Let’s talk about meetings.
Running a successful, focused and effective meeting is the ultimate dream. Maybe not the ultimate dream, but something we all want.
Meetings take up large chunks of our days and often last longer than they should. They are draining our minds and souls. And often lead to more meetings.
Most people have a difficult time running effective meetings because they are undermined from the start. Most meetings have either no agenda or too many times on the docket.
This is not the way.
Effective Meetings Are Short and Focused.
To have productive meetings, the organizer must put in some work before the meeting starts. It could take 5 minutes, or it could take 60 minutes. The effort involved will be determined by the scope of the meeting. But preparing is key.
To have productive meetings, you must:
- Determine if the meeting is needed.
- Choose one topic to discuss.
- Invite only those who must be there.
- Keep the meeting short.
- Let other people talk.
- Conclude with action items.
Following this simple list of steps will ensure your meetings are effective and not a waste of time and money.
Let’s break down each of these points.
How to determine if the meeting is needed?
“I’m going to have a meeting with my team to work out the new document review policies.” This was the message one of my clients sent me on Slack. My initial thought was, “Great Idea.” But then, I realized this would be a would be waste of everyone’s time.
This type of meeting seems like a great idea. Let’s get everyone’s input and put together the final document. But having everyone in one place for a few hours is an expensive endeavour. So before you jump into a meeting, ask yourself these questions:
- What is the outcome I want in the meeting?
- Can this be done over email or Slack?
- Can this be done by a smaller number of people working offline?
- How urgent is the issue?
Answering these questions should give you enough insight into whether having a meeting is a good idea.
Choose one topic to discuss.
Most meetings either have too many things on the agenda or no agenda at all. A vague “let’s talk about our marketing plan” meeting subject line is as confusing as having no meeting subject.
To have a productive meeting, it is best to choose one topic and focus all your energy on it. Here is a list of examples of focused meeting agendas to inspire you:
- Brainstorm ideas for a newsletter Lead Magnet.
- Identify the benefits of implementing a new hiring process.
- Review last quarter’s objectives.
- Plan next quarter’s objectives.
- Decide on which candidate to hire for our new strategic partnership role.
Your agenda topic should begin with an action verb that will point to a desired outcome. It should be followed by a specific objective that your action will act on.
Note: If you decide to have more than one topic on your meeting’s agenda, limit it to three. Make sure each topic is focused and follows this format.
Invite only those who must be there.
I’ve been in meetings with over 80 people. Not one-off, town hall-type meetings. Actual scheduled weekly meetings with over 80 people.
These were remote meetings, so most of the people’s cameras were off, and my guess is that most were all doing something else.
Meetings have a cost — in time and money. 80 people at an average cost of $50 per hour (conservative estimate) meant that every week, $4,000 went to waste.
Before you invite people to meetings, ask yourself what would happen if this person didn’t attend.
Keep the meeting short.
There are two types of meetings. Short meetings and unproductive meetings.
Short meetings are:
- 15 Minute check-ins.
- 30-minute focused discussions.
- 90 Minute weekly planning sessions
Unproductive meetings are:
- All other meetings
Short meetings are easier on people’s minds and create time pressure. This forces the meeting facilitator to be deliberate about the agenda and how the meeting is run.
Let other people talk.
In big meetings, it’s impossible to get everyone’s opinion. Assuming you’ve managed to keep the meeting duration to a reasonable timeframe, the next big thing you must do is let others talk first.
Make sure you set a precedent at the beginning of the meeting by letting everyone know that you expect everyone’s opinion and participation.
To make this work:
- Inform everyone of your expectations.
- Welcome contributions from everyone.
- Encourage “I have nothing to add” statements for those who have nothing to add.
- Repeat the main points back to the speaker to show that you understood.
- Thank everyone for their input
Not everyone will feel comfortable at first. Introverts might not be used to speaking in front of a crowd, no matter how small. Start small and encourage participation.
Conclude with action items.
Always conclude your meeting with action items. Ask:
“What action times do we have as a result of this meeting?”
Then, make sure that each action item has a person accountable for its completion.
Record them and send them out in a follow-up email to all participants.
Today’s Action Steps
Here’s how you can act on this advice today:
- Review next week’s meetings and cancel the ones that aren’t needed.
- For your next meeting, spend 15 minutes thinking about the agenda and who should be there.
- Modify that meeting invitation accordingly.
- During the meeting, let everyone know that their opinions are valued, even if they say they have nothing to add.
- When you finish the meeting, write down the action items and send it out to all participants.
Outro
Running a successful meeting is a difficult endeavour. The tips offered above build on one another. Without adopting all five, it will be very difficult to facilitate an effective meeting.
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And that’s all for this week. See you next Monday.
P.S. I’d love to hear what challenges you are facing in your business. What can I write about to help you personally?
Reply back to this email to let me know.