Ingrained “meeting rituals” have existed in every organization I have ever worked for. Many meetings through habit or even plain bad practice become nothing more than “disguised working” or even ritualized “social events”.

Often, if we think clearly about it, desired work outcomes from both a time and effort perspective can be achieved through a simple face to face discussion between two individuals, a telephone call or even an email exchange. One good meeting value test is to think about how long has it been since anyone asked “why do we have this meeting”. Because of the obvious politics of organizations this querying regarding value should be instigated by the individual who calls the meeting. To maintain the value of meetings it is wise to periodically go through your meeting schedule and review their effectiveness or whether they are really necessary at all. One indicator that a regularly scheduled meeting has lost its value is that decision makers are no longer attending attending and or if substitutes are regularly sitting in. If this type of behavior is occurring we need to seriously question the validity of the meeting.

Second major meeting issue – is the meeting adding value or just sucking energy?

Before we do anything else we must set a concrete objective for the meeting. If the objective is valid we must review our meetings by asking… is there an agenda and are minutes distributed? Do we make decisions and has anything happen as a result of the last meeting? If there is a negative response to any of these issues the likelihood is that our meetings are merely ineffective energy suckers.

Point: Without an agenda a meeting is nothing more than a “talk-fest”. When the agenda is prepared it must to include a description of the meeting objectives, a list of the topics to be covered, notification as to who will address each topic and strict timing set for each discussion or presentation. It almost goes without saying that the agenda must be strictly followed during the meeting. Make sure as part of the agenda there is time allocated to assess what took place in the meeting and a plan to improve the next meeting.

Third major meeting issue – conducting the meeting.

Quick checklist: Be sure that all input required is actually delivered and do not finish any discussion without deciding how to act on decisions made. Ensure that minutes are kept and are accurate. Ensure your meeting has a timekeeper to keep things flowing and a gatekeeper to deter intruders. If the meeting decides on actions to be taken make sure that there is an agreed measurement of success for each action and a deadline set for completion.

Other meeting issues – danger signs, ask these questions

Is one person often late? One latecomer that keeps six other highly paid executives waiting ten minutes loses one hour of productive and expensive time. Insist on punctuality, start and end on time.

Are arguments usually won by the loudest and most persistent participant rather than the individual with the most logical points to offer?

Are decisions are usually taken based on the perceived status or power, or on suggestions made by the highest ranking position in the room?

Are meetings are often highjacked by those with a secret or personal agenda? This practice must be squashed as soon as it appears.

Is it common for individuals to answer mobile phones or send text messages during meetings?

Has the meeting become a forum for show-offs and corporate politicians?

If any of the above is occurring best remember  Douglas McGregor’s ‘rules’ for effective meetings

Effective Meetings only occur if they have…no tension, no boredom, everyone counts and contributes, no undue deference nor domination by the leader, understanding the goal with commitment by all, relevance is maintained, disagreements are aired without ill feeling, criticism is constructive and freely given, consensus is sought, feelings are expressed as well as ideas and clear assignments are made.

Some more basic ground rules for effective meetings

Ground rules should establish:

An insistence that all participate in a business like manner and be willing to offer opinions or suggestions.

What issues to focus on and that “red-herrings” and or wandering off into side issues will not be tolerated.

That momentum must be maintained and that getting bogged down in issues that can be decided on, or reseached outside the meeting, are not allowed to soak up valuable time.

Decisions must be taken and topics closed when neccessary.

Confidentiality of topics being decided must be respected and meeting activities should not be discussed outside the meeting with others not involved in the process.

At the end of a meeting always review actions and assignments and set the time for the next meeting.

Not a full list however if you can overcome the common shortcoming mentioned and implement the practices suggested you will have meetings of far greater value. Lets face it, most managers will tell you that many of the meetings they attend are just a waste of time.

Wasting your career in useless meetings? Time to meet a new challenge? This resume example may help you to meet a better future.

