and profits this company has suffered within the last three fiscal quarters. This prompted the necessity of enforcing a hiring freeze to partially offset these losses. I wish to reiterate that I am still of a mind that decreasing the present workforce will be an action of last resort. Focusing on this issue, meeting effectiveness, can help stave off that last resort.

It is my hope that by executing the plan for improvements recommended by Universal, including improving the effectiveness of the output created by meetings by all management personnel, we can rise above our current financial challenges and become the strong, thriving organization we know we can be again.

I know that you will all wish to help Mr. O’Leary in the preparation of this report, and I ask that you begin now by considering possible issues you could bring to his attention – issues that you believe hamper meeting effectiveness, as well as those tangible concepts, which might provide improvement. The more detail, the better.

I thank you as always for your hard work and dedication to DARPRO Industries. I am confident that with your help and focus, we can continue on our upward journey!