The Problem with Meetings

It is seven minutes after the meeting was supposed to start, and only half of the group is present. Some make small talk, and others glare at the clock, waiting for the meeting to start. After the stragglers trickle in, the manager turns to the group and says “So, what do we need to talk about today?”

You’re halfway through a staff meeting and your manager continues to lecture about all of the things that the group needs to be doing but isn’t doing. Beside you, your group note-taker is furiously scribbling, but you’re distracted, thinking about the incomplete tasks that you need to finish before you can leave for the weekend.

The department is faced with a choice between two software programs, and while your manager has called this meeting to discuss the options, she is making it pretty clear which one the company is willing to pay for. You know that this meeting is just a show so that she can pretend she got feedback, so everyone smiles politely and keeps their real opinions to themselves.

You have five hours worth of work you need to get done by the end of the day, and this normally wouldn’t be a problem. But how can you even begin when you have seven hours of meetings as well? You attend the meetings of course, they are mandatory, but then your “real work” happens on nights and weekends.

In many organizations, meetings cause more harm than good. Instead of being places where people come together to do things that cannot be done alone, meetings become great stretches of time where much is discussed and little actually happens. This can cause a serious strain on productivity and morale.

This month’s toolkit will help you improve the quality of your meetings. This toolkit contains valuable tips for improving meeting effectiveness, handy phrases you can use while facilitating a meeting, and a quick form to help you plan out your next meeting.

Seventeen Quick Tips for Better Meetings
 

1. Never hold a whole team meeting for tasks that can be done individually or in smaller groups.
The bigger the group of people involved in a discussion, the longer the discussion will take. Big groups have a harder time coming to shared decisions than small groups. Whenever individual or small group work is possible, avoid large group meetings.

2. Don’t require “resource people” to attend meetings.
Sometimes people are invited to a meeting because they have expertise in just one small part of the issue or problem being discussed. When feasible, simply ask these “resource” people to be available by phone when you are meeting. You can call them when you have questions, and in the mean time your group can be smaller. This also frees your resource people to get other work done.

3. Don’t use meeting time for updates or data sharing.
If your staff meetings are being used for updates on what each person is doing, you can probably use a medium other than a meeting to get this done. Consider using a Wiki/SharePoint page to post routine updates, and consider using email for simple data sharing. If the data is complex, requires detailed interpretation, or is emotionally volatile, then it is appropriate to meet in person.

4. Meet in small groups regularly and in large groups rarely.
If you have twenty people in your department, chances are you don’t need everyone in the room together more than once a quarter. Break your department into smaller teams by function, and the small teams can meet as often as necessary.
Additionally, when you have a large team meeting, talk only about the things that relate to everyone. Then if appropriate, break into smaller groups once the whole-team issues have been discussed.

5. Use meeting time appropriately.
Large group meetings are a good time for brainstorming, team problem solving, friendly debates, listening to visiting speakers (such as a CEO visit), developing a shared vision, making team decisions, and learning. These meetings are typically a poor time for developing intricate plans, socializing, sharing information that could be read in an email message, and hearing updates that don’t pertain to the whole group.

6. Develop a flexible agenda.
The meeting leader or facilitator should start with a rough-draft agenda and begin the meeting by asking the participants to amend the agenda. Agenda items should be done in order of priority, without a firm time limit. If the lower priority items are not attended to, the team can decide if an additional meeting is required. (Often it is not)

7. Begin with the end in mind.
Before holding a meeting, know what your desired outcome is. “I want us to decide whether to do X or Y” is an outcome. “I want us to talk about X and Y” is less helpful. You won’t always achieve your desired result, but having one clearly stated will help the group stay on task.

8. Always start and end on time.
Start promptly on time. If there are latecomers, they will need to catch themselves up. Don’t bend the rules based upon the person’s seniority or the rules will have no meaning. If the first agenda item pertains to someone who is not present, drop it to the bottom of the priority list. If starting on the hour is an impossibility, then place your meeting start time at five minutes after the hour. As the meeting approaches the end time, say “We have five minutes left in our meeting – did we get what we needed out of this time?”

9. Have a facilitator.
A facilitator is someone who keeps the meeting flowing. The facilitator does not need to be the leader, nor do they need to have formal training in facilitation. A facilitator is someone who makes helpful statements like these:
“It’s ten o’clock, so let’s get started.”
“We have ten minutes left in the meeting, and we still have five items on the agenda. Do we need to schedule more time?”
“Mary, I notice you seem pretty quiet. Do you have anything to contribute.”
“Here is the draft agenda, does anyone have any suggestions for additions or subtractions?”
If you have someone on your team who is good at facilitation, invite them to facilitate your meetings. If you don’t have this skill on your team, consider sending someone to a class.

10. Track accountabilities and decisions, not meeting minutes.
In each meeting, ask a note taker to track accountabilities. For example “John said he would finish the Bates Report by Thursday. Marge said she will call Marketing to work out the pipeline issue and report back next week. “ These accountabilities should be verbally reviewed at the end of the meeting and then the list can be emailed to the team. Decisions should also be tracked and reported. Tip: If you had a meeting but there were no decisions or accountabilities, ask yourself if that meeting was really necessary.

