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Article Meeting Management Does your staff dread meetings? Do they tune you out while you are talking?
Do they hear Charlie Brown’s teacher droning on in their heads,
“Wah Wah Wah” when you speak? If so, try taking a look at your meeting management. It is your responsibility to keep people motivated
and excited about attending meetings.
It is not a hard thing to do, though often leaders think it is.
It is really pretty simple. You
just need to make the meeting relevant and somewhat fun.
You have to start the ball rolling and you have to do that before
the meeting actually begins. Here
are ten suggestions for effective meeting management. 1.
The agenda. An agenda in writing is essential for successful meetings.
Ideally, you should distribute the agenda at least 24 hours before
the meeting. If it is a last
minute meeting, write the agenda on a white board or a flip chart in the
meeting room. Ask
participants to suggest topics they would like to discuss during the
meeting and include these items on the agenda.
This ensures their participation during the meeting and shows them
you value their input and ideas. If
your staff is spread out geographically and your meetings are conducted
via conference calls, it allows people to feel involved during a meeting
in which everyone remains “faceless.”
It is important to review the agenda with the group at the
beginning of the meeting so everyone is clear on what is going to be
covered. If something happens
and you have to end the meeting abruptly, tell participants the remaining
items will be discussed at the next meeting.
And be sure to do it. People
will feel disappointed if they are geared up to discuss their views, but
cannot. Always give that
opportunity, even if it means waiting another week for the next staff
meeting. 2.
The purpose. Have a clear purpose. Every
meeting needs a purpose. Even
if it is simply a weekly staff meeting, your purpose should be clear.
It is important to remember that weekly status updates require a
meeting only when people need the information.
Participants do not like to feel that you are wasting their time.
You can speak to people individually and save everyone’s time.
People need to know the meeting’s purpose so they can come
prepared. Include the purpose
on the agenda. 3.
Identify the participants.
Invite only those participants who need to attend.
That may sound basic, but some people boost their egos and invite
people simply to create a larger audience.
It might be better to hold two meetings with separate groups or
divide the agenda into two parts so participants attend only those
portions relevant to them. 4.
The meeting room.
Room arrangement often determines participation.
If you want to encourage participation, do not sit at the end of
the conference room table with your staff around you.
This focuses attention on you, not the participants.
To equalize participation, choose a round table or rectangular
table, if possible, and sit on the side of the table, not at the end.
Leave the ends open. Make
sure the meeting room is conducive to a successful meeting.
That means the ventilation should be adequate, the temperature
should be comfortable, it should be easily accessible, and should contain
needed equipment—TV’s, VCR’s, overhead projectors, Power Point, etc. 5.
The meeting time.
Mondays and Fridays are usually not productive days to hold
meetings. People are often
mentally reviewing their weekend activities, either planning them or still
thinking about them. People
need time to readjust to their working mode.
If you are scheduling periodic staff meetings, ask participants
what day and time they would like to meet.
If you receive different opinions, go with the most requested.
Equally important is starting and ending the meeting on time.
This shows you respect people’s time. 6.
The administrative details.
Make sure you have all the equipment, materials, handouts, and
props you need. It is
irritating and embarrassing for participants to watch you fumble because
you are not prepared. Set up
and practice in the room if you need to.
You will feel more relaxed when the real meeting starts. 7.
Get your team members to
speak up. Now that the
meeting has started and participants are seated, you want to keep them
involved. One thing that
might sound obvious, but is often overlooked is to ask for participation,
either directly from an individual or through open-ended questions to the
group. For example: “Sally, what do you think about the such and such issue?”
Follow-up on comments with encouraging statements.
For example: “That’s
a good question,” “I’m
glad you brought that up,” or “That’s a good idea.”
Show you are actively listening by taking notes and asking for
clarification and try not to dominate the group.
During the early part of the meeting, participants are typically
thinking more clearly, so try to cover priority items first. 8.
Keep everybody awake.
To ensure participants are not bored, take time before or after the
meeting to introduce company news such as a new incentive program or
benefit or an upcoming event. Because these types of things typically involve everyone,
people will be more apt to listen and ask questions.
If you hold regular staff meetings, conduct an exercise at the
beginning of the meeting that reiterates fundamentals people may have
forgotten. For example: conduct a fun exercise to help participants determine how
well they manage their time, how well they listen, or any number of
essential skills which they need to be effective each day. 9.
Recognize and reward.
Employees enjoy meetings in which they are recognized and rewarded.
Use your meetings to showcase exemplary employees within the
group—pass out rewards for jobs well done, service awards, bonus checks,
plaques, and other expressions of appreciation. 10.
Ask for feedback.
Once the meeting is over, enhance your credibility by distributing
meeting minutes that reiterate important points of the meeting and
identify next steps. This
shows participants that you took their comments seriously.
Take this time to ask for feedback from participants.
What did they like or not like about the meeting?
How could it be improved? What
could you have done differently? What
would they like to suggest for future meetings?
Again, this shows you value their input and care about what they
think. Remember that meetings can and should be beneficial to all participants. And when they are well planned, they can even be fun at times. Put yourself in the participants’ shoes and then ask yourself, “What would I like to do at my boss’s next staff meeting? How would I like the meetings to be effectively managed?” <End> |
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