A worthwhile objective this year is to make meetings more effective.

How will you do that?

         Effective meetings start well before people come together. They start at the planning stage

         Before your next meeting answer these questions.

         “Do I need a meeting?”

         “What type of meetings should we hold?”

          “What do I  hope to achieve?”

         “Who can and will contribute?”

          “When is the best time and where is the best place to hold it?”

         Before you plan a meeting remind yourself; ‘What business are we in and what are we trying to achieve?’  

Meetings can be time wasters.

A handful of tips to improve your next meeting

* Prepare well     

         What you would like to achieve? 

* Prepare a worthwhile agenda

         All items on the agenda should be specific;

         ‘For a decision’; ‘For your information

         ‘For action by….. ‘

 * The sequence of items is critical

         Allow the meeting to warm up before you introduce important items.

         Save some good news until the end, so the meeting finishes on a ‘high note’.

         Keep the number of participants small.

         The fewer people attending the easier it is to reach a consensus. Invite essential people who can make a worthwhile contribution.

         Get all phones switched off before you start.

         Make the most of the talent and the experience present.

         If it’s a ‘for your information meeting’ you may need large numbers. “I have brought you all here today to tell you we have been taken over by a large Australian company but your jobs are safe.”

*  Timing is crucial

         Meeting are expensive (when you consider salaries, travel costs, and the loss of work time).

         International and online meetings are best for ‘for your information’ type meetings.

         Time zones and local events can cause problems.   These can make ‘call-for-action’ type meetings difficult. 

         Always start your meetings on time – don’t wait for late people.

         To get people to attend early put on tea/coffee or a treat before you are due to start.

         Keep the meeting focused on the agenda items at all times. Don’t get sidetracked!

         Once you have completed all the items on the agenda or the allocated time is reached, close the meeting.

         Never go over your allocated time regardless of the items left on the agenda.

         Keep meetings short. Do not run long meetings. Work expands to fill the time available. Let people get back to work as soon as possible.

         There is an old saying: “A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost”.

* Add interest

         Variety and humour make meetings more enjoyable.

         From time to time, surprise your meetings with special events, such as a guest speaker or invite staff to make a special presentation.

         If appropriate, run a brainstorming session seeking new ideas to solve problems.

         People must leave a meeting feeling they have made a contribution, and it was time well spent. People want to feel needed. Try to get everyone to contribute. Stop the dominant talkers. “You’ve had your say, Bob, let’s hear from  others.”

         Praise and give credit for good ideas. “Jane that sounds a good idea – let’s give it a go!”

*Minutes can save you hours

         Minutes are the record of the business of a meeting. They don’t have to be detailed but they are critical to getting things done.

         If decisions are made it must be perfectly clear, who does what, and by when?

         Agreed tasks must be recorded in the minutes and follow-up notes sent to the people involved.

         At the next meeting, the minutes should be briefly reviewed to see if all the tasks have been completed on time.

         Send out reminders to those who had tasks allocated to them prior to the next meeting.

* Improve each meeting

         Constant evaluations are the key to successful meetings.

         Aim to make each meeting better than the last. Invite feedback and act on all worthwhile recommendations.   “What did you like about our last meeting? What did you like the least? How can we improve our next meeting?”

         Continuous improvement is essential to run successful meetings and enhancing your reputation.

         The success of a meeting can only be judged by results.

-Geoffrey Moss(mossassociates.co.nz)

“Minutes of a meeting should discreetly clarify trouble spots and formalise conclusions.”

SOURCE: For more on this topic see:  “Persuasive Ways” first published by Moss Associates Ltd, New Zealand, and in Chinese by Shanghai People’s Publishing House and as “Secrets of Persuasion” by Cengage Learning Asia. (Available as an e-book from Amazon.com.) Also available as “Getting Your Ideas Across” from Kogan Page, U.K, and a  Hungarian translation published by Bagolyvar Konyvkiado, Budapest.

For those in need download our FREE book “NO JOB? WHAT NOW?” from mossassociates.co.nz

Happy New Year to you all!