Great Meetings

                  ...  making a regular meeting into a GREAT meeting
by Katie K Snapp

Question the need for a meeting by defining the desired outcome and the type of meeting.

Is a meeting the best forum?  

Is the meeting for:

• -  problem solving
• i- idea generation
• -  clarification of an issue (question and answer or briefing)
• -  information sharing
• -  progress assessment (including team health assessment or how-goes-it)
• -  combination of the above

If the meeting is justified, then start listing those folks that MUST be there (called Tier 1 people), then those that would be helpful (Tier 2).  Consider overall attendance numbers and limit where you can.
Refer to the agenda template for other considerations, such as resource material needed and location.

Like most of the world, you probably attend meetings often, so your preparation should consider pitfalls of poor meetings and ways to make the time most worthwhile.

Use the agenda template to create a meaningful, realistic agenda and distribute. It will aid you later in how to take minutes for your meeting.

The preparation is indeed important, but the choice is NOT to do it thoroughly or not at all.  
If you avoid doing an agenda at all because you do not want it half-assed, then I encourage to do it half-assed.  

Yes, I just said that.    --> A thrown together agenda is BETTER THAN NONE AT ALL.

Since you are the one reading this article, let's assume you are running the meeting.*  Ergo, you have some level of control. (If that made you laugh, then you really do need better meetings.)  

Kickoff the meeting with a strong message about your expectations of the meeting.  This not only includes what you expect to accomplish during the meeting but also how you expect people to interact to get it done.  Statements like:

(depending on your situation)

If you have used a powerful agenda, the flow of the meeting should be a reflection of the agenda.

If the session would benefit from a warm-up before hitting the tough issues at hand, consider meeting icebreakers or something more elaborate for team training icebreakers.

* NOT running the meeting but looking for how to influence meetings to be more productive?
See effective meeting management.

If your meetings include some "soft" time to get a little chatting out of the way and get folks warmed up, then expect a period of adjustment before you "train" your participants into showing up on time and starting right into your first agenda item.

If you were to use a professional facilitator (a good one) this would be built-in.  If you do not have the budget for one or do not have access to one, here is your chance to nudge your skills one step farther along.

First, your preferred choice is to stick with the plan.  When you set times on the agenda, you assessed how much of the meeting was worth dedicating to that topic.  If you misjudged that time, then you must check with the group for agenda re-negotiating (that is, agree what is going to "give" now that you are about to go off track.  Advice to you: get comfortable doing that.)

Deviating from the agenda should only be done if you have strongly managed staying on subject and the energy to veer off is just too strong.  That is an indication that the emerging subject needs timely attention.

Did you hear me say strongly manage to stay on the subject?
This requires some strong facilitation skills and perhaps some interrupting.  Advice to you: get comfortable doing that too.

Read advice on keeping a meeting effective.

Volumes written on this subject.  Mostly because it can be such a tough nut to crack.

Here is the short version.  Look for more in a future ezine article (subscribe to the monthly email The Everyday Leader Monthly Tip).

I recommend three major categories of conclusions from a meeting

1 - the action item list (who will do what by when)
      
2 - discussion items that need to be covered in the next meeting
      
3 - the agreements made during the meeting

Keep it short, simple, and easy to read.

Best option:  use an agenda form to track emerging agenda items (for a future meeting), and action items. If you have the ability to keep notes electronically do this:

  1 - open up the agenda form for this meeting
  2 - change the file name from "agenda" to "minutes"
  3 - enter the notes on the second page of the form
  4 - track the action items that come up, as well as any topics that need to be tables for a future meeting.  In essence, you are creating the agenda for the next meeting.  Easy.

Send out the notes. If you tracked them electronically during the meeting (highly recommended) then writing minutes is very simple!  Cut/paste the action items list and email it in a separate email to those people with actions assigned to them.

Most often, the follow-up is weak because it takes more time. Simpler is better. Writing minutes in the form of Tip #6 above