Gaining Value From Meetings

Like the weather, everyone complains about meetings, but no one does anything about it. But can they?

Meetings are huge consumers of the business day, whether in-person around a conference table or over the phone using a web conferencing service. Many people consider them mostly a waste of time - often justifiably. And that's unfortunate, because they don't need to be.

In that communication is the ongoing exchange of ideas, information and insights among people that leads to better understanding, meetings can and should be the most effective form of communication in a business environment. Unlike bouncing around emails or leaving voice mails and then waiting days for responses, meetings enable the right people to get together to share ideas and information and make necessary decisions on the spot.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. Some meetings are poorly planned and executed. Key people straggle in late. Participants digress. People come unprepared. Meetings run late. Decisions are postponed repeatedly.

No wonder so many people think they're a waste of time.

Some meetings may not be necessary. Establish rules and a litmus test to justify meetings, and urge everyone to abide by them. Following are some rules and guidelines I've found helpful.

• One person takes charge, coordinating and securing the meeting time and location, identifying the right attendees, assuring they are invited and informed of the meeting's purpose and agenda, managing the discussion, and handling any necessary follow-up.
• One-hour meetings seem to be the norm, but if your agenda is long and complicated, extend it. Better to plan long and end early than to run over. Ending ahead of schedule is "found" time for participants.
• What is the meeting's purpose? It should serve as an efficient means to exchange information and ideas among three or more people on the way to reaching understanding and decisions. The purpose should be clearly spelled out in the invitation.
• Though most meetings' purpose is to reach decisions or agreements, that's not a requirement. Information exchanges can justify get-togethers, where attendees bring ideas, insights and information from different corners of the organization for the benefit of all. Informational meetings also help bring newcomers and outsiders (e.g., consultants) up to speed quickly.
• Who should come? Are all invitees necessary? If you've been in large meetings, you know a meeting's effectiveness decreases and its duration increases with each additional person. Do all attendees have something to contribute, either in terms of information and ideas or decision-making authority?
  
• If others require information from the meeting but would have little or nothing to contribute, don't invite them. Inform them later of what came from the meeting in terms of decisions or actions to be taken, and whether (and how) they impact them.
• Establish an agenda, distribute it with the invitation, and abide by it. In addition to discussion topics, the agenda should include both starting and ending times. Hold firmly to that so that attendees can plan their own time accordingly.
  
• Stay on topic. If participants digress or spend too much time on one subject, re-center the discussion and suggest a second meeting later for those people. Discourage side discussions.
  
• Never close a meeting without consensus on clearly delineated decisions and/or actions, with assigned responsibilities.
• Finish the meeting on time.
• A follow-up meeting may be necessary if incomplete information prevented a decision. If so, identify the people responsible for gathering the necessary information and assign a deadline. Schedule a second meeting (if necessary).
• Follow up. Keep minutes and distribute them to attendees, with emphasis on unfinished business and action items.
• Reconnect later with those who've been assigned action items. Make sure they are able to meet their deadlines. If they require additional resources or time, help them get the necessary help and inform the other participants of the need to postpone the follow-up meeting.

Those whose daily business lives are filled with meetings may find these rules and guidelines obvious. But your colleagues and managers will hold you in greater esteem if you consciously apply them to your own meetings. And, your organization will operate more effectively.