Transcript Effective Meetings - The Business Realist

Effective Meetings
Agenda
• The importance of effective meetings
• The effective-meeting process:
– Before meetings (Plan)
– During meetings (Do)
– After meetings (Review)
• A checklist to review meeting effectiveness
When Is a Meeting Effective?
A meeting is effective when it achieves its
objectives in a minimum amount of time
to the satisfaction of the participants.
The Key Message
Effective meetings are
managed events –
they don’t just happen.
Steps to an Effective Meeting
Plan
Do
Review
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
Establish the need (why)
Set a clear agenda (what and how)
Arrange logistics (where and when)
Define roles and responsibilities (who)
Pre-position key contributions
Identify and overcome barriers
• Follow the agenda
• Record group thinking
• Practice good meeting behaviors
• Enact meeting roles
• Identify next steps
• Note benefits and concerns
•
•
•
•
Evaluate effectiveness
Circulate meeting summary
Follow up on next steps
Incorporate benefits and concerns
into next meeting plan
Planning
Planning should take the most effort in
order to maximize the effectiveness of the
meeting.
We Participate in all Types of Meetings
Presenting
Facilitating
Lecture/Presentation
20%
80%
Do we really need to
meet or can we do this
without a meeting?
50%
50%
80%
Discussion/Decision
20%
One-way information
sharing meetings,
briefings
Project updates,
management reviews
Source: How to Lead Work Teams: Facilitation Skills, Fran Rees.
Staff meetings,
standing committee
meetings
Decision-oriented meetings,
problem-solving meetings,
task force meetings, team
meetings, project team
meetings, focus groups
Good Reasons to Meet Require the
Interaction of Multiple People
 To share different perspectives and gain understanding
 To brainstorm and further develop ideas
 To make decisions
 To develop action plans
 To explain and clarify complicated information
 To achieve consensus
The Not-So-Good Reasons Why
We Meet

Simply because the meeting is being held
NO

Because that’s what teams do

To share risk and avoid responsibility

To share information

To wordsmith mission statements, etc.

To be participatory

To follow up on actions

Because your presence is mandated
Consider Saying “NO”
If there is no good reason to meet, find another way to achieve
your objective
Seven Basic Steps For Planning a
Meeting
Assigning
and agreeing
roles in
advance
1. Decide precisely what you want to accomplish during the
meeting – a decision, a plan, alternatives, understanding? helps with
attendance
2. Determine who needs to attend and who can be copied on
meeting minutes. Plan roles for the attendees in advance.
3. Plan the content of the meeting — the agenda — and the
frequency and duration needed.
4. Plan how you will present each part of the agenda for
maximum effectiveness. Consider your outcome and
determine the methods and environment that best supports
it.
I prefer
longer
meetings that
meet less
frequently
How will decisions be
made? Voting?
Consensus?
Seven Basic Steps for Planning a
Meeting (continued)
5. Plan what you will do after the meeting or
between meetings to be effective and to make
progress like status updates, teleconferences,
sub-teams.
6. Plan how you will evaluate the meeting — as it
is taking place and afterward.
7. Reach agreement on meeting agenda, issues,
and materials with key participants, sponsors,
and resources prior to the meeting in order to
proactively set expectations, build
commitment, and resolve issues.
Setting up subteams and
progress status
reporting
outside
meetings saves
meeting time
for group
issues
Guidelines for an Effective Agenda
•
Identify the time, date, place, and participants
•
Describe your objective
•
Tell the participants how to prepare
•
Set time limits on topics
•
Ensure enough time for a proper discussion
•
Schedule items in order of importance
•
Distribute in advance
A ge nd a Gu id el i ne
s
Anticipate and Overcome Barriers
 Barriers may include:
•
Uninformed participants
•
Uncooperative participants
•
Lack of authority to accomplish objective
•
Unresolved conflicts between participants
 Solutions may include:
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Disseminating information prior to meeting
•
Proactively working conflicts prior to meeting
•
Setting a more limited objective
•
Deciding not to meet
Plan Which Materials You Will Need
Before the Meeting . . .
Bring drafts of documents to work on
likeattendees
charters, mission
statements, etc.
• Prepare strawmodel documents for the
to review
Do not start with blank pages. If
needed, commission a sub-team to
write drafts.
• Gather materials you will need in the meeting
– Slides
– Handouts
– Tape
–
–
–
Flip charts
Markers
Previous meeting’s next steps and minutes
• Secure meeting room and equipment
• Arrive early enough to make certain the room is prepared before
meeting participants arrive
• Post ground rules and other relevant materials on walls
Establish Ground Rules with Your
Team at the Start
1.
Look for faults in others
Ground Rules
Team vynamics –2.whereby
Lob “grenades”
Be on time – within 5 minutes of start
two or three team members
3. Ramble
No distractions – phone, blackberry
vie to dominate the meeting
conversation
4. Come
with
hidden agendas
One
meeting,
no side conversations
5.
6.
7.
8.
Limitatanecdotes
Allow two meetings
the same time
No blaming or cya
Pass notes
Be respectful
Be candid
Violate time contracts
Everyone gets a turn
Set up “lose-lose” situations
Help clean up
Doing
Doing is easy after all the planning.
Meeting Roles: Leader
 “Owns” the meeting and sets the objectives
 Guides the content of the meeting (Are we meeting objectives?)
 Determines the participants and assigns roles
 Develops the agenda
 Provides support, information, and resources
 Sets the tone, expectations, and direction
 Encourages creativity
 Makes decisions or determines how to make decisions
Meeting Roles: Facilitator
 Guides and monitors the process of the meeting (Is the meeting
running well?)
 Makes it “safe” for everyone to participate
 Monitors time contract or uses time keeper
 Brings team back on-track when needed
 Helps headline and clarify ideas
 Aids team performance
 Provides feedback
Meeting Roles: Scribe
Documents everything noteworthy that occurs during the
meeting, not just what was written on flipcharts:
 Attendance, date, objectives
 Ideas, discussion threads, parking lot items
 Outcomes – decisions, next steps
 What’s due for next meeting
The scribe ends up having the most power over the course of the
meetings because what is documented is what gets enacted.
Meeting Roles: Time Keeper
 Monitors time contract
 Brings team back on-track when needed
Meeting Roles: Resource
 Generates ideas and recommendations
 Adheres to the agenda
 Practices good meeting behaviors
 Enforces ground rules
 Completes assigned tasks
 Participates actively
Giving everyone a specific
role gives them more of a
reason to attend and makes
your meeting more
effective. Consider
assigning hats.
De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
The White Hat
The White Hat calls for information known or needed.
The Red Hat
The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition.
The Black Hat
The Black Hat is judgment -- the devil's advocate or why
something may not work.
The Yellow Hat
The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism
and how things could work.
The Green Hat
The Green Hat focuses on creativity: the possibilities,
alternatives and new ideas.
The Blue Hat
The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process.
Running the Meeting
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Allow time for chit chat
•
Review the agenda
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Remind team of the ground rules
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Remind team of assigned roles
•
Record open ideas and issues in “parking lot”
to be addressed later
•
Help participants turn ideas, issues, and
concerns into action plans/next steps

