R . I . TMechanical Engineering

How (Not) to Run a Meeting

Design Project Management

Rochester Institute of TechnologyMechanical Engineering Department

Rochester, NY USA

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Monday Schedule

• 09-4425 (DeBartolo, Kaemmerlen)• R13201: 32 minutes• R13701: 16 minutes• R13904: 24 minutes

• 09-1149 (Gomes, Walker)• R13002: 32 minutes• R13401: 16 minutes• R13301: 24 minutes

• 2 minutes prep (setup, handouts, etc) and up to 5 minutes for questions/discussion (PER TEAM)

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Session Objectives

• Motivation

• Video

• Tools for making good use of meeting time

• Prepare agenda for Monday’s talk

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Think about…

• The best and worst meetings you’ve ever attended:• What were the attributes of the best?• What were the attributes of the worst?

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Why is this important?

• We want to have:• Clear purpose for meeting• Clearly outlined responsibilities and due dates• Prepared participants

• We don’t want to:• Waste people’s time• Disengage participants

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Why is this important?

• Purpose of meeting not clear:• Off-topic conversations• Getting bogged down on a trivial issue

• Responsibilities during meeting not clear:• Assign responsibility for to-do items• Assign deadlines for to-do items

• Unprepared participants:• Convey information ineffectively during meeting• Not comfortable discussing unfamiliar topics

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Meetings Bloody Meetings

(Meant figuratively, not literally – think British.)

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Discussion

• Has this ever happened to you?

• Have you ever been responsible for this?

• How can you prevent this?

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Tools

• Meeting Tips

• Sample Meeting Agenda

• Design Review Agenda Template

• Design Review Notes Template

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Be polite, but firm.

• Use a Parking Lot – holds topics for later, but shows people they are not being ignored

• “It sounds like we should follow up with you separately on this topic. We will contact you this afternoon to schedule an appointment.”

• “The primary concerns I’m hearing is/are […]. The team will [action item] and follow up with all of you. In the meantime, let’s continue with our agenda.”

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Remainder of Class

• Work Time• Agenda for Monday’s presentations• Other prep for Monday

R . I . TMechanical Engineering

Background/VOC Expectations

• Step back, assess what you’ve done, compile information, seek feedback.

• Every project is still a work in progress – don’t pretend otherwise!

• Convey to the class:• Context and motivation for your project(s)• Goals for your project(s)• Research sources and summarize information (current state of

the art)• Stakeholders, and summarize information (VOC)• Questions for audience, next steps