My work takes me into many organizations and an opportunity to be in many meetings.  What most do not understand is what the costs are associated with those meetings.  We’ll talk about some of these here and what to do about it.

Do you have friends who talk about the fact that they are in meetings all day and never get ‘their work’ done?  I do.  We laugh about this together, and then cast a knowing glance at one another that this is a real problem.  For many leaders this is why their hours and days are extended, often by a considerable amount.  We are sucking energy from people by the quality and quantity of meetings.  We are reducing the productivity and success of organizations because the collective reduction in energy equates to a reduction in productivity, ability to execute, and in profitability or success.  All of this ‘mushroomed’ from the frequency and nature or our meetings.  It is important!  My encouragement is that you use this blog to cast a critical eye on what is going on in your meeting world.

Another by-product of the quality of our meetings, that we seldom think about, is what they say about our professionalism. If our clients attended our meetings what would they see?  Do our meetings reflect that we are a ‘professional’ organization?

Professional organizations’ meetings always have a purpose.  They never have meetings when a phone call, a subgroup of people, or some other way of meeting the need are explored (no pun intended).  The organizer has a clear understanding of who needs to be present and what the agenda should be.  They make it clear if they want input from the group, a discussion or update concerning information about the topic, or a decision on the topic.  The organizer has an understanding of time needed and how to be efficient in the meeting to minimize the time required.  Participants respect the reason for meeting and come prepared.  Professional organizations use meetings to augment their ability execute.

What I observe most often is a variety of the following:

• Poor preparation by the organizer.  Even before the meeting is called there is not enough attention played to the purpose of the meeting and who is essential to the meeting.
• There is no agenda, or it is poorly constructed. There isn’t a defined purpose or outcome for the meeting.  If I haven’t answered what I want as an outcome for the meeting then everything that flows from that will make the meeting less effective.
• Participants don’t come prepared.
• Participants are not on time.  This also includes coming to the meeting and ‘socializing’ well beyond the start of the meeting.
• The meeting organizer does a poor job of keeping the group focused.  In the most professional organizations it is understood that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep the meeting on topic and on time.
• No recap at the end of the meeting –  no understanding of action items, who is responsible for what by when, including what the next steps are.
• No written summary of the meeting (purpose, key discussion points, action items).

Perhaps if we segregate the “don’t do’s” we will be able to visualize the “to do’s” better.

The preparation before we decide to have a meeting

• Are all of your meetings necessary?  Meetings should be last on the list.  Based on what you need is there another way for you to solve for that?  Maybe it is a conversation with one or more people that is very focused, a phone call or two that can get/create your answer(s) and move you forward without a meeting.
• If a meeting is necessary who needs to be included?  Put a real critical eye on this.  Time is a precious commodity.  The use of it is a way we show respect for one another.  I have seen too often that we get lazy and simply invite people rather than creating a smaller meeting and relying on the attendees to communicate to others.  Meetings are expensive.  Calculate the hourly cost of the talent in the room and then figure out if there is a way to reduce the cost.  There is!  Have smaller meetings or no meetings at all!  Many leaders would be better served by a one page summary than attendance at a meeting.
• What is the purpose and the desired outcome of the meeting?  One sentence.
  • What do I want from the meeting: Discussion, Input, Decision.
• How much time does the meeting require?  Think this through.  When this is mismanaged we are either rushed, or we have to schedule another meeting that creates inefficiency.
• How much preparation time is there if I’m the organizer, if I’m a participant?  This understanding is essential to how far in advance you need to schedule the meeting.

The meeting itself

• We have many opportunities to show respect for our colleagues.  One of these is to show up on time and be prepared.
• Start on time.
• If you’re the organizer, keep people focused.  Sometimes that can be difficult, but based on your relationship with the group will determine how direct you can be.  Many times, “I appreciate the point you’re trying to make, but for now let’s table that and focus on our agenda for this meeting.” This signals individuals and the group that a behavior change is necessary.  Once they know you will do this you will have fewer issues going forward.
• Recap the meeting, including the action items, who is responsible for what by when.  It is easy to get caught up in the ‘action’ of the meeting and have the time ‘get away.’  If we don’t recap we will often make assumptions about what the ‘take aways’ are for the participants.  This leads to confusion, missed assignments, and general lack of performance.  Recapping is critical to insuring the meeting is productive and your performance after the meeting is productive.  The effectiveness of the meeting includes the performance after the fact.  Otherwise, we’ve wasted the reason we met.

The difference between meetings that waste our time and great meetings is often a matter of a consistent, disciplined approach.  They are a foundational part of being a professional and high performing company.  What would make your meetings more effective?