Making The Most of Meetings
We all have them; the
more senior we get, the more meetings we have.
At times, life seems to be nothing but a series of “back-to-back”
meetings.
Meetings are unavoidable, particularly if you work with
others. There are very few jobs that
require no contact outside your own domain.
Why do we dread them so much of the time? Answer: because they often aren’t properly planned,
organised and managed. I’ve read
hundreds of articles on “Running a Good Meeting” (or some such variation) and
been at meetings that were well run and meetings that were… Why is it that people still can’t seem to organise or run one properly?
For me, the most important elements in any meeting are:
- Purpose
- Planning
- Place
- People
- Performance
Purpose:
Not everything requires a face-to-face meeting. What kind
of meeting is it? Update? Sales? First
time meeting with a client? Charity
committee? Is it to keep people informed
(“briefings”/“updates”)? To discuss and resolve an issue (decision-making)? Think why
you're holding the meeting. This
influences planning and place.
Planning:
This is where the chair invites items for the agenda. Give the date, start time, end time and place of the meeting. Ask for agenda items and supporting documents
to be sent 10 calendar days in
advance so they can be reviewed, clarified and put into the final agenda. By all means, state the “purpose” if you
think it’ll help.
Circulate agendas and supporting documents seven days in advance to give time to
prepare. I don’t agree with reports
being agenda items and supporting documents only being given out at
meetings. If you don’t turn out your
report in advance, you slow down the process by not giving others the chance to
consider your content and allow a focused and informed discussion. It may also delay decision-making.
State that the meeting will start promptly at the time stated (make sure it does). Make everyone with an agenda item responsible
for introducing it personally at the
meeting. If they’re not there, it
doesn't get discussed (defer it to the next meeting).
Insist on apologies for absence in person (it makes people think twice). It’s too easy to send a last-minute email or
text. If you have the time to write an
email/text, you have time for a quick call.
We know urgent problems arise at the last minute.
“Any Other Business” items go on the agenda for the next
meeting. Otherwise your meeting will
drag on and on…
Place:
Depending on the purpose, you can hold meetings via
conference calls, around a table in a coffee shop, or in your living or dining
area.
Choose a place sufficiently (but not too) comfortable. There’s plenty of debate about providing
refreshments (some say this discourages focus).
It’s up to you. Some cultures may
require it… If the meeting’s late in the
evening or at midday, a light snack is OK.
The place should suit the meeting’s purpose. If, for example, it’s
for a presentation, ensure the place has the right equipment. Do you need a conference table, or will
chairs in a circle do?
The place should be a distraction-free zone (with poor
mobile reception so that attendees aren't encouraged to check their emails,
texts, etc during the meeting!). You’re
within your rights to ask at the start of the meeting for mobiles to be turned
off. If an urgent problem arises,
colleagues can call a landline at the meeting venue.
People:
Have only the people you need. It’s tempting to invite others to be
“polite”, but you're not doing anyone any favours. They can read the minutes.
Ask people to present their agenda item (briefly) before
opening it for debate. If they’ve
thought things through and sent supporting documents in advance, you’ll have a
focused discussion.
Make sure that people don’t feel they have to say something. I
don’t subscribe to the theory that those who stay silent have nothing to
contribute. They’re more likely to be listening to others and forming opinions,
which they will voice in their own time.
Performance:
Meetings must be managed.
This is the job of the chairperson.
There’s a delicate balance to keeping things “on track” and allowing
everyone to feel that they’ve had their say.
This is the point where clear meeting guidelines or rules
can be established. It may sound
childish, but if it helps meetings stay on track and on time, people won’t
object. It’s OK to say, “you’ll have 5
minutes to speak, then I’ll open this up for questions.” Stop them after 5 minutes…
Keep the language simple (this means language - don't suffer BS gladly) and make sure everyone agrees what has been decided, what action is needed and by whom.
Keep the language simple (this means language - don't suffer BS gladly) and make sure everyone agrees what has been decided, what action is needed and by whom.
Remember:
For every hour attendees are there, that’s an hour away from
their job, family, etc. If you have
eight people at a one-hour meeting, that’s the equivalent of one man-day away
from the office. That’s a cost to the
business. Make sure it’s well spent.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started my own Performance Management Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 13:26
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