BULDING THE FUTURE

Chapter VII. Effective Meetings

Effective Meetings

Everyone involved in organizations is interested in making sure that their meetings are as productive and efficient as possible.

Meeting management tends to be a set of skills often overlooked by leaders and managers. The following information is a rather "Cadillac" version of meeting management suggestions. The reader might pick which suggestions best fit the particular culture of their own organization. Keep in mind that meetings are very expensive activities when one considers the cost of labor for the meeting and how much can or cannot get done in them. So take meeting management very seriously.

The process used in a meeting depends on the kind of meeting you plan to have, e.g., staff meeting, planning meeting, problem solving meeting, etc. However, there are certain basics that are common to various types of meetings. These basics are described below.

(Note that there may seem to be a lot of suggestions listed below for something as apparently simple as having a meeting. However, any important activity would include a long list of suggestions. The list seems to become much smaller once you master how to conduct the activity.)

The Chairman

Prepare for the meeting. This includes preparing and distributing an agenda well ahead of the meeting, making sure that all meeting arrangements are in order and ensuring that all members understand their role in the organization and at the meetings.

Help the group establish rules of order. This ensures that all members are involved in discussions and decisions, and keeps the group focused on the task at hand.

Balance active discussion and participation with a need to accomplish the goals of the meeting in the appropriate time frame.

Selecting Participants

The decision about who is to attend depends on what you want to accomplish in the meeting. This may seem too obvious to state, but it's surprising how many meetings occur without the right people there.

Don't depend on your own judgment about who should come. Ask several other people for their opinion as well.

If possible, call each person to tell them about the meeting, it's overall purpose and why their attendance is important.

Follow-up your call with a meeting notice, including the purpose of the meeting, where it will be held and when, the list of participants and whom to contact if they have questions. Send out a copy of the proposed agenda along with the meeting notice.

Have someone designated to record important actions, assignments and due dates during the meeting. This person should ensure that this information is distributed to all participants shortly after the meeting. 

The Agenda

The agenda is a critical component to a well-run meeting. The agenda is really just a list of topics to be covered at the meeting. Everyone attending the meeting should receive a copy of the agenda a few days before the meeting. This will serve as a reminder of the meeting and give participants the opportunity to prepare for the topics to be discussed. Members can also make sure that all topics they want discussed are included on the agenda.

Developing Agendas

Develop the agenda together with key participants in the meeting. Think of what overall outcome you want from the meeting and what activities need to occur to reach that outcome. The agenda should be organized so that these activities are conducted during the meeting.

The following agenda format is often used:

  • Call to order
  • Approval of the agenda
  • Reading and approval of the minutes of the last meeting
  • Officers’ reports
  • Standing committee reports
  • Ad hoc committee reports
  • Unfinished business
  • New business
  • Adjournmen

The agenda should, however, be arranged to meet the needs of the individuals in your group.

Consider the following tips:

1. In the agenda, state the overall outcome that you want from the meeting.

Next to each major topic, include the type of action needed, the type of output expected (decision, vote, action assigned to someone), and time estimates for addressing each topic. Some items tend to unite the group, while others can divide it. Start and end the meeting with a topic that unites the group.

Think about how you label an event, so people come in with that mindset; it may pay to have a short dialogue around the label to develop a common mindset among attendees, particularly if they include representatives from various cultures.

2. Design the agenda so that participants get involved early by having something for them to do right away and so they come on time.

Place key items for discussion at the beginning of the agenda to ensure that participants have a lot of energy and you don't run out of time.

3. At the beginning of the meeting:

Review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting for additions, deletions or revisions. Ask participants if they'll commit to the agenda.

4. During the meeting:

Keep the agenda posted at all times. Put time limits on agenda items. Stick to them

A final note about developing an agenda - don't overly design meetings; be willing to adapt the meeting agenda if members are making progress in the planning process.

Conducting the Meeting

Physical Set-up of Meeting Space

All of the best planning efforts can be wasted if the physical surroundings of the meeting are forgotten. A seating arrangement where everyone can see each other is of great importance. Check the lighting, ventilation, acoustics, size of room, temperature, rest rooms, parking, nametags, audio visual aids and parking.

Opening Meetings

When opening your meeting, try to keep the following points in mind:

Always start on time; this respects those who showed up on time and reminds latecomers that the scheduling is serious.

Welcome attendees and thank them for their time.

Review the agenda at the beginning of each meeting, giving participants a chance to understand all proposed major topics, change them and accept them.

Note that a meeting recorder if used will take minutes and provide them back to each participant shortly after the meeting.

Model the kind of energy and participant needed by meeting participants.

Clarify your role(s) in the meeting.

Establishing Ground Rules for Meetings

You don't need to develop new ground rules each time you have a meeting, surely. However, it pays to have a few basic ground rules that can be used for most of your meetings. These ground rules cultivate the basic ingredients needed for a successful meeting.

Four powerful ground rules are: participate, get focus, maintain momentum and reach closure. (You may want a ground rule about confidentiality.)

