Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Effective Meetings: Things to Consider



Earlier this month, we covered Ground Rules for Effective Meetings (view the video here).

Today, we're fleshing out how effective meetings happen (hint:  it's not by accident!).  Having a productive, effective meeting takes a little bit of forethought and planning.

Here are some things to consider before your next meeting that might make for better results.

  Thanks to Tanya Rahman for contributing these thoughts!

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1. Define the meeting objective:  What exactly are we meeting about?

2. Who is invited?
  • Who needs to be there? Not everyone under the sun…
  • Keeping the numbers to the bare minimum will ensure you are not wasting anyone's time
  • Depending on the context, you may need an independent facilitator - someone objective who can keep tempers in check
  • Depending on who is invited, you may want to include a dial-in and screen-share option in the meeting
3. Think details
  • What information, background or context can I provide to the attendees beforehand?
  • How long does the meeting need to be?
  • How can you structure the meeting to be the most effective?
4. Location location location
  • Is the space large enough?
  • Do you have all the props you need? Whiteboard, post-it notes, sharpies
  • Have you tested the technology in the room?
  • Is the room comfortable enough?  Light, temperature, etc.?
5. Break the ice - people may not know each other well. Name tags, introductions, and/or ice breakers might be needed

6. Encourage participation
  • Co-create and explicitly agree on ground rules
  • Request people's thoughts before the meeting
  •  Make it fun with prompts, flashcards or even role-playing
  •  Use Parking Lot to park off-topic items
7. Keep the momentum going: Use open-ended questions to keep it moving

8. Have an open mind - be prepared to be challenged and to challenge other's ideas
  • Be flexible
  • Open to possibilities
  • Things do not always go as planned
9. Review next steps and action points
  • Make sure everyone leaves the meeting with tangible action items
  • Circulate meeting minutes afterward
  • Rate the meeting on Respect, Communication, Participation and Creativity (The four parts of a positive culture that Brene Brown highlights in her new book, Dare to Lead are: Respect, Communication, Participation, and Creativity.)

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