There are a variety of methods that can be used and a number of basic concepts to follow.

. Each member of a group, may be invited to put forward ideas concerning a problem under consideration.

. Wild ideas are safe to offer, as criticism or ridicule is not permitted.

. The people taking part do so with equal status.

. The main objective is to create an atmosphere of enthusiasm and originality.

. All ideas offered are recorded for subsequent analysis.

The process is continued until all the conceivable causes have been included.

A useful variant on the technique is negative brainstorming. Here the group brainstorms all the things that would need to be done to ensure a negative outcome. Having identified the potential road blocks, it is easier to dismantle them.

Brainstorm (Memory Jogger Methods)

Unstructured Brainstorming

1. Visual  – draw a picture of a situation

2. Free word association – unusual word connections are listed on a large piece of paper (use the question if the problem was an animal what would it be) i.e. dog, cat, mouse, chase, bite, infection, disease, doctor, bill etc

3. 6-3-5 method 6 people write down 3 ideas in 5 minutes on how to solve a problem, then passes the sheet to the next person who build 3 more ideas based on the three they have received. Continue until each 6 sheets have 18 ideas (6 people = 6 rotations x 3 ideas = 18 ideas)

Structured

Question is agreed stated and written down. Understanding must be confirmed (get a number of participants to rephrase).

Each member takes turns to present ideas (no criticism is allowed).

Write ideas down in the exact words of the speaker

Keep going around until each member passes and no more ideas are forthcoming.

Review list and discard duplicates

If you would like more information on brainstorming there is more here: brainstorming

If you are the chairperson or the senior executive that has called the meeting and want an effective outcome here are a few statements you must not make:

I’m the boss!  Why are we here?  That’s a stupid idea!  Listen to me…  you don’t listen.  I know you all agree, now just get on with it.  He’s the expert we should do what he wants.  What the &#%$ would your department know about this!  It’s my call and that’s how it will be!  Okay that’s enough; you don’t know what you’re talking about, now who’s next!  How you feel is not important, just stick to the facts!  You guys are just here to observe!  Why do you keep disagreeing?  Just to digress for a moment!  Lets vote on it.

Well-known management guru Douglas McGregor gives us a key to how to conduct things a little more professionally:

Effective Meetings… no tension, no boredom, everyone counts and contributes, no undue deference nor domination by the leader, understanding the goal with commitment by all, ensure relevance, disagreements are aired without ill feeling, criticism is constructive and freely given, consensus is sought, feelings are expressed as well as ideas and clear assignments are made.

WHY ORGANIZE A CHECKLIST FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING AND SEE HOW IT RANKS…

POINT: Before we call a meeting we should ask ourselves the following questions…

Can we achieve the desired result with a ring around or with just two people face to face?

Is this meeting really just ‘disguised working’ or a ‘social event’?

How long has it been since anyone asked why we have this meeting, has it become a ritual?

Are the decision makers attending or are substitutes sitting in?

Do the loudest always win and how will a counter this?

Is that idiot with the mobile phone or “Blackberry” going to be there?

Has this meeting become a forum for show offs and politicians?

Is there an agenda and are minutes distributed?

Do we make decisions and did anything happen as a result of the last meeting?

POINT: If one person is late and keeps six other highly paid executives waiting ten minutes… one hour of productive (and expensive) time is lost. A great way to stop those that are habitually a problem is to lock the doors 2 minutes after start time and exclude the latecomers. Then talk to them after the meeting it creates great pressure on the offenders.

FINAL POINT: Most managers think [if not say] that they spend too much time in unproductive time wasting… stupid bloody meetings… pardon my profanity.

SO NOW…ARE ALL THE MEETINGS IN YOUR DIARY… R-E-A-L-L-Y… NECESSARY…?

Ric (orglearn) **Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

Tired of attending lousy waste of time meetings, time to change jobs, need a new resume… take a look at the free blank resume form!