The secret to improving meeting effectiveness and efficiency is to treat meetings as processes and not events. An important part of having productive meetings is to use only those tools and techniques you need to do the job. Keep this in mind as you plan each meeting in your organization.
STEP 1. PREPARE FOR THE MEETING Why have you called the meeting? Could you accomplish the same purpose without a meeting? Who should attend the meeting? What topics will be covered?
STEP 2. CONDUCT THE MEETING What are the meeting participants' responsibilities? How can you keep the meeting on track and productive? How do you deal with meeting problems? How do you follow up on action items?
STEP 3. EVALUATE THE MEETING How do you know if you had a good meeting? What can you do to improve your meetings?
Leader: Establishes meeting objectives and plans, and is responsible for the overall direction of the meeting.
Timekeeper: Assists the leader in managing the actual meeting by monitoring time and the use of agreed-upon procedures and rules, and keeping the meeting moving along.
Recorder/Coordinator: Keeps track of and distributes vital information from the meeting; such as minutes, data, and reports. The recorder/coordinator may help with meeting logistics.
Participants: Apply their skills, talents, and experience to the task at hand. Participants are responsible for generating ideas, analyzing information, making decisions, and implementing action plans.
Agenda Contents:
Use short verb-object phrases when writing the agenda iteMs Concentrate on fewer, more important iteMs Begin with the most important items and handle the short items first. Save the longer or less critical items for the last part of the meeting.
Choose a process for each agenda item, that is, the best method to "tackle" the topic.
Identify the person who is responsible for each item and "has the floor" at that point in the meeting. Spreading responsibility for standard items can foster a sense of teamwork and participation.
Allow a realistic time for each agenda item. It's better to overestimate discussion time and adjourn the meeting early.
Agenda Items: There are standard agenda items to be included in every meeting:
Confirm Logistics: If this is a standing meeting, the logistics are already defined. If not, finalize the meeting date, start time, duration and location. In general, limit meetings to 45 to 90 minutes. Determine A/V and other equipment needs and what other materials and/or information is required. Should any material be sent out ahead of time?
Distribute the Agenda: If thisis a standing meeting, the agenda should have been determined at the last meeting. If this is not a standing meeting, distribute the agenda in advance of the meeting. Distribute the agenda no more than several weeks, and no less than two days before the meeting.
The leader can use productive questions to:
Open discussion: "Joe, you face this problem often. What do your experiences tell you we should do about this?"
Spark non-participants: "You look very thoughtful, Susan -- what's your suggestion?" "Will that idea work for you, Mike?"
Obtain information: "What experience have you had with this in the past?" "What else do we know about this issue?"
Clarify thinking: "What exactly do you mean by ‘full responsibility,' Mary?" "Bill, let me be sure we understand what you're saying; (then rephrase thought)" "Please break that down into its component parts."
Guide or limit the course of discussion: "We've explored the situation pretty well. Are we ready to move on to a decision?" "We've allowed sufficient discussion on this; let's move on to the next item."
Establish agreement: "Is Jack's idea something we should try out?" "Can we all support trying this plan for a month?" "What must be done to reach agreement on this?"
Be brief: Long-winded questions will confuse listeners.
Use "W" words to introduce open questions: Start questions with "who", "what", "where", "when", "why", or "how" (an honorary "w" word). "W" words encourage thinking and reduce long-winded rambling.
Generally avoid closed "yes" or "no" questions: Such questions block discussion. You'll usually need to follow with an open question to start discussion, so why not start with one?
Phrase questions to emphasize the positive: Encourage open response rather than defensive posturing. Say "How can that be improved?" rather than "What is wrong with that?"
Ask only one point per question.
Be specific: Explain or avoid acronyms, complex technical terms, or jargon unless you are sure it will be.
Continuous improvement of the meeting process requires that meetings are evaluated and process improvements are made. Ask each participant to list what went well (+'s) and what could be done differently (+'s) to improve future meetings. Record the comments to prepare for future meetings.
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