LEADING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

By: Kimara Ellefson

Meetings often contain at least one moron that

inevitably gets his turn to waste

everyone’s time with nonsense.

A committee

is a body that

keeps minutes

and wastes

hours

Meetings procreate. One meeting leads to another meeting leads to another…

Fried, Jason, and David H. Hansson. "REWORK: The New Business Book from 37signals." 37signals: Web-based Collaboration Apps for Small Business.

37signals, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://37signals.com/rework/>.

FACT:

Research shows that the average individual in our society today will sit through 9,000 hours of meetings in their lifetime! That is over 365 days spent in meetings – not to mention the thousands and sometimes millions of dollars spent on meetings.

ABOUT ME

13 Years at MCW Administrative role Spent roughly1,820 hours in meetings

over the last year…which means in the 13 years at MCW spent 23,660 hours in meetings

So much time in meetings…block off two hours every day just to NOT be in meetings

Truly believe in the power of meetings...good and bad.

DO YOU DREAD GOING TO MEETINGS?

Take a moment to recall your last team meeting:

• What does it look and feel like?

• How well does your team function?

• Who always talks and who never talks?

• How does the group make decisions?

• Are team members accountable for their contributions to the team?

Works Cited: Pigeon, Ed.D, Yvette, and Omar Khan, MD. "Leadership Lesson - Tools for Effective Team Meetings." AAMC. AAMC, 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.aamc.org>.

PROBLEM WITH MEETINGS

Boring Lack conflict

Ineffective/Time Wasting Lack appropriate context or structure Lack of focus

Forget what is at stake If there isn’t much at stake, don’t meet!

FIVE CONCEPTS FOR LEADING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

1. Set the stage-Why do I care/What is at stake?

2. Mine for conflict-actively engage all viewpoints

3. Don’t wait for consensus-get all ideas out-then LEAD

4. Drive to Conclusion

5. Everyone supports/takes action/is accountable

PLANNING AND PREPARING YOUR MEETING

“Perhaps the most important time you will spend in a meeting is the time you spend before the meeting even

starts…”

SETTING THE STAGE Determine the Purpose

To develop your purpose for the meeting ask yourself the following questions:

o What is at stake? o Why am I holding the meeting?o What do I want to achieve at the meeting?o What do I want to achieve after the

meeting?

Tip: Before you begin to move forward with planning your meeting – decide whether or not a meeting is the best way to accomplish

your meeting purpose.

Prepare a Meeting Plan

Determining a meeting type will help simplify your planning process

o Meet to solve a problemo Make decisionso Gather to share informationo Hear a presentationo Brainstorm ideas

THE FOUR MEETINGS

Meeting Type Time Required Purpose and Format Keys to Success

Daily Check-in 5 minutes

Share daily schedules and activities

• Don’t sit down• Keep it administrative• Don’t cancel even when

some people cannot be there

Weekly Tactical45-90

minutes

Review weekly activities and metrics, and resolve tactical obstacles and issues

• Don’t set agenda until after initial reporting

• Postpone strategic discussions

Monthly Strategic

2-4 hours

Discuss, analyze, brainstorm, and decide upon critical issues affecting long-term success

• Limit to one or two topics• Prepare and do research• Engage in good conflict

Quarterly Off-site Review

1-2 days

Review strategy, industry trends, competitive landscape, key personnel, & team development

• Get out of office• Focus on work; limit

social activities• Don’t over structure or

overburden the schedule

Information from Patrick Lencioni’s Book, Death by Meeting

DEFINE: CONTENT & PROCESS

PROCESS

Refers to how the meeting proceeds,

how the group works together to

accomplish task(s), and to build and

maintain cohesiveness

CONTENT

Refers to what is talked about at the

meeting, the agenda topics, decisions,

information, opinions, etc.

IDENTIFY MEETING PARTICIPANTS

To determine who should attend follow these guidelines:

o Invite those with relevant information or expertiseo Invite those who will make the final decisiono Invite people who are affected by or will carry out a

decisiono Consider inviting anyone who might significantly

prevent or interfere with the implementation of a decision

o Invite individuals with higher functional responsibility

Tip: Invite as few people as possible while still being inclusive. This varies based on the purpose and intent of

the meeting.

