Meeting Management
I’ve written about this before, but wanted to remind
everyone that we all attend too many meetings and most aren’t worth our
while. So, here are a few tips for
making your meetings more interesting and effective.
·
Pick the time of day, the location, and the
length of the meeting in advance, taking into consideration what you are trying
to accomplish.
o
Brief morning meetings work best for
informational topics and should be in a convenient location.
o
If you want to encourage team-building, trust,
and interaction, have your meeting in a much more comfortable location,
allowing plenty of time and offering tasty food at the meeting.
o
Consider a conference call, or just an e-mail
information piece instead of a live meeting.
·
Agenda setting and keeping
o
When you plan your agenda, get input from others
who might have important issues they want the group to address.
o
Pencil in the amount of time you will be giving
each topic. I was recently at a meeting
where the CEO spent most of the 2 ½ hours talking about some interesting
organizations she had met – which didn’t allow any time for the most important
items on the agenda – oh, and the meeting was scheduled for 2 hours.
o
Make sure you prioritize the topics so that the
important ones actually are given the time they require.
o
End with action items
·
Minutes timely and accurate
o
There are 2 schools of thought here. One suggests very terse and tight minutes so
that there is no room for lawsuits later.
o
I believe minutes should be detailed because
everyone needs to have information and reminders. One solution – have terse official minutes
and then an informational document that is newsy and unofficial.
o
Make sure minutes are distributed (e-mail is
wonderful) within a week of the meeting about which they were recorded. The reason for this is because people forget
very easily.
o
People should be invited to make
additions/corrections via e-mail prior to the next meeting.
o
Minutes should be distributed in hard copy (ok,
I’m old-fashioned) at the next meeting for final review and approval.
·
Managing the People
o
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone knew how to
behave properly and cooperatively in a meeting…. But, they don’t. Here are just a few of the problem types that
need special handling.
o
The Bully – He or she insists on monopolizing
the discussion – all the time. It takes
a strong meeting Chair or facilitator to get this person to give others an
opportunity to talk – but that’s what has to be said.
o
The Off-topic person - I find this person in almost every meeting
or retreat I facilitate. He or she has
an important point that is totally irrelevant or inappropriate to the topic
under discussion. My solution – make
sure to capture the essential topic that s/he suggests by putting it obviously
on a flip chart or white board promising to come back to it later. Make sure you do.
o
The Rambler – Sometimes the brightest and most
creative members of the team go off on tangents or tell the same story over and
over again. This person needs to be
gently reminded that s/he is taking too much time and if necessary being put on
a timer.
o
The Silent One – Often the quietest one in the
room is the most dangerous. That person
will later talk negatively to others “behind your back” and will cause
trouble. The solution is to get them to
speak up and share their opinions during the meeting itself.
o
Voting with My Friend – How many times have you
found someone votes just as their friend does, not wanting to hurt his/her
feelings, rather than voting logically or rationally? If it’s important to get true opinions, it might
be the time for a secret ballot.
o
Yes Man/Ma’am – Whatever the boss wants, watch
his/her face for clues and vote to earn “brownie points.” The only way to handle this kiss-up is to
keep a poker face and make sure your solicit everyone’s opinions before
offering your own.
Labels: agenda, meetings, Time Management
