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Friday, October 24, 2008
Inside Meetings & Conferences
Cutting to the chase: Eight steps for better meetings
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MHT Sales Roundtable: Web 2.0, Meet Sales 101
MHT Editor Doug Banks on NECN: Decoding the Gen Y workforce
Most people might agree to stop multitasking in exchange for shorter meetings that get real work done. Here are eight steps for planning and running meetings that make it worth putting aside the BlackBerry.
• Set meeting ground rules and gain agreement from everyone. Send ground rules to attendees in advance so people can plan accordingly, especially those rules that may be hard to live with (for example, turn off PDAs and laptops). Reinforce ground rules vigilantly. Make sure ground rules are appropriate for all cultures. For example, a ground rule of “all are peers” is not likely to gain traction in a culture where hierarchy and seniority matter deeply.
• Communicate clear objectives in advance of the meeting and at the start. Test for shared understanding to make sure you are all in synch, especially when topics are complex. Resist attempts to overhaul objectives during the meeting. “Park” additional objectives for the end of the meeting, when you can agree how best to handle them.
• Select participants thoughtfully and clarify roles up front. Determine who really must be involved in each conversation and who can contribute at other times. For example, some people can post ideas in a virtual conference room outside of a real-time meeting. Try having some people join for the conversation that most directly affects them, and let them off the hook when topics don’t affect them.
• Insist on preparation. When people come unprepared, you’ll waste a lot of time creating a level playing field. Be specific about the required prep work, and be realistic about how much time people are likely to spend. At least a few days ahead of time, request that people take a specific action as they prepare. For example: “Review the proposed budget and identify three places your team can cut expenses in the next three months.”
• Establish a realistic agenda. If you try to cram three hours’ worth of discussions into 90 minutes, you’ll need to tack on additional meetings later. Err on the side of being conservative about how much time you’ll need. For each objective, consider what kind of conversation is needed by whom, in what sequence, and how long that conversation is likely to take.
• Stick to your agenda. Don’t allow anyone to hijack discussions. Certain digressions can be illuminating, but set limits about how long to spend on off-track topics. You may need to cut some people off if their conversations are long-winded or off the mark. (Participation ground rules up front will help soothe hurt feelings.) Refer back to the agenda and objectives as needed to refocus the group. Threatening to convene a follow-on meeting if you can’t finish what you’ve started is a great way to get people back on track.
• Pick up the pace. If you sense that energy is dissipating or interest fading, decide how best to proceed. If you are on a conference call, say something like: “I am not hearing from many of you. I don’t know whether this means we’ve lost you, or you’re busy doing e-mail. Can someone help me understand what’s going on?” If you see disengagement from people in the room, ask what’s going on. Or you might stop to reflect back on the objectives and ask people whether they feel they’re on track. Inject energy and project enthusiasm especially when group energy is low.
• Know when to end. Just because you’ve scheduled a two-hour meeting doesn’t mean you have to use the whole time. If you have achieved your goals and people seem ready to end, let people know you’re ending the meeting early, and spend the last few minutes wrapping up loose ends. Review the objectives one final time and summarize what the group has done to achieve them. If, on the other hand, you realize you can’t possibly achieve your objectives in this meeting, call it like it is and discuss how best to proceed.
When busy people become bored, they quickly turn elsewhere to regain a sense of productivity. So when planning your next meeting, whether face-to-face or virtual, think how you can engage everyone for better results.
Nancy Settle-Murphy is president of Guided Insights of Boxborough, which works with companies to facilitate effective conversations. She can be reached at nancy@guidedinsights.com.
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