IDENTIFY GROUP ROLES Leader

Responsible for managing the meeting Timekeeper

Keeps time and lets participants know when it is time to move to the next agenda item

Note Taker Keeps written record of proceedings

Chart Person Writes important points of discussion and lists of

ideas. Navigator

Keep group on track

PREPARE THE AGENDA

o Agenda: Very simply “Things to be done”

o Sequence: Arrange your agenda with the most important items first and least important last in case time runs out

o Timing: Assign realistic times to each item, this will determine how long the meeting will last and will enable you to figure out if you have too much on the agenda

EFFECTIVE AGENDAS INCLUDE:

o Meeting Purpose-What is at stake? o Meeting Logistics (Date, Time,

Roles, Participants)o Agenda Itemso Timeso Assignments (Report out, etc. )

“Every minute you avoid spending in a meeting is a minute you can get real work

done instead”

Communicating to Participants

Includes:

o What is at stake? o Who? When? Where? o Logisticso Meeting Agendao Any special instructions

regarding participant preparation

Tip: Leaders should not be the only person coming to the meeting prepared. Therefore, providing information ahead of time will increase the chances of better productivity during your meeting.

SUMMARY: SETTING THE STAGE

Create a statement of Purpose/OutcomesAsk yourself “What do I want the purpose of this

meeting to be and what are the potential outcomes? Prepare a Meeting Plan

Determine Meeting Type Define Content & Process Identify Meeting Participants/Group Roles Determine Meeting Logistics Prepare the Agenda

Communicate with Participants

All these should take place before meeting starts!

CONDUCTING MEETINGS

LEAD, LEAD, LEAD

When you lead a meeting, you are a leader and all leadership principles apply: Provide structure Encourage participation Be decisive Hold participants accountable

Start Fast

o Starting on Time – Communicate the seriousness of starting on time. Wasting people’s time equals less time working on other projects

o Stay Focused – Do not allow for other work to be done

Tip: Arrange the meeting room that supports dialogue and better communication.

Request that cell phones, laptops, iPads not be used during the meetings, i.e. for checking emails

FIRST MEETING: UTILIZE INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

Set aside 5-15 minutes for introductory items to help get the meeting started.

Welcome & Introductions Meeting Purpose Process Ground Rules Meeting Agenda “Parking Lot”

MINE FOR CONFLICT

Goals:

o Keep the Meeting Focusedo Encourage Full Participationo Attend to the Paceo Handle Counterproductive Behavior

It’s your job to encourage everyone’s full participation

WAYS TO MINE FOR CONFLICT

Directly Solicit Input from Everyone Ask Open-ended Questions Actively Listen to Others, Be Attentive to Body

Language Reinforce and Acknowledge Positive Participation Ask for Concrete Examples Be Supportive

Tip: Always maintain control. Don’t forget you are the Leader. Don’t allow another participant to take that role

from you.

HANDLE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS

Six Behaviors That May Cause Problems:

Overly Talkative Definitely Wrong Highly Argumentative Obstinate Side Conversations Won’t Talk

TIPS ON HOW TO HANDLE

Overly TalkativeWhen they pause for a breath take that time to thank them for input, refocus attention on subject, and

move on.

Definitely WrongNever embarrass the individual.

Say you may not have heard them correctly and ask them to rephrase the comment.

Highly ArgumentativeStay calm! Try to find merit in

point and then move on. May also seek group’s opinion. If necessary

ask to speak privately.

ObstinateThrow out issues/ideas for open

group discussion. Ask group if they “agree or disagree”.

Side ConversationCasually walk to and stand beside the side conversation. Ask one of the parties an easy question or

restate your last point and ask for their opinion. Pause and wait for

them to notice.

Won’t TalkBored: around interest by asking

their opinionUninvolved: Engage person seated next to them, then gradually shift

focus to draw them inShy or Insecure: Support with

sincere compliment after first time opening up

DRIVE TO CONCLUSION

Often we walk away from a meeting feeling that nothing is accomplished. Follow these steps below to help create closure to the meeting:

o Summarize what has been accomplished

o Compare the accomplishments with the desired outcomes

o Identify unfinished agenda items and determine ways to address them

GET BUY-IN AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Complete an action plan – who will do what and when?

Summarize Action Items Delegate follow up responsibilities

DISTRIBUTING MINUTES Minutes should be handed out to everyone

attending the meeting Give direction to participants to review the

minutes and action items If these are ongoing meetings, the minutes

become the start of the next agenda

SUMMARY

Remember to: Be a LEADer Start Fast Mine for Conflict Drive to Conclusion Hold everyone accountable

EFFECTIVE MEETINGS PRODUCE RESULTS

“The clock represents our commitments, appointments, schedules, goals and activities – what we do with and how we manage our time. The compass represents our vision, values, principles, mission, conscience, direction – what we feel is important and how we lead our lives.

The struggle comes when we sense a gap between the clock and the compass – when what we do doesn’t contribute to what is most important in our lives.”

– Stephen Covey

MEETING RESOURCES

Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides readers with another powerful and

thought-provoking book, this one centered around a cure

for the most painful yet underestimated problem of

modern business: bad meetings. And what he

suggests is both simple and revolutionary.

Information and research gathered for this presentation was from Patrick Lencioni’s book, “Death by Meeting”