Man, this is going on way too long? Didn’t we already cover this? What is the point of this? Who is running this anyway? Why am I here? Well, there goes an hour and half I’ll never get back … Is he really sleeping!?!
At one time or another I’m sure these thoughts, or some variation, have gone through your head in a meeting (possibly today). People like to meet. We are social creatures, and enjoy telling people what we think (but sometimes not so much listening, but thats another post). And that’s fine if it’s at the water cooler or coffee room when the purpose is causal banter about how the Canadiens are in 11th place (grrrr).
But, if its a business meeting where there is an underlying purpose, too often these are conducted without alot of thought. The organizer and attendees know or feel there needs to be a meeting, but spend half the meeting trying to define what the meeting should be about. Shouldn’t this be done before hand? I mean, if its important to take up peoples time shouldn’t it be important enough to put some structure on it?
One technique the Canadian Institute of Management Consultant recommends requires: definition of Outcomes; structuring an Agenda to reach outcomes; ensuring the right Roles attend; and establishing Rules for the meeting. I also like to have a Summary of the meeting, which highlights discussion points, outcomes, and next steps or action items.
Outcomes: these are the desired results of the meetings. How would you define a “successful meeting”? What are the desired outcomes?
Agenda: is a road map to help achieve the defined outcomes. Denpending on the rules and situation, I like to give participants opportunity to add to the agenda before the meeting (did I mention its good practice to send out the agenda, and maybe outcomes, about a day before the meeting?). You can always take their suggestions “under advisement”.
Roles: required in attendance to achieve your “successful meeting”. Who needs to be there? If the stakeholder is a big enough influencer, be sure they are available, and not just their assistants.
Rules: What behaviour do you want to encourage in the meeting to help acheive your outcomes? Is it a brainstorming session to collect ideas? Or are you presenting a final deliverable for information purposes to staff? Both of these meetings will require different behaviour from participants?
Summary: this is different from meeting minutes, which are a verbatim account of the discussion. A summary provides a highlight, sometimes based on agenda items, and most importantly with the meeting outcomes, the path forward, and any action items (including the responsible person). People may hear the same thing but interpret it differently. A summary ensures everyone is on the same page and provides the opportunity to adjust or clarify.
Or it could be that the guy next to you was just really tired.
How are the meetings you attend conducted?
