The art of effective meetings

You wouldn’t ask your staff—or any group of people for that matter—to get on a bus without a destination in mind and directions for getting there. Yet, every day, in companies all across America, people do just that. They gather people in a room, close the door and drive around in circles. They call it a meeting.

How many hours a day do you spend in meetings? If you’re like many managers, a good portion of every week is devoted to bringing people together to plan, solve problems and create new ideas. So, if we spend so much time in meetings, why are so many of them so hopelessly lost?

Consider the "round robin" meeting, where everyone goes around and shares what they are working on. For the most part, the members are politely nodding their heads, while each of them is thinking only about what they are going to say when it is their turn.

Or, how about the "staff meeting" where the boss does all the talking? Then there’s the meeting where only a few people weigh in with their opinions, while the rest stay silent. The real meeting happens in the halls and cubicles after the meeting is adjourned.

A well-run meeting is such a rarity; you can probably count on one hand the people who know how to do it well. Here are some tips to improve your meeting skills that will help you whether you are running the meeting or just sitting on the bus.

§      Spend the first few minutes reviewing or building the agenda. Even if there is only two of you, creating an agenda makes sure that everyone wants to go to the same places you do.

§      Create some rules of the road. Dysfunctional meetings usually occur because the group didn’t spend enough time upfront talking about how they want their meetings to run. Groundrules are critical for large groups or diverse groups with multiple perspectives. For example, here are some groundrules that make sense: Everyone participates, Treat each other with respect and dignity, Focus on problems not personalities, Every idea is considered, No blame--search for solutions.

§      Stop along the road and check your map occasionally to make sure you’re still on course. Many meetings start out in the right direction but after a few wrong turns they lose their way. Pay attention to the process with statements such as, "We only have a half-hour left. I suggest that we move on and tackle item number 4, since we have to make a decision on that today."

§      Keep order on the bus. No one will want to travel with you if they are getting poked or hit with spitballs. If someone is quiet, ask him or her, "Sam, you’ve had experience with this situation. What do you think?" If two people are whispering in back and distracting the others, use a little humor, "Hey you two…it looks like you’re cooking up some good stuff back there. Let us in on it." If someone gets socked in the stomach with a sarcastic remark, be quick to step in. People will only share their true feelings if they feel safe.

§      Keep a journal of the trip. Without it, everyone will have their own interpretation and understanding about where you went and what you saw. The quality of a meeting is almost instantly improved when someone stands up and starts writing ideas on a flip chart and outlines what the decisions are. Like magic, the group gets more focused and task oriented. They work together faster and communication is clearer. People can see instantly when they make a wrong turn or disagree with the route. When the meeting is over, each of them will receive a copy of what was agreed to and will have a shared understanding of who, what, why, where, when and how.

§      Check in at the end of each trip to ask how to improve the next one. Leaders who ask each member at the end of each meeting, "What worked well today and what could be improved for the next meeting?" will continue to see the quality of their meetings improve. Instead of dreading meetings, people will show up on time and ready to roll.

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