List your primary ground rules on the agenda.

If you have new attendees who are not used to your meetings, you might review each ground rule.

Keep the ground rules posted at all times.

Time Management

One of the most difficult facilitation tasks is time management -- time seems to run out before tasks are completed. Therefore, the biggest challenge is keeping momentum to keep the process moving.

You might ask attendees to help you keep track of the time. If the planned time on the agenda is getting out of hand, present it to the group and ask for their input as to a resolution. (See the Chapter on Time Management for more information and tips.)

Evaluations of Meeting Process

It's amazing how often people will complain about a meeting being a complete waste of time -- but they only say so after the meeting. Get their feedback during the meeting when you can improve the meeting process right away. Evaluating a meeting only at the end of the meeting is usually too late to do anything about participants' feedback.

Every couple of hours, conduct 5-10 minutes "satisfaction checks". In a round-table approach, quickly have each participant indicate how they think the meeting is going.

Evaluating the Overall Meeting

Leave 5-10 minutes at the end of the meeting to evaluate the meeting; don't skip this portion of the meeting.  Have each member rank the meeting from 1-5, with 5 as the highest, and have each member explain their ranking, with the chief executive ranking the meeting last.

Closing Meetings

At the end of a meeting, review actions and assignments, and set the time for the next meeting and ask each person if they can make it or not (to get their commitment). Clarify that meeting minutes and/or actions will be reported back to members in at most a week (this helps to keep momentum going).

Always end meetings on time and attempt to end on a positive note.

Managing the Meeting

Group Decision Making

Establishing the purpose and agenda of a meeting is often easy in comparison to making decisions as a group. Every meeting will require that decisions be made. Therefore, it's important to set some "ground rules" for how the group will do this.

  • 1.Define the issue or issues. Clearly separate all issues. Decide on the criteria that any solution will have to meet in order to be acceptable to the group.
  • 2.Brainstorm alternatives. As members offer suggestions, record them on a flip chart. All suggestions should be accepted without criticism or evaluation.
  • 3.As a group, explore the pros and cons of each idea. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative? Does the idea meet the criteria? If not, could it be changed to meet the criteria?
  • 4.Choose an alternative based on the discussion. Choosing a solution can be done by voting - either secret or public ballot. It could also be done by consensus. What matters is that every group member has had the opportunity to participate in making the decision. If everyone doesn't feel they have input, the solution can be difficult to implement.
  • 5.Evaluate the outcome. This can be done once the action has been implemented. It can be done through discussion or by a report.

    • Group Discussions

    Well-managed group discussions allow members to have input and feel part of the decision. Try some of these techniques to involve people.

    One-liners - The chairman of a large group might say, "Before going on, let's find out what everyone thinks of this. Let's have comments from anyone who would like to speak. Please limit yourself to one sentence." This allows for everyone to take a quick "read" of where people are at, without one or two individuals giving long speeches. Each person will have to be clear and concise.

    Survey - After a quick discussion, ask for a show of hands. This may be a minimal way of involving people, however, it does give a chance to express an opinion.

    Buzz groups - Buzz groups are created by breaking the big group into smaller groups - three or four to a group. Buzz groups can be used to break the ice, generate ideas and encourage maximum participation. One person can be assigned as the recorder. Buzz groups can convene and report many times. In this way, the intensity of the small group alternates with the large group.

    Brainstorming - Brainstorming is a technique that generates many spontaneous and diverse ideas. To ensure success with brainstorming, enforce these ground rules:

    • No idea can be criticized.
    • All ideas are acceptable.
    • Pool creativity. Build on others ideas.
    • The more ideas the better.
    • Make sure that all ideas are recorded.
    • Following the brainstorm, screen all ideas.

    Handling Conflict

    Conflict can arise in the discussions during the meeting. Conflict can be a positive thing if it leads to innovation, change and agreement. The chair of the meeting may need to help the group work through the conflict in a constructive way, in order to reach a decision that everyone can live with.

    Consider the following:

    Identify the issue. Separate the issue from the personalities of the people.

    Ask questions to find out why people have taken their respective positions. Examples of questions would be: "Why is that important to you?" "What is it about this idea that you disagree with?"

    Create an understanding in the group of each person's perspective on the issue. Avoid the situation where members take sides, identify with a position or identify with another member.

    Identify areas of agreement, such as board principles. For example, "We all agree that the budget has to be approved by the end of the month."

    Brainstorm solutions that address the concerns of all parties.

    Find a mutually acceptable solution without coercion. Avoid voting because opposing members will feel left out of the decision. They will feel that their concerns haven't been met. If the discussion gets heated, take a short break. When the group reconvenes, summarize the discussion to that point and note areas of agreement. Move towards possible solutions on points of disagreement. Sometimes, more information is needed to make a good decision. Table the discussion until the information is available.

    Summary

    Meetings can be an effective and efficient way to conduct the business of an organization. Good meetings don't just happen. They are the result of preplanning and constant monitoring.

    © 2001 Metis Nation of the South
     

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