Making the Most of Meetings

Dr. LeCrone:

Meetings in my work place are often time wasters. Can you address this topic in your column?

Dear Reader:

Many people think that the major time wasters in their business lives are meetings.

Many meetings are meant to improve communication within an organization, and effective meetings can help accomplish this goal.

Let’s look at some ways to improve the value of meetings.

Try to have an agenda. Circulate it in advance of the meeting and invite participants to submit items for discussion. Prior review of the agenda gives individuals a chance to formulate responses to specific questions. A good agenda can keep the meeting from straying off course. It allows the moderator/facilitator to move to the next agenda item when the topic has been covered and helps prevent unscheduled topics from being brought up.

Try to provide a trained moderator/ facilitator. This individual should be aware of behavioral types who may cause difficulty in meetings. Among them is the long-winded member, who like to hear himself think aloud; the nit picker, who becomes obsessed with minor details that bog down the meeting; and the philosopher who spends time on historical background information that may be irrelevant.

An effective facilitator knows how to handle these group members in a way that maintains the integrity of the group and offends no one. This same person is objective and an active listener. Active listening includes perceiving situations from the point of view of the sender.

Consider the number of participants needed to accomplish the group’s goals. Invite only those who need to attend. If others must come for informational purposes, seat them outside of the central group so they are observers rather than participants. In addition, consider inviting them to be a part of the meeting for only the agenda item that concerns them.

Have a definite starting and ending time and publish this on the agenda so participants can plan their schedules. Finish on or before the published time. Let latecomers understand that information will not be repeated.

Periodically evaluate the relevancy and usefulness of meetings that occur on a regular basis. Determine if the meetings will be just as effective if held less frequently or if the agenda can be shortened. Also, consider whether some agenda items could be covered with a memorandum or e-mail.

Careful planning can make meetings an effective team effort.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr. Ph.D. Copyright © 2004