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How to Run a Successful Meeting
A recently aired Tostitos Gold Tortilla Chips
commercial started with a rumor spreading around an
office building that there were Tostitos in the
conference room. Before you knew it people were hanging
up their phones, closing their laptops, and scurrying
off to the conference room wooed by the idea of free
food. Once they arrived at the meeting, a smirking
manager locked the door and passed out giant binders.
“Thank you all for coming by. We have a ton of work to
do.” The message - meetings are often so horrific that
it takes free food (not such a bad thing) to entice
participation. So why is it so hard to run a productive,
efficient, controlled meeting that participants find
useful? It usually boils down to lack of preparation,
inefficient time management, and little to no follow-up.
Preparation
Time is the scarcest resource and unless
it is managed nothing else can be managed.
Peter Drucker
Every successful business endeavor requires
forethought and planning. When a meeting fails it’s
usually due to a lack of preparation. Just a little will
save valuable time and foster productivity. You don’t
start a project without an objective. Don’t start a
meeting without one either. Think of a meeting as a
short term project. Ask yourself what you want to
accomplish between the beginning and the end of the
meeting. From there, come up with a clear objective and
your meeting should start to take shape.
Agenda, agenda, agenda. Once you establish an
objective you need to figure out how to achieve it.
Start with an agenda. Draw up a simple and precise
outline and stick to it. List the discussion topics and
the amount of time you will need to discuss each issue.
Make the agenda logical, easy to follow, and leave a
little wiggle room for debate.
Get creative with scheduling. People tend to be
most productive in the morning and right before quitting
time. Don’t schedule meetings right after lunch unless
you want to babysit nap time.
Limit Attendance. No stragglers and no walk ins
please. Keep the group tight and focused and get the
right people in the room even if you have to lure them
with free food. Let people leave part of the way through
if they are not needed for the rest of the meeting.
Attendees will appreciate your efficiency and may be
more inclined to participate more fully in future
meetings.
Execution
Plans are only good intentions unless
they immediately degenerate into hard work.
Peter Drucker
Be punctual. Demonstrate that you are taking the
meeting seriously and everyone else will do the same. If
you are scheduled to start at 11 am, start promptly at
11 am. Latecomers should not dictate the start of the
meeting. They will be embarrassed when they walk in and
notice that the meeting has already started and
hopefully less likely to be late in the future. On the
flip side, show restraint and end on time. It is just as
important to finish on time as it is to start on time.
If you have clearly under-budgeted the time, get
creative. Is there any way to convey the rest of the
information without scheduling another meeting or eating
up extra time? Can you send a memo or an email?
Minimally intrusive meetings generate happy, productive
participants.
Stay focused. Once you get going, limit tangents,
move quickly, and prohibit interruptions. If you put the
time into drawing up a tight agenda odds are that time
is of the essence. Starting on time is great but if you
take time out for phone calls and getting stragglers up
to speed, you defeat the purpose of running a tight
ship. Your focus and control will rub off on
participants.
Finish strong. People tend to remember the last
few things they hear more than the things in the middle.
Make sure you really drive your point home at the end of
the meeting. Summarize what you discussed and talk
deliverables. If there is follow-up work to be done, set
a firm deadline. If another meeting needs to be
scheduled do it while everyone is around.
Follow
Up
Management is nothing more than
motivating other people.
Lee Iacocca
Great communication keeps successful companies moving
forward. Great meetings facilitate communication and
motivation. Once the meeting ends the real work begins.
Determine if your stated objective was met. If the
objective involves deliverables, set a schedule to
follow-up with participants. If you stay involved they
will take the work seriously. By fostering an efficient
and productive atmosphere you can alter the preconceived
notion that meetings are a waste of time. Participants
will walk in with a better attitude, be more engaged,
and results will fly. Meeting adjourned.
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