As a leader or a manager, you will be organizing your fair share of meetings with many stakeholders. Here are some handy tips to ensure you remain on track.
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If the word "meeting" causes you to groan and picture yourself wasting precious time with a group of confused individuals who have no idea why they are there, you've been attending the wrong kind of meetings.
Meetings are a useful tool for every leader & manager to interact with various stakeholders and to discuss or agree upon certain issues. When done right, meetings provide participants with a clear plan of action and picture of sense of accomplishment.
Here are some guidelines to follow while organizing your next meeting. These will ensure that your meeting doesn't end up becoming a productivity killer for your stakeholders.
1) Ask yourself if a meeting is really necessary
Just because your schedule is looking very light doesn't mean everyone's is. The number one reason why meetings are ineffective is because there was no reason to call for a meeting in the first place. You should arrange for a meeting only if the issues cannot be addressed via phone or email.
2) Set the agenda
If you feel that a meeting is truly necessary, then the next step should be to set your agenda. Your agenda is a set of objectives that you wish to accomplish through your meeting. During the course of the meeting, limit yourself to the agenda you have set. Diverting from the agenda can result in extending the time of the meeting. The agenda should include the following information:
- why the meeting is being held and the items to be discussed.
- time frame for discussion & resolution of each item, desired outcome and name(s) of individual(s) leading the discussion.
- the date, time & duration of the entire meeting. If you know the venue, include that as well.
- people who should attend the meeting. Do not include people who will not be able to contribute to the meeting.
3) Share documents beforehand
By sharing relevant documents beforehand with the participants, you can jump to the core issues straightaway. Ensure that you provide the documents several days before the meeting to allow participants ample time to peruse them. Request them to come prepared with their thoughts & comments as you do not want to waste time in the meeting.
4) Ensure environment is conducive
Meetings should ideally be held in a closed room in order not to disturb other employees. When picking a venue for the meeting, choose a place with minimal ambient noises and with provisions for colleagues with special requirements or needs (e.g. wheelchair accessibility or ergonomic chair for pregnant colleagues). Provide water,refreshments and stationery if necessary.
5) Set clear ground rules
Before starting the meeting, set the ground rules. This can vary from organization to organization. E.g. no use of cell phones or open discussion & participation. Remind every participant to behave respectfully and professionally with each other.
6) Define roles
At the start of the meeting, clarify everyone's roles within the meeting. Designate an individual to be the meeting leader. His/her responsibility is to ensure that the meeting starts/ends on time, and to ensure that each item on the agenda list is discussed within the time frame allotted. Appoint another individual as note-taker. He/She is to be in charge of writing down what was discussed, what is to be reviewed or followed up later, timeline for delivery of action items, etc, individuals responsible for each action item, etc. Ensure that individuals responsible for discussion of each line item in the agenda are aware of the time allotted and outcome desired.
7) Stay on track
Empower the meeting leader to call out people for taking more than the time they were allotted or to bring the group back on track in case they derail from the agenda. This will ensure that the meeting functions smoothly and starts & ends on time. Do, however, allow him/her the flexibility & discretion to make a few minor adjustments in order to ensure that the overall agenda of the meeting is fulfilled.
8) Share the minutes of the meeting
Send all the participants (including those who could not attend the meeting due to other commitments) with a copy of the minutes of the meeting within 24 hours. Capture the key points discussed under each line item in the agenda, identify the actions to be taken, individuals in charge and the timeline for delivery. Also mention any items that were deferred to a future date.
9) Get feedback
Ask the attendees to evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting. This doesn't have to be in the form of a survey or formal questionnaire. One can simply ask them to write down points on a piece of paper or in the form of a round-robin discussion. Use inputs and feedback from attendees to improve how upcoming meetings are organized and conducted.
Questions for Reflection
What challenges do you face while conducting a meeting?
Do you designate roles other than note taker & meeting leader in the meetings you organize? If yes, what are they and why do you set these roles?
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