Meetings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A Universal Woe
We all have to put up with them. Badly run meetings are a fact of organizational life and they waste our time, fray our nerves, and frustrate those who just want to get the job done and go home. Sometimes they can even get so ugly that we wish we had not even been there. Good ones – in which the job does get done and the participants all depart still talking to each other are not as common as they could be.
 

Content
Over all, get clear on the purpose. Is there a decision to be made? Is information to be shared? Is brainstorming to be done? There can be multiple purposes but whatever they are, know them before you even walk in the door.

Before the meeting, prepare an agenda and float it to the other participants enough ahead of time that they can suggest additions (or deletions). When participants know the agenda in advance, they are more likely to believe that their participation is valued and act accordingly. (No one likes surprises in this context.) They are also more likely to come prepared. In the same vein, send out reports and any other materials that will be discussed.

At the meeting, make sure that everybody has a copy of the agenda and all other documents which will be discussed. In cases such as board or committee meetings, it is often equally important to have materials from prior meetings available as well. In these cases, I highly recommend preparing three-ring binders for each member that contain past agendas, minutes, and reports for the prior twelve months as well as such foundational documents as committee mandates and board by-laws.

After the meeting, make sure that absentees receive any and all handouts. This keeps people in the loop for next time.

People and Process
Over all, be alert to the fact that in order for people to work effectively with each other, generally they need to trust each other, and in order for them to trust each other, they need to know each other.

Before the meeting, review who will be attending. If anyone will be attending for the first time, in terms of the group process, it will be an altogether new group. Consequently, it will be wise to include time for introductions – and more than a quick go-around with names. (Only mnemonic wizards can remember names from such fleeting recitations.) Find out too if anyone will be missing who is normally there. You will want to mention the absence as you call your group to order. (This is especially important when the missing member is influential and there is a controversial item on the agenda. People will supply their own reason for the vacant chair if one is not provided to them.)

During the meeting, keep the agenda moving forward and avoid getting sidetracked. Also, provide space for everyone to speak and be heard. We have all been in the meeting where one guy loves to hear himself talk and the one from whom we want to hear can’t seem to get a word in edgewise. If you are conducting the meeting and it needs steering, take hold of the wheel!

At the end of the meeting, reserve a few minutes to review how it went – not the content but the process. Simply by making these short periods of reflection routine, both leaders and participants will become more self-aware of how they participate and usually better at it.

Place
Over all, make sure that the environment is not only safe and comfortable but is also conducive to the purpose of the gathering. A brainstorming session may require wall space for multiple sheets of newsprint whereas a planning session might need break-out spaces for small group discussion.

Before the meeting, make sure that everyone knows where it is to take place and that it is accessible to everyone who is expected to attend. If there is a change of venue from what is routine, provide as much advance notice as possible.

At the meeting, make sure everyone can hear and be heard, see and be seen. Adjust lighting for reading or viewing as necessary. And match the seating arrangement to the purpose. A formal parliamentary session is best served by one arrangement; a team-building session on creativity, another. Take the time to move chairs and tables as appropriate; it really does make a difference.

These guidelines are hardly an exhaustive list of all the matters to which meeting planners and leaders need to attend. Volumes have been written on the subject. Nevertheless, being mindful of the before, during, and after, will help you prepare better and attending to people and place along with content will help you lead better.

Let me know how the next meeting you lead goes. Your story might just help another leader avoid the bad or ugly and achieve the good.