7 Keys to Planning Effective Meetings

Meetings come in all shapes and sizes but one thing is for sure, they are either a great experience for all attendees and perceived as time well spent or they can be a mental drain and a complete waste of time.  Much of this is due to training and the “owner” of the meeting knowing how to plan for and facilitate an effective meeting.
Let’s discuss some things you can do to make meetings more effective.

1.  Agenda

Every meeting needs to have an agenda.   Even teams that meet on a regular basis need a structured format.  If meetings don’t have structure and focus, they have the potential to go down endless rabbit trails that go nowhere.    The agenda should be realistic for the allotted amount of time for the meeting and the agenda needs to be followed.

2. Leadership

It is the responsibility of the person who “owns” the meeting to keep the group on track. Whether it is the senior executive meeting with his staff, a manager meeting with her employees or a team leader meeting with a work group, someone needs to take lead, keep the group on task and make sure all items on the agenda are addressed.

3. Orderly

The “owner” of the meeting is responsible for keeping the meeting orderly.   This includes starting and stopping on time, managing group dynamics and holding the group accountable for their time spent.

4. Focus

Every meeting needs a focused agenda.  Inevitable issues will come up in the course of the conversations that need to be tabled until the end of the meeting (if there is time) or until it can get on an agenda for a future meeting. It can be challenging to do this but it is critical to keeping the group on task to accomplish what they were set out to do.

5. Timekeeper

Each agenda item should be timed out so the group understands the amount of time that is needed to discuss and come to agreement on next steps.   There should be a person in the group assigned to watching the clock and remind the group when time is up on a certain agenda item.

6. Note Taker

This is a person who takes notes on everything discussed and documents who will be doing what by when.  It is amazing how easy it is to forget minor details as soon as the group leaves the room.  This is what I call the accountability document.  It should be kept on file, either electronic or paper, for reference as reminders in preparation for the next meeting.

7. Next Steps

Every meeting should end with next steps for the group and assignment of tasks with deadlines.   This is a very important step to keep the ball moving forward. It is the meeting owner’s responsibility to ensure all assignments are completed.

Ok let’s look at a meeting agenda example

Facilities Committee
Wednesday, 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Team member names:   Joe Smith, Karen Jones, Diane Long, Steve Tucker, Gary Craig
Agenda
8:00                Review Last month’s meeting notes
8:20                New Furniture Purchase
8:35                Restroom Remodel
8:55                New Business (this is where team members can bring new items to add to the group)

Tips That Might be Helpful

• Send the agenda out ahead of time so everyone is prepared to discuss their items from the prior meeting;
• Allow “social” time with the group.  This is important so the group can bond and build as a team.
• Set some meeting times aside to just celebrate and have fun as a group.  Effective teams work hard and need to have fun at the end of major accomplishments.
• Don’t get lazy with the agendas or holding people accountable.   This is an easy trap to fall into, especially for groups that go on for an extended period of time.

Finally

Organizations spend billions of dollars to pay people to sit in meetings.  It is management’s responsibility to ensure that the time in meetings is well spent and moves the organization toward completion of goals.

Does anyone have any other thoughts on effective meetings?

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