11. Cut your meeting time in half.
Less is more. Challenge yourself to hold your one hour staff meeting in thirty minutes. Once you’ve cut the fluff out, settled on priorities, and start on time, you may be surprised how reasonable this goal is.

12. Try a “stand up” meeting for single-issue discussions.
When you’re meeting to discuss a single issue or problem, schedule a “stand up” meeting in an office or even a hallway. No chairs, no agenda, just a quick hashing out of the issue with the decision/accountability written down and emailed out.

13. Socialize during non-meeting time.
Many teams hold staff meetings to socialize and bond as a group. While team cohesion is important, using meeting time for this purpose is less than ideal. Schedule separate social time (A weekly coffee chat in the breakroom, a monthly potluck, etc) and use your meeting time for productive work.

14. Put boundaries around meeting time.
If your meetings are eating into productive time and your team is saying that they are stuck in meetings all day, consider putting limits on meetings. Some companies try “no meeting Fridays” for example, or prohibit meetings after 3pm. Formal boundaries should be a last resort (because they limit flexibility) but they are an option to consider. To set personal boundaries around meeting time, respond to meeting requests by saying “I’d love to help, but I can only come for 30 minutes.”

15. Send out data prior to the meeting, instead of reading it there.
Are you announcing a re-organization? Send out an email containing all of the facts 12-24 hours ahead of the meeting. Then you can use the meeting time to answer questions and discuss the situation after people have had a chance to think the situation over. Note: If the announcement is sensitive or emotional, don’t put a big delay between the written announcement and the meeting, lest the rumor mill spin out of control.

16. Wear a watch.
When you routinely let meetings slip into overtime, you can erode your productive hours. Keep an eye on the time, and be willing to walk out when the time is up.

17. Don’t pretend to ask for input.
Sometimes it is tempting to use meeting time to ask for team input even though a decision has already been made. We can justify this behavior to ourselves by saying “Well, it’s possible someone will suggest something we haven’t thought of.” Avoid the temptation. Pretending to solicit input on foregone conclusions will make you look insincere.

Facilitator Phrases

Use these handy phrases to keep your meeting flowing.

To Start a Meeting
“Well, it’s ten so let’s get started. Joe can catch himself up on what he is missing.”
“I want to be respectful of your time, so let’s start the meeting.”
“It is time to begin.”

To Share the Agenda
“I’ve put together a draft agenda today in order of priority. Look it over and let me know what you think.”
“Does anyone have anything to add to the agenda?”
“Would anyone like to re-order the items on the agenda?”
“Are we missing anything?”

To Assign Roles
“Josh, will you please keep track of our agreements today? I’ll help by pointing out what needs to be written down.”

To Clarify Decisions/Actions
“So it sounds like we’ve decided to do X. Is that the case?”
“Josh, will you please write down that we decided to do X? Thank you.”
“Who is going to contact the client? John? Great. Josh, will you write down that John is going to take care of the client call.”
“When do you plan to do that by John? Thursday?”
“I think we’re a little stuck here. What are the main points of contention?”
“Do we have enough information to make a decision?”
“I suggest we hold off on this item until we can talk to Accounting.”
“This item isn’t on the agenda. Do we need to re-work the agenda?”

To Manage Emotions/Personalities
“Steve, you seem a bit upset.”
“I’m feeling some frustration in the room. What is going on?”
“I get the sense that there is something that isn’t being said…”
“Let’s have one person speak at a time please.”
“Let’s focus on the problem, not the people.”
“This isn’t the time or place for personal attacks. Let’s take a break and come back in five minutes to work on the next item.”
“What solution do you suggest?”
“I hear that you feel/think….. what do you suggest we do about it?”
“Does anyone have anything to add to Mary’s point?”
“I understand this isn’t easy.”
“Let’s go around the room, each person gets one minute to speak with zero interruptions. Then we’ll see where we stand.”
“We seem to be at an impasse. Does anyone have a suggestion for moving past this?

Closing the Meeting
“We have ten minutes left. Where are we at on the agenda?”
“Josh, will you read back the decisions we made today? Did we miss anything?”
“We didn’t get to item five on the list. Is this something that we could finish over email?”
“It’s about time to close the meeting. Is there anything else that needs to be said today?”
“Thank you all for your contributions today. I’ll send out the document with our decisions and accountabilities.”

Meeting Planning Form

Use this quick form to plan out your next meeting

Meeting Date and Time: _______________________________
Meeting Topic:_____________________________________
Required Attendees: (Keep to a minimum)
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________

Resource People: (Ask them to be available by phone if possible.)
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________
What information can you send out in advance of the meeting?
?______________________
?______________________
?______________________

Rough Draft Agenda
List desired outcomes in order of priority, starting with the most important.
By the end of this meeting, we will have accomplished the following….
1. __________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________
4. ___________________________
5. ___________________________

Assign the Following Roles:
Facilitator:____________________
Note taker:____________________ (Accountabilities and Decisions)

Post-Meeting Checklist
? Meeting started and ended on time.
? Notes were emailed out to participants.
? We are clear on what outcomes were achieved.
? We know who is responsible for what tasks.
? We know approximately when each task will be complete.
? I am satisfied with how the meeting went.