Here is guest blog post from Greg Jordan:
Meetings are a necessity. The size, type and dynamics can vary. But unproductive meetings are annoying and can become an all-too-frequent waste of time. I hope this blog posting will challenge you to consider the types of meetings you conduct and test some different tactics.
“I had breakfast today with a senior executive who estimates she spends more than 30% of her time in internal meetings.
My guess is that many marketers (who seem to go to more meetings than most people) might envy a number that low.
Despite the time spent, most people don’t seem particularly happy with the results the meetings create…” —Seth Godin
We’ve all suffered through them. The late-starting meandering meeting with loose objectives and questionable outcomes. And we’ve all witnessed the meeting that results in another meeting. Then there’s the meeting that gets hijacked by someone with an ax to grind, and so on. Whether you’re a one-person company or at a large corporation you may be able to refine your Meeting MC skills and enjoy a more productive result.
- Set tangible expectations. Why are we having the meeting? What is the context of the meeting? What are we going to accomplish? Make sure you’re framing the meeting appropriately.» If the goal of the meeting is simply an internal status update consider foregoing the meeting and distributing an email or video instead.» If the meeting is a pitch or client presentation set expectations around mutually beneficial next steps.
- Bring Food. Don’t underestimate the power of good snacks and coffee for motivating attendance!
- Distribute a written agenda. Set a clear agenda and specific time line. Stick to it!» Request that people refrain from using their laptops, BlackBerries, iPhones.» If you anticipate the meeting requiring more than one hour, schedule bio breaks and allot break time for people to return phone calls and emails.» Before breaks, specify exactly what time to reconvene. Ask one of the attendees to act as a timekeeper to help keep you on track.
- Who should be at the meeting? Consider who needs to be there and why. Sometimes, in the spirit of inclusiveness, we have too many people at a meeting.» Schedule guest speakers at the beginning of the meeting. It will facilitate an on-time start and is respectful to the guest. Also, you can easily transition to the remainder of your agenda once the guest is finished speaking and leaves the room.
- Stay on target. If any part of the meeting begins to wander, stop and recognize the importance of the issue. Summarize the issue and “park it” on the white board as something that warrants additional time at a different meeting.
- Arrest hijackers. Don’t let anyone push the meeting off topic. Acknowledge the importance of their issues and ask them to meet with you and the appropriate people separately. Stress the need to keep to the agenda. Add their sideline points to the whiteboard.
What are some of the things you’ve done to make meetings more effective?
Related blog post: Telephone Conference Calls
About the author
Greg Jordan is Managing Director of Greg Jordan Design, a California-based online marketing agency for growing companies. He writes about online marketing for growing businesses on the Greg Jordan Design Blog.