How To Conduct Meaningful Meetings
Too many meetings, too little time.
When the true cost of holding just one meeting is accurately calculated, it should provide sufficient motivation for us to want to ensure that all of our meetings are meaningful, necessary and can be justified.
I am sure you have heard the one about meetings? "Are you lonely? - Work on your own? - Hate having to make decisions? - Rather talk about it than do it? Well, why not hold a meeting? - You get to see other people - You can sleep in peace - Offload decisions - Learn to write volumes of meaningless rhetoric - Feel important - Impress (or bore) your colleagues And all in work time!" But of course, it doesn't have to be like that.
Are Meetings A Waste Of Time? Why they cause frustration oToo many of them oNo real purpose oToo long oPlatform for the talkative oFew decisions come out of them oMake straightforward issues complicated oOften slow things down Potential benefits Run properly they can be an effective means of: oCommunication to a group oMeeting people face-to-face oImproving the quality of decisions oGetting to know people oDrawing from a variety of different experiences oBuilding teams The following figures are based on a working year of 288 days, with one working day equal to 7 hours.
(I wish!) You begin to realise the true cost of holding a meeting.
Salary Per Annum: £40.
000 One Hour Meeting: £24 One Day Meeting: £168 Salary Per Annum: £60.
000 One Hour Meeting: £36 One Day Meeting: £252 Salary Per Annum: £80.
000 One Hour Meeting: £48 One Day Meeting: £336 Salary Per Annum: £100.
000 One Hour Meeting: £60 One Day Meeting: £420 Some Tips To Ensure A Successful Meeting: oOnly hold meetings if they are really necessary Could people be told any other way? Consider the cost; meetings are expensive - time away from job, salaries of those attending.
oIf they are needed, then plan for them What do you want to achieve? What are you going to discuss? What decisions will need to be made/actions taken? Who needs to be there? How are you going to tell them what it's about and why they are invited? How long can you allocate to the meeting? Remember, if you fail to prepare, then prepare for your meeting to fail.
oPrepare an agenda Include only relevant items Put them in order of importance Decide who will lead the input on each Allocate time for each item (don't forget to allow for a 5 minute break at least once an hour) What could go wrong and what will you do? oCollect all information If it's lengthy, summarise it, outlining key points Send out agendas and key points in advance oPrepare the room Ensure that there are sufficient tables and charts If you want equipment (eg: flip charts, PCs overhead projectors) make sure it is available and working Arrange refreshments And Finally: Running The Meeting: Achieve faster, more efficient results by: oTelling everyone the purpose oSetting the scene for each item, eg: open discussion by inviting specific contributions from those present oLetting everyone who has something to say make a contribution oSummarising what's been said oWatching for signs of non-participation oSticking to time (always start on time and don't be afraid to finish early) oAgreeing actions to follow oNot being afraid to critique the meeting, i.
e.
: Was it worth it? oAfter the meeting: Circulating minutes promptly to those attending and interested parties Monitoring and reviewing progress of any actions decided End Result? A Successful Meeting And All In Work Time! Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington.
All rights reserved
When the true cost of holding just one meeting is accurately calculated, it should provide sufficient motivation for us to want to ensure that all of our meetings are meaningful, necessary and can be justified.
I am sure you have heard the one about meetings? "Are you lonely? - Work on your own? - Hate having to make decisions? - Rather talk about it than do it? Well, why not hold a meeting? - You get to see other people - You can sleep in peace - Offload decisions - Learn to write volumes of meaningless rhetoric - Feel important - Impress (or bore) your colleagues And all in work time!" But of course, it doesn't have to be like that.
Are Meetings A Waste Of Time? Why they cause frustration oToo many of them oNo real purpose oToo long oPlatform for the talkative oFew decisions come out of them oMake straightforward issues complicated oOften slow things down Potential benefits Run properly they can be an effective means of: oCommunication to a group oMeeting people face-to-face oImproving the quality of decisions oGetting to know people oDrawing from a variety of different experiences oBuilding teams The following figures are based on a working year of 288 days, with one working day equal to 7 hours.
(I wish!) You begin to realise the true cost of holding a meeting.
Salary Per Annum: £40.
000 One Hour Meeting: £24 One Day Meeting: £168 Salary Per Annum: £60.
000 One Hour Meeting: £36 One Day Meeting: £252 Salary Per Annum: £80.
000 One Hour Meeting: £48 One Day Meeting: £336 Salary Per Annum: £100.
000 One Hour Meeting: £60 One Day Meeting: £420 Some Tips To Ensure A Successful Meeting: oOnly hold meetings if they are really necessary Could people be told any other way? Consider the cost; meetings are expensive - time away from job, salaries of those attending.
oIf they are needed, then plan for them What do you want to achieve? What are you going to discuss? What decisions will need to be made/actions taken? Who needs to be there? How are you going to tell them what it's about and why they are invited? How long can you allocate to the meeting? Remember, if you fail to prepare, then prepare for your meeting to fail.
oPrepare an agenda Include only relevant items Put them in order of importance Decide who will lead the input on each Allocate time for each item (don't forget to allow for a 5 minute break at least once an hour) What could go wrong and what will you do? oCollect all information If it's lengthy, summarise it, outlining key points Send out agendas and key points in advance oPrepare the room Ensure that there are sufficient tables and charts If you want equipment (eg: flip charts, PCs overhead projectors) make sure it is available and working Arrange refreshments And Finally: Running The Meeting: Achieve faster, more efficient results by: oTelling everyone the purpose oSetting the scene for each item, eg: open discussion by inviting specific contributions from those present oLetting everyone who has something to say make a contribution oSummarising what's been said oWatching for signs of non-participation oSticking to time (always start on time and don't be afraid to finish early) oAgreeing actions to follow oNot being afraid to critique the meeting, i.
e.
: Was it worth it? oAfter the meeting: Circulating minutes promptly to those attending and interested parties Monitoring and reviewing progress of any actions decided End Result? A Successful Meeting And All In Work Time! Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington.
All rights reserved
