By Mike Mitchell
At one point or another we've all sat through meetings that wasted our time. What we don't always like to admit, however, is that - chances are - we have actually facilitated some of those meetings. I used to attend a weekly meeting of the IT staff, which almost always centered on activities other than telecom. Although the information shared around the table was important to the rest of the IT managers, it was generally not that important to me. I often thought that since my contributions to most of these meetings could have been wrapped up in about five minutes, I should have just given my report and left. No such luck. I sat there for the next hour and a half listening to problems with servers and software licenses and other similar non-telecom issues.
Several years ago when I was an instructor in the telecom department at a local college, I had a revelation that changed my way of thinking about time. During that quarter I had 20 students in my class. Each one attended my class for four hours a week. It suddenly dawned on me one day that not only was I responsible for the way I used my time, but I was also responsible for 80 hours per week of my students' time. This realization changed my thinking forever about my responsibility for the time entrusted to me by others. The same perspective on time and responsibility can be applied to our meetings.
In their book Communicating at Work, Drs. Alessandra and Hunsaker have identified ten excellent guidelines for conducting effective meetings.
Need: Only hold meetings when there is a definite need. Think about other means of gathering or exchanging information. Would an email be sufficient to accomplish your goal?
Purpose: Define your objectives and expectations for your meeting. Notify the participants of your expectations before convening your meeting.
Attendees: Invite only those people who can contribute or need to be involved.
Agenda: Distribute and agenda to all invitees at the beginning of the meeting. This helps the facilitator and participants stay focused.
Meeting Room: Choose a room conducive to having a good meeting. It should be free from distractions and have the necessary equipment for any presentations.
Start and End on Time: Respect the time of others. They have entrusted part of their daily schedule to you. You are responsible for their productivity during your meeting.
Stick to the Agenda: Encourage discussion but focus on your expectations
Encourage Participation: Consider that those who don't contribute may not have needed to have been included. Remember this for your next meeting.
Balanced Discussion: Allow alternative suggestions and opinions but stay focused on your objective and in control of the discussion.
Summarize the Meeting: Before dismissing the meeting, summarize the discussion, including specific action items and the person responsible for each. Follow-up your meeting with an email or memo to each participant so that everyone has an "official" written copy of the outcome and accomplishments of your meeting.
Managing an effective meeting will earn you a reputation as an effective leader. You'll also find that your attendees will be more willing to participate in your meetings and more willing to help you with your projects. Be as respectful of your co-workers' time as you are of your own. Remember, your meeting participants are giving you something that they can never recover - their time.
Mike
|
