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Thirteen Secrets to the Optimal MeetingThe optimal meeting accomplishes its goals efficiently and effectively and the participants leave feeling satisfied that they have been an important part of achieving those goals. Here are 13 secrets to an optimal meeting: 1. Understand what your objectives are. Focus is the first step to success. Make sure that you know what you want to accomplish and how you are going to do it. Stated purposes of meetings include:
2. Prepare a meeting participant list that will meet your objectives. Invite only those people who will contribute to the objectives or are vital to the outcome. Don't waste people's time by inviting them when they are not needed. 3. Create an agenda that is appropriate to your objectives. Once you know where you're going, create an agenda that will get you there. Don't forget breaks. You'll lose people quickly if you don't change pace and give people breaks. The adult attention span is about 7 minutes and well before an hour they're thinking more about how uncomfortable the chair is than your agenda. 4. Schedule the right amount of time. Don't over- or under-schedule the time. Scheduling an hour for a ten-minute task is as frustrating and disruptive for the participants as is having to run over or reschedule. You're better off to run a quick stand-up meeting than to over-schedule. 5. Distribute the agenda and preparatory materials in advance. Make sure the objectives and their participation are clearly identified. Include an out for people who decide this is not appropriate for them. This is an opportunity for them to prepare for or opt out of the meeting if they can't contribute or gain from the meeting. 6. Select your meeting room and set it up appropriately. You will waste a lot of time if you show up to your meeting when it's scheduled to start and find that it's too small or lacks the audio visual aids you need. Configure chairs and tables in a pattern that is conducive to the task at hand. 7. Clarify roles and objectives prior to getting down to business in the meeting. Invariably there will be one leader/chairperson unless the group is skilled in self-managed-facilitation. The sooner you let people know who is doing what (confirming what was spelled out in the agenda) the sooner you can get the group on-task and performing. Complex, critical, or controversial meetings might benefit from the use of a professional meeting facilitator. 8. Establish rules (norms or guidelines) for the meeting and communicate them before or at the start. Even experienced professionals need to know what is expected of them. Don't assume that all your participants will know what the procedures will be for this meeting. 9. Be flexible but stay on track by using roles, rules, and objectives. Use a "parking lot" for off-agenda items that come up. A good meeting leader is sensitive to curves that can come up. You might find that the original topic or objective has been changed by new information and you need to redirect the meeting. Be alert for off-agenda items but rather than squashing them, have someone make a "parking lot" note and "park" the item to be addressed later. 10. Allow for and plan time for social activities as appropriate. When people get together there is a common tendency to socialize. It may only take a minute or two for familiar people to catch up on the sports scores or it may take longer. If necessary, plan for social time before and after the meeting or during breaks. 11. Beware of hidden agendas and defuse them before they defocus the group. Organizers and/or participants often use meetings for their own purposes that may show up as hidden agenda items such as:
12. Pick the appropriate climate, foster it, and stick to it. Leave the jokes at the door when your objective is serious but don't forget that appropriate humor is a great lubricant for good ideas. 13. Use regularly scheduled meetings effectively. Weekly staff
meetings can be very efficient and effective when everyone is prepared for an agenda that
is on track for specific objectives. Participants should be able to prepare and
participate well. Plan to finish early if possible. These same meetings can be terrible
time wasters and can even serve to de-focus your efforts if you violate the first 12
suggestions. Reevaluate your meetings regularly.
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Too many inefficient meetings can waste your time. Too few meetings can lead to poor communications, poor teamwork, and bad decisions. Morale and productivity can suffer at either extreme. Invest some time in your meetings before you hold them and reap the benefits of higher job satisfaction and improved productivity. These 13 secrets can help you take the mystery and frustration out of your meetings. Optimal meetings achieve all of your objectives effectively and efficiently while helping people feel great about their jobs and their organization. When circumstances are difficult and/or the stakes are high, don’t hesitate to bring in expert professional meeting facilitators. They can really help. Look here for an overview of professional facilitation and a guide to help you decide.
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