Productive, constructive, and challenging meetings require a clear goal, open dialogue, and a strong leader. This will ensure that every meeting runs smoothly and effectively - saving you and your team members time and money!
Steps
Step 1. Make every meeting count - or have no meetings at all
Decide if a meeting is essential and invite only the people you need. Large amounts of valuable time are wasted simply because managers think that looking in the face is important, or because they have become accustomed to a particular routine. Emails are usually enough to get your team an update or situation report. However, if you need immediate feedback from all attendees, emails won't be as efficient as a face-to-face meeting.
Step 2. Define your goals and distribute the plan in advance
Create a meeting structure. Simply stating the expected results often inspires attendees and makes meetings more productive. At the very least, emphasize one characteristic that every meeting must have: a goal. Before the meeting even begins, make sure everyone understands the goals by writing an agenda.
Step 3. Govern your meeting, take responsibility for it and carry it out
Good meetings are the result of good leadership. Take this on board and make it clear that you intend to keep the discussion timely, useful, and relevant. Show your colleagues that you intend to respect their time by making sure a clock or timer is visible to everyone. Staying on the subject is also fundamental to respect the times. If the conversation goes off the rails, bring the group back to the topic by saying something like: "Interesting, but I don't think we're achieving our goals here. If possible, I'd like to go back to the items on the agenda."
Step 4. Get the constructive participation you need from everyone in attendance
Since the essential point of a meeting is two-way communication, it is crucial to obtain fair participation from all. It is the responsibility of the meeting leader to ensure that each participant is heard. To build consensus or come to a group decision, avoid wearing your opinion on your sleeves; it is easy for a leader to stifle an argument if everyone is led to believe that the outcome is already determined. Resist the urge to immediately discard ideas - even when they are horrible.
Step 5. Close with an Activity plan, try to make sure everyone leaves knowing the next step well
Also finish the meeting by asking everyone if they think the meeting was helpful and, if not, what could be done better next time. Follow up on your own report to improve meeting techniques.
Step 6. Keep track of progress resulting from what was decided during the meeting
Also keep the group updated on developments. This will help you organize the next meeting more effectively.
Step 7. Make sure the meeting is not a stand-alone event by letting the right people know what has been decided and what will happen next
It's easy to walk out of a meeting room, get back to your desk, and quickly forget any changes, decisions, and new ideas the group has come up with. Make sure you have a system to keep track of what has been decided and what tasks each has agreed to take on, so you can follow up and move things forward, even if you don't send out full minutes of the meeting.
Advice
- An excellent tool to have a PRODUCTIVE meeting uses "OARR": Objectives, Agenda, Roles & Responsibilities. First, the meeting should have a GOAL. If you're having a meeting just to give information, don't waste people time with a meeting. Send them a newsletter. The goal should have an active component and, if possible, a supporting result: "Set quarterly goals for the team." The agenda (Agenda) is a list of topics that you can discuss to achieve that goal, with a time limit to keep you on track. For example "1. Examine the status of the objectives of the last quarter (15 minutes), 2. Suggestions for the objectives (20 minutes), 3. Choose the best 5 objectives (10 minutes), etc." For Roles and Responsibilities, determine who governs the meeting, who takes notes, and who will assign the actions / "to-dos" that result from the meeting.
- Make sure you start and finish the meeting on time.
- Let all attendees give feedback without feeling embarrassed or being insolent.
- Prepare for your meeting, which many forget to do.
Warnings
-
Here are seven reasons why a meeting should be canceled or postponed:
- A key member cannot participate. Rescheduling is a hassle, but it's worse to get everyone together and not be able to do the planned work. If you need a key member to attend, reschedule the meeting date.
- The agenda was not distributed early enough. People need time to prepare the meeting, make suggestions and changes to the agenda, and get an idea of how much time and needs to be devoted to each topic. They should receive the agenda at least 3 days in advance.
- The purpose of the meeting is unclear. When meetings are simply informative, attendees feel their time is wasted and get annoyed. Make it clear what needs to be done, why, how and when.
- The work could be done quicker or better in another way (e.g. email or phone). Don't hold a meeting unless this is your best and only way to get the job done.
- The material to be read was not distributed in good time. Reading must occupy the time of each individual, not that of the group.
- The only space available for the meeting is not adequate for the technological needs of the group. If the material cannot be presented convincingly or in its truest form, stand aside as long as you can.
- A recent event or novelty made the intended purpose / discussion of the meeting questionable.
- Leaders need to know not only how to have a good meeting, but also when NOT to do it.
