Meetings That Matter

“Well, that meeting was a total waste of time.”    

“I don’t know why I even had to be there.“

Are you struggling through meetings that wander around and don’t accomplish much?  Are some members dominating discussions and others not saying a word?  Meetings are a significant investment of time and resources—make them matter!

Here’s what to do in your next meeting:

• Have a plan and stay on track
• Always have an agenda with times, responsibilities, and expected outcomes. Make it available to all members prior to the meeting so everyone can have input and be prepared

Assign timekeeper role (to someone other than the leader or recorder) 

• Have a Team Operating Procedure (TOP) that an agenda will be used, developed ahead of time, etc.
• Get everyone involved
• Rotate all meeting roles each meeting (leader, timekeeper, recorder)
• Ask everyone for their “1-minute commercial” when making decisions. A 1-minute commercial is a brief explanation of someone’s own perspective, ideas, or interests
• Assign members that typically ‘hang back’ a team issue to present at the next meeting (e.g., suggestions for a needed process improvement)
• Invite participation: “Don, what do you think about what Beth just said?”
• Reinforce accountability and ownership
• Always keep an Action Register with due dates and accountabilities

• Review the Action Register at the beginning of each meeting. Discuss how to eliminate barriers for actions that are not accomplished on time
• Have a TOP about keeping commitments