Running Effective Meetings

  Running an effective meeting means more than sending out an invite and reserving a room. Meetings need a defined purpose, structure, and a focus on outcomes. Set clear objectives, involve the meeting’s participants in its planning, and follow-up on clearly defined action items. With how much time can be wasted in meetings, and that time’s cost to your business, building a reputation as an effective organizer is good for you and your career. Not all meetings are created equally -- in fact, in some offices they’re almost universally disliked. It’s not that intentions are bad, or that they don’t care about the issues being discussed. The true problem lies in the structure of the meetings themselves. Studies have shown that among the most common reasons for meeting annoyances are “often-unprepared leaders losing control by letting attendees dominate the conversation, complain, and steer the meeting off-course”, not starting or finishing on time, lacking a clear purpose or objective, lacking organization or an agenda, and the need to repeat information for late arrivals. We’ve all been in this scenario: the conversation is droning on and on. You’re constantly checking your phone, replying to emails or just checking Twitter. That guy from the accounting team is off on a tangent again. You check the time. Have you really been here for an hour already? What did we get together to discuss again?  You’d check the agenda, but there isn’t one. Oh look, new tweets.  

Meeting, or a New MacBook?

If you’re in middle management, you likely spend about 35% of your time in meetings. If you’re in upper management, it’s closer to 50%. What’s worse is that, according to the same report, 92% of people multitask during meetings and 39% of people have admitted to dozing off in them. In fact, Salary.com’s 2014 Wasting Time at Work Survey lists meetings as the largest time waster at work, second only to browsing the internet.  

An average hour-long meeting at ImageX is no small investment. It’s enough to buy a new 11” MacBook Air and a new 13” MacBook Pro – just for one team-wide meeting!  

  Considering the cost of lost productivity, it would be prudent for businesses to invest in improving the effectiveness of their meetings. Facilitating effective meetings is a skill that can be learned and honed. They should be well-planned, deliver meaningful content to the audience, and executed succinctly.     Amber is right -- meetings don’t have to suck. Setting some time aside for your team to collaborate together and share ideas can be invaluable, and we’re here to help you add and maintain structure to maximize the value of that time.  

Maximize Your Meetings

Here are ten keys to running effective meetings that we’ve identified at ImageX:  

1. Prepare Properly for All Meetings

Book time for yourself in your calendar to create your agenda and write the post-meeting summary. Communicate clear expectations to each contributor of what’s required of them and allow for adequate time for them to prepare for their roles. Finally, know your team and who else will be in the room -- if needed, schedule a dry run of the meeting or presentation to prepare, particularly if you will be in front of a potential client.  

2. Pre-Publish an Agenda and Assign Roles

Ask yourself, “What is the desired outcome for the meeting?” and “What are the key decisions to be made during the meeting?” and use these to make each agenda item actionable. Also review any items that were carried forward from any previous meetings and add them to the agenda as well. Finally, assign roles, start times, and designate a time-keeper and minute taker. We like to assign specific times for each agenda item rather than durations; it helps keep contributors accountable and the meeting on track.  

3. Start on Time

If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. The start of the meeting is too late to test any technology.  We like to schedule our morning scrums at 9:28 -- the irregular start time makes it easier to remember, and reinforces that we will be exactly on time. Not only is it respectful to those who show up on time, it keeps the meeting times on track. Arrive early enough to be ready for the first attendee, start the meeting precisely on the dot, and say out loud “Okay, we’re starting” to whomever is there.   

4. Set Ground Rules

Explicit ground rules may not always be appropriate (you wouldn’t want to lay down the law with a prospective client, for example), but having clear expectations of how the meeting will be conducted will help maintain focus and keep the meeting on track. Some examples may include no phones or laptops (except for the designated note-taker), only one person speaking at once, or stopping people when the time they’ve been allocated on the agenda has lapsed.  

5. Review the Agenda

Review the agenda and its objectives with the meeting’s attendees at the start of the meeting. Not only does it help keep the meeting on track, but it allows you the opportunity to get buy in on each item.  You may even wish to ask “What are you hoping we’ll accomplish today?” This also gives the meeting’s attendees the final opportunity for any revisions or amendments as new information may have become available since you drafted the agenda that changes it. Add any new items to the parking lot unless there’s consensus to add it to the agenda, in which case you may need to swap out an existing item for time.  

6. Fix Responsibilities

At the end of each agenda item, ask out loud “Who is responsible for doing what, and by when?” The meeting facilitator may need to assign the responsibility for action items, but be sure the assignee verbally agrees to the work for accountability.   

7. Stick to the Agenda

Give contributors verbal warnings as the time they’ve been allocated comes to an end. Say “Two minutes left” or “30 seconds to wrap up” out loud as a gentle reminder to wrap up their contributions. If more time is required, add their item to the parking lot for later discussion.  

8. Summarize

At the end of the meeting, review the agenda and verbally agree to who, what, and when for every action item.  Remember, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them (review the agenda), tell them (stick to the agenda), then tell them what you told them (summarize).”  

9. Finish on Time

Finishing the meeting promptly on time is not only respectful of the attendees time, it will remind them that your meetings have value and will encourage their participation in the future. Stand up from the table and say out loud, “Okay, we’re done” and leave the room to reinforce that the meeting has concluded.  

10. Document Notes and Assign Tasks

Send a written summary of any key decisions, action items (with their respective owners), and items added to the parking lot to all of the meeting’s attendees. This is your final opportunity to review each item and document accountability for follow-up.  

Client Dynamics

Client meetings can introduce an added dynamic, and often require a modified strategy from internal ones. If possible, find out who the key stakeholders are and make contact with them before the meeting to review the agenda and feel out any potential pain points. It’s best to be aware of any potential fires before the meeting starts so that you’re well-prepared to address them or, ideally, have buy-in on a solution before you begin.  You may also wish to introduce a relational element (i.e. light chat or icebreakers) to help break the ice and put attendees at ease and exercise active listening skills by reflecting back on your conversations throughout the meeting.  

Join the Conversation

Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne are the hosts of Manager Tools, the world’s most awarded business podcast and one that we listen to regularly. You can stream their series on effective meetings beginning with the first episode here. What are common problems your team faces in meetings? What are some of the keys you’ve found to running effective meetings? Join the conversation and let us know what you think.  

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References

https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/RunningMeetings.htm http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2113-employees-hate-meetings.html http://projectmanagementhacks.com/meeting-tips/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-much-do-useless-meetings-cost/ https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-much-time-do-we-spend-in-meetings-hint-its-scary http://salary.com/2014-wasting-time-at-work/