Making Meetings Valuable

I actually like business meetings - sometimes, when they are well run and productive.  Well okay I admit, it's rare.  But when it does happen, meetings can be useful, enlightening, even inspiring.

Far too often however, I've found myself trapped in (uh-oh, I hear ominous music...)

The clock in the brightly-lit conference room shows that it's past time to call the scheduled meeting to order.

Agendas, minutes, and supporting documents are neatly distributed around the table, however most of the seats remain eerily empty.

The TZM Chair speaks "We'll just wait a few more minutes before getting started..."

I see an acquaintance at the far end of the long expanse of table, idly shuffling through the large, unwieldy, meeting packet. I consider venturing over to see whether my colleague is privy to any interesting tidbits of information that might help pass the time, but note that the TZM Chair is watching closely to see that no one who has entered the meeting chamber moves anywhere near the door. I listlessly begin flipping through the pages of fuzzy, miniscule print attached to the agenda.

Precious minutes of my life tick by.  As I shift uncomfortably in my chair, I realize in a moment of despair that I have been lured into the "Twilight Zone Meeting."  Until the Chair speaks the magic word "Adjourned" I am well and truly trapped...

Aarrghgh! Been there - way too many times in my career. Poorly run meetings, unprepared members, and ineffective documentation waste valuable resources; not the least of which is time. 

So, in the interest of helping diminish the sphere of the Twilight Zone Meeting chamber, here are a few suggestions for improving meetings and making good use of valuable time:

• Distribute a written agenda in advance, with notations regarding who is responsible to lead specific presentations or discussions.

• Unless the material covered is confidential, distribute past minutes along with the agenda, in advance.

• Format minutes in such a way that action items, and who is responsible for follow-up, are quickly visible.

• Start on time. If the chronically late know that you'll wait for them, what incentive do they have to hurry? Not to mention the fact that it's an obvious statement to those in attendance that their time is not as valuable to you as that of the late arrivers.

• Close the door when the meeting begins. It draws attention to the latecomers and may serve to encourage them to get into the room before the door is closed.

• Schedule your most important agenda items first.

• Don't allow long, rambling, dissertations by one or two members. Set a realistic time limit for discussion on each item. When the time is up, either make a decision, or if necessary, table the discussion until the next meeting.

• Be prepared, know the objectives. This is especially vital if you are the Chair.

• Make sure that supporting documents are brief and clear. Rarely will anyone take time to read a 20 page article.

• Consider the use of a well-developed Power Point presentation to keep everyone "on the same page." Again, brevity and clarity are key.

• Discuss the meeting schedule with members, do your best to choose the most convenient time for the majority.

• Consider the cost. If you call a one hour meeting of ten people who have an average hourly compensation of $35.00, you've just spent $350.00. That figure doesn't include travel time, space usage, document preparation, equipment use, etc. Meetings are expensive. Make sure the objectives are worth the cost.

• Consider alternate forms of communication, such as conference calls or online meetings.

If you serve as Chair remember that your style speaks for you. Make it your goal to become known as someone who understands how to run an effective meeting and get things done. If you can add a splash of fun into that mix, even better!

Comments

[Sian]

I think you should add. Don't get the project research assistant or admin assistant to send round the meeting dates/agendas/minutes. By all means let them prepare them but get the meeting chair, preferebly someone scary like the head of department (or everyones boss) to send the emails. When I was working in a office as a project assistant people had no qualms at all it sending their apologies to me... but surprising never did it when the Big Boss guy was the one who'd told them about the meeting.

In conclusion: If you want to guarentee attendance make people too scared to say they're not coming!

S x