Critical Thinker Issue 4.2009 - Meetings

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Issue 4/09

Make Your Meetings Count! Speaking of his organization a friend used to remark:

“We waste half our time in meetings and the rest of the time we waste by complaining about the time we spend wasting in meetings” Let’s face it, it’s not without reason that meetings are a favorite target of Dilbert, other cartoonists and email jokes. Many meetings are … ahem … a waste of time. What has the poor old meeting done to obtain such an infamous reputation? Or rather, what is it that we, as meeting organizers or participants, have not being doing that we should have? That’s the topic of this article. Before we proceed, let’s recognize some key facts: Fact #1

Meetings are a corporate necessity

Fact #2

Meetings come in many forms and guises

Fact #3

It is estimated that the average professional spends between 25-40 percent of his or her time in meetings

Fact #4

We’d better be ”good” at meetings.

Most meetings suffer from pretty much the same difficulties or pitfalls, for example, an unclear purpose ("We always meet on Monday morning whether or not there is anything specific to discuss!"), lack of or unclear agenda, no track or process, or wrong participants. Luckily, therefore, the same basic rules of good management can be applied to all meetings. If You Are Calling The Meeting Ask yourself the following common sense questions: •

What is my objective? E.g. to give or exchange information; to create or develop ideas; to decide on issues; to delegate work or authority; to inspire; to consult; to establish /maintain relations; to socialize; to have fun etc

•

Is calling the meeting the best way? What other alternatives are there? Which of these is the best?

•

What are the priority issues that must be discussed and/or decided? What are the "want" issues if circumstances permit? In what order?

•

What information will be required? Where will it come from? How will it be presented? What else must be done before the meeting to ensure its effectiveness?

•

Who should be attending, who should not, and why? Whom must I speak with before the meeting? What steps are required to ensure attendance? Who will not be at the meeting but will have a stake in the outcome or place pressure on those present?

•

Where should the meeting take place? How is the purpose of the meeting best served? Who suffers from what location? Is there any protocol affecting location?

•

When is the appropriate time for the meeting? Does it depend on other events? What dependencies?

If You’ve Been Asked To Attend A Meeting Often we attend simply because the boss said so! Why not think more critically by asking questions such as: •

Do I know the purpose of the meeting? Is a meeting the best way to achieve the objective? If not, what are the alternatives?

•

What are the agenda items? Do I know what is expected of me? What information or other preparations are required?

•

Who else would be attending the meeting? What are their likely positions, relative to mine? Whom must I speak to in advance?

Ensure An Effective Agenda When a formal agenda is required avoid the “activity way” of preparing it. Neither put down generics lists with no meaning. Instead, prepare it in terms of objectives or end results. For example, say "Decision on new computer system" instead of an ambivalent term like "New computer system." Or say "Determine next steps of the China Project " instead of "China Project." For each objective or agenda item, the activities leading to the desired end result should be spelt out clearly and the person responsible for the activities identified. For example: •

Item #1 : Decision on new computer system o Lee May Ling to present selection criteria o Hardip Singh to present vendor quotation o Tuan Haji Zahid to present user surveys

When a meeting works, the power—the added value created—is huge. And when the meeting fails, the ripple effect is equally enormous. Your meetings are the most dramatic, powerful events in your day. Before you walk into any meeting, before you deal with any substantive issues, you have already begun winning and losing. So please

meetings count!

make your

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