Let me introduce (or remind you of) some
specific activities you can do to improve the next
meeting you lead or attend.
1) Get an agenda prior to the meeting.
If you are in charge of developing the agenda, send out
a draft ahead of time and ask for input. Then, call all
those people who are supposed to be prepared to deliver
any updates, etc. (One of the worst things that can
happen is that someone on the agenda is not prepared -
you want a "win-win" on this - he/she is ready to
deliver, and you've done your due-diligence to help them
be prepared.)
If you are attending, but not in charge, make sure you
understand your "value-add." If you have questions about
whether your attendance is required, ask. Also,
understand that if there is going to be problem solving,
your expertise and experience, even if not directly
related to the problem, could be a huge benefit to the
process.
2) Be clear on meeting objectives and
deliverables. This can be part of the initial
agenda or developed at the beginning of the meeting.
It's important for attendees to have a cognitive,
mental, intellectual model of where they and the group
is headed. While it's not necessary to review the agenda
at the beginning of the meeting, the objectives and
deliverables should always be reviewed.
3) Review actionable items from last meeting and
hold people accountable. One of the questions I
often get asked is about accountability. One of the
best ways to make sure people are accountable is to hold
them accountable. This can be done in a way that is
non-judgmental and fair. Ask for a report-in of progress
(or lack there-of). This can become a regular part of
your "new and improved" meeting procedures.
4) Use the Six Hat Thinking meeting
process. (refer to the book, "Six Hat
Thinking," by Edward de Bono) Become the Six Hats
expert to facilitate the meeting in a way that allows
significant break-throughs in meeting timeliness and
effectiveness. Another facilitation method is the "round
robin," which provides for input from each person around
the table. This can be done in conjunction with the
Six Hats process.
5) Prepare and distribute meeting notes.
This seems like a no-brainer, but I can't count the
number of times I've attended a meeting when at the end
the leader asked if anyone had taken good notes! Set
this up ahead of time so that there are clear roles and
responsibilities. Use your email to distribute a draft
of the notes, and ask for corrections/additions. Allow
only a short time (2-3 days) to get any changes, then
re-distribute the final version within 5 days of the
meeting. I always like to have action items summarized
at the end - or this may be the only thing that is
included in the notes.
Here a couple of other ideas that I have found
to be very helpful:
6) Centering. At the beginning of the
meeting have everyone "center" or "re-boot." We often
come to a meeting with our minds on the crisis du-jour
(home-related or work-related). These thoughts block us
from being fully present and productive in the meeting.
Acknowledge this by allowing one minute for people to
BREATHE. Breathing is an active way to quiet our
mind and body to prepare and focus on the next activity.
7) Provide a short break every 45 minutes.
This break can consist of simply asking "How
are we doing?" to a quick stretch with arms overhead, to
a "bio-break" (or all of these). Mental and physical
fatigue is a big contributor to "musty meeting"
syndrome. Honor meeting attendees by giving them a
break!
Set a new, higher standard for your meetings
by implementing some or all of the above suggestions so
your meetings are fruitful, not musty.
