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We spend hours in meetings. Some of them are really good. Unfortunately, many of them feel like a waste of time, something that we all have very little of. The following 7 tips will help you ensure that your meetings are valuable and productive.
1. Know what you want to decide
If you don’t have something to decide, consider whether you really need to hold the meeting or if there might be a better way to achieve what you want. If you are just looking to share information, is an email or video a better way to handle it?
2. Right people / right type of meeting
If you know the issues to be decided on, the participants should flow naturally. The type of meeting should also reflect the decisions that are made. If you are looking to design a new process, this is a different meeting than looking to move a new product through a well-defined Phase Gate process.
3. Roles, roles, roles
Some of the roles that should be explicit when attending a meeting could include an owner, a facilitator, a timekeeper, a challenger (devil’s advocate), and a note taker. Other roles can be found by looking at Belbin’s team role theory. The type of meeting and the culture of the group meeting helps inform the necessary roles.
4. The agenda is king
Linked directly to the desired meeting decision / goal, there is no stronger tool in a meeting than the agenda as it sets the direction of the meeting. Getting input from participants before the meeting, but once goals have been set, it can go a long way in overcoming potential resistance and helping to set expectations.
5. Next steps: you must have them
Without the following explicit steps, nothing will be done. We all walked away from the meetings and commented that they were a lot of good discussions, but nothing will come out. Posting decisions and action items after each meeting will introduce a bias for action.
6. Previous work: a pain, but worth it
Depending on the type of meeting, this could be a lot or as little as reviewing the proposed agenda and responding with comments. We are all busy, so the pre-work meeting is considered a hassle. It’s like exercising, you know it’s good for you and it helps you operate more efficiently.
7. Follow-up
Next steps evil twin. Without a follow-up to make sure the decisions made are implemented or the next steps, the meetings will turn into a sham that no one will take seriously. With follow-up, people will realize that what is being said is intended and that things will actually get done.