Manage the agenda and the time
•
Record next steps and decisions
•
Summarize the meeting results
•
Evaluate the meeting before leaving
Tips for Improving Meeting
Effectiveness
Meeting Do’s
Build on others’ ideas
1.
Use headlining approach
9.
2.
Help others headline ideas
10. Use parking lots
3.
Be constructive
11. Use multiple note takers
4.
Use the “how to” (H2) or I wish
I knew …(IWIK) phrases
12. Set up “win-win” situations
5.
Listen actively
13. Remember, “No idea is a bad
idea”
6.
Paraphrase for understanding
7.
Observe time contract
8.
Use behavior enforcers, e.g.
money pot
14. Do benefits before concerns
15. Rotate roles
16. Ensure everyone contributes
Encourage Participation Through
Hooks and Responses
What I hear you
saying . . .
What I like about
that . . .
Let me build on
that . . .
How would
we. . .
Help me
understand . . .
I wish I knew
what . . .
Can you say
more about
that . . .
The Group Memory: Flipchart or LCD
Recordings
 Helps the group focus
 Provides instant record of meeting
content
 Encourages participation
 “Depersonalizes” ideas
 Increases sense of accomplishment
Leave Time at the End of the Meeting
for Feedback
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•
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Perform a process pro’s and cons or benefits and concerns:
•
What went well?
•
What should we improve for next time?
If you don’t do this your
meetings will never get
any better.
Perform a content pro’s and cons or benefits and concerns:
•
How well are we meeting our objectives?
•
What do we need to do better?
Assign roles for next meeting
Reviewing
The only way to improve meeting
effectiveness is to evaluate it and
determine what to do better.
After the Meeting
•
Review meeting benefits and concerns
•
Solicit participants’ individual feedback on meeting
•
Compare notes and prepare and distribute meeting minutes
•
Follow up on Next Steps via email, phone, etc.
•
Set up sub-teams to work on larger actions
•
Issue progress reports
Review
•
Start planning the next meeting
A Checklist Can Help Evaluate
Meeting Effectiveness
Activity
1. Was an agenda sent out ahead of time with minutes and any pre-reading?
2. Were objectives clear?
3. Were handouts and meeting aides prepared in advance?
4. Was the meeting room set up properly?
5. Did the meeting start on time?
6. Was the agenda followed?
7. Did participants understand what was expected of them during the meeting?
8. Did the meeting end on time?
9. Was there good participation in the meeting?
10. Were meeting roles followed?
11. Was the meeting summarized?
12. Were participants’ problems, concerns, and needs sought?
13. Were decisions made or action items assigned to resolve problems?
14. Were commitments asked for and made and documented?
15. Were follow-up reporting times established?
16. Did meeting leader practice good interpersonal skills: active listening,
paraphrasing, and recognizing non-verbals
Yes